Health & Safety

Patients are treated at an Army ward in Kansas during the influenza epidemic of 1918. About 675,000 Americans died of the flu known as "la grippe."

Are We Prepared For A Killer Flu Epidemic?

3:11pm April 27, 2018

by Michaeleen Doucleff

An 21st century outbreak could be as nightmarish as the 1918 pandemic, which killed about 40 million. So the Gates Foundation wants to spur the development of a flu vaccine. Don't we already have one?

Thick plumes of smoke rise from the Husky Energy oil refinery in Superior, Wis., which was hit by an explosion and a series of fires on Thursday.

Emergency Evacuation Finally Lifted After Huge Oil Refinery Fire In Superior, Wis.

9:39am April 27, 2018

by Bill Chappell

The evacuation zone had extended for miles. The Canadian-owned refinery processes crude from the Canadian tar sands in Alberta and from North Dakota's Bakken shale oil fields.

Tim Ferriss: How Can We Become Comfortable With Discomfort?

9:29am April 27, 2018

by NPR/TED Staff

How can we conquer our fears? Entrepreneur Tim Ferriss says that by taking action, we can train ourselves to accept discomfort, become more resilient, and expand our horizons.

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Irn Bru is known as Scotland's "other national drink." But the beloved bright orange soft drink is a sugar bomb, so its makers have reformulated it to comply with a new U.K. sugar tax.

Och, No! Some Scots Cry As Their Beloved Soda Gets A Less Sugary Revamp

6:26am April 27, 2018

by Peter Kenyon

The makers of Irn Bru, Scotland's "other national drink," have slashed its sugar content in the face of a tax that aims to battle obesity. Not everyone is pleased with the health-minded tweaks.

Renaissance Fair Health Care

5:59am April 27, 2018

by Dan Weissman

Many people who work at Renaissance fairs don't have health insurance. So workers developed a system to help out.

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Lorena Bradford (left), head of accessible programs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., leads a session of the museum's Just Us program. The program gives adults with memory loss and their caregivers a chance to explore and discuss works o

Family Caregivers Finally Get A Break — And Some Coaching

5:00am April 27, 2018

by Mindy Fetterman

Across the U.S., community groups, hospitals and government agencies are stepping up to support the estimated 42 million stressed and strained family caregivers, who are often untrained and unpaid.

In Indiana, Advocates For Senior Citizens Form Army Of Guardians To Offer Care

5:00pm April 26, 2018

by Drew Daudelin

When a senior citizen loses the ability to make medical decisions, a guardian is chosen to help them through the last years of their life. But many states offer meager financial support to their guardianship system, leaving some of the country's most vulnerable citizens without a guardian and in a perpetual limbo.

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Risk from opioids get a lot of attention. But benzodiazepines, like Valium and Xanax, pose problems, too, says John Schumann, an internal medicine doctor.

Benzodiazepines: America's 'Other Prescription Drug Problem'

3:26pm April 26, 2018

by John Henning Schumann

Drugs like Valium, Xanax and Ativan are more popular than ever. Frequently used to treat anxiety, the medicines can be risky, especially when mixed with alcohol or opioids.

Health & Safety

Hair Removal Ad Makes Pakistani Women Go 'Wow' — But Not In A Good Way

3:12pm April 26, 2018

by Bina Shah

The commercial celebrates hairlessness. And it prompted a cricket star to speak out, charging that the ad promotes "body shaming and objectification."

Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician, has withdrawn his nomination to be the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ronny Jackson Withdraws As VA Nominee

11:44am April 26, 2018

by Jessica Taylor

Jackson decried "baseless and anonymous attacks on my character and integrity," following detailed accusations including improper prescribing of drugs and wrecking a government vehicle while drunk.