Health & Safety

People who consistently wear hearing aids have a lower chance of falling, a new study finds.

Hearing loss can lead to deadly falls, but hearing aids may cut the risk

7:18am November 13, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

Falling is the top cause of injury for older adults and even mild hearing loss can increase the risk. But consistently wearing hearing aids may improve balance and prevent falls, a study finds.

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Scientists are learning more about how long COVID affects the brain.

Pain, fatigue, fuzzy thinking: How long COVID disrupts the brain

5:00am November 13, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

The neurological symptoms of COVID can persist for years after an infection. Scientists are just beginning to understand why.

People work at a landfill in India that's full of plastic bags. Members of the United Nations are negotiating a treaty that's aimed at cutting plastic pollution globally.

The world is awash in plastic. Oil producers want a say in how it's cleaned up

5:00am November 13, 2023

Groups connected to the fossil fuel industry are trying to shape an international treaty to cut plastic pollution. And oil- and gas-producing nations are at the negotiating table.

Preliminary results from a study show that gene-editing technology can be used to successfully treat a genetic disorder that increases the risk of heart disease.

Health & Safety

For the first time, gene-editing provides hints for lowering cholesterol

4:09pm November 12, 2023

by Rob Stein

Researchers report the first results from a study testing the revolutionary gene-editing technique known as CRISPR for cutting high cholesterol.

Health & Safety

Amazon is getting into health care. Will it actually make care more accessible?

9:39am November 12, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

Amazon is now offering discounted subscriptions to primary care. Ayesha Rascoe talks to healthcare writer Bruce Japsen about what ventures like these signal for patients.

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One Brooklyn community fears safety amidst a lack of mental health resources

8:19am November 12, 2023

by Samantha Max

In Brooklyn, a man has been assaulting and harassing people in the neighborhood for years, sparking a debate about community safety and addressing unmet mental health needs.

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Jose Grajeda and daughter, Victoria. "If I wanted to go to sleep as a child, I would go cuddle with my mom and she would give me piojito," he says — Spanish for "little lice." The late Peruvian linguist Martha Hidlebrandt described piojito as "gently scratching the scalp of a child as if he were being relieved of the itching of imaginary lice" — hence the name.

Health & Safety

You don't need words to calm a grumpy kid. Parents around the world use a magic touch

7:26am November 12, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Modern parents are told to TALK with an agitated kid to improve their mood. But in many cultures, mom and dad opt for a soothing caress to induce tranquility. Neurologists explain why it works.

Davey Bauer was near death six months ago after the flu and another bacterial infection wasted his lungs. Now he says he's feeling stronger each day as he recovers from a double lung transplant.

Health & Safety

He lived without lungs for a day. How a remarkable transplant operation saved him

7:01am November 12, 2023

by Diane Webber

The flu almost killed a 34-year-old man who was addicted to vaping. But an innovative doctor – and some DD-sized breast implants – made him eligible for a transplant.

Anthony Velbis, a nurse with the homeless service agency HOPICS, checks up on Anthony Boladeres outside the RV where he's living in South Los Angeles. "It's nice being able to meet the client where they're at," Velbis says.

'Frustration all across the board.' A day with homelessness outreach workers in L.A.

11:13pm November 11, 2023

Teams of case managers and medical professionals help connect people on the street to social services and, eventually, housing. But it's a tough job when there aren't nearly enough places to stay.

Health & Safety

Many generic drugs are in short supply

9:11am November 11, 2023

by Yuki Noguchi

Americans depend on generic drugs for 90% of prescriptions. But shortages have become a chronic problem. Generic drug manufacturing has become a race to get to the lowest price.

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