Health & Safety

My grandpa Yeye and grandma Nainai. After they both caught COVID last December when China abruptly lifted its restrictions, my grandparents have felt significantly weaker. Their morning walks now consist of more resting than walking. To my grandparents, the virus should've been a death sentence. However, they were still kicking and cooking on my screen on a video call last week.

Health & Safety

Whatever happened to this cartoonist's grandmother in Wuhan? She's 16 going on 83!

8:33am September 04, 2023

by Laura Gao

In 2020, Laura Gao hoped to visit her birthplace, Wuhan, to see her grandparents. COVID caused her to cancel. How have grandpa and grandma fared? She says she's "walking backward" toward the sun.

People with diabetes who were prescribed fruits and vegetables, saw their blood sugar decline significantly. And adults with hypertension saw their blood pressure go down.

Prescriptions for fresh fruits and vegetables help boost heart health

7:22am September 04, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

People with diet-related diseases show health improvements when they're given "prescription" produce. A new study shows reductions in blood sugar and blood pressure, key measures of heart health.

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A view of the Pakistani territory of Baltistan from the heights of the mountain above the village of Chunda. The patches of white in the foreground are snow and water. The patches of silver in the distance are clouds that shroud the peaks of most mountains in Baltistan. The territory boasts towering peaks, including K2, the world's second highest mountain.

A glacier baby is born: Mating glaciers to replace water lost to climate change

10:06pm September 03, 2023

by Diaa Hadid

Residents of Pakistan's Himalayan region turn to science and folklore, with backing from the U.N. They're erecting ice towers, harvesting avalanches and performing an ancient glacier ritual.

Musician Jimmy Buffett performs onstage at Jimmy Buffett & Friends: Live from the Gulf Coast, a concert presented by CMT at on the beach on July 11, 2010 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Jimmy Buffett died of a rare skin cancer

5:06pm September 03, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

Merkel cell carcinoma has a high risk of recurring and metastasizing, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. About 3,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

Whatever happened to the 'period day off' policy?

12:13pm September 03, 2023

by Raksha Kumar

In 2017, two Indian firms began offering workers a day off for a painful period — earning much praise but also some criticism. We wondered if this policy is gaining favor in India and beyond.

These Rwandan women were imprisoned for having abortions, before they were pardoned and released in 2019. From left: Nyiramahirwe Epiphanie, 26, was sentenced to 15 years. Akingeneye Theopiste was sentenced to 10 years. Akimanizanye Florentine was sentenced to 10 years. Mushimiyimana Anjerike, 29, served more than five years for inducing an abortion using pills she says she bought at a pharmacy.

Health & Safety

These Rwandan women were sent to jail for having an abortion. Now free, they speak out

12:07pm September 03, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

They were sentenced for up to 10 years for violating anti-abortion laws. Some say their pregnancy was a result of rape. Rwanda has now liberalized its abortion laws and pardoned hundreds of the women.

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Health & Safety

We asked, you answered: Share an encounter with a stranger that lifted your spirits

11:38am September 03, 2023

by Suzette Lohmeyer

Just saying "hello" to a passerby can be a boon for both of you. That's what researchers are finding in studies we covered in our "Living Better" series. We asked readers to offer their own testimony.

a student at UNC Chapel Hill stands outside with poster

Students criticize the University of North Carolina's response to an active shooter emergency

10:52am September 03, 2023

by Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press/Report for America

Despite the university’s confidence in its response, students say their teachers appeared unprepared and many grew more panicked in the absence of detailed information.

Health & Safety

Pharmaceutical groups are suing the Biden administration for its Medicare plans

8:04am September 03, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with University of Michigan Law Professor Nicholas Bagley about the lawsuits filed by pharmaceutical groups to strike down Medicare's new drug negotiating power.

Health & Safety

Life Kit: Dealing with anxiety

4:45pm September 02, 2023

by Marielle Segarra

Anxiety can feel awful. But it can also be a helpful warning signal — telling us when we're in danger or out of alignment with our true feelings. NPR's Life Kit has tips for dealing with anxiety.