With more than 50 million Americans uninsured, and an estimated 20 million woefully underinsured for all but minor health concerns, it's no wonder that 60% of US bankruptcies are due to unpaid medical bills, i.e. 'medical bankruptcy'.....a condition credit agencies have little or no sympathy for.Imagine getting ready to refinance your house to get those monthly payments down, and the bank asks for more than $9,000 in closing costs due to an unpaid medical bill...even if the bill is less than $400.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has returned to Cuba to resume a second course of chemotherapy treatment for an unspecified cancer. He has delegated some of his presidential powers to his finance minister and vice president as he receives treatment.

This is Part 2 of 2. Click here to Read Part 1

This is Part 1 of 2. Click here to read Part 2 of 2

Recently Health.com reported the story of Shaina, a 242 lb teenager faced with some tough decisions: her obesity had resulted in a complication in which pressure builds up within the skull, damaging the optic nerve. Already suffering from vision loss, Shaina had to lose weight quickly or face imminent blindness.

A new study reported last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences seems to suggest that our bodies have an addictive response to fatty foods that keep us craving more.

It is part of a growing body of research suggests that some foods are capable of setting off powerful chemical reactions in both our bodies and brains.

CTV News reports that a  second Canadian  has died after undergoing a noninvasive interventional procedure for Chronic Cerebro Spinal Venous Insufficiency, a syndrome discovered by Italian interventional cardiologist Dr. Paolo Zamboni to be highly correlated to, if not a cause of,  multiple sclerosis.

The FDA announcement will have fans of dermal fillers like Restylane and Juvederm are smiling from ear to ear without fear of deepening the dreaded nasolabial folds (sometimes called "marionette lines" for the way the lines that bracket either side of the nose and mouth mimic the grooves in a puppet's face).

When James Verone lost the job he held for 17 years, he found a new one. When that one didn't last, he found part-time work, but it offered no health insurance. He didn't make enough, even on food stamps, to afford medical treatment.  Chronic back pain, a foot injury, carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis and a protrusion on his chest kept him in so much pain, he had to do something. So he robbed the RBC Bank, leaving a media-ready note:

"This robbery is being committed by me for one dollar. I am of sound mind but not so much sound body."

Massive, unnecessary exposure to radiation is just one of the consequences of the widespread overuse of CT scanning reported in a story in the June 17th 2011   NYTimes.com.

A review of records along with interviews has revealed hospitals regularly overexposing patients to radiation for no sound medical purpose.