Health Tip: Is My Neck Pain Serious?

(HealthDay News) -- Neck pain can stem from a variety of factors and conditions, from injury to a soft-tissue abnormality.

Health Tip: Make Low-Cholesterol Salad Choices

(HealthDay News) -- A salad isn't automatically a healthier option. With high-fat dressings and toppings, even a salad can wreck your healthy eating plans.

Too Much Vitamin D Could Be Harmful to Heart

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Studies have shown that vitamin D is critical for bone health and could have a protective benefit for the heart, but new research suggests that too much of it could actually be harmful.

Heart Experts Make Boosting Bystander CPR a Priority

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- People who suffer sudden cardiac arrest are more likely to survive if 911 and EMS dispatchers help bystanders assess victims and begin CPR immediately, says a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association.

Study Challenges Potassium Guidelines for Heart Attack Patients

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Heart attack patients whose blood potassium levels are within a certain range are less likely to die than those with levels of the mineral below or above that range, says a new study that challenges current recommendations for potassium levels in heart attack patients.

Monkeys Treated With 'Love Hormone' Show More Kindness

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The so-called "love hormone" oxytocin promotes greater kindness in monkeys, a new study finds.

Alzheimer's Med Seems Ineffective in Those With Down Syndrome

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A drug commonly used to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease does not appear to be effective for people older than 40 years who have Down syndrome and Alzheimer's, according to a new study.

Mixed News on Tough-to-Treat Lung Cancer

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Dutch researchers report disappointing results from an early clinical trial of the drug Nexavar (sorafenib) in fighting a tough-to-treat form of lung cancer.

How to Keep From Overeating When Eating Out

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- It's easy to overeat at restaurants. But researchers from University of Texas at Austin say they've come up with a strategy that helped a group of middle-aged women who eat out frequently avoid gaining weight and even lose a few pounds.

Asian-Americans More Apt to Die in Hospital After Heart Attacks

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Asian-Americans are more likely to die in the hospital following a heart attack than whites, new research reveals, although this disparity was reduced over time in hospitals participating in a quality improvement program.

Autism Gastro Problems May Be Linked to Gut Bacteria

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Children with autism have bacteria in their gut that is different from the bacteria seen in kids who do not have the disorder, researchers have found.

Diabetes Takes a Toll on Lifetime Earnings: Study

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetes is a costly disease, and new research suggests those costs may extend far beyond the obvious expense of medicine and related health care.

New Blood Thinner Linked to Higher Heart Attack Risk

MONDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The anticoagulant Pradaxa (dabigatran) is associated with a small increase in the risk of heart attack, a new review finds.

Occasional Pot Smoking Won't Harm Lungs: Study

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Unlike the cigarette habit, occasional pot smoking does not seem to trigger declines in lung function that could lead to breathing problems, a new 20-year study suggests.

Health Highlights: Jan. 10, 2012

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

One in Six Americans Binge Drink: CDC

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- An estimated 38 million American adults are binge drinkers -- defined as men who down five or more drinks at a sitting and women who consume four or more drinks at one time, federal researchers reported Tuesday.

Dementia May Lead to Avoidable Hospitalizations

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- People with dementia are far more likely to be hospitalized than their peers who don't have any impairment in their brain function, a new study finds.

Certain Diabetes Drugs Might Aid Weight Loss

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A class of newer diabetes drugs that includes exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon) might also be used to help the obese lose weight, Danish researchers report.