Your Health: Jun. 5, 2000

GOOD NEWS

FANTASTIC VOYAGE Looking inside the intestine to diagnose, say, colon cancer isn't easy. But now, as if in a sci-fi flick, doctors have developed a tiny camera in a capsule that patients swallow and send on a painless info-gathering voyage through the gut. As contractions move it along, the mini-endoscope transmits detailed color images to a belt worn by the patient; then they're downloaded to a computer. Downside? Doctors can't maneuver the capsule to get a closer look. And FDA approval isn't expected for years.

COFFEE SHAKE-UP Hard to believe, but that black sludge you drink each morning may...

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