Health & Safety

Medical workers will test the effectiveness of three new potential Ebola therapies at clinics run by the nongovernmental organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

Health & Safety

3 Potential Ebola Therapies To Be Tested; Liberia Lifts Emergency

12:55pm November 13, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Two of the therapies that medical teams plan to start testing next month involve antiviral drugs. Meanwhile, in Liberia, the president has lifted a state of emergency.

Queue Listen Now

Ouch! Jeffrey Craig Hopper got good emergency treatment after being hit in the eye with a baseball in June. But months later he was slapped with an extra medical bill he never expected.

Surprise Medical Bills: ER Is In Network, But Doctor Isn't

11:28am November 13, 2014

by Carrie Feibel

When Jennifer Hopper's husband was hit in the eye with a baseball, she rushed him to a hospital she knew was within their insurance plan. Then the ER doctor sent her an extra bill for more than $700.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Medicare Poised To Cover CT Scans To Screen For Lung Cancer

11:28am November 13, 2014

by Scott Hensley

To qualify for coverage, patients would have to first meet with a doctor to talk through the pros and cons of scans, which involve a low-dose of radiation.

Swiss Health Officials Try New Ways To Combat Ebola

7:54am November 13, 2014

by Richard Harris

Health officials in Switzerland say they're planning to test some experimental Ebola therapies in West Africa next month. The tests will take place at Ebola clinics set up by Doctors Without Borders.

Queue Listen Now

A screenshot from a demo of the Ebola-training video game.

Ebola In 3-D: A Video Game To Guide Health Care Workers Through A Ward

8:47pm November 12, 2014

by Nsikan Akpan

Oh no, I touched my face! Uh-oh, I sat on a bed. A hackathon is developing a video game to train doctors and nurses volunteering for Ebola duty in West Africa.

The SmartMat is a responsive yoga mat that seeks to improve one's yoga practice. Microsensors embedded in the mat record and provide adjustments to the user in real time.

Health & Safety

Innovation: Smart Yoga Mat Could Help You Find Your Zen

7:53pm November 12, 2014

by Samantha Raphelson

The SmartMat is an intelligent yoga mat that records the user's movements and makes adjustments to improve yoga practice. The creators have a prototype and plan to ship the final product in July.

Health & Safety

The Risk Of Brain Injuries Shifts As Children Grow Up

5:08pm November 12, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

For toddlers, the risk is in taking a fall. Teenagers need to worry about car accidents, sports injuries and assault. Knowing how risks change can help prevent fatal or disabling brain injuries.

Gary Walters demonstrates his self-cooling prosthetic.

Vet's Self-Cooling Prosthetic Could Help Amputees Beat The Heat

3:58pm November 12, 2014

by Eileen Pace

An Iraq war veteran has developed a better artificial leg with a cooling fan. Gary Walters says most prosthesis don't release heat, causing many amputees to stop wearing them.

Queue Listen Now

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab created an electronic prosthetic hand and arm that has the same dexterity as a human arm. Electronic prosthetics are the biggest area of growth in this industry.

The Prosthetics Industry Gets A Human Touch

3:57pm November 12, 2014

by Samantha Raphelson

The prosthetics industry is rapidly growing, allowing patients to better customize their devices, control them using their nervous system, and even regain a sense of touch.

A police officer stands in front of the Pasteur clinic in Bamako, which was quarantined after a nurse there died from Ebola.

Mali Is Worried About Ebola, Quarantines Nearly 100

3:25pm November 12, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

The virus appears to have taken two new victims in the West African country. The government is stepping up its quarantines and contact tracing to prevent an outbreak.