iStockphoto Nearly two out of three Americans don’t follow their doctor’s orders properly when taking prescription drugs, neglecting to take their medications or seeking out pills that weren’t intended for them, according to new research . The... 

Pressure is growing on researchers to do a better job of communicating the results of clinical trials to the volunteers who participated. As WSJ’s Informed Patient reports , groups like the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research are stepping... 

Merck People 60 and older who want to ward off the risk of getting shingles now stand a better chance of getting the only approved vaccine, Merck’s Zostavax. As Dow Jones Newswires reports, Merck has restored supplies of the vaccine after several... 

iStockphoto Pregnant women with weight and blood-sugar levels even slightly above average may pose a risk to their pregnancies and the health of their newborns, a study suggests. The 2008 Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome study showed a possible... 

A recent study from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that there are tried-and-true strategies to losing weight – and yes, they are exactly what you expect. The report tracked 4,0000 obese adults for one year to see what worked... 

Middle age is a critical time to prevent physical declines that creep up with advancing years, according to the Health Matters column in the Next special report today . With more than 70 million Americans who will be 65 and older by 2030, the federal... 

Rarely has the Health Blog received as delightful a batch of letters about a WSJ story as those sent recently by Brittany Stanzel, a fourth-grade teacher at McSwain Elementary School , in Staunton, Virginia, on behalf of her students. The 9- and 10-year-olds... 

Great news for everyone out there who loves a big, bold red! A recent study shows that a compound found in red wine may block fat cell formation . Just another example of how wine is beneficial to your health! As reported by the Journal of Biological... 

School teachers who faced a short but comprehensive programme of concentration or meditation were less stressed, anxious and depressed and more compassionate besides being aware of other individual’s feelings, as per a recent study led by UCSF. This... 

Wikimedia Commons Euphorbia peplus, or petty spurge Some patients and doctors swear by the healing power of herbs and other plants, but their chemical complexity makes them notoriously difficult to study. Some headway is being made, however, as WSJ’s...