Does acupuncture boost IVF success?

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Acupuncture may help some women conceive through in-vitro fertilization (IVF), a new analysis of past research concludes. But the true benefit in the real world, if any, remains unclear. The technique has been used for millennia in traditional Chinese medicine, for a whole range of ills. Ten years ago, a study in Germany was the first clinical trial to report that acupuncture seemed to improve pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF. But since then research has turned up mixed results. "I counsel women that the literature is not convincing yet that (acupuncture) helps you get pregnant," said Dr. Frederick Licciardi, who heads the New York University Fertility Center's mind/body program. At the...

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Big Pharma donates drugs for neglected diseases

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's major pharmaceutical companies joined forces with governments and leading global health organizations Monday to donate drugs and scientific know-how to help control or wipe out 10 neglected tropical diseases by 2020. Drugmakers have been criticized in the past for not doing enough to fight diseases of the poor as they concentrate instead on conditions more prevalent in rich nations, such as high cholesterol. But in the largest coordinated effort yet to fight diseases such as Guinea worm disease, leprosy and sleeping sickness, the group promised to give away 14 billion doses of medicines by the end of this decade. They will also share expertise and drug discovery work to invent new medicines for...

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Don't blame C-sections for fat kids: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids born by Cesarean section are no more likely to become obese than if they are born vaginally, a new study concludes. Past research from Brazil had found a link between excessive poundage and C-sections, leading some scientists to suggest that not being exposed to bacteria from the birth canal could make babies fatter. (See Reuters Health story of May 12, 2011.) But according to the latest findings, that doesn't appear to be the case. "We thought from the beginning that probably what happened with the previous study is that they didn't adjust for all of the confounders," said Fernando Barros of the Catholic University of Pelotas. "If a mother gives birth by C-section, she's different than...

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Carpooling parents don't always use booster seats

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Parents use booster seats inconsistently when carpooling with young kids, according to a new study. Laws on when the seats must be used vary by state, but guidelines from groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend boosters from the time kids outgrow their car seats until they hit four feet, nine inches tall -- the height of the average 11-year-old. The new report suggests that most parents of four- to eight-year-olds have a booster seat for their kids in their own cars, but don't always make sure boosters are used when they carpool. "Until children reach a certain size, the seatbelt doesn't fit them properly enough to maximize the protection that seatbelts offer when...

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Posted in: HEALTH