Medical Treatments

When Alexis Paige lost her job, she was afraid she would have to discontinue her estrogen treatments. That can't happen now under the Oregon Health Plan.

In Oregon, Medicaid Now Covers Transgender Medical Care

2:17pm January 12, 2015

by Kristian Foden-Vencil

The Oregon Health Plan just started covering