Medical Treatments

Heroin use has become a major problem in the Northeast.

Ithaca's Plan To Open A Safe Site For Heroin Users Faces Legal Hurdles

3:22pm February 24, 2016

by Angus Chen

The goal is to reduce the city's death toll from heroin. But it would be breaking various laws unless Ithaca gets a pass from the governor and federal authorities.

Most women get prenatal care from the doctor they expect will deliver the baby, which can make it difficult if the doctor and hospital are far away.

More Rural Hospitals Are Closing Their Maternity Units

11:37am February 24, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

Facilities for delivering babies are expensive to run and hard to staff. But when small rural hospitals close their birthing units, pregnant women must travel much farther for care.

Academic Medical Centers Get An F In Sharing Research Results

8:20pm February 23, 2016

by Harlan Krumholz

There's no excuse for not reporting all findings within two years of finishing a clinical study, says Yale University's Dr. Harlan Krumholz. He calls on his colleagues to do a better job.

Troy Hodge was only 41 years old when a vessel in his brain burst. "You don't think of things you can't do until you can't do them," he says.

Strokes On The Rise Among Younger Adults

7:33pm February 22, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Fewer people are having strokes now than decades ago. But that improvement seems to be mostly among the elderly. Young people are actually having more strokes, partly because of the rise in obesity.

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Treatment for breast cancer can have side effects including painful sex, to the point that women forgo cancer medications.

Topical Estrogen May Help With Side Effects After Breast Cancer

6:20pm February 22, 2016

by Dana Farrington

Estrogen supplements have been linked to cancer risk, but vaginal estrogen is probably safe for women who have had breast cancer, a national gynecologists's group says. It can help with side effects.

More and more surgeries are being performed in outpatient centers, and mastectomy is among them.

More Women Are Having Mastectomies And Going Home The Same Day

11:32am February 22, 2016

by Julie Appleby

There's very little data on how having a mastectomy as same-day outpatient surgery affects a woman's health. Laws in some states have restricted the use of so-called "drive by" mastectomies.

Doctors sew a kidney into a recipient patient during a kidney transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2012 in Baltimore, Md.

Health & Safety

HIV-Positive Organ Transplants Set To Begin At Johns Hopkins

11:28am February 21, 2016

by NPR Staff

Doctors say organ transplants from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive recipients will save lives and shorten wait times for everyone. NPR spoke with one doctor who helped end the 25-year ban.

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Matt Keil participates in physical therapy during a BeFit class at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., in 2007.

For Fertility Treatment, Wounded Veterans Have To Pay The Bill

9:45pm February 17, 2016

by Quil Lawrence

U.S. military health care covers the high cost of in vitro fertilization, but the Veterans Affairs health system doesn't. The discrepancy is putting vets with combat injuries in a bind.

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Study Shows Extra Testosterone Might Help Some Older Men

6:35pm February 17, 2016

by Patti Neighmond

A man's testosterone level drops as he ages, but boosting it with supplements has been controversial. The first year of data from a big study now suggests a modest boost in libido for some men.

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Inside a mobile clinic parked near a Conservation Corp high school, Dr. Seth Ammerman talks with a patient. About 400 young people who visit the van each year have never seen a doctor, Ammerman says.

Teen Health Van Delivers More Than Medical Care To Homeless Youth

6:18pm February 17, 2016

by Farida Jhabvala Romero

The number of homeless Californians under age 24 keeps rising, and many aren't getting the physical and mental health care they need, teen advocates say. Mobile clinics are trying to fill the gaps.