Health & Safety

Despite public health campaigns urging women in the U.S. to take folic acid, many are still not taking the supplements when they become pregnant.

Health & Safety

Folic Acid For Pregnant Mothers Cuts Kids' Autism Risk

1:19pm February 25, 2013

by Jon Hamilton

A study of more than 85,000 women in Norway found that those who started taking a folic acid supplement four weeks before getting pregnant were about 40 percent less likely to have a child who developed the disorder. Mothers had to continue taking the supplement during the first eight weeks of pregnancy to get the full benefit.

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This Year's Flu Vaccine Falters In Protecting Elderly

6:47pm February 22, 2013

This year's flu shot looks like it's unusually poor at protecting the elderly. The flu vaccine's only about 27 percent effective overall for those ages 65 and older and just 9 percent effective against the flu strain causing the most illness, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Melissa Block talks to Rob Stein.

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Plan B is one of two emergency contraceptives available in the U.S.

Morning-After Pills Don't Cause Abortion, Studies Say

4:51pm February 22, 2013

by Julie Rovner

Emergency contraceptives like Plan B and ella are effective at preventing pregnancy after unprotected sex. Claims that the pills are tantamount to abortion, however, aren't supported by science, say researchers. The only way the drugs work is by stopping a woman's body from ovulating.

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How Wood Smoke is Dirtying Alaska's Air

1:03pm February 22, 2013

In Fairbanks, Alaska, residents are using wood stoves to heat their homes during the frigid winter months. But, smoke created by these wood burners is contributing to some of the worst air pollution in the country. Cathy Cahill discusses air quality in the Last Frontier.

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HIV drugs not only can keep patients healthy but also can stop the sexual transmission of the virus. Here an HIV-positive mother picks up medications at a hospital outside Johannesburg, South Africa.

Treating HIV Patients Protects Whole Community

9:51am February 22, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

Treating people for HIV isn't just beneficial for those infected but also helps the entire community. Two studies show that where HIV drugs are widely available, the risk for new HIV infections drops dramatically and overall life expectancy increases by more than a decade.

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Health officials around the world are on constant lookout for the deadly bird flu. Here a worker collects chickens on a farm in Kathamndu, Nepal, where the virus was suspected of infecting poultry last October.

Health & Safety

Feds Set New Rules For Controversial Bird Flu Research

7:25am February 22, 2013

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

In early 2012, experiments that made H5N1 bird flu more contagious caused an uproar. People feared that mutant viruses could escape the lab and kill people. To prevent a repeat, the government has unveiled a policy describing how scientists should study dangerous pathogens and toxins.

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Dr. Sam Parnia researches the experiences of cardiac arrest patients who are brought back to life.

'Erasing Death' Explores The Science Of Resuscitation

2:39pm February 21, 2013

Dr. Sam Parnia researches the experiences of cardiac arrest patients in the time between when their hearts stop and when they are brought back to life. Parnia thinks of these experiences as actual-death experiences as opposed to near-death experiences.

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Author Katherine Bouton Opens Up About Going Deaf

7:14am February 21, 2013

After going deaf at the age of 30, writer Katherine Bouton's entire life changed. In her new book, "Shouting Won't Help," Bouton shares how she came to terms with hearing loss, and why more attention needs to be paid to a condition that affects nearly 50 million Americans.

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The recession put a dent in Sims-Wood's savings, and she expects she'll have to stay in the workforce "forever."

When A Bad Economy Means Working 'Forever'

8:34pm February 20, 2013

by Ina Jaffe

Janet Sims-Wood, 67, is like millions of other seniors still working in order to make ends meet. For the part-time librarian, the recession put a huge dent in her savings, so she expects she'll have to work as long as her health allows.

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Peggy Renzi (middle) talks with her teammates Erika Hersey (left) and Erica Webster. The three are part of a team of nurses in the Bowie Health Center emergency room in Bowie, Md., who are working together to lose weight.

Money Replaces Willpower In Programs Promoting Weight Loss

6:23pm February 20, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

A group of nurses is competing for $10,000 in a weight-loss contest. A New York man motivated himself by pledging to donate to a cause he hated. Both approaches use money to reach a target weight. But which is better — the carrot or the stick?

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