Study: Guilford County #8 in NC Health Rankings
A new study indicates that Wake County is the healthiest county in North Carolina. And Triad counties range from 8th to 56th.
Health & Safety
Alzheimer's 'Epidemic' Now A Deadlier Threat To Elderly
Deaths from the disease have increased by 68 percent between 2000 and 2010. One reason: We're living longer, and deaths from other causes, like heart disease and prostate cancer, are going down.
Bioethics Panel Warns Against Anthrax Vaccine Testing On Kids
Anthrax has long been considered one of the most likely weapons a bioterrorist might use. Some researchers think the vaccine should be tested on children to find out if it would be safe to use in an attack. But a presidential bioethics commission says that first, researchers will have to show that children would face no more than "minimal risk."
To Control Asthma, Start With The Home Instead Of The Child
Because dust, mold and pests can trigger asthma attacks, addressing these triggers in the home can keep kids from winding up in the hospital. In the past seven years, the Community Asthma Initiative in Boston has counseled more than a thousand families on how to prevent attacks.
What The Case Of A Mississippi Child Can Tell HIV Researchers
For the first time, scientists believe a child infected with HIV has been cured. NPR health correspondent Richard Knox explains this case and other developments in HIV research presented at the 2013 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.
'Still Point': A Meditation On Mothering A Dying Child
In 2011, Emily Rapp's baby was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a genetic, degenerative condition with no cure. He died just shy of his third birthday. In her new memoir, The Still Point of the Turning World, Rapp writes about what it's like to care for a terminally ill child.
Can Kidney Transplants Ease Strain On Gaza's Health System?
Years of war have overtaxed Gaza's hospitals, making it tough for kidney patients to get good treatment. Thanks to help from British doctors, Gaza surgeons are now being trained to perform kidney transplants. They hope to help ease the huge demand for dialysis, but transplants have their own cost.
Binge Drinking Sticks Wisconsin With A Hefty Tab
Wisconsin has the highest number of binge drinkers in the nation, and they cost the state $6.8 billion in 2012.
Improving Healthcare, One Search At A Time
By combing through 100 million search queries on Bing, Yahoo and Google, Microsoft Research Lab co-director Eric Horvitz and his colleagues were able to discover a previously unknown interaction between two commonly prescribed drugs. Horvitz says the method might detect dangerous drug interactions earlier than the FDA's warning system.
A Retired Chicago Cop's Second Act Is At A Barbershop
After nearly 30 years on the Chicago police force, Richard Piña, 69, now owns Rich's Den in Calumet City, Ill. He had other businesses during his police career — hair salons, a taco stand, a rooming house. "I don't want to say I was an entrepreneur, but I was a hustler," he says.