New Genetic Clues to Esophageal Diseases
Researchers have discovered three genetic mutations that may play a role in the development of esophageal diseases, a study shows.

Do Fast-Food Customers Read the Calorie Charts?
A new study suggests many customers of fast-food restaurants aren't taking advantage of calorie information provided on some menus.

Richer Countries Have Higher Depression Rates
Depression rates around the world vary according to a nation's affluence, with the highest income countries -- including the U.S. -- reporting the highest levels of depression, a study shows.

Medicare's Drug Plan Has Cut Health Care Costs
Non-drug-related health care costs have been reduced for elderly patients who gained better prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D, according to a new study.

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Papaya
The FDA has warned Americans not to eat papaya imported by a Texas company from Mexico because the fruit has been linked to a salmonella outbreak in at least 23 states that has sickened nearly 100 people.

Friends: How to Make, Keep, or Leave Them
Making new friends can be difficult. WebMD talks about friendships and how to develop or end friendships.

Why Comfort Foods Are So Comforting
When we are feeling sad, many of us reach for comfort foods such as chocolate, ice cream, or chips. Now new research helps show how these foods boost our moods.

Cranberries vs. Antibiotics for Bladder Infections
Women who are prone to bladder infections may get more help from daily antibiotics than cranberry capsules, a new study shows.

Heart Disease Prevention Saves Lives and Money
Preventing heart disease may be critical to the health of the nation's economy as well as its population, according to a new statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).

Sharp Drop in Chickenpox Deaths Due to Vaccine
Chickenpox deaths in the U.S. have been nearly eliminated thanks to widespread use of the varicella vaccine, according to a new CDC study.

Gene Therapy May Help Muscular Dystrophy Patients
Scientists say they have successfully tested a new treatment that may one day help children with a severe form of muscular dystrophy.

Kids Get Extra Calories From Food Outside Home
U.S. children are eating more, and the extra calories often come from foods eaten while they are away from home, according to a new study.

Crossing the Street May Be Riskier for ADHD Kids
Children with ADHD may face higher risks of being hit by cars when crossing the street, according to a new study.

The WebMD Guide to Shampoo Ingredients
You can find hundreds of shampoos on store shelves these days, but do you know how to choose one that's right for your hair?

Body Wraps: Do They Live up to Weight Loss and Detox Claims?
Body wraps are popular spa treatments, but before you get one, find out what claims you can believe.

How Much Sweating Is Too Much?
To sweat is natural and healthy. Sweat helps cool the body. But excessive sweating can pose problems.

Stretch Marks: Causes, Types of Treatment, Prevention, and More
Known by doctors as ?striae? (usually ?striae distensae? or, in the case of pregnancy, ?striae gravidarum?) stretch marks typically appear after rapid weight gain or loss. They are most common during pregnancy and the teen years, when growth spurts and increased levels of steroid hormones cause significant changes throughout the body.

11 Top Causes of Dry Skin
Before you can treat dry skin properly, you need to know what's causing those dry, itchy patches. Here are 11 common causes of dry skin.

Shedding Light on 7 Sunscreen Myths: Lotions, Sprays, SPF Makeup, and More
WebMD interviews dermatologists to get the truth about sunscreens.

Respiratory Disorder Seen in Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
Breathing problems in some soldiers returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan may be signs of a respiratory disorder rarely seen in healthy young adults, a study shows.

Many Older Americans Have Mild Cognitive Impairment
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is relatively common, affecting between 10% and 20% of older adults in the U.S. and four Western European countries, new data suggest.

Food Boredom May Lead to Weight Loss
A new study suggests that one path to successful weight loss might be culinary boredom -- eating the same food over and over.

Sniffing Out Alzheimer's Disease
Australian researchers say they?re a step closer to developing a simple smell test that may help predict which older adults will develop cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Americans Are Flocking to Alternative Therapies
Most Americans believe that prescription medications are the most effective treatments for many common illnesses, but a Consumer Reports survey of more than 45,000 people finds that three-fourths of us are turning to alternative therapies like yoga and acupuncture.

Clues to Early Detection, Treatment of Alzheimer's
Brain and blood chemistry changes indicative of Alzheimer's disease can be detected 10 to 20 years before memory loss and other cognitive symptoms develop, according to doctors studying families with inherited forms of the disease.

Obama seeks "Plan B" as debt plans stall
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican plan to cut the U.S. deficit faced delay and stiff opposition on Wednesday, raising the risk of default and a ratings downgrade as the clock ticks toward a deadline less than a week away.

June durable goods orders fall on transportation
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods fell in June and a gauge of business spending plans slipped, supporting views that the economy will not emerge quickly from its current soft patch.

Exclusive: SEC builds new tips machine to catch the next Madoff
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - For more than three years, U.S. securities regulators investigated allegations of accounting fraud at a small telecom firm called China Voice Holding Corp, but could not make a case.

Is default deadline truly August 2? Analysts say no
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Will the sky fall on August 2 if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling?

Russia's Putin considering Kremlin return: sources
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is close to a decision to bid for the presidency in an election next year because he has doubts about his protege, President Dmitry Medvedev, senior political sources say.

Suicide blast kills mayor of Afghanistan's Kandahar
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed the mayor of Afghanistan's Kandahar Wednesday, a further blow to stability in the southern city still reeling from the assassination two weeks ago of President Hamid Karzai's powerbroker half-brother.

Boeing profit beats forecasts; shares rally
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Boeing Co's quarterly profit shattered expectations on a 6 percent increase in revenue, sending shares of the company higher.

Daimler sees emerging market car demand cooling
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German car and truck maker Daimler missed quarterly revenue forecasts and warned strong demand for cars in the key emerging markets of China and India is likely to slow sharply.

Traumatized Norway tries to return to normality
OSLO (Reuters) - Jittery Norwegians tried to restore some normality on Wednesday after mass killings by a far-right zealot traumatized the nation, but a security alert forced the evacuation of Oslo station, keeping nerves on edge.

China boosts naval presence with carrier program
BEIJING (Reuters) - China is building two indigenous aircraft carriers as part of a broad modernization program that has rattled nerves regionally, sources said on Wednesday, as the government confirmed it was refitting an old Soviet carrier for training.