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DEVIN GRAYSON'S WORLD WAS SHRINKING. The 36-year-old California comic-book author and video game writer had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 15, and like many people with [...]

Some over-the-counter pain relievers can be harmful, even if taken in doses slightly above the recommended amount. Acetaminophen can cause liver damage, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may cause stomach problems. Combination pain relievers may contribute to kidney disease.

It is quite difficult to find inexpensive but highly skilled home-care service aides for the aged. Most people who need ongoing home care are usually not covered by Medicaid. In addition, burdensome government regulation makes it even harder to find competent help. Others simply cannot pay the helpers.

A two-year-old boy died of head injuries after he was returned to his natural parents. His foster mother had warned authorities that the child was returned to her with bruises after visits with his parents, but no one listened to her.

Abortion clinics in the US are in a battle zone, as antiabortionists escalate their attacks. The day-to-day operations of a clinic run by Claire Keyes in Pittsburgh, PA, are described. Pennsylvania recently passed the Abortion Control Act, which places added restrictions on abortion.

Sketch artist Jeanne Boylan has achieved an incredible record of accuracy in her drawings used in wanted posters. She was instrumental in the famous Polly Klass case in California and was then hired by Lisa Dahl to help catch the murderer of her son.

A woman who was late for nearly everything decided to try to change her behavior. She took a class taught by a clinical psychologist, who did not want to hear excuses for tardiness. Psychological reasons for being late can include fear and hostility.

The article suggests that people should go on a balanced diet and exercise. Nutritionists, exercise physiologists and other health professionals believe that Americans should stop dieting. Most studies show that the vast majority of people cannot stay with a diet long. While losing modest amounts of weight may lessen the impact of health problems, so do regular exercise and healthy eating. Some research indicates that frequent dieting leads to weight gain. Despite the impact of biology and genetics, about half of all weight gain is due to our environment and increasingly sedentary lifestyle. INSET: No Better Health Bargain.

Presents a timeline chronicling Hurricane Katrina as it passed over New Orleans. Predictions made by the National Weather Service as Katrina entered the Gulf of Mexico; Influence of steering winds on Katrina's path, according to Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center; Computer simulations predicting Katrina's impact run by Mark Levitan at Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center; Strength gained by Katrina as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico, due to the warm waters of the Gulf supplied by the loop current.

Focuses on Barbara Rolls of Pennsylvania State University, author of "The Volumetrics Eating Plan." How Rolls' book is part weight-control program, part cookbook; Topic of satiety, or the sensation of fullness; Comments of Rolls; Her observation that when food portions are supersized, people eat more; Rolls' belief that the key to weight management lies in food choices that help you feel full with fewer calories; Background on her theory; Need for people to eat more low-energy-dense food, such as fruits and vegetables; Outlook for testing volumetrics at medical centers; Value of water and fiber, ingredients that make foods less energy dense; How to calculate energy density from a food label; Background on Rolls; Studies on the role of energy density in diet.

This article discusses the shortage of flu vaccines in the United States and its effect on public health. Ralph Loschiavo had some real bad luck recently. The 78-year-old retired stonemason was in line at 8: 30 a.m. at his local Eckerd's drugstore for a flu clinic. Aventis-Pasteur, now the only flu-shot maker licensed to sell vaccine in the United States, agreed to produce 2.6 million more doses of vaccine by January 2005, to supplement the 55 million it had already contracted to provide. In Oregon, for example, with a population of over 1 million high-risk residents, using 9,300 surplus doses the state recovered and the more than 224,000 doses received from Aventis to date, health authorities there have been able to vaccinate only about 22 percent of the state's high-risk residents this winter, instead of the usual 50 percent in an average flu season. Report after report from the Institute of Medicine, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, the Government Accountability Office, and other bodies have warned of a coming flu vaccine shortage.

