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We often hear about the next big thing in stem cell therapy, though few of these promises are backed up by evidence. But we appear to be close to a genuine breakthrough, based on a new technique capable of regenerating any human tissue damaged by injury, disease or aging.

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Terminally-ill cancer patients and their families often face a heart-wrenching choice when dealing with the imminence of death. Should patients take final refuge in a hospital, or retreat to the familiar comforts of home surrounded by loved ones? A recent study found that patients may fare better -- and live longer -- at home.

The saying that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” doesn’t mean that the squeaky wheel isn’t a huge pain in the neck. And according to a new study published in BMJ, when it comes to medical treatment difficult patients can cause physicians to make inaccurate diagnoses.

Sequencing a genome is quick and inexpensive, but a DNA sequence alone is not useful if we can't interpret the information that it holds. New research has developed an analysis using yeast that has the ability to determine whether a genetic mutation causes a disease. This work may help narrow the gap between having information and being able to use it to diagnose and treat patients.

Sleep disorders have also kept many researchers up at night, perhaps until now. Because according to a recent study, insomniacs brains may be wired differently than non-insomnia sufferers, which may lend credence to the long-suspected theory that anxiety and depression may not be the sole contributors to the pillow-time problem.

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have been able to engineer a pill which can attach to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, and withstand its abrasive environment.

Hookah smoking has greatly increased in popularity, with hookah bars and lounges attracting the young, in particular. Some may be influenced by the odd belief that passing tobacco smoke through water somehow cleanses it of the toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Unfortunately, that's just not true.

A new meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society finds no evidence to support the use of antipsychotics, a common go-to medication, in the treatment of acute delirium in elderly patients.

Canada, like the United States, provides some dietary guidance for its citizens. And like in the U.S., not everyone north of the boarder is happy with the result, despite the fact that they're also experiencing a similar obesity epidemic. Maybe the angst stems from the "latest" Canadian Food Guide, which came out in 2007 and could use an update.

In an article published in Pediatrics, researchers found that an acute episode of smoking by lactating mothers altered infants’ sleep/wake patterning. This, combined with the adverse physiological effects nicotine-saturated breast milk has on babies, one would think bottle feeding would be recommended among this cohort. It's not.

Once deemed a freak experiment, calling up images of Frankenstein's monster, animal-to-human organ transplant is slowly becoming a reality. Now after 10 years, researchers at the National Institute of Health have made an important step towards pig-to-human heart transplants.

Environmental groups have been making a big stink about the herbicide 2,4-D for many years. Yet, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency just determined it was perfectly fine to keep using it. To which we say, Steph Curry, the golden boy of the Golden State Warriors, is deadly. 2,4-D, on the other hand, is not. Sure, this is out of the ordinary. That said, enjoy.

Drop everything you're doing and hear this: Your parents absolutely have a favorite child. Yes, your mom did tell you she loves all of you just the same. No, she didn't lie exactly, but she may have preferred your sibling over you, at times. And guess what? Experts say that's absolutely OK.

With the Earth's population expected to reach eight billion by 2036, new solutions to an anticipated food shortage are becoming more critical. A group at Arizona State University recently discovered that increasing the expression of a gene found in most plants makes them able to grow in more varied environmental conditions.

Men and women alike often insist that a person's arousing body parts are not the most vital factors for couples when it comes to engaging in pleasurable, meaningful sex. After all, they point to other factors that are in their control, such as ability, confidence and feelings of love. But a new review of human anatomy says physical attributes may have a greater influence over the sexual experience than previously thought.

While smoking, other tobacco use and alcohol consumption continue to be major risk factors for oral cancers, as it turns out they are not the primary causes. Most would be surprised to learn the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the main culprit of head, neck and throat cancers.

For years, we've been getting advice to lower our consumption of fat to help prevent obesity and related ills. But a new study suggests that one group of fats — those found in whole milk — might actually have health benefits.

When Wall Street Journal reporter Serena Ng decides to clean house, she doesn't kid around. After she caught the folks running Jessica Alba's (dis)Honest Company lying through their veneers about what's in its "natural" products, she wasn't done. Now her spotlight is on another ethically-challenged operation.

Terminix, one of the largest pesticide companies in the world, agreed to pay $10 million in a case where a family of four became critically ill by exposure to methyl bromide, a very toxic pesticide that's banned in the United States.

From all of the hysteria that has been generated in recent years — mostly by environmental groups about trace amounts of the plastic component bisphenol-A, or BPA, found in human urine — you might think it was sarin gas rather than a harmless chemical that's been used to line food cans without issue since the 1960s.

One of the most notable changes in Coca-Cola's so-called natural marketing campaign is the company's decision to drop high fructose corn syrup in favor of cane sugar. But could it be that there really isn't any difference in the chemical content of the products? Apparently it depends on storage and transport temperature, and the time span between production and consumption.

A potentially effective, but largely overlooked, approach to treating illness seeks to remove some of the guess work from patient care. Pharmacogenomics, which uses an individual's DNA, is a process that some doctors believe can better match a person with the most effective medication.

In Hollywood, where having a therapist is chic, mental health disorders are a reality. But often times they don't get the frank-talk focus that they deserve. So any celebrity who opens up to the media about their issues to de-stigmatize them -- like Lady Gaga and Demi Lovato -- is A-OK in our book.

The FDA is now proposing new limits for arsenic in babies' rice cereal — 100 parts per billion. But of the samples now on the market that the agency tested, most were at, or very close to, that level already. So will the new regulation have any health effect? We doubt it.