Health & Safety

IUDs are a safe and reliable form of birth control, but many people struggle to get simple answers about the device. NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with Mia Armstrong-Lopez, who wrote about this for Slate.

Students with disabilities often face a tough time getting the services they need at school. When they can't get them, many families seek help from the federal government. And, right now, the Department of Education is swamped with a record number of discrimination complaints. The backlog is leaving families across the country waiting months, even years, for help.

NPR's Jonaki Mehta visited one such family, in central Georgia

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The Education Department is handling record numbers of discrimination cases, including those involving disability. The backlog leaves some families waiting for help.

When's the last time you were in a place that was quiet — really quiet? No roadway noise, construction work or even the hum of a refrigerator. Our world is full of sounds, some of which are harming our health. The World Health Organization says "noise is an underestimated threat." Today, host Emily Kwong talks to health reporter Joanne Silberner about those health costs, what is too loud and some of the history of legislation to limit noise pollution in the United States.

Read Joanne's full article in Undark Magazine here.

Curious about other health stories? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

The government is launching an experimental program to ease the burden on caregivers of people with Alzheimer's. The idea is to keep patients healthier without exhausting their families.