baltimoresun.com - Health & Wellness

In battle over mammograms, Md. leaders race to front lines

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Politicians, activists quickly oppose relaxed guidelines

When a government advisory panel put out new recommendations last week that said women under age 50 need not be screened for breast cancer , the calls began flowing to Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski's office. Within days, the Maryland senator had responded with an amendment to the Senate's pending health care reform bill that would guarantee access to mammograms at age 40 through public insurance exchanges.

Senator sees more ties between Hasan, cleric

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Levin says panel will probe how U.S. handled e-mails

The government intercepted at least 18 e-mails between the man accused in the Fort Hood shootings and a radical Muslim cleric, and a key senator says there could be more communications that might have tipped off law enforcement or military officials.

Guidelines against self-exams for breast cancer ignite firestorm

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Mary Ivey didn't have a family history of breast cancer or a genetic mutation putting her at high risk for the disease. At 37, she was too young for an annual mammogram. But one day in March, she did a routine self-exam, as her doctor had instructed her, just in case.

State reports 11 more deaths from H1N1; total is now 30

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Slight dip in flu recently, but holiday travel may end that

Maryland health officials reported 11 more swine flu deaths Friday, including three children - bringing the state's total to 30 deaths and 787 hospitalizations from the H1N1 virus.

Women giving birth at home without midwives

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:32:43 -0500

When Jennifer Margulis went into labor with her fourth child, she sent her husband off to take the kids to school, then waited at home for her body to do what she felt confident it had evolved over millions of years to do on its own.

Group recommends less-frequent Pap tests

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The cervical cancer screening advice follows another panel's controversial mammogram report, but experts say it's a much different situation. Still, Paps are the only reason some women see a doctor.

Only days after a federal panel scaled back on breast cancer screening recommendations for many women, another organization -- the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists -- has done the same for a screening credited with drastically reducing the rates of cervical cancer in the U.S.

CDC: 4 people in NC test positive for Tamiflu-resistant swine flu, first such US cluster

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:18:00 -0500

ATLANTA (AP) — Four North Carolina patients at a single hospital tested positive for a type of swine flu that is resistant to Tamiflu, health officials said Friday.

Different groups sometimes come up with different advice on cancer screening

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:24:00 -0500

Several doctors groups and advocacy groups set guidelines for cancer screening, and they update that advice periodically as new information emerges. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they don't. Last year, a number of groups got together and issued consensus guidelines for colon cancer.

Mikulski: Measure would give mammogram access at age 40

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said Thursday that she will introduce an amendment to the Senate health reform bill guaranteeing women universal access to mammograms beginning at age 40.

Poll: abortion plays a small roll in health reform opposition

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0500