Health Tip: Recognizing Symptoms of Shingles

(HealthDay News) -- Shingles is caused by the herpes zoster virus, the same one that causes chickenpox.

Health Tip: Smokeless Tobacco Can Harm Your Oral Health

(HealthDay News) -- Chewing tobacco, even though it doesn't involve smoking, can still threaten your oral health, the American Dental Association warns.

Health Tip: Interview a Potential Pediatrician

(HealthDay News) -- Add "choosing a pediatrician" to the long to-do list for expectant parents.

Study Sheds Light on Genetic Risk of MS

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Women with multiple sclerosis are more likely than men with the disease to have a gene thought to be connected to the condition, a new study has found.

Chickenpox Vaccine Cuts Hospitalization Rates: Study

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The one-dose chickenpox vaccine dramatically cut the number of chickenpox-related hospitalizations in the United States for the first half of the past decade, according to a new study.

Genetic Tests May Help Track Unknown Criminals by Hair Color

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- DNA can be used to determine the hair color of an unknown criminal who is being sought by police, Dutch researchers report.

Stress Can Make a Healthy Cat Sick: Study

TUESDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Stress can cause even a healthy cat to appear sick, a new study reveals.

People Dropping 'Medicare Advantage' Urged to Analyze Options

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- People enrolled in Medicare Advantage private health plans have until Feb. 14 to leave those plans, but a national consumer group urges a careful review of options before making any decision.

Exercise May Improve Odds Against Prostate Cancer Death

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Prostate cancer patients who routinely engage in modest amounts of vigorous physical exercise appear to lower their risk of dying from their disease, new research suggests.

Vaccine Protects Mice From Cocaine's Effects, Study Finds

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- New animal research suggests that cocaine addiction might be treatable with a vaccine that has been engineered from pieces of the common cold virus in combination with a cocaine-like substance that mimics cocaine's molecular composition.

Antibiotic May Help Ease Irritable Bowel

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- A two-week course of an antibiotic relieved bloating and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, a common gastrointestinal disorder, for more than two months after treatment ended, new research shows.

Health Highlights: Jan. 5, 2011

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

Fish Oil May Help Some Heart Failure Patients

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- For heart failure patients whose condition is controlled with standard care, omega-3 fatty acid supplements appear to improve their condition even more, a small study suggests.

FDA Launches Review of Tobacco Products

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Tobacco products introduced or altered since February 2007 must be reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration if they are to remain on the market, the agency announced Wednesday.

Diabetes Soaring Among American Adults: Report

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The number of American adults treated for diabetes more than doubled between 1996 and 2007, rising from about 9 million to 19 million, says a federal government report released Wednesday.

Clinical Trials Update: Jan. 5, 2011

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

Experimental Drug Helps Fight Aggressive Breast Cancer: Report

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have taken another step in the hunt to find a treatment for an aggressive, likely-to-recur form of breast cancer.

Doctor Behind Study Linking Vaccine to Autism Accused of 'Deliberate Fraud'

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- An in-depth investigation just published in a prominent medical journal alleges that a decade-long effort to link childhood vaccinations with autism was really an elaborate hoax perpetuated by a British doctor who has since been banned from practicing medicine in that country.