Current Health and Medical News Articles for Washington DC and the Nation

Families will make case for vaccine link to autism
Families claiming that a mercury-based preservative in vaccines triggers autism will challenge mainstream medicine Monday as they take their case to a federal court.

Feds: Teen use of pot can lead to dependency, mental illness
Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday.

Flu vaccine makers to set new doses record for next season
Flu vaccine manufacturers expect to make a record number of doses for next flu season despite concerns that demand may drop because this year's vaccine was largely ineffective.

US offering to help China in fight against viral infection
The United States is offering to help China in its fight against a viral infection that has killed 34 children, including two reported Friday, and sickened thousands of others.

77 more hepatitis cases may trace to clinic, officials say
Seventy-seven more people who were treated at a Las Vegas outpatient clinic have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, health officials said.

South Korea to double Tamiflu stockpile
South Korea says it will double its stockpile of the antiviral drug Tamiflu as bird flu spreads among poultry across the country.

Medical know-how raises suicide risk for doctors
There's a grim, rarely talked-about twist to all that medical know-how doctors learn to save lives: It makes them especially good at ending their own. An estimated 300 to 400 U.S. doctors kill themselves each year - a suicide rate thought to be higher than in the general population, although exact figures are hard to come by.

More than half of US diabetics have arthritis
More than half of U.S. adults with diabetes also have arthritis, raising a serious obstacle for diabetic patients urged to exercise, according to a government study.

Chantix recommended to quit smoking despite safety concerns
The federal government's new advice to doctors for helping smokers quit recommends the drug Chantix, which has recently been linked with depression and suicidal behavior.

Armstrong urges Congress to renew war on cancer
Seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong is calling on Congress to renew the nation's war on cancer.

Feds: Teen use of pot can lead to dependency, mental illness

A young woman rides on the hands of people in the crowd as they dance and listen to music at the eighth annual Freedom Rally in Boston in this Sept. 20, 1997 file photo. The rally was sponsored by Mass Cann, a group committed to the legalization of marijuana, and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)