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A federal panel recommended Wednesday that all children over the age of 6 months should be vaccinated for influenza every year.

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BALTIMORE -- The ancient practice of acupuncture has been helping people with a variety of medical problems for thousands of years, and some modern studies have shown it can be helpful to people who suffer from nausea.

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The first survey of a broad age range of U.S. women finds more than 25 percent are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), thought to be the cause of most cases of cervical cancer.

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For years health authorities have warned of the growing threat posed by drug-resistant bacteria, but most of us have been half-listening. Not anymore.

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A major advance in understanding the genetics behind several of the world's most common diseases has been reported.
The landmark Wellcome Trust study analysed DNA from the blood of 17,000 people to find genetic differences.

They found new genetic variants for depression, Crohn's disease, coronary heart disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 and 2 diabetes.

The remarkable findings, published in Nature, have been hailed as a new chapter in medical science.

It is hoped they will pave the way for research into new treatments and genetic tests.

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Adding an extra ingredient to breast cancer treatments may make them more effective, a study suggests.
Molecules called LHRH agonists stop the production of a hormone which can encourage tumours to grow, the research into 16 previous studies suggests.

Four London centres found that even when used alone, the chemical worked as well as conventional chemotherapy in some cases, the Lancet journal said.

Breast cancer charities say that younger women might benefit the most.

Many types of breast cancer are sensitive to hormones produced naturally by a woman, including the sex hormone oestrogen, and can grow faster if a woman is producing them.

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Many women will tell you their risk of developing breast cancer is higher than their risk of developing heart disease. In fact, the opposite is true.

Also, when people are sad after hearing about a serious health problem, they tend to believe they're at higher risk for that condition. When they are in a happy mood, they perceive their risk as being lower.

These are just two examples in a new study of the errors and biases exhibited by individuals, including doctors and other health-care professionals, in the way they perceive cancer risk.

That perception, in turn, affects what they do to safeguard -- or jeopardize -- their health.

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