Religion and medical science can clash when doctors say it's time to take a kid off life support and parents want to hold out for divine intervention. (Bastian/Flickr Creative Commons)
Being deeply, devoutly religious can cause parents of seriously ill or injured children to push doctors to extremes in order to prolong the kid's life, say researchers. ABCNews.com reports on a new study which found that parents' religious beliefs and medical science aren't always in sync; that can cause some conflicts when doctors say it's time to take a child off life support because there's nothing more they can do, while in the meantime, some religious parents are still holding out for divine intervention.
Around 2,000 hospitals nationwide will be penalized by the federal government for readmitting patients soon after they're discharged, says the San Jose Mercury News. It's all part of the Affordable Care Act, which is making a push to pay providers for the quality – not quantity – of health care they deliver.
HealthDay has news on a genetic study which has found clues about the genes responsible for Tourette syndrome, although the actual genetic markers have yet to be pinpointed. Researchers say it looks likely that there are either many different genes, each playing a small role in the disease, or one single, rare gene.
Fast-food chains just can't catch a break. Those apples some of them put in their kids' meals in the name of health? Now they're being voluntarily recalled, according to NPR, for a potential listeria contamination. Ready Pac Foods, Inc. is recalling around 300,000 cases of apple slices and pieces, and another 300,000 products containing apples sold at McDonald's, Burger King and grocery stores across the nation. (Check here to see if any products you may have purchased are at risk for contamination.)
HealthDay is also reporting that the Food and Drug Administration has approved the flu vaccine for the coming season, and that chocolate's antioxidants may help people with mild memory problems sharpen up their brain function.
Finally, some hope for treating blindness: HealthDay says researchers have developed a retinal device to restore "near-normal" sight among mice – and that could one day also be used for humans.
Photo by Bastian via Flickr Creative Commons.
