Children's Health

A family in Nepal prepares a meal. The use of organic fuels like wood or animal dung for cooking contributes to indoor air pollution.

Report: Environmental Hazards Kill 1.7 Million Kids Under 5 Each Year

11:24am March 07, 2017

by Angus Chen

Indoor and outdoor air pollution is one of the most extreme threats to children's health — and is on the rise, according to the World Health Organization reports.

A human embryo kept alive in the lab for 12 days begins to show signs of early development. The green cells seen here in the center would go on to form the body. This embryo is in the process of twinning, forming two small spheres out of one.

Embryo Experiments Reveal Earliest Human Development, But Stir Ethical Debate

11:15am March 02, 2017

by Rob Stein

Researchers who study developing human embryos have long limited their experimentation to lab embryos that are no more than 14 days into development. Some scientists are now pushing that boundary.

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Advocates of paying a family doctor a flat monthly fee for office visits and some lab work say it saves patients money when coupled with a high-deductible insurance plan.

Some See 'Flat-Fee Primary Care' As A GOP-Friendly Way To Provide Routine Care

12:21pm March 01, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

In "direct primary care," a model favored by HHS Secretary Tom Price, patients pay a monthly fee to doctors for basic health care. But does that really provide better value?

American kids access the Internet and social media through their phones or a parent's phone every day.

To Keep Teens Safe Online, They Need To Learn To Manage Risk

10:16pm February 27, 2017

by April Fulton

Teens should be included in efforts to mitigate their online risks, researchers say, but apps focus more on parents controlling access by monitoring and blocking sites.

Dr. Joel Funari performs some 300 tooth extractions annually at his private practice in Devon, Pa.. He's part of a group of dentists reassessing opioid prescribing guidelines in the state.

Dentists Work To Ease Patients' Pain With Fewer Opioids

6:37am February 26, 2017

by Elana Gordon

After minor surgeries, many dentists used to reflexively prescribe quick-acting opioids to relieve a patient's pain. Now they're learning to counsel patients about better, less addictive alternatives.

Kevin Jones on the TED Stage in Salt Lake City

Kevin Jones: Can Embracing Uncertainty Lead To Better Medicine?

3:02pm February 24, 2017

by NPR/TED STAFF

Sometimes, doctors just don't have the answers. Surgeon Kevin Jones says having the humility to acknowledge this leads to better medicine.

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Lucia Adeng Wek holds her 3-year-old son, Wek Wol Wek, who suffers from malnutrition. They're at a clinic in South Sudan run by Doctors without Borders and were photographed on October 11, 2016.

Health & Safety

Who Declares A Famine? And What Does That Actually Mean?

9:19pm February 23, 2017

by Nurith Aizenman

Just as we rank hurricanes and earthquakes, officials have developed a five-phase scale to rank food crises.

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There's no evidence that heart screenings for teens prevent deaths.

Heart Screening For Teens May Cause More Problems Than It Solves

1:24pm February 22, 2017

by Mary Chris Jaklevic

There's no evidence that screening adolescents with electrocardiograms prevents deaths, yet the heart tests have become widespread despite the false alarms they often cause.

Seema Verma, who is President Trump's nominee to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has said that maternity benefits should be optional.

GOP Considers Trimming Health Law's 10 Essential Benefits

12:07pm February 22, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

The woman set to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told senators that maternity coverage should be optional in individual and small group plans. Other services could be cut entirely.

Resources to help parents are typically aimed at moms, not dads.

As They Dig Deeper Into Parenting, Fathers Seek Community, Support

5:00am February 21, 2017

by Juli Fraga

More dads are getting involved with parenting, but the resources to help them are much slimmer than those available for moms.