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December 6, 2012 New research suggests older adults may have less activity in the area of the brain that processes risk and subtle danger. Another possible reason older adults don't pick up on warning signs is an increasing bias against negativity.

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December 5, 2012 To raise vaccination rates, some states have made it much harder for parents to get exemptions for their children from immunizations based on personal beliefs. One doctor says restrictions could backfire.

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December 5, 2012 The traditions of medical education die hard. Many doctors in training still work extreme hours, despite rules that limit the lengths of shifts for medical residents. One residency director calls for doctors educated under the old system to stop bashing the younger generation for being soft.

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December 4, 2012 Economists say that excluding the value of employer-sponsored health insurance from federal taxes makes no sense. But many worry that changing the tax code could mean higher taxes or that employers would push down the value of the health insurance they provide.

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December 4, 2012 CPRSome doctors are unhappy about switching from paper records to electronic ones. While the government is creating incentives for doctors to switch, some say the hassles and expense exceed the rewards.

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December 4, 2012 The appearance of an unusual type of poliovirus in Pakistan exposed gaps in vaccination campaigns. When a community isn't well immunized against polio, the weakened virus used in the oral vaccine can mutate and then infect unvaccinated people.

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December 4, 2012 Europeans and American colonists believed one's personality, temperament and physical health depended on balancing "humors" of hot, cold, moist and dry with foods. Of course, that worked for the wealthy, who could afford a variety of foods, and it kept them in power.

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December 4, 2012 If you lose your job with a small employer, you'll less likely to get the same kinds of extended health insurance benefits available from bigger firms. Many states have enacted laws to change that, but the results vary.

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December 4, 2012 Most people don't realize that they don't pay taxes on the value of health benefits from their job. If employer-provided health insurance was taxed in the same way as wages, the federal government could gain $250 billion a year. But it would mean higher taxes for many people.

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December 3, 2012 Two top food policy experts square off on the role the food industry should play in the global battle against obesity recently, and the answers are as complex, interconnected and political as ever.

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December 3, 2012 With growing controversy over the risk of permanent brain injury in contact sports, researchers find an association between repetitive head trauma and brain disease in samples taken from deceased athletes. Many were professional football players.

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December 3, 2012 Several Jewish leaders are suing New York City to block a new rule regulating a circumcision ritual known as metzitzah b'peh. City health officials say the ritual, practiced by some Orthodox Jews, can spread the herpes virus to infants. But critics say the law infringes on their freedom of religion.

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