Medical Treatments

James Harrison was recognized in 2003 with the Guinness World Record for the most blood donated by one person.

Health & Safety

'Man With The Golden Arm' Donates Blood That Has Saved 2 Million Babies

11:20am June 15, 2015

by NPR Staff

Australian James Harrison, 78, has been donating blood for the past 60 years. His plasma contains a rare antibody for a vaccine that protects pregnant women and babies with incompatible blood types.

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An economist has ideas for making the market for organ donations more efficient.

How An Economist Helped Patients Find The Right Kidney Donors

2:18pm June 12, 2015

by Nancy Shute

If you've got a life-threatening medical condition, your first call might not be to an economist. But Alvin Roth used a theory about matching markets to help connect kidney patients and donors.

Simon Clements, left, and Steve Williams with their 6-month-old daughter, Sophie, in London. The two British men began the process of finding a surrogate mother more than two years ago. While legal in the U.K., the practice of surrogacy is tightly restric

Surrogate Parenting: A Worldwide Industry, Lacking Global Rules

8:58am June 12, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

In the U.S., surrogacy is a widely accepted practice, though it's governed by a patchwork of state laws. It's barred in some European countries, but widely practiced and largely unregulated in India.

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A Stanford University study explored the medical records of millions of people looking for patterns. People taking proton-pump inhibitors for chronic heartburn seemed to be at somewhat higher risk of having a heart attack than people not taking the pills.

Data Dive Suggests Link Between Heartburn Drugs And Heart Attacks

1:19pm June 11, 2015

by Richard Harris

The drugs are proton-pump inhibitors, including Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid. But the study doesn't show cause and effect. Other factors — diet, drink or tobacco — may play a role.

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Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell talks before a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday with Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as Rep. Pat Meehan, R-Pa., looks on.

Health & Safety

If Obamacare Subsidies Disappear, States And Congress Will Bear Burden For Fix

11:08am June 11, 2015

More than 6 million people could lose income-related subsidies if the Supreme Court strikes them down for coverage bought through the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov.

Conducting and describing your experiment in a way that permits others to repeat the study and get the same results is the engine of scientific progress.

Costs Of Slipshod Research Methods May Be In The Billions

3:10pm June 10, 2015

by Richard Harris

Up to half of all results from biomedical research laboratories these days can't be replicated by other science teams. Why not? Myriad flubs slow progress in the hunt for cures.

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Kevin Lopez makes breakfast with his sister Jenny. He is waiting for a donor hand to remedy a genetic defect.

Health & Safety

The Hard Work Of Waiting For A Hand Transplant

3:09pm June 10, 2015

by Rob Stein

Kevin Lopez was born missing the fingers on his right hand. Now 20, Lopez has been on a waiting list for a hand transplant since turning 18.

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Lully wants to put kids' night terrors to rest with calculated vibrations that rouse them from the deep sleep cycle.

Sleep Like A Baby (Minus The Night Terrors) With Good Vibrations

11:31am June 10, 2015

by Emma Bowman

A startup has developed a method the firm says will put to bed kids' night terrors, a minor sleep disorder that can impact a family's quality of life. The device uses app-controlled timed vibrations.

To Beat Insomnia, Try Therapy For The Underlying Cause Instead Of Pills

2:47pm June 09, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

A review of the medical evidence finds that therapy can break the cycle of chronic sleeplessness by addressing the anxieties that cause many people to stay awake.

The experimental drug flibanserin, made by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, is at the center of a regulatory controversy.

Health & Safety

Advisers To FDA Recommend Agency Approve Drug To Boost Female Libido

4:13pm June 05, 2015

by Rob Stein

Proponents claim the Food and Drug Administration is applying a double standard to its review of a drug some call the female Viagra. Critics say flibanserin hasn't been proved safe or effective.

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