Medical Treatments

Nationally, drug overdose deaths reached record levels in 2017, when a group protested in New York City on Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. Deaths appear to have declined slightly in 2018, based on provisional numbers, but nearly 68,000 people still d

Health & Safety

U.S. Overdose Deaths Dipped In 2018, But Some States Saw 'Devastating' Increases

5:16pm July 18, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Provisional overdose data for 2018 show a note of hope in an overall bleak picture. But in some states, the numbers actually got worse. What explains the disparities?

A federally funded study is testing aerobic exercise as a way to prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Health & Safety

Is Aerobic Exercise The Right Prescription For Staving Off Alzheimer's?

4:38pm July 18, 2019

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers are testing exercise in people at high risk for Alzheimer's. The goal of a federally funded study is to learn whether aerobic physical activity can protect the brain.

Differences in the brains of women and men may help explain why more women are living with Alzheimer's disease than men.

Health & Safety

Researchers Explore Why Women's Alzheimer's Risk Is Higher Than Men's

1:45pm July 17, 2019

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists are gaining insights into why Alzheimer's is more common in women. The answer involves genetics, hormones and sex-related brain differences.

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Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter begins closing statements during the opioid trial at the Cleveland County Courthouse in Norman, Okla., on Monday, July 15. It's the first public trial to emerge from roughly 2,000 U.S. lawsuits aimed at holding drugma

Health & Safety

Pain Meds As Public Nuisance? Oklahoma Tests A Legal Strategy For Opioid Addiction

5:55pm July 16, 2019

by Jackie Fortier

The first civil trial against an opioid manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, has ended in Oklahoma. The verdict could affect lawsuits filed by other local and state governments coping with addiction.

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Bacteria (purple) in the bloodstream can trigger sepsis, a life-threatening illness.

Health & Safety

Regulations That Mandate Sepsis Care Appear To Have Worked In New York

5:16pm July 16, 2019

by Richard Harris

Sepsis, the body's overreaction to infection, strikes more than a million Americans a year and kills more than 250,000. Evidence suggests that regulations can improve its diagnosis and patient care.

Researchers are hoping to learn how to effectively convey information about people's risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, a dementia still without a cure.

Health & Safety

A Genetic Test That Reveals Alzheimer's Risk Can Be Cathartic Or Distressing

11:09pm July 12, 2019

by Jon Hamilton

Genetic tests can now tell us a lot about our risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. But that doesn't mean people are prepared to receive the information.

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Demonstrators rallied in Sacramento in May for Medi-Cal expansion to undocumented Californians. When the state's budget was finalized, only young adults up to age 26 were authorized to be included in the expansion. Gov. Gavin Newsom says that's an importa

Health & Safety

Young Undocumented Californians Cheer Promise Of Health Benefits

2:48pm July 11, 2019

by Sammy Caiola

In January, California expects to enroll 138,000 undocumented, low-income residents under age 26 in the state's version of Medicaid. But young adults say their parents need health care coverage, too.

Supplies sit on a check-in desk at a model of a hypothetical injection site in San Francisco, pictured here in September 2018. Local leaders from San Francisco are among a dozen local officials urging a federal court to allow an effort to open a supervise

Leaders From 13 States Urge Federal Court To Allow Supervised Injection Sites

10:20am July 11, 2019

by Bobby Allyn

The Justice Department has mounted a legal challenge to block the effort, claiming such a site violates federal drug laws and would enable opioid users.

President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday proposing to change how kidney disease is treated in the United States. It encourages in-home dialysis and more kidney donations.

Health & Safety

Trump Administration Announces Plans To Shake Up The Kidney Care Industry

10:19pm July 10, 2019

President Trump has signed an executive order pushing for sweeping changes in the way kidney disease is treated.

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For 25 years, the federal Violence Against Women Act has required any state that wants to be eligible for certain federal grants to certify that the state covers the cost of medical forensic exams for people who have been sexually assaulted.

Health & Safety

Years After Sexual Assault, Survivors Hounded To Pay Bills For The Rape Kit Exam

12:55pm July 10, 2019

by Michelle Andrews

Under federal law, people sexually assaulted don't have to pay for their medical forensic exams. Yet some have trouble getting the hospitals or collection agencies to stop dunning them for payment.