Health Articles

Got hand gel? If not, you should. Hand gel is everywhere -- and with good reason.

A 12-year-old boy from Buffalo Grove and a 41-year-old Elgin woman are the latest to die from swine flu. Both had underlying health problems, health officials said Friday. There had been 36 H1N1-related deaths statewide as of Friday.

For over 50 years, AARP has been committed to improving the quality of life for all Americans as we age. Access to affordable health care is an integral part of this equation.

High-risk groups first -- that's the message the White House is reinforcing regarding the swine-flu vaccine.

WASHINGTON -- French scientists have mixed gene therapy and bone marrow transplants in two boys to seemingly halt a brain disease that can kill by adolescence.

WASHINGTON -- President Obama and House Democrats scrambled on Thursday to secure the votes to pass a historic health care overhaul initiative, working to ease disagreements with rank-and-file over abortion and illegal immigrations.

Mention swine flu to a young child, and odds are pretty good you'll get a blank stare. But an increasing number of kids can tell you that the Sesame Street character "Elmo" sneezes properly into the crook of his arm, and if they sing the whole "ABCs" song while washing their hands they'll get them really clean. They're also well acquainted with hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes -- and their germ-fighting abilities.

A 15-year-old Lake County girl died Tuesday of complications from the H1N1 virus, county health officials said Wednesday. The unidentified girl, who was home-schooled, had pre-existing health problems that made her more vulnerable to serious complications from the flu, the Lake County Health Department said.

My children are grown now, but back in the late 1970s I would mix their baby formula with boiled water and put it into the plastic liners of disposable baby bottles, which I now know contain bisphenol A (BPA). My children haven't had any problems, but I am still concerned about the danger I've put them in. Is there anything they need to know to minimize their cancer risks?

As a therapy dog, Baxter comforted hundreds of hospice patients in their final hours. This year, old age caught up with Baxter.

Probably few women can imagine not gaining weight while pregnant.

Starting today, Rush University Medical Center is no longer letting kids younger than 16 visit hospitalized patients, in an effort to stem the spread of H1N1 swine flu. Children are among those most at risk.

Fewer employers are contributing to their workers' consumer-driven health-care plans, according to a new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

A single dose of the swine flu vaccine works well for almost all pregnant women, but young children will still need two doses for best results, federal health officials said Monday. Twenty-one days after receiving a single 15-microgram dose of the vaccine, 92 percent of pregnant women showed a robust immune response, Dr. Anthony Fauci reported.

Debra Mack looked forward to a day of pampering when she walked into the Southwest Side salon Monday. The Pacific Garden Mission resident had her hair cut and relaxed -- a rare luxury for her and the other 99 women treated to makeovers at Exotic Trenz Salon, 2605 W. 79th.

If she didn't get food stamps, Angie Minix and her two boys would have had to survive on the peanut butter-and-jelly diet. The Sauk Village mom isn't alone. In fact, nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say.

Middle age isn't too late to lose weight.

Just push fast and hard on the chest, and don't worry about mouth-to-mouth recuscitation. That's the gist of a new ad campaign that aims to demystify cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Sen. Roland Burris told a cheering crowd of medical students and others at Cook County Hospital today that he will not compromise on his demand that any health care plan have a public option.

WASHINGTON -- Presidential adviser David Axelrod said Sunday the government will catch up to the demand for swine flu vaccine within a week.