Runny nose, headache and watery eyes are often attributed to the common cold, but they can actually be signs of allergies, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). “Millions of Americans think they are suffering from a cold during the winter months when they’re actually experiencing allergies,” said Anju Peters, MD, Chair of the AAAAI’s Rhinosinusitis Committee. [click link for full article]

In response to the Government’s launch of the Cancer Reform Strategy today (Monday 3 December), Cancerbackup issues the following response: “Finally information provision has the recognition it deserves,” says Joanne Rule, Cancerbackup chief executive. “Being informed empowers and improves people’s lives. With information at the heart of the strategy, the Government has committed to providing it as a vital service to people affected by cancer. [click link for full article]

Major improvements in the support and care of people living with cancer in England are announced in a new government cancer plan published today, in which Macmillan Cancer Support has played a key role. The Cancer Reform Strategy, due to be launched this morning by the Health Secretary Alan Johnson, will be far-reaching, and will fully recognise the complex needs of people living with cancer- offering them a wider range of care and support during and after treatment. [click link for full article]

Prostate cancer may be present in obese men even if they have low concentrations of prostate specific antigen (PSA) because the large volumes of plasma associated with being overweight mean PSA is diluted more in their circulation than in normal men, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Obesity is known to be a hindrance to accurate cancer detection for several reasons. [click link for full article]

December 3 will have a double significance this year for heart transplant recipient Carole Eadie. As well as being her birthday, the date also marks 40 years since the world’s first successful heart transplant. On the day Carole celebrated her second birthday in 1967, South African surgeon Dr Christian Barnard was making history by successfully transplanting the heart of a road traffic accident victim, Denise Duvall, into patient Louis Washkinsky. [click link for full article]

“Despite enormous buying power, Medicare pays far more” than individuals for equipment and services that are “available at far lower prices from retail pharmacies and online stores,” the New York Times reports. [click link for full article]

Why do mental illness and drug addiction so often go together? New research reveals that this type of dual diagnosis may stem from a common cause: developmental changes in the amygdala, a walnut-shaped part of the brain linked to fear, anxiety and other emotions. A full report on why these “comorbid” disorders may develop appears in the December Behavioral Neuroscience, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).Dual diagnosis is common yet difficult to treat. [click link for full article]

As the obesity epidemic grows in the U.S., doctors are discovering more and more far reaching health concerns for overweight children. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which can include various sleep behaviors ranging in severity from snoring to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), disproportionately affects children who are overweight and African- American, according to a new study published in the December 2007 edition of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. [click link for full article]

Like many communities in the United States, Nashville, Tennessee, has over the past two decades experienced an unprecedented influx of immigrant Hispanics - a population whose healthcare needs are understudied and not well documented in the academic literature. In response, a coalition of Nashville-area researchers have teamed with community groups to survey the cancer care and prevention needs of Hispanic immigrants. [click link for full article]

Women die and get infections more often than men after heart surgery because they tend to receive more blood transfusions, which boost the risks of bad outcomes, according to a study published in the December Journal of Women’s Health. [click link for full article]