NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People recovering from alcoholism seem to drink more coffee and have a higher rate of smoking than the average American, a new study shows.

The researchers found that among 289 members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), 88.5 percent regularly drank coffee, often in large amounts. One third of coffee drinkers said they downed more than four cups per day.

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CHICAGO - Viagra's effect in women has been disappointing, but a new small study finds those on antidepressants may benefit from taking the little blue pills.

The research involving 98 premenopausal women found Viagra helped with orgasm. But the benefits did not extend to other aspects of sex such as desire, researchers report in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

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As it turns out, your grandmother was right. An apple a day really might keep the doctor away.

Indeed, it shouldn't come as any surprise -- dozens of studies have shown us that fruits and vegetables are the cornerstones of a healthy diet.

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NEW YORK - Customers at big fast-food chains in New York City are finally facing the facts about their meal choices. And for some, the truth may be hard to swallow — like 1,130 calories for a Big Mac, medium fries and a medium soda.

After months of resistance, the city's chain restaurants have begun obeying a first-of-its-kind rule requiring them to post calorie counts right on the menu.

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By Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
1:58 PM PDT, July 18, 2008

Two Orange County residents have been diagnosed with West Nile virus, the first cases of the disease in Southern California this year, health officials said today.

An 80-year-old Anaheim man who fell ill in early July and a 49-year-old central Orange County woman who became sick in late June remain hospitalized, said Orange County Health Care Agency spokesman Howard Sutter. The woman's infection may have been acquired during travel outside the county, he said.

WASHINGTON - Troubled by the tainted tomato scare, nearly half of Americans are concerned they may get sick from eating contaminated food and are avoiding items they normally would buy, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll has found.

Although three in four remain confident about the overall safety of foods, the poll found that consumers overwhelmingly support setting up a tracing system for produce in the wake of the salmonella outbreak first linked to tomatoes and, now, hot peppers.

CLEVELAND - Brad Kaster donated a kidney to his father this week, and he barely has a scar to show for it. The kidney was removed through a single incision in his bellybutton, a surgical procedure Cleveland Clinic doctors say will reduce recovery time and leave almost no scarring.

"The actual incision point on me is so tiny I'm not getting any pain from it," Kaster, 29, said Wednesday. "I can't even see it."

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TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa bride-to-be who defied doctors' expectations after being told she had a year to live four years ago has celebrated another victory — she and her fiancee won a $100,000 dream wedding.

Courtney Dempsey, 33, and Gary Courtney, 37, were among 40,000 couples who entered US Magazine's wedding contest. The prize includes a dress and honeymoon.

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Women remain confused about the right way to check their breasts for early signs of cancer, says a charity.

Experts say there is no evidence that rigorous monthly "self-examination" reduce breast cancer deaths and it can lead to unnecessary biopsies.

In the UK, the focus is on breast "awareness", rather than more complex and involved checks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/750785...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal prosecutors allege that Indian generic drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories deliberately misled the U.S. government about the quality of its low-cost medicines.

The Justice Department is demanding Ranbaxy turn over documents which it hopes will prove the company fabricated data to convince the U.S. government to approve its products.

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