The prognosis for many cancer patients has been improving, with earlier diagnoses of some cancers, new treatments, and people surviving longer and longer.

•	Shortage of cancer doctors on the horizon, alternatives sought

 

Spinal problems are usually painful and difficult to cure. For those who suffer from scoliosis -- when the spine twists into an "S" or "C" shape -- the additional problem of dealing with appearance makes the condition particularly difficult to bear.

•	Scoliosis: Trying to solve the unnatural shape of things to come

 

Oncologists are calling it a "smart bomb" treatment, and it may some day give thousands of patients with hard-to-treat cancer a new lease on life.

•	Another use for lasers: increasing lifespan of liver cancer patients

 

To paraphrase the cartoon character Pogo: We have seen the future of cancer prevention, and it is us.

•	Cancer Prevention’s Future Found in the Here and Now

 

The more scientists learn about human genetic structure, the more possibilities there are for treating all sorts of conditions, both physical and mental.

•	DNA Research Gives New Insight into Treating Emotional Disorders

 

The Medical experts have seen the future for all the baby boomers reaching retirement age, and it's dimmer than it should be.

•	Eye Problems Plague Baby Boomers’ Future Vision

 

The way the brain works – or doesn't – is a mystery that isn't easily solved.

•	Linking different mental illnesses through genetics

 

For now, men who want to do their part for birth control have meager choices--a vasectomy -- meant to be permanent -- and condoms.

•	Male Contraception: More Options Soon?

 

It's hardly a secret, but studies about the connection between a person's psychological well-being and his or her physical condition are making cause-and-effect just about irrefutable.

•	Stress and physical disease: The evidence is convincing

 

As scientists continue their research and politicians debate the ethical aspects of embryonic stem cells, a more tangible implement used by many Parkinson's disease patients has had its future more clearly defined.

•	The Walker Still Has its Uses for Parkinson’s Patients

 

As researchers learn more and more about treating conditions in older people – especially conditions and diseases that are life-threatening – they sometimes learn that refining what has already been learned is more effective than exploring new territory.

•	Common Sense Key in Treating Traumatic Brain Injury in the Elderly

 

If your child is lactose intolerant, you probably shy away from giving him or her milk or other dairy products. But that may not be the best tactic to take, experts say.

•	Lactose Intolerance Not Necessarily a Goodbye to Dairy Products

 

Magnets may be excellent for attaching recipes and photos to your refrigerator door, but for the most part, their healing powers have yet to be proved.

•	Magnets: Healing Devices or a ‘Magnetic Attraction’ to your Wallet?

 

If the digital camera has caused a revolution in how people take photos and send them to friends and family, the magnetic resonance imaging device (MRI) has done the same thing for the medical professional.

•	Uterine Fibroid Treatment Points to New Direction in MRI Use

 

It would be hard to find a medical or health professional who would say that using marijuana is good for you.

•	Whither Marijuana? Medical Research Says it has Some Promise

 

Ever since scientists learned how a new embryo attaches to the mother's uterus, they have attempted to use that information in concert with new methods to treat infertility.

•	How Embryos ‘Take Hold’ May Give Answers to Treating Infertility

 

As the 78 million Baby Boomers continued to surge toward retirement, a health care paradox is beginning to emerge.

•	For Disabled Elderly, Independence Wanted, Resources Lacking

 

There is still no definable cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists can identify the lesions in the brain that are Alzheimer’s indicators, and they can track the sometimes slow, sometimes rapid cognitive decline that Alzheimer’s causes, especially in the elderly.

•	Is There a Link Between Obesity and Alzheimer's Disease?