L.A. Times - Health

Victim in O.C. cougar attack refuses to be 'prisoner of the drama'

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Finding strength in faith, Anne Hjelle is determined to recover after she was mauled while mountain biking in a wilderness park. Hjelle recounts attack

A young woman walked into a restaurant last week and sat close enough to get a good look at Anne Hjelle's face. A mountain lion had torn off the left side four years before, leaving it hanging by a flap of skin. Six surgeries hadn't camouflaged the scars.

Democrats want chemical in plastic investigated

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Federal agencies are accused of ignoring the dangers of bisphenol A, which some experts think may harm the development of children's brains.

Congress on Wednesday waded into an escalating scientific dispute over a controversial ingredient in plastic products that some think may harm the development of children's brains and interfere with human reproduction.

Dr. Murray E. Jarvik, 84; UCLA pharmacologist invented nicotine patch

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Dr. Murray E. Jarvik, the UCLA pharmacologist who showed that nicotine was the addictive factor in tobacco and invented the nicotine patch for smokers trying to quit, died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica.

Charles Meyer Goldstein, 87; dentist, USC faculty member organized free dental clinics

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Charles Meyer Goldstein, a dentist and USC faculty member who advocated community service and organized free dental clinics that treat thousands of poor people each year, died Sunday at his home in Brentwood from complications of multiple organ failure. He was 87.

Many can empathize with Kobe Bryant's back spasms

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Back pain is one of the most common medical problems and will affect about eight out of 10 people during their lifetimes.

It was the tweak felt around the Southland.

Probiotics: business of bacteria