Taking to the Stage to Battle Mental Illness

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- In small theater spaces across the United States, people fighting psychiatric illness are learning that acting can be a powerful form of therapy, while the shows they put on help educate audiences through deeply personal accounts of mental health issues.

Insurance Woes Can Add to Burden of Psoriasis

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Severe psoriasis had left Steve Schultz feeling like an outcast. At the coffee shop where he worked, customers wondered aloud if they could catch the condition that caused his skin to redden, flake and itch like mad.

Health Tip: Start Migraine Care Immediately

(HealthDay News) -- Migraines are severe headaches that may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and a sensitivity to light and sound.

Health Tip: Visiting the Doctor When Your Infant is Well

(HealthDay News) -- "Well-child visits" at regular intervals can help keep your child healthy and spot any potential problems.

Varying Your Practice Moves May Help Improve Skills

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Varying the types of skills you work on in practice sessions engages a different part of the brain than the one you use when focusing on a single task, researchers say.

Can Ozone Cause Heart Attacks?

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- A new animal study offers the first direct bit of evidence that ozone, a major component of smog, may trigger the death of heart cells.

'Working Memory Capacity' May Determine Music's Virtuosos

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- While practice helps improve your musical talents, it's working memory capacity that may determine if you become a virtuoso, according to a new study.

Cancer Docs 'Frustrated' By Lack of Useful Info in Journal Articles

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Medical journals should include more clinical details in cancer research studies to help doctors better understand and utilize results, according to U.S. researchers.

Caterpillars' Creep May Hold Clues for Advanced Robotics

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Caterpillars have a unique "two-body" system of movement that may have implications for robotics and human biomechanics, U.S. researchers say.

Giving Kids Booze, Medicines Can Be Child Abuse

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- The malicious use of alcohol and medicines is an under-recognized form of child abuse, according to a new report.

Some on Statins May Not Need Boost in 'Good' Cholesterol

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- People with extremely low levels of "bad" cholesterol as a result of taking statins don't seem to benefit from increased levels of "good" cholesterol, a new study suggests.

Signs of Thyroid Trouble Tied to Raised Pregnancy Complication

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of placental separation during labor is three times higher than normal in pregnant women with antibodies that indicate early thyroid disease, a new study has found.

Nitric Oxide Doesn't Seem to Help Preemies' Lungs: Report

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- In a new study that looked at the use of nitric oxide in premature infants, researchers found that lung function didn't improve in babies who were not black, although one expert said the treatment may help some infants.

Health Highlights: July 22, 2010

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

Clinical Trials Update: July 22, 2010

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

The Longer You Sit, the Shorter Your Life Span: Study

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- The more Americans engage in one of their favorite pastimes -- sitting around -- the shorter their average life span, a new study suggests.

Dangerous Fungus Now Endemic in Pacific Northwest: CDC

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Cryptococcus gattii -- an airborne fungus that can cause life-threatening illness -- is an emerging infection in the Pacific Northwest, U.S. health officials said Thursday.

People Who Are Depressed 'See' a Gray World

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Depressed people actually 'see' the world around them in shades of gray, at least subconsciously, a new study suggests.

Radiation for Childhood Cancer Can Boost Risk of Stillbirth Later

THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are childhood cancer survivors face a greater risk of having a stillborn child if their uterus or ovaries were exposed to radiation during their treatments, a new study finds.