Petting other people's dogs, even briefly, can boost your health
You don't even have to own one. Research shows just 5 to 20 minutes interacting with other people's pooches can reduce stress hormones and increase well-being.
Health & Safety
Texas Medicaid dropped more than 500,000 enrollees in one month
Medicaid is shedding enrollees for the first time since the pandemic started. But rolls in some states are shrinking much faster than in others. Nearly 4 million people have lost coverage so far.
The push to expand testing for cancer predisposition
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S. Tests for genetic risk factors are inexpensive, and yet many people don't take them. (Story aired on All Things Considered on Aug. 1, 2023.)
The summer months can be even more extreme for people with diabetes
Many communities suffer in unrelenting heat. People with diabetes are among the most vulnerable to heat-related complications.
Why it's easier to make healthy food choices in Japan
The obesity rate in the U.S. is about 10 times higher than in Japan, another wealthy developed nation. As part of NPR's series Living Better, we look into why that's the case.
Weekly Dose of Wonder: Spending time with a dog can be good for your health
What's four-legged, furry and often serves up a mood boost? That's right: dogs. As part of our series Weekly Dose of Wonder, here's how even brief interactions with pups can be good for health.
Testing your genes for cancer risk is way cheaper now — and it could save your life
Millions of people in the U.S. have a genetic variant that raises their risk of cancer. Genetic testing can help people find cancer earlier and seek treatment. But many patients aren't offered it.
Doctors have their own diagnosis: 'Moral distress' from an inhumane health system
A term coined to evoke the torment felt by soldiers as they process the cruelty of war, it's now used by doctors to describe the guilt and helplessness we feel when patients can't access needed care.
A wasted chance to fight addiction? Opioid settlement cash fills a local budget gap
State attorneys general vowed the funds would go toward tackling the addiction crisis. But as with the tobacco payouts of the 1990s, local officials have started using them to fill budget shortfalls.
The new CDC director outlines 3 steps to rebuild trust with the public
Mandy Cohen led North Carolina's department of Health & Human Services throughout the pandemic. Now, she's taking what she learned to the national level.