Medical Treatments

When it comes to chronic pain relief, the CDC is asking doctors and patients to think about alternatives to opioids.

Health & Safety

CDC Has Advice For Primary Care Doctors About Opioids

8:04am March 16, 2016

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Debra Houry, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about new opioid guidelines.

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Going slow isn't necessarily the best route to ditching cigarettes.

To Quit Smoking, It's Best To Go Cold Turkey

6:29pm March 15, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Quitting abruptly is more effective, a study finds, even for people who'd rather phase it out gradually.

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Health & Safety

Cancer And Arthritis Drugs Drive Up Spending On Medicines

8:01pm March 14, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Patients switching to generic medicines and hard bargaining with drugmakers helped moderate spending on prescription drugs in 2015, according to Express Scripts, a manager of drug benefits.

No-Drill Dentistry: Fluoride Treatments Can Prevent Cavities In Adults

2:25pm March 14, 2016

by Vannessa Rancano

If the whir of a drill as it bores into a molar terrifies you, we have some good news. Dentists have better ways to prevent cavities in adults with fluoride treatments most commonly used on kids.

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A team of Cleveland Clinic transplant surgeons and gynecological surgeons perform the nation's first uterus transplant during a nine-hour surgery in Cleveland last month.

1st U.S. Uterus Transplant Fails Amid 'Sudden Complication'

6:22pm March 10, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The 26-year-old patient is recovering, and the Cleveland Clinic says it will continue its clinical study that is meant to involve 10 women with uterine factor infertility.

Hospitals Adapt ERs To Meet Patient Demand For Routine Care

5:38pm March 10, 2016

by Abe Aboraya

Many Floridians and other Americans turn to the ER for problems that aren't emergencies, a poll suggests, even though the experience can be unpleasant. Some ERs are striving to change their image.

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A medical researcher prepares tests for various diseases including Zika.

How Best To Test For Zika Virus?

5:38pm March 10, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Getting an accurate diagnosis is a big hurdle in the current outbreak of Zika virus. There are three kinds of tests for Zika, and each has problems. Scientists are working hard to improve diagnosis.

A clinical trial at the Biotrial laboratory in Rennes, France, left one person dead and put five more in the hospital.

High Doses Of Experimental Drug Implicated In Botched French Study

4:46pm March 09, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

In January, one person died and five others were hospitalized during a test of an experimental drug in western France. Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly what went wrong.

Erbitux is used to treat cancers that start in the head and neck and tumors there that spread from other parts of the body. Because its effectiveness varies, should the price also?

Medicare Looks To Cut Drug Costs By Changing How It Pays Doctors

2:55pm March 09, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

The agency plans to reduce the incentive for doctors to use the most expensive drugs and link prices to patient outcomes, perhaps paying less when patients have to be admitted to a hospital.

Mariel Mohns and Mustafa Rasheed are working in a University of Wisconsin lab that's trying to figure out how Zika virus could be damaging fetuses.

Scientists Report In Real Time On Challenging Zika Research

7:31pm March 08, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

It's rare for researchers to share their data as they work, but scientists in Wisconsin are reporting on their Zika virus experiments in real time. They say it's critical for stopping the virus.

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