Health

DOJ Stepping Up Prosecutions Of Medical Providers Who Abuse Prescribing Authority

4:38pm December 11, 2017

It's believed that 80 percent of people addicted to heroin today started with prescription painkillers. The over-prescription of opioids in the U.S. has been well documented. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about how the Department of Justice is ramping up prosecutions of medical providers who abuse their prescribing authority when it comes to opioids.

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An employee of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals holds bottles of albendazole, an anti-hookworm medication.

Why A Pill That's 4 Cents In Tanzania Costs Up To $400 In The U.S.

3:41pm December 11, 2017

by Nadia Whitehead

The medication fights hookworm. It's one of several drugs for "neglected tropical diseases" that are priced differently in the United States than they are in the developing world.

About one child a month dies from being entangled in cords from blinds and shades, a study finds. Efforts are underway to get corded blinds off the market, but many will remain in homes.

Window Blind Cords Still Pose A Deadly Risk To Children

12:02am December 11, 2017

by Tara Haelle

Nearly one child a month dies after being entangled in window blind cords, despite years of effort to reduce the toll. A new industry standard to remove most corded blinds from the market may help.

How Women From The U.S. Could Be At Risk Of Genital Mutilation

7:56am December 09, 2017

by Matt Katz

Young women from the U.S. are at increasing risk of a dangerous ritual known as female genital mutilation. Federal law enforcement has launched an awareness campaign about "vacation cutting."

Small acts of kindness are what make us feel loved.

This Year, Consider Giving Presence Instead Of Presents

7:02am December 09, 2017

by Juli Fraga

Science says consciously spending time with our loved ones is more important to them than receiving expensive presents.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, walks through the Capitol with colleagues in early December.

Doubts Rise About Sen. Collins' Strategy To Shore Up Insurance Market

7:01am December 09, 2017

by Julie Rovner

Even if the Republican from Maine can get her party to go along, her suggestions to bolster the individual insurance market may be too little, too late.

Australia had a particularly hard flu season this year, which may predict similar challenges for the U.S.

In The U.S., Flu Season Could Be Unusually Harsh This Year

5:34pm December 08, 2017

by Rob Stein

Health officials fear the U.S. may have a nasty flu season because the main flu virus circulating this year tends to hit people hard and the flu vaccine may be weaker than normal.

Children get their diphtheria inoculation in 1944.

Diphtheria: What Exactly Is It ... And Why Is It Back?

4:40pm December 08, 2017

by Rae Ellen Bichell

It's thought of as a disease of the past. But now there are outbreaks in Yemen and Bangladesh.

David Lazarus developed Type 1 diabetes as an adult, and it took a while for doctors to recognize what it was.

Adults Can Get Type 1 Diabetes, Too

10:59am December 08, 2017

by Miriam E. Tucker

It used to be called juvenile diabetes because it was thought to often start in childhood. But adults are just as likely to be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Not knowing that can delay treatment.

How does lead wind up in crockpots and other ceramic food and drink containers? Ceramic ware is glazed before entering a kiln to bake. These glazes sometimes contain lead to give products an attractive shine.

Can Your Ceramic Cookware Give You Lead Poisoning?

8:00am December 08, 2017

by Natalie Jacewicz

Mass-produced crockpots and other ceramic food containers are probably safe, but handmade earthenware might merit a home test.