Sometimes benefits fall into a gray area it’s not black it’s not white. 

Amgen and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals informed healthcare professionals of revisions to prescribing information for Enbrel. The revisions include a BOXED WARNING about infections, including serious infections leading to hospitalization or death that have been observed in patients treated with Enbrel

“In terms of his athleticism, his training, it’s remarkable. It’s not unique, but it’s remarkable how far he’s come and how motivated he is,” Dr. Mark Robbins said.

Costs for nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and some in-home care services have increased for a fifth consecutive year in Virginia and nationally, a new study indicates.

In Virginia, more children and adolescents die from accidents or injury than from any other cause.  A Childhood Safety Summit on May 12, sponsored by the Central Virginia Health District, will look at why those deaths happen and what the community can do.

A showcase of the Witness Project, a breast and cervical cancer education program, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday in the Craddock Auditorium of Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital on Rivermont Avenue. 

Centra will open a multi-specialty Center for Sexual Health and Intimacy on June 1st.  The center, in Suite 203 of the Oak Vassar Building behind Virginia Baptist Hospital, will include urology, gynecology, clinical psychology, physical therapy and nurse-specialists.

The medical office will be called “The Cardiovascular Group of Centra Stroobants Heart Center in Moneta.” The company hopes to open it this fall.

Physicians increasingly are using electronic prescriptions: They send the prescription via computer from the office to your pharmacy at the time of your appointment. There’s no little slip of paper to lose, no handwriting to decipher, and, theoretically, less delay in getting your medication.

The voluntary all lot recall is due to the possibility that tablets with double the appropriate thickness may have been commercially released. These tablets may contain twice the approved level of active ingredient than it appropriate.

Digitek® is used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. The existence of double strength tablets poses a risk of digitalis toxicity in patients with renal failure. Digitalis toxicity can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instability and bradycardia. Death can also result from excessive Digitalis intake. Several reports of illnesses and injuries have been received.

Tortured relationships among girls can fascinate and alarm.

Some may take a trip to the dentist for granted but for many people in our area it is a luxury.

The ACL is one of four major ligaments found within the knee and plays an enormous role in preventing hyperextension and providing stability. 

Virginia Tech’s Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center is has added an ophthalmology service through an alliance with Scottsdale, Ariz., based Eye Care for Animals.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing the first device made from a new form of natural rubber latex, guayule latex. The product, the Yulex Patient Examination Glove, is derived from the guayule bush, a desert plant native to the Southwestern United States.

Several recent studies published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine demonstrate risks to ACL tears can be reduced greatly through the use of preventative training.
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New recommendations about ADHD medicine and sudden death in children may leave many of you with questions.

A new drug has been approved to help sufferers of Crohn’s disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today. Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) received approval for adults with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease who have not responded to conventional therapies. This product was approved with a Medication Guide.

Heart assist devices are surgically implanted mechanical pumps that help the heart’s ventricle do its work of pumping blood to the rest of the body. Previous models were too large to be placed in the upper abdomen of some women and small-sized men. But the Thoratec HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist System employs a first-of-a-kind design.

Three Longwood University researchers are trying to determine if Nintendo’s Wii video game system can help older adults with arthritis

The idea is that tai chi, through its movements and breathing, massages the internal organs and aids in the exchange of gases in the lungs. It’s believed tai chi also helps digestion, flexibility, balance and creates calmness.

Virginia Tech’s Division of Student Affairs has received a $1 million gif from Dr. Charles W. Schiffertt which will be used to advance health education that its donor established more than 30 years ago.

The American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education awarded full accreditation to the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech

Piedmont Access to Health Services Inc. (PATHS) has been awarded a $48,000 grant from the United Way of Danville-Pittsylvania County to improve the health care quality of local residents. 

Virginia residents can sign up for a discount card endorsed by the Greater Richmond Chamber that reduces prescription drug prices from 10 percent to 75 percent.

The recalled “S’morestick Kits” were in limited distribution to Garden Ridge retail stores located in TX, KY, MO, TN, OK, NC, FL, SC, GA, IL, OH, VA, AR, MI, and IN, and bear the “Use By” date of “2/14/09”.

Jeff Porter won a local fitness competition by losing 52 lbs in 10 weeks, and he did not stop there.  He continues to work out hard and eat healthy, and his ultimate goal is to weigh 220 lbs. 

I have condensed this week’s question because it was in e-mail form asking about an e-mail going around regarding Aspartame and possible dangers associated with it.

For people who can’t digest wheat, rye and barley, socializing and eating out in a gluten-filled world is tricky. It helps that awareness of celiac disease is growing and food manufacturers are responding to growing demand for gluten-free items.

Herbal Science International, Inc. and FDA informed consumers and healthcare professionals of a nationwide recall of twelve dietary supplements that contain ephedra, aristolochic acid or human placenta because they may present a serious health hazard to consumers