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9:51am

Thu April 19, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Staying Active Fends Off Alzheimer's, Even In People Over 80

Originally published on Thu April 19, 2012 10:39 am

Credit iStockphoto.com

Activity cuts the risk of Alzheimer's disease and slows cognitive decline, even in the very old, according to a new study.

There's been plenty of evidence for the "use it or lose it" theory of brain capacity. But this study is one of the first to show that activity of all sorts benefits people over age 80, even if they're not "exercising".

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8:46am

Thu April 19, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Flossing Is Good For The Gums, But Doesn't Help The Heart

Originally published on Mon April 23, 2012 8:24 am

Credit iStockphoto.com

Think flossing and brushing is helping to fight off heart disease and stroke? Think again.

An expert panel of dentists and cardiologists, writing in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, says there is no evidence that treating or preventing gum disease has any direct effect on heart health.

That's a big turnaround. For the past decade, the medical establishment has been telling people that cardiovascular disease can be caused by poor oral hygiene. Why the change?

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2:13pm

Wed April 18, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

What We Can Learn From Warren Buffett's Prostate Cancer

Originally published on Wed April 18, 2012 2:25 pm

Credit Shuji Kajiyama / AP

Benjamin Davies, a urologic cancer specialist, doesn't mince words.

On Twitter today, the good doctor said he would fire on the spot any medical resident who biopsied the prostate of an 81-year-old man.

And that would include Warren Buffett, the 81-year-old CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, who disclosed Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

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1:03am

Wed April 18, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Unusual Alliances Form In Nebraska's Prenatal Care Debate

Originally published on Wed April 18, 2012 8:39 am

Credit Nati Harnik / AP

In Republican-dominated Nebraska, government leaders often line up together, but lately a political tornado has ripped through this orderly scene.

A political showdown over taxpayer funding of prenatal care for illegal immigrants has produced some unusual political splits and alliances in the statehouse of the Cornhusker State.

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