Health & Safety

Health & Safety

CVS Caremark To Clear Shelves Of Tobacco Products

11:57am March 06, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

The drug store chain announced Wednesday morning that it will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products by Oct. 1. CVS chain says selling cigarettes is at odds with its caretaking mission.

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Up till now, all babies have had two genetic parents. That could soon change.

Scientists Question Safety Of Genetically Altering Human Eggs

12:08pm February 27, 2014

by Rob Stein

Researchers say they can replace DNA in human eggs with genetic material from another woman to prevent devastating disorders in children. But big questions remain on safety and ethics.

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Health & Safety

Outreach is Key as ACA Deadline Approaches

6:38pm February 26, 2014

Health care navigators and providers are reaching out to the public as the March 31 deadline for the state Health Exchange approaches. North Carolinians who are uninsured must enroll through the Health Insurance Marketplace by the end of next month.

Parents And Teens Aren't Up To Speed On HPV Risks, Doctors Say

2:17pm February 20, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

Only one third of teenage girls have gotten the recommended three shots of HPV vaccine to protect against cervical cancer. Doctors are trying to figure out what will get them in the door.

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Wiggle (don't jab) the knife in from the hinge of the shell.Turn it like a key. Once you have leverage, MJ says you can pop off the top shell. Make sure the cup-side of the shell is on the bottom.

For The Love Of Oysters: How A Kiss From The Sea Evokes Passion

7:58pm February 14, 2014

by Allison Aubrey

Scientists have made some attempts to link mollusks to increased libido. There's even evidence that consuming heavy doses of an amino acid found in oysters can increase sperm count – in rabbits. But do any of these findings actually prove that oysters can — ahem — amp up arousal? Not so much.

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Hannah Rood, 3, receives an H1N1 vaccine at a clinic in San Pablo, California, during the 2009 swine flu epidemic.

Health & Safety

Stopping Microbes Not Missiles: U.S. Plans For Next Global Threat

7:58pm February 13, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

The world is at greater risk than ever from pandemics and biological weapons, health officials said Thursday. In response, the U.S. government is spearheading a global effort to build an early warning system for infectious diseases, drug-resistant microbes and possible bioterror agents.

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Still waiting for job-linked health insurance? Check the size of your company.

Health & Safety

Health Law's Employer Mandate Hits Another Speed Bump

3:55pm February 11, 2014

by Julie Rovner

The Obama administration is again delaying a part of the Affordable Care Act that requires most companies to provide employees with health insurance. This time, smallish firms — those with fewer than 100 workers but more than 49 — get a reprieve until 2016.

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Health & Safety

18 patients at Forsyth Medical Center Exposed to Rare, Deadly Brain Disease

1:15am February 11, 2014

Hospital officials are enacting a new sterilization procedure after 18 patients were exposed to a rare, deadly brain disease.

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Men walk along a railway line in Beijing on Jan. 12, as air pollution reached hazardous levels.

China's Air Pollution Linked To Millions Of Early Deaths

2:25pm February 10, 2014

by Rob Stein

About 1.2 million people die prematurely every year in China from exposure to outdoor air pollution. Smog has dogged the country as it grows at an explosive rate and burns huge quantities of fossil fuels. But there are signs that the government is beginning to take the issue more seriously.

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Wikipedia is a go-to source for medical information, but much of it is inaccurate.

Dr. Wikipedia: The 'Double-Edged Sword' Of Crowdsourced Medicine

1:17pm February 10, 2014

by NPR Staff

A report on health and social media finds that Wikipedia is the "single leading source of medical information" for patients and health care professionals. But not all of the articles are accurate. To address that issue, Dr. Amin Azzam requires his fourth-year medical students to revise and publish medical articles on the site.

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