Health & Safety

Lead Levels Are Forcing More Than 1,000 Indiana Residents To Relocate

8:32pm August 31, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The residents of a public housing complex in East Chicago, Ind., are now forced to move because of dangerously high lead levels in the area's soil. A lead smelting company used to lie on the site.

Drop In Teen Pregnancies Is Due To More Contraceptives, Not Less Sex

7:51pm August 31, 2016

by Julie Rovner

Sexually active teenagers are more likely to use birth control and are choosing forms that are more effective, a study finds. Births to teens dropped by 36 percent from 2007 to 2013.

Chinashama Sainvilus is one of three babies born with microcephaly at the Mirebalais Hospital in Haiti in July.

Health & Safety

Doctors Fear Zika Is A Sleeping Giant In Haiti

6:55pm August 31, 2016

by Jason Beaubien

Health care workers are anxious that Zika is spreading across the country undetected — and worry that the system is ill-equipped to deal with severe birth defects.

Experimental drugs that clear clumps of proteins from the brains of Alzheimer's patients haven't panned out yet.

Test Of Experimental Alzheimer's Drug Finds Progress Against Brain Plaques

6:31pm August 31, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers have failed repeatedly in their efforts to slow or halt Alzheimer's disease. But there are hints that an experimental drug can do what previous medicines could not.

Queue Listen Now

Chris Bettinger poses for a portrait with the edible battery his team designed at Carnegie Mellon University.

How An Edible Battery Could Power Medical Robots You Swallow

5:56pm August 31, 2016

by Mark H. Kim

Tiny devices sent into the human body for diagnosing and treating diseases run on batteries that may contain toxic materials. Researchers have come up with a safer battery made of natural pigments.

Diazepam, also known as Valium, is used to treat anxiety and insomnia. But when combined with opioids, it can suppress breathing and cause death.

Health & Safety

FDA Boosts Warning On Danger Of Combining Opioids And Anxiety Meds

3:16pm August 31, 2016

by Joe Neel

Doctors increasingly prescribe opioid painkillers with benzodiazepines — medications used to treat anxiety and insomnia. That combination is causing a spike in overdoses and deaths, the FDA warns.

It took a team of delighted friends and family to help Florida engineer Matt Bellina (center) get back on his surfboard this summer after his severe spinal injury. The result? "I feel like I'm home," Bellina said.

A Paralyzed Florida Surfer Finds His Own 'Perfect Wave'

1:15pm August 31, 2016

by Abe Aboraya

It took a lot of careful planning and specialized equipment to get Matt Bellina on the water again. But doctors say activity after an injury, no matter how severe, can be important for mental health.

Mental Health In Schools: A Hidden Crisis Affecting Millions Of Students

11:12am August 31, 2016

An estimated 20 percent of children show signs or symptoms of a mental health problem. It's a destructive force in schools, but most educators don't have the training or resources to help.