THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- People with a mental illness struggle with symptoms ranging from crushing depression and crippling anxiety to powerful delusions and hallucinations that force them to actively sort out the real from the imagined.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Loren Booda experienced his first psychotic break when he was 19 years old.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- If you've had a medical procedure lately, you probably first had blood tests, an imaging test like an MRI or ultrasound, perhaps an electrocardiogram and possibly more.

(HealthDay News) -- Physical activity, an important part of arthritis management, can help improve pain and joint flexibility.

(HealthDay News) -- When you're pregnant, eating a balanced, healthy diet is important for you and your baby.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified six risk factors linked to blindness after spine surgery, a rare but devastating complication.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- There are many ways to prevent spreading germs and disease, but experts say one of the easiest ways is also one of the most important: proper hand-washing.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Nations with open trade policies have greater densities of fast food restaurants and higher rates of obesity than those with more trade controls, a new study has found.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- While no one story dominated health news in 2011, the ongoing debate over the legality of the new health care reform law was perhaps the most polarizing, with the case now set to go to the U.S. Supreme Court early in 2012.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Concentrating on music can provide enough distraction to ease the pain of people with significant anxiety, according to a new study.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- On Aug. 22, 2008, sophomore Matt Gfeller, 15, played in his first varsity high school football game at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, N.C.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals may face a higher hereditary risk for developing pancreatic cancer if they carry abnormalities in the so-called "ATM" gene, new research reveals.

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- In some cases, memory loss among the elderly may be due to so-called "silent strokes," new research suggests.

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