Doctor Shortage Adds to Pain of Juvenile Arthritis

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Most people think of arthritis as a disease of old age, with people's joints growing creaky and painful later in life.

Lifetime of Arthritis Has Not Held Back Teen

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Liz Smith has six kids, and her fifth child has juvenile arthritis.

Health Tip: Possible Triggers for Tinnitus

(HealthDay News) -- Tinnitus is the medical term that describes hearing ringing, whistling, buzzing or other noises in your ears when there's no source for those sounds.

Health Tip: Why Do My Joints Hurt?

(HealthDay News) -- Joint pain and stiffness are classic symptoms of osteoarthritis, but there are many other factors that can make your joints hurt.

Doggy Dentistry Can Now Mean Braces

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Cynthia Duggan was so surprised to learn her Australian shepherd puppy, Molly, needed dental braces that she hesitated to give her veterinarian the OK.

Driving a Bad Idea for People Wearing a Cast, Brace: Experts

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Driving is a bad idea for people who have to wear a cast, splint or brace while recovering from an injury or surgery to their right foot, a new study reports.

Better Methods Needed to Measure Hospital Quality: Experts

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital-wide patient death rates may not be a reliable way to assess a facility's quality of care, a new study indicates.

Demanding Relatives May Raise Heart Risks in Middle Age

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Dealing with family worries and demands can increase a person's risk of developing the painful symptoms of angina, researchers say.

Maybe Scrooge Couldn't Help Being Hard-Hearted

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Hard-hearted Scrooge may not have been able to help being so mean.

Electronic Health Records May Not Always Improve Care

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Use of electronic medical records has had only a limited effect on improving quality of care at U.S. hospitals, suggests a new study. But the problem may not be the technology but rather the methods used to assess its effectiveness.

Vegetarian Diet Cuts Kidney Patients' Levels of Toxic Phosphorus

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Eating a vegetarian diet lowers kidney disease patients' levels of potentially toxic phosphorus in the blood and urine, says a small new study.

Health Highlights: Dec. 23, 2010

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Obese Drivers at Higher Risk of Death in Car Crashes: Study

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Here's another reason not to pile on too many excess pounds: A new study finds that the obese and very obese are at raised risk of death in severe car crashes.

Clinical Trials Update: Dec. 23, 2010

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Flu Activity Low So Far, But More Cases to Come: CDC

THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Flu activity in the United States was low this fall throughout most of the nation, but government health officials expect flu viruses will infect more people in the weeks and months to come.