Health Tip: Coping With Diabetes

(HealthDay News) -- You've just been diagnosed with diabetes. Accepting the diagnosis is difficult for many people, but it's an important first step.

Health Tip: Skip TV and Get Active

(HealthDay News) -- It's easy to veg out in front of the TV when you're bored or looking to relax. But there are healthier ways to wind down.

Genes Play a Role in Drug Abuse Risk Among Adopted Kids: Study

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Adopted kids are at greater risk for drug abuse if their biological parents or siblings had a history of drug abuse, a new study finds.

Kids' Penicillin Allergy May Not Signal Other Drug Reactions

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Children who are allergic to penicillin are not more likely than other kids to develop additional drug allergies, new research suggests.

Self-Centered Kids May Just Have Immature Brains

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Selfish behavior in young children is linked to incomplete development of a brain region involved in self-control, according to a new study.

Hope and Optimism May Cloud Judgment in ICUs

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Even when told that death is likely, families of intensive care patients tend to be overly optimistic about the possibility of recovery, a new study finds.

Experimental Drug Shows Promise Against Cushing's Disease

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental drug called pasireotide reduced levels of the "stress hormone" cortisol and improved symptoms in patients with Cushing's disease, a new study found.

Woman's Recovery From Advanced Melanoma Could Help Guide Research

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Combining the immune-based drug ipilimumab with targeted radiation therapy improved one advanced melanoma patient's ability to fight the deadly skin cancer, a new study says.

Pregnancy May Protect Against MS, Study Says

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that pregnancy may decrease women's risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

Fetal Cocaine Exposure May Not Affect Kids' Academics: Study

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to cocaine, tobacco or marijuana before birth does not cause children to score lower on academic tests, according to a new study.

Many U.S. Families Struggle to Pay Medical Bills

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- One-third of Americans are in families that are having trouble paying for health care, a government report released Wednesday shows.

Estrogen-Only Therapy May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

TUESDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Some women who take estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy to stave off hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms of menopause may be at lower risk for developing breast cancer down the road, a news study says.

Is Cancer Outwitting 'Personalized Medicine'?

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- The genetic makeup of cancer cells differs significantly from region to region within a single tumor, according to new research that raises questions about the true potential of personalized cancer medicine.

Experimental Drug Offers Hope for Rare Bone Disease: Study

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- A new therapy may be the first to offer hope for children born with a rare disease that affects bone development, sometimes so severely that babies die because they're missing a rib cage to protect their lungs.

Transplant Procedure Creates 'Hybrid' Immune System to Combat Rejection

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers report that they were able to create a kind of hybrid immune system in patients who received kidney transplants, a process that appeared to allow the recipients' bodies to accept a foreign organ instead of trying to reject it.

Study Produces Mixed Results on Alzheimer's Drugs

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- A new study offers up mixed results about two medications used to treat the symptoms of the memory-robbing disease known as Alzheimer's.

Health Highlights: March 7, 2012

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

Drug Reduces Complications in Surgical Abortions: Study

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- The drug misoprostol reduced major complications from early surgical abortion by nearly one-third, according to a new study.

Drug Approved to Prevent Respiratory Distress Syndrome

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Sufaxin (lucinacant) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent respiratory distress syndrome, a serious lung condition that affects infants born prematurely.

U.S. Army Suicides Rising Sharply, Study Finds

WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Suicides among U.S. soldiers rose 80 percent from 2004 to 2008, an Army study found.