Health Tip: Protect Kids and Pets From Rabies

(HealthDay News) -- Rabies is a potentially fatal virus that can be transmitted from an infected animal to people. But parents can take steps to help keep kids and pets safe.

Health Tip: How to Spot Underage Drinking

(HealthDay News) -- Besides being illegal, underage drinking can endanger a young person's physical and emotional health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Diverticulitis Surgery More Dangerous for Older Black Patients: Study

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Following surgery for the common gastrointestinal disorder diverticulitis, elderly black patients are more likely to die than white seniors, a new study has found.

Scuba Diving May Help Paralyzed Vets

SATURDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Paralyzed veterans who learned to scuba dive experienced both physical and mental improvements, a new study suggests.

One-Third of Severe Heart Attack Patients Have Treatment Delays

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- More than a third of patients who experience a severe heart attack are delayed in getting the emergency artery-opening intervention they require, new research reveals.

U.S. Flu Shot Policy Shields More Kids Than Canada's Program, Study Finds

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- American youngsters are much less likely to come down with the flu than their northern neighbors due to a public health policy in the United States that calls for vaccinating 2- to 4-year olds, according to a Canadian-American research team.

Recession Tied to Rise in Child Abuse Injuries

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The stress of unemployment, foreclosures and putting food on the table may have helped drive a spike up in shaken baby syndrome and other types of abusive head trauma seen among infants and young children during the recent recession.

Lack of Sleep Hurts Kids' Academic Performance: Study

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Inadequate sleep and the absence of a good bedtime routine take a toll on the school performance of primary school children, research shows.

'Journaling' Might Ease Depression in Testicular Cancer Patients

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Keeping a daily journal with a positive slant may ease the effects of psychological trauma and depression among men with testicular cancer, according to a small new pilot study.

Exercise Ups Kids' Quit-Smoking Success Rate

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A program that combines counseling with physical activity may offer teens a more effective way to stop smoking.

Obese Kids May Face Social, Emotional Woes

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Obese 8- and 9-year-olds are more likely to suffer socially and emotionally than their normal-weight peers, a new study finds.

Brains of Obese May Crave High-Calorie Foods More: Study

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A new study links low blood sugar in obese people to a greater desire within the brain for high-calorie foods, a finding that offers insight into why people who become overweight tend to stay that way.

Health Highlights: Sept. 19, 2011

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

More Evidence Links Diabetes, Dementia

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- People with diabetes are at significantly higher risk of developing all types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, finds a new study that bolsters previous research connecting the two illnesses.

Global Toll of 'Non-Communicable Diseases' -- $47 Trillion by 2030

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Unless current health trends are reversed, five common, non-infectious diseases -- cancer, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease and mental health problems -- will cost the world $47 million in treatment costs and lost wages.

Heart Failure Care Influenced by Insurance Coverage

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The quality of care people with heart failure receive, along with outcomes, are significantly influenced by what type of insurance patients have, a new study finds.

ADHD Drug Delays Puberty in Male Monkeys, Study Finds

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The widely used attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication methylphenidate -- best known as Ritalin -- appears to be tied to delayed puberty in male monkeys.

Two Varicose Veins Treatments Equally Effective

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Although laser treatment and surgery are both effective in treating varicose veins, it appears that recurrence of one form of the problem is more common with the laser treatment, German researchers report.

Hospitals Serving More Minorities Have Higher Trauma Death Rate

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Regardless of their race or ethnicity, Americans who suffer a traumatic injury face a greater risk of dying at hospitals that serve a high proportion of minority patients, a new study shows.

FDA OKs Bone Drug to Prevent Fracture in Certain Cancer Patients

MONDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded approval for the Amgen bone-building drug Prolia (denosumab) to include prostate cancer or breast cancer patients who are taking certain hormonal therapies.