Medical Treatments

Danish Study Links Fish Oil During Pregnancy With Lower Asthma Risk In Kids

9:02am December 29, 2016

by Richard Harris

But that's not the final word, caution pediatricians, including the Danish author. It's one of several recent studies with contradictory findings that suggest the supplements could help or hurt.

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Rosemary Navarro, 40, looks through old childhood photographs at her home in La Habra, Calif. Her mother, Rosa Maria Navarro, passed away in 2009 from Alzheimer's.

Early Alzheimer's Gene Is A Curse For Families, A Gift For Science

1:24pm December 27, 2016

by Anna Gorman

They couldn't figure out why so many relatives got Alzheimer's in their 40s. Then they found out they share the rare Jalisco mutation. Their tragedy is helping scientists untangle the disease.

Illustration of a young doctor trapped in a snowglobe by Katherine Streeter for NPR.

How Working On Christmas Became A Privilege For 2 Young Doctors

5:00am December 25, 2016

by John Henning Schumann

By the end of December, medical interns are nearing the midpoint of their first year of intense, hands-on work with patients. The holiday season marks a special challenge.

Antibiotic- and growth-hormone-free cattle gather at a farm in Yamhill, Ore. Despite farmers pledging to reduce or stop antibiotics use, a new report finds that sales of antibiotics for use on farms are going up.

Despite Pledges To Cut Back, Farms Are Still Using Antibiotics

6:48pm December 22, 2016

by Dan Charles

Many meat producers say they are reducing their use of antibiotics. Yet the latest government statistics show that sales of these drugs for farm use continue to grow.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles has been penalized in all three years since the creation of a Medicare program to reduce patient-safety issues in hospitals.

Medicare Penalizes Hospitals In Crackdown On Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

12:24pm December 22, 2016

by Jordan Rau

For the first time, Medicare penalties against hospitals with too many avoidable patient safety complications include fines tied to the prevalence of two types of bacteria resistant to drugs.

Cyclosporine is one of the drugs that organ transplant patients take so the body won't reject the organ.

Medicare Pays For A Kidney Transplant, But Not The Drugs To Keep It Viable

11:13am December 22, 2016

by Richard Harris

The federal government pays for kidney transplants. But the program only pays for essential anti-rejection drugs for three years. Many people can't afford them and can end up losing the kidney.

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Ear infections are common in young children, and often treated with antibiotics.

For Young Kids' Ear Infections, Longer Antibiotic Treatment Works Better

8:29pm December 21, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

Cutting by half the time that children are given antibiotics for ear infections didn't do as good a job, a study finds. And it didn't reduce antibiotic resistance, which was a key goal.

Restoring sleep patterns could improve recovery after a serious brain injury.

As Sleep Improves, So Does An Injured Brain

4:50pm December 21, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

After a serious brain injury, people often sleep just a few minutes at a time. As the brain heals, sleep patterns begin to return to normal. The link suggests restoring sleep could improve recovery.

The mumps virus is on the loose. Cases are popping up in Arkansas, Iowa and Illinois.

Health & Safety

Mumps Bump: Cases Rise In Iowa, Illinois And Arkansas

5:04pm December 20, 2016

by Richard Harris

Mumps spreads easily through schools and colleges. And in northwestern Arkansas, where the current outbreak is centered, students often live in close quarters with their families.

John Evard, 70, at the Las Vegas Recovery Center in Las Vegas last July. Evard, a retired tax attorney, checked into a rehabilitation program to help him quit the prescribed opioids that had left him depressed, groggy and dependent on the drugs.

Opioids Can Derail The Lives Of Older People, Too

4:29pm December 20, 2016

by Jenny Gold

Doctors have commonly managed the persistent pain of people over 65 with prescription opioids. But that has left some still in pain, and with a physical and emotional dependence that can ruin life.