AFP - Alcohol abuse is a bigger problem for Pacific communities than drugs, according to an Australian report, which links drinking to domestic violence and wide-ranging health problems.

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Just as when they were pregnant, breast-feeding moms need to monitor the drugs they take, which could reach their infants.

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Regular self-exams of the skin can help you spot the beginning signs of skin cancer, allowing you to start treatment while the cancer is in its early stage.

HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Deep-brain electrical stimulation reduced the frequency of epileptic seizures in people who had not responded to other treatments, a new study has found.

HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- The latest report from a massive trial to determine the health value of a low-fat diet comes to the unexciting conclusion that it is probably not bad for your heart.

HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Blocking a specific protein reduced or prevented smoking-related lung inflammation in mice, Australian researchers report.

HealthDay - Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have found evidence that older men with higher levels of selenium are less likely to suffer from dysglycemia, or improper blood-sugar metabolism.

HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- A stressful pregnancy may increase the risk that a baby will develop asthma, a new study finds.

AFP - The World Health Organisation said Thursday it was suspending the use of the Indian-developed Shan5 combination vaccine, which is used against infections such as diphtheria, tetanus and hepatitis B.

Reuters - A pioneering -- but much delayed -- cannabis-based medicine for multiple sclerosis is now on track to win regulatory approval in Britain and Spain in the second quarter of 2010, its maker said on Thursday.

AP - California lawmakers on Thursday will consider what is believed to be the nation's most far-reaching smoking ban in state parks as a way to get unsightly cigarette butts off the beach, eliminate second-hand smoke and reduce the threat of wildfires.

AP - Condoms might be the only thing porn actors are required to wear if the state's workplace safety board approves a petition mandating their use.

Reuters - Roche Holding AG is aiming to launch at least six new products by the end of 2014 and its seeking to strengthen its position in areas outside oncology, the Swiss drugmaker said ahead of its investor day.

AFP - A centuries-old salt mine in Pakistan is offering experimental asthma therapy, attracting patients from all over the world.

AFP - A centuries-old salt mine in Pakistan is offering experimental asthma therapy, attracting patients from all over the world.

AFP - China has ordered an investigation after a report that unsafe vaccines led to the deaths of four children and sickened 74 others in the country's latest product-quality scare.

Reuters - China's Health Ministry is probing a report in a domestic newspaper that faulty vaccines in northern Shanxi province were responsible for killing four children and making dozens of others sick.

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- In the ongoing struggle to find treatments -- and maybe one day even a cure -- for dementia, researchers are focusing their attention on high blood pressure, long a culprit for a variety of other ills and an ailment for which many drugs are already available.