Is Pricey Off-Label Alzheimer's Treatment a Bust?
 Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- New research suggests we may still be a long way from understanding how the anti-cancer drug bexarotene works in Alzheimer's patients, if at all. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University last year reported in a study that bexarotene improved memory and quickly cleared amyloid plaques from the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s. Since the drug is already approved for use in T-cell lymphoma, a number of doctors began treating their Alzheimer’s patien
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Food Brands Not Making Enough Progress Against Trans Fats, Study Finds
 Thinkstock Images/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Trans fatty acids -- they're in many of our favorite comfort foods. But nutrition and diet experts will likely tell you to cut back on foods high in trans fats to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and cut heart disease risk. According to a new study, manufacturers of popular food brands could be doing a better job of cutting back on fatty acid content.Researchers report that progress on eliminating trans fats in processed foods has stalled following
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Antacids Do More Than Make You Feel Better - They Might Prevent Cancer
 Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Nearly one in five Americans suffers from acid indigestion, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, at least once a week, according to the National Institutes of Health. And while for most Americans acid reflux really is just a little heartburn, for those with frequent symptoms, it could mean more.In a study out Thursday, which looked at more than 600 cancer patients, researchers found that people with frequent acid reflux had a 78-percent increased risk of
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Can You Do Yoga If You Aren't Flexible?
 Dr. Besser does the crow yoga pose to prove you don't have to be flexible to do yoga. (ABC News)
By ABC's Dr. Richard Besser
(NEW YORK) -- I always thought that of yoga as something only done by young, lithe ballet enthusiasts. It was definitely not something practiced by uncoordinated, middle-aged guys who can’t touch their toes. Put me in the latter category and add to that that I’m nearly six-and-a-half feet tall and have had two back operations.But my wife, Jeanne, is nothing if
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Polish Man Gets Lifesaving Face Transplant
 iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Patients usually have to wait several years before undergoing face transplant surgery, but after a work accident left a 33-year-old Polish man mauled and at risk for life-threatening infections, doctors needed to act fast. The man, identified only as Grzegorz, got a new face three weeks after a stone-cutting machine damaged his face so severely that it couldn't be reattached. His jaw was crushed, and his condition was deteriorating so rapidly that doctors said
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More PE in School, New Report Recommends
 Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- An Institute of Medicine report out Thursday makes some ambitious recommendations for physical education requirements in schools, including at least 30 minutes a day of movement during school hours.
In the report, the Institute estimates that just half of school-age children get 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous activity. They suggest that schools make physical education a core subject and add the movement time through physical education classes
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Mentally Disabled Couple's Legal Battle Ends with New Home
 iStockphoto(RIVERHEAD, N.Y.) -- A newly married, mentally disabled couple's dream of living together -- up until now beset by legal troubles and care facilities that refused their wishes -- is about to come true. New York State is providing them with a home of their own.
Paul Forziano, 30, and Hava Samuels, 36, who both have mild to moderate mental disabilities, met seven years ago at a day program run by the Maryhaven Center of Hope, which is part of Catholic Health Services of Long Island. Aft
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Inexpensive Sunscreens Top "Consumer Reports" List
 Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Before your trip to a tropical paradise, you may want to stop at Walmart or Target for the best sunscreen protection.
According to Consumer Reports, the top two sunscreens in their tests were Walmart's Equate Ultra Protection SPF 50 lotion and Target's Up & Up Sport SPF 50 spray, both inexpensive brands.
Consumer Reports says sunscreens should block both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays, and should keep working after you've been in the water.
Consumer R
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Alabama Mystery Illness Could Be Coincidence
 Pixland/Thinkstock(MONTGOMERY, Ala.) -- A mystery illness has sickened seven people in southeastern Alabama, killing two of them, according to the state Health Department, but it's not clear whether the patients -- or their symptoms -- are connected.
"At this time, there is no epidemiological link between these patients," an Alabama health department document states in bold type.
The patients' ages range from their mid-20s to their late 80s, Dr. Mary McIntyre, who is leading the investigation, t
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Yoga, Meditation Benefit Both Brain and Body
 ULTRA F/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Though the practices of yoga and meditation have their roots in ancient cultures, they’ve both become modern day movements. More than 20 million Americans meditate regularly, according to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. More than 13 million do yoga.To explore the health benefits of meditation and yoga, Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical correspondent for ABC News, hosted a tweet chat Tuesday. He invited experts from top hospitals and res
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Swim Lessons for Kids, Pool Safety Urged as Summer Season Nears
 iStockphoto/Thinkstock(POTOMAC, Md.) -- When Clay Metro was 3, he nearly died after falling into a pool.“My husband and I had gone for a run. We were at the beach at my dad’s house by his community pool,” Clay’s mother, Laura Metro of Potomac, Md., told ABC News Wednesday. “Some friends were watching Clay....We believe that Clay tripped on a towel and fell into the deep end. There were about eight or so other people at the pool and no one saw.”Metro said that
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Facebook Teens Weary of 'Drama'
 iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Teens on Facebook are increasingly friending other social media sites as their enthusiasm for the service wanes, according to a new survey. A Pew study shows that teenage users have been moving some of their online sharing to other social media services like Twitter and Instagram to escape the "drama and pressure" of Facebook. The study does still list Facebook as the most often-used service (81 percent of teens answered this way) and number one for active acc
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Tech Giant Recruiting Autistic Workers
 Ralph Orlowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Autism advocates are praising a German software company for its plan to hire people with autism as software testers, programmers and data quality assurance specialists. SAP, which employs more than 65,000 people worldwide, said it sees a "potential competitive advantage to leveraging the unique talents of people with autism, while also helping them to secure meaningful employment." It will partner with Specialisterne – Danish for "The
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Parents Warned of the Dangers of Kids and Pools
 Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- As we head into the summer pool season, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has a warning for parents: Pools can be deadly, especially for small children. The CPSC says kids younger than five and children of color face the greatest dangers.Children under 5 years old represent more than 75 percent of all child drowning deaths in the U.S.
And black children older than 5 years old are six times more likely to drown in pools than white and Hispanic kids. The
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Synthetic Peas Soothe Injured, Achy Joints
 frozenpeaz.com(NEW YORK) -- Sir Isaac Newton found his inspiration in an apple. MaryCarol Dolivier found hers in a bag of frozen peas.After Dolivier tumbled down a flight of stairs a few years ago she was forced to lay on the couch for several weeks with a bag of frozen peas propped on her swollen knee.The bag leaked when it melted. When she refroze it, the peas formed a lumpy iceberg. The squishy mess they became when microwaved made them a totally unacceptable choice for heat
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