German research casts doubt on the effectiveness of a sugar cane-based ingredient sold as a cholesterol treatment in One-A-Day vitamins and other products marketed in dozens of countries.

The substance, called policosanol, worked no better than dummy pills in German adults with high levels of LDL cholesterol, the bad kind that can clog arteries and lead to heart problems. (excite.com)

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April 20, 2006

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will publish a statement on Friday criticizing state measures to legalize the medical use of marijuana, calling them attempts to bypass scientific review. (Reuters.co.uk)

March 27, 2006

More and more parents are sending their kids and teens off to yoga class to improve their health and help them de-stress.

Growing up isn't as stress-free as it used to be.

There are academic and athletic demands; peer pressure from other students and sometimes even juggling a part-time job along with school.

Yoga may be the solution to relieving some of these stresses for pre-teens and teens. (Manitowoc Herald)

Each time the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on medical marijuana, the justices have come down against allowing the sick and dying to use the drug to ease their symptoms and possibly prolong life.

However, the door has never been fully closed, and now a federal appeals court is set to hear arguments in the latest round of legal wrangling over the issue. (Washington Post)

August 27, 2005

It’s not quite clear just how many hospitals across the country [Australia] are using the little bloodsuckers, but those in the medical profession who have discovered a taste for leeches swear by them. “I spoke to one doctor who is the head of the burns unit over at Concorde Hospital in Sydney and he’s been using them for ten years,” says science writer Joshua Gliddon. (ABC Regional Online, Australia)