Medical Treatments

A measles outbreak in Washington State has triggered a state of emergency. In Clark County, where 35 cases have been reported, 31 were not immunized.

Health & Safety

Washington State Officials Declare State Of Emergency As Measles Outbreak Continues

9:36pm January 28, 2019

As of Monday, public health authorities reported 36 cases, most affecting children under the age of 10. All but four of those with the highly contagious disease have not been vaccinated.

Steep Climb In Benzodiazepine Prescribing By Primary Care Doctors

6:40pm January 25, 2019

by Rhitu Chatterjee

U.S. prescriptions for Valium, Ativan and other benzodiazepines have shot up since 2003, statistics show, especially for chronic pain. Roughly half those prescriptions are from primary care providers.

Chronic pain is just one health concern women can struggle with after giving birth. Some who have complicated pregnancies or deliveries can experience long-lasting effects to their physical and mental health, researchers find.

'4th Trimester' Problems Can Have Long-Term Effects On A Mom's Health

5:50pm January 24, 2019

by Lauren Bavis

A woman's health issues related to pregnancy don't always end at the baby's birth. Scientists say complications from childbirth, such as hypertension or diabetes, increase her risk of heart disease.

Dr. Paul Davis, whose daughter, Elizabeth Moreno, was billed $17,850 for a urine test and featured in KHN-NPR's Bill of the Month series, was among the guests invited to the White House on Wednesday to discuss surprise medical bills with President Trump.

Trump Seeks Action To Stop Surprise Medical Bills

3:40pm January 24, 2019

by Emmarie Huetteman

In a White House meeting with patients and doctors, President Trump directed his health secretary, Alex Azar, and labor secretary, Alex Acosta, to work on a solution for unexpected bills.

When a former patient died from a lethal combination of methadone and Benadryl, Dr. Ako Jacintho got a letter from the state medical board.

California Doctors Alarmed As State Links Their Opioid Prescriptions to Deaths

5:55pm January 23, 2019

by April Dembosky

The Death Certificate Project aims to weed out doctors who are overprescribing opioids, but some physicians say the investigations are having a chilling effect on the legitimate treatment of pain.

Queue Listen Now

'I Figured It Was Going To Be A Horrible Death, And It Probably Will Be'

10:42am January 23, 2019

by Cat Schuknecht

Thousands of coal miners across Appalachia are grappling with complicated black lung, a disease that has drastically changed their lives, their communities and their families.

A scanning electron micrograph shows microglial cells (yellow) ingesting branched oligodendrocyte cells (purple), a process thought to occur in multiple sclerosis. Oligodendrocytes form insulating myelin sheaths around nerve axons in the central nervous s

Researchers Find A Web Of Factors Behind Multiple Sclerosis

8:35am January 21, 2019

by Bret Stetka

It's looking like MS strikes when a variety of triggers gang up to impair neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Researchers are using their new knowledge to search for treatments.

Sarah Spiegel, a third-year student at New York Medical College, pushed for more education on LGBT health issues for students.

Medical Students Push For More LGBT Health Training To Address Disparities

8:02am January 20, 2019

by Rachel Cohen

One in 5 LGBT adults has avoided medical care for fear of discrimination, according to a recent survey, and 80 percent of physicians surveyed say they feel "not competent" to treat LGBT patients.

Lisa Abramson holds her firstborn child, Lucy, in 2014. A few weeks after Lucy's birth, Abramson began feeling confused and then started developing delusions — symptoms of postpartum psychosis.

She Wanted To Be The Perfect Mom, Then Landed In A Psychiatric Unit

6:49pm January 19, 2019

by April Dembosky

Postpartum psychosis is rare but very real, doctors say. And, unlike in some countries, U.S. moms who need inpatient psychiatric care can't bring along their babies, adding to the trauma.

Queue Listen Now

Belmont University's nursing program started hiring actors like Vickie James to help with their end-of-life simulations for students.

Health & Safety

Morphine, And A Side Of Grief Counseling: Nursing Students Learn How To Handle Death

12:23pm January 19, 2019

by Blake Farmer

Research has found that university curriculum often goes light on one of life's universal experiences — dying. So some colleges have gone to new lengths to make the training more meaningful.

Queue Listen Now