Fewer Americans Smoking, But Only A Slight Decline in Smoking Rates

Smoking: Fewer U.S. adults are smoking cigarettes, but the rate of that decline is slowing slightly, according to new federal data released Tuesday, Julie Steenhuysen reports for Reuters. About 19.3 percent of American adults – roughly 45 million people – reported smoking in 2010, down from 20.9 percent in 2005.

Heart Health: California's rural Central Valley residents are more likely to undergo invasive heart procedures than other Californians, baffling local doctors who say many of their patients are poor and often go without health care, Barbara Anderson and Emily Bazar report for the Fresno Bee/California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting.

Health Access: A young, unemployed father from Cincinnati – the nephew of Bootsy Collins – died from a tooth infection this week because he couldn't afford medication to treat it, highlighting national concerns about access to primary health care, according to WLWT-News 5.   

Diabetes: How overweight you are and for how long may predict your risk of developing diabetes, according to new research, Jeannine Stein reports for the Los Angeles Times.

Head Lice: As the school year opens around the nation, the FDA has approved an unusual new treatment for eradicating lice. Natroba contains a pesticide that causes lice to literally shake themselves to death, Corey Binns reports for the Today show.

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