Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Psychotherapy focused on spirituality and finding meaning may help improve quality of life and well-being in terminally ill cancer patients, suggests a new study from a large cancer treatment center.The talk therapy sessions only seemed to provide a short-term benefit -- though researchers said that was reasonable given that many of the study participants were near the end of their lives, with progressively worsening disease.The study's lead author said that while...Read Full Story

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators said they are still investigating a rare but serious problem with Boston Scientific Corp's new heart stents and required the company to caution doctors about it when the device was approved last month.The Food and Drug Administration approved the Boston Scientific Promus Element heart stent -- a tiny tubular device used to prop open diseased arteries -- despite reports about a rare event in which the device becomes deformed after implantation.While...Read Full Story

(Reuters Health) - Patients want easy access to any notes their doctor has recorded about them, and they want the right to let others view their medical information, according to a pair of U.S. studies.Advocates of open-access medical records say they are not only a patient's right but will help boost the quality of care as well."We believe there is abundant evidence that having patients actively participate in their care and know what's happening will improve their care," said Dr. Kenneth...Read Full Story

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A fresh look at past research concludes that people who eat lots of greens and other foods rich in magnesium have fewer strokes -- a finding that supports current diet guidelines.But because the research focused on magnesium in food, the authors stopped short of recommending that people take a daily magnesium supplement. It's possible that another aspect of the food is responsible for the finding.What the results do suggest is that people eat a healthy diet with...Read Full Story

(Reuters) - People who eat lots of magnesium-rich foods such as leafy green vegetables, nuts and beans have fewer strokes, according to an international analysis covering some 250,000 people.But the authors of the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stopped short of recommending people take a daily magnesium supplement because their analysis focused on magnesium in food -- and it may be another aspect of the food that is responsible for their finding."Dietary...Read Full Story