Reports on how a major menopause study was abruptly halted in early 2004. Use of estrogen as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal women; Number of women enrolled in the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) study; How HRT was once seen as a cure-all for symptoms experienced by menopausal women; Findings which suggested that HRT may cause more invasive breast cancer and heart disease; History of HRT usage; How no one knows the results of the study; Concern that estrogen may increase the risk of breast cancer when used in conjunction with HRT.

Discusses obesity and illness in the United States. The debate over whether obesity is a biological disease, or whether it is just a risk factor for cancer and heart disease; The politics involved in trying to reverse the obesity epidemic; Statistics on obesity and the commercial diet industry; Obesity research by RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Prejudice against overweight people; Experience of Maria Pfisterer, an Arlington, Texas mother, in using weight-loss strategies to control her weight; Idea that obesity is controlled by hormones, proteins, neurotransmitters, and genes; View of Arthur Frank, director of George Washington University's Weight Management program, that eating is driven by signals from fat tissue; View of some researchers that food intake is the primary problem; Idea that treatment must consider the roles of social organization and psychology; The issue of fraud in weight-loss programs and products.

Evaluates four Web sites for health information on their timeliness, credibility, intended audience, scope of content, and whether they have an agenda linked to the money supporting the operation. The pros and cons of WebMD, eDiets, the National Institutes of Health, and MSN Fitness & Recreation; Scoring by comScore Networks' Media Metrix company.

Discusses the difficulties that many Americans face when trying to lose weight. Research that shows that participants in Weight Watchers lose more weight compared with solo dieters and more than half maintain the loss for two years; Ranking of obesity as the number one public-health problem in the U.S.; Studies of popular diets and social strategies of successful losers; Amount that Americans spend on weight-loss products per year; Percent of Americans who are trying to lose weight on any given day; Statistics that show that America has never been fatter; Observation that weight loss requires a shift in thinking about weight control; Natural instincts that encourage appetite and hunger; Lack of help that physicians can offer to overweight people who want to lose weight; Possibility that the national obsession with thinness has hindered weight-control efforts; Development of the National Weight Control Registry of successful losers.

Reports on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). World Health Organization which advised against travel to Toronto, Ontario; Origins of SARS which are unknown; Symptoms that resemble a common cold; Provision of a map showing countries with infected people; Suggestion that people should wash their hands frequently; China which appears to be where SARS began. INSET: HEALTHY CAUTIONS.

Looks at the debate over hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. The results of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI); The theory that HRT helps prevent heart disease; The history of HRT; The publicity campaigns of Wyeth-Ayerst and other drug companies in promoting hormone drugs; The surprising results of several HRT studies; Comments from Marcia Stefanick, medical professor at Stanford University. INSET: From Elixirs To Sitcoms.

Reports on obesity in the U.S. Statistics on overweight people; Impact of weight gain on heart disease; Overweight children; The problem of overprocessed food; Consumption of sugar and other types of calories; Problems with fast food; The challenges of dealing with obesity. INSETS: What is obesity?;Big Food's brightest stars;Fat, carbs, or both?.

Discusses the bioterrorism attacks on the United States, in light of deaths and sickness from anthrax. Idea that public health officials are learning quickly about the medical science behind bioterrorism; Topic of the composition of the anthrax spores which were sent to Senator Tom Daschle; Question of whether there are more letters containing anthrax in circulation and how virulent they are, and how people should be examined and treated.

Reports on fears of anthrax exposure and infection in the United States following the mailing of letters containing anthrax to various locations. Preparedness of the public-health system in the United States for a biological weapons attack; Views from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Director Jeffrey Koplan; Prevention, symptoms and treatment detailed for likely bioterrorist agents such as anthrax, botulism, plague, and smallpox.

Discusses adverse events in relation to dietary supplements in the United States and the widespread use of these products. Lack of regulation of herbal remedies and dietary supplements; Adverse events related to ephedra products, St. John's wort, gingko, ginseng, and phytoestrogens; Concern expressed over so-called functional foods, which contain dietary supplements. INSETS: Performance in a capsule;Herbs, dollars, and lawmakers.