Health & Safety

For Young People In Rural Areas, Suicide Poses A Growing Threat

5:59pm March 09, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

Young men are twice as likely to die by suicide if they live in rural areas rather than cities, and that disparity is widening. Lack of mental health services is a factor; access to firearms is, too.

University of Notre Dame contends that the act of signing a form opting out of the Affordable Care Act's birth control mandate makes the school complicit in providing coverage.

Supreme Court Sends Birth Control Case Back To Appeals Court

5:48pm March 09, 2015

by Nina Totenberg

The court has ordered a federal appeals court to take a second look at Univeristy of Notre Dame's challenge to the birth control mandate in Obamacare, including opt-out rules for religious groups.

An interauterine device provides long-term birth control.

Colorado Debates Whether IUDs Are Contraception Or Abortion

9:21pm March 08, 2015

by Megan Verlee

A Colorado program has allowed more than 30,000 women to get long-term contraception for free, lowering teen birth and abortion rates. Now lawmakers have to decide if it can qualify for state funding.

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Greg and Mary Catherine O'Brien with their kids, at daughter Colleen's marriage to Matt Everett last August. Greg has early-onset Alzheimer's. From left, Brendan O'Brien, Greg O'Brien, Colleen O'Brien, Matt Everett, Mary Catherine O'Brien, and Conor O'Bri

Supporting A Spouse With Alzheimer's: 'I Don't Get Angry Anymore'

8:45pm March 08, 2015

by Rebecca Hersher

Mary Catherine O'Brien says when she married her husband, Greg, in 1977, he was funny and outgoing. Alzheimer's disease has stolen much of that, she says, but the two are closer than ever.

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Dr. Kunal Saha (far right) and Anuradha were married in Calcutta, India in 1985. She died 11 years later after being prescribed a dangerous dose of a steroid.

Having Loved And Lost, One Man Takes On Medical Malpractice In India

1:57pm March 07, 2015

by Susan Brink

It's a country whose people are reluctant to report malpractice. But when a doctor prescribed "an astronomical dose of the wrong steroid" to his wife, Kunal Saha was determined to blow the whistle.

U.S. taxpayers have poured $30 billion into funding electronic records systems in hospitals and doctors' offices since 2009. But most of those systems still can't talk to each other, which makes transfer of medical information tough.

Sharing Patient Records Is Still A Digital Dilemma For Doctors

5:11pm March 06, 2015

by Eric Whitney

There's good news and bad news about electronic medical records. They're now in most doctors' offices — but most doctors still can't easily share them.

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A "ballet" of Brussels sprouts dazzles at the Food Porn Index, a site that tracks which foods are trending in social media part of an effort to heighten the appeal of healthy eating.

Voluptuous Veg: Can Food Porn Seed Lust For Healthy Eating?

5:01pm March 06, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

Tempting-looking spoonfuls of chocolate are plentiful online. Beautiful Brussels sprouts? Not so much. A campaign aims to boost the number of these images and whet our appetites for healthy foods.

Along with sperm, the in vitro procedure adds fresh mitochondria extracted from less mature cells in the same woman's ovaries. The hope is to revitalize older eggs with these extra "batteries." But the FDA still wants proof that the technique works and is

Fertility Clinic Courts Controversy With Treatment That Recharges Eggs

4:57pm March 06, 2015

by Rob Stein

The technique aims to rejuvenate a woman's eggs using mitochondria from cells extracted from her ovaries. A Toronto clinic's first births are due soon, and some doctors are worried about side effects.

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FDA Approves First Of New Type Of Generic Drugs

4:40pm March 06, 2015

by Scott Neuman

So-called biosimilar drugs closely mimic existing drugs but are made from living cells, blood components and tissue. In some cases, they could substantially reduce the cost of drugs.

High-end marijuana buds on sale at a Denver dispensary.

Pot Can Trigger Psychotic Symptoms For Some, But Do The Effects Last?

3:05pm March 06, 2015

by Angus Chen

Scientists are sharply divided on whether the disordered thinking and paranoia sometimes caused by marijuana is just a temporary thing or the start of long-term disorders like schizophrenia.