Womenís Gap in Knowledge About Heart Disease Can Be Deadly by Gina Shaw Although heart attacks are the No. 1 killer of women as well as men, killing nearly 270,000 women each year (six times the mortality rate of breast cancer), many women still do not recognize what a threat heart disease is to them. According to a survey commissioned by the National Council on the Aging, 61 percent of women 45 to 65 name breast cancer as their greatest health fear, while only 9 percent are most concerned about heart diseaseóeven though 13 percent of women in that relatively young age group have already experienced a heart attack, according to WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease...more... See Related Story: One Heart Beating for Two Getting Ticked Off About Lyme Disease by Carolyn Cosmos Lyme disease is the seasonís sleeper illness, the most common insect- and spider-borne malady in the country, with some 16,000 infections occurring in the United States each year and more than 145,000 cases reported since 1982. However, the disease receives far less attention than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or West Nile virusóand because its early symptoms are easy to miss, the lack of knowledge could wind up permanently harming your health...more...

Researchers Taking Aim at Childhood Leukemia by Gina Shaw Leukemia is the most common of all childhood cancers. At the same time, it is also one of the most curable and one of the most deadly forms of cancer. Thatís because in children, the disease occurs in two basic formsóone of them almost always curable and one of them fatal in half of all patients...more... Treatment, Support Groups Assist Torture Survivors by Carolyn Cosmos Before each torture session, ìa doctor examined me, checked my pulse, lungs, my blood pressure. I think they wanted to be sure I didnít die,î recalled Orlando Tizon, a former Roman Catholic priest tortured in more than 60 sessions during a five-year Philippine imprisonment in Mindanao under Ferdinand Marcosís martial law...more... TMCís Complex Array of Services Are as Big as Texas by Larry Luxner Texas Medical Center, an enormous complex of hospitals and related institutions just outside downtown Houston, is rolling out the welcome mat for overseas patients...more... See Related Story: TMC Leads Nationwide Push To Create Medical Visa Directory of U.S. Hospitals Serving International Patients