Medical Treatments

Jen Brea on the TED Stage at TEDSummit2016 in Canada

What Happens When You Have A Disease Doctors Can't Diagnose?

8:49am February 10, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Jen Brea's doctors thought her fatigue and neurological symptoms were psychosomatic — but she knew that wasn't quite right. She shares her journey to find the right diagnosis.

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Elliot Krane speaks on the TED Stage at TED University

Is Pain A Symptom Or A Disease?

8:49am February 10, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Doctors are often puzzled when pain lives on after the underlying cause goes away. Medical professor Elliot Krane explains why it can makes sense to think of chronic pain as a disease.

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Paula Johnson on the TED stage at TEDWomen 2013.

When Does Medicine Leave Women Behind?

8:49am February 10, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Men and women experience some diseases differently. Doctor Paula Johnson says this is alarming — because most treatments were designed for men, not women.

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Dorothy Roberts speaks on the TED stage at TEDMED 2015.

What's Race Got to Do with Medicine?

8:49am February 10, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Doctors often take a patient's race into account when making a diagnosis--or ruling one out. Professor Dorothy Roberts says this practice is both outdated and dangerous.

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Can The Internet Help You Get The Right Diagnosis?

8:49am February 10, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Doctors told Jen Brea that her symptoms were psychosomatic, so she filmed herself and turned to the Internet for guidance. She describes how her online community helped her find the right diagnosis.

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Jay Zimmerman (left) and his father, Buddy, in July 2016. Buddy, who was also a veteran, passed away last September.

Veteran Teaches Therapists How To Talk About Gun Safety When Suicide's A Risk

4:39pm February 09, 2017

by April Dembosky

The VA is now training counselors in how to better understand and bring up guns and gun safety without alienating clients who are combat veterans.

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Medicare accounts for about 29 percent of all spending on prescription medicines in the U.S. each year.

White House Says Medicare Should Leverage Its Buying Power To Pull Down Drug Prices

8:13pm February 07, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

A spokesman said Tuesday that President Trump does want Medicare to be able to directly negotiate prescription drug prices with drugmakers. Analysts disagree about how much difference that would make.

The hemoglobin A1C test for blood sugar, a standard assay for diabetes, may not perform as well in people with sickle cell trait, a study finds.

The A1C Blood Sugar Test May Be Less Accurate In African-Americans

4:40pm February 07, 2017

by Richard Harris

People with sickle cell trait, which includes about 10 percent of African-Americans, can get erroneous readings on a common blood glucose test. That could mean they miss out on diabetes treatment.

Tests for mutations in BRCA genes that increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancer can help guide treatment and prevention.

Women With Breast Cancer Miss Out On Recommended Genetic Testing

12:03pm February 07, 2017

by Jessica Boddy

Most women with breast cancer say they want testing to know if they carry BRCA gene mutations that increase cancer risk, but only around half of women at high risk actually get tested.

Illustration of Dr. J. Marion Sims with Anarcha by Robert Thom. Anarcha was subjected to 30 experimental surgeries.

Health & Safety

Remembering Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey: The Mothers of Modern Gynecology

12:00am February 07, 2017

J. Marion Sims is remembered as the father of modern gynecology. Forgotten are the mothers of that medical specialty — the enslaved women whose bodies were used for the advancement of his research.