Health & Safety

Dr. Joshua Jacobs, an orthopedic surgeon, displays a model of a cementless hip replacement in 2014.

Health & Safety

The Mysterious Case Of 'Vanishing Bone' And Hip Replacements Gone Wrong

6:00am March 11, 2018

by Carey Goldberg

Hip replacements in hundreds of thousands of people began to fail after what seemed like successful surgery. In some cases, people's bones became so weak, just walking could make them snap. Why?

Francis Brauner was instrumental in helping launch a class-action lawsuit on behalf of current inmates at Louisiana's Angola prison, suing for care that allegedly caused them "needless pain and suffering."

Angola Prison Lawsuit Poses Question: What Kind Of Medical Care Do Inmates Deserve?

6:15pm March 10, 2018

Prisoners have a constitutional right to health care, but inmates at Angola prison in Louisiana are suing for medical shortfalls that have allegedly caused "needless pain and suffering."

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Photographer Lorenzo Vitturi assembled this collage of products sold at the street market of Lagos Island, Nigeria, including the T-shirt that gave him the title for his new book: "Money Must Be Made."

Art Inspired By The Ingenuity Of Nigerian Street Vendors

5:09pm March 10, 2018

by Maanvi Singh

Photographer Lorenzo Vitturi was amazed by the "unstoppable" crowds, the energy — and the unexpected art in the street market on Nigeria's Lagos Island.

The HQ-40 drone, made by Tuscon, Ariz.-based Latitude Engineering, can carry samples for medical testing in a refrigerated container.

Health & Safety

Medical Cargo Could Be The Gateway For Routine Drone Deliveries

9:01am March 10, 2018

by Esther Landhuis

Proposals for drones to carry blood, trauma supplies and lab samples are awaiting approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. If the ideas get a green light, they could usher in a new drone age.

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter says Thursday's letter from the Trump administration "was not a rejection of our approach," but rather an invitation to keep talking about how to make Idaho's state-based health plans pass muster.

No Go For Idaho: State Will Have To Rethink Its 'Freedom' Health Policies

8:52pm March 09, 2018

by Julie Appleby

The Trump administration has advised Idaho that its plan to allow insurance policies that fall short of Obamacare standards could result in penalties for insurers. But another strategy might yet fly.

When it comes to chronic pain, how do patients and doctors find the right treatment?

Questions And Answers About Opioids And Chronic Pain

8:09pm March 09, 2018

Are opioids the best way to manage long-term pain? NPR's Ari Shapiro talked with Dr. Ajay Wasan, a pain specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to find out.

Nearly 1 in 20 adults in the U.S. — some 13.6 million — live with some form of serious mental illness, but 60 percent of those adults received no mental health treatment in the past year.

Severe Shortage Of Psychiatrists Exacerbated By Lack Of Federal Funding

7:15pm March 09, 2018

by Samantha Raphelson

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which put a cap on federal funding for medical residency programs, is contributing to a growing shortage of psychiatrists in the U.S.

Pain Specialist Doctor Discusses Different Ways To Treat Chronic Pain

5:54pm March 09, 2018

In light of a new study that finds non-opioid painkillers are just as effective as opioids in treating certain types of chronic pain, Dr. Ajay Wasan, professor and vice chair for pain medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, answers questions from listeners about opioids and chronic pain.

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Metformin pills — they're a go-to drug for type 2 diabetics — move through a sorting machine at a pharmaceutical plant in India.

Why Potentially Dodgy Diabetes Drugs Dominate in India

5:27pm March 09, 2018

by Jason Beaubien

Indian drugmakers like to come up with combos — two meds in one pill. They can make more money that way. And they say it's easier for patients to take one pill than two. But is there a downside?

A 19th-century scientist who told cooks to stop adding flour at the end of cooking traditional Norwegian porridge faced the wrath of a nation.

The Great Norwegian Porridge Debate, Or Tradition Vs. 'Science'

4:43pm March 09, 2018

by Deena Prichep

In 1864, a male scientist tried to "porridge-splain" how to make proper gruel to Norwegian women who had been making it for centuries. It caused quite a stir and didn't work out so well for him.