Call it the Dara Torres Phenomenon. Since the 41-year-old five-time Olympian won three silver medals last month in Beijing, Masters swimming programs have become trendy.
A radioactive tracer that "lights up" cancer hiding inside dense breasts showed promise in its first big test against mammograms, revealing more tumors and giving fewer false alarms, doctors reported Wednesday.
In a new and disturbing twist on the obesity epidemic, some overweight teenagers have severe liver damage caused by too much body fat, and a handful have needed liver transplants.
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NUTRITION
''No, sorry, I'm sensitive to chicken,'' the woman said as she passed by some samples at the Aventura Whole Foods. ''Sensitive?'' I asked. ``You mean you're allergic to chicken?''
NATURAL REMEDIES
Dinah Veeris recalls laughing as a girl when her mother and aunt tried to cure her of minor ailments using herbs and traditional medicines.
Why the Chinese Don't Count Calories: 15 Secrets from a 3,000-year-old Food Culture (Skyhorse, $12.95) by Lorraine Clissold is hardly revolutionary. Eat until you are full, and then stop. Avoid processed foods. Think of vegetables as a primary dish, not a side dish. Dietitians and nutritionists have been doling out this advice for years, yet waistlines continue to expand in America.
NUTRITION
Q: Does cinnamon help people with diabetes? A: Some studies have shown that cinnamon may help lower blood glucose levels and may improve blood cholesterol levels. Other studies are not so sure. At any rate, cinnamon tastes good, is safe to use and provides great flavor to food, with no added calories or carbohydrates to raise blood sugar levels.
TUESDAY: Low Impact Water Exercises focus on a range of motion, strength and endurance; part of Miami Dade Parks Leisure Access Services; 11 a.m. to noon, Thursday; A.D. Barnes Park, 3401 SW 72nd Ave., West Miami-Dade. 305-665-5319.
Fat Free Yoga: Lose Weight & Feel Great features four Kundalini workouts and two meditations to boost your metabolism and clear your mind. If you're new to yoga, be prepared for a physical and mental challenge. $10.99 at Amazon.com
RESEARCH
University of Miami researchers have uncovered a key factor in the body's immune response to lethal viruses, possibly leading to new ways to fight lymphoma, liver and cervical cancers and others.
ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION
The night before Jonas Read became a kidney donor, his mother was almost frantic. Dressed in his hospital gown, he mocked her concern: ``Oh, no, you can't go driving around. What if you get in a car accident? No, you can't do this because you're gonna die. No, you can't do that because you're gonna die. Everything was gonna kill me!''
1 Definition: This condition -- abnormally large, firm breasts on males -- is relatively common and could be mistaken for excess chest fat. It affects newborns, boys going through puberty and older men. Gynecomastia is not considered serious unless it's a sign of a tumor, liver disease or hypogonadism.
1 Explanation: This rare genetic recessive disorder causes rapid premature aging and begins in adolescence or early adulthood. Also known as Progeria of Adulthood, it affects tissue throughout the body and sufferers often look as if they are 20 or 30 years older.
1 What is it: This common disorder occurs when throat muscles relax and cause breathing to repeatedly stop or become very shallow. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and occur up to 30 times an hour. After a pause, normal breathing may resume with a loud snort or choking sound. Sufferers often snore loudly. A University of Wisconsin study published this month shows that over an 18-year period, people with severe, untreated sleep apnea died at a rate more than three times that...
HEALTHCARE
The government on Friday began posting a list of prescription drugs under investigation for potential safety problems so doctors and patients could be better informed.
Cardo Medical, a California firm specializing in orthopedic medical devices, has completed a merger with a shell company associated with Miami physician-entrepreneur Phillip Frost, the companies announced Monday.
Former Medicare official Ruben Jose King-Shaw Jr. to lead All-Med Services Ruben Jose King-Shaw Jr., a former Medicare official and former secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, will become chief executive of All-Med Services of Florida.
All-Med Services of Florida announced that Ruben Jose King-Shaw Jr., a former Medicare official and former secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, will become its chief executive.
PHARMACEUTICALS
When most patients go to the pharmacy to fill a new prescription, they don't think twice about turning over the note from their doctor. After all, how much could the scrawled writing on that tiny slip be worth?
BODY BY YOU
Body: Adam Fox, 14, a freshman at Ferguson High School in Kendall, 5-feet-2, 75 pounds. He is an indoor rock climber. He has been working out for the past two years at a rock climbing gym.
HOSPITALS
Continuing to expand the information available about hospitals, Medicare's health information website has added details about the mortality rates for pneumonia and the care of children.
EMPHYSEMA
English singer Amy Winehouse is no stranger to tabloid headlines -- routinely grabbing attention for alleged drug use, brushes with the law, bizarre onstage behavior and curious fashion choices.
Christian Michael Tellez, 7, thinks ''king of the mountain,'' but the 40-foot rock-climbing wall at the Miami Children's Museum responds ''yo-yo.'' For every step up he takes, he slips back a notch or two.
HEALTH
The pain chased Dalouse Cesard from childhood in Haiti into her adolescence after she moved to the United States. She wondered why she was the one to endure debilitating agony that kept her out of school, put her in the hospital and forced her to sit while her friends played.
A study finds end-of-life costs in S. Florida are among the highest in the nation
Audio | Interview with Dr. Silvina Levis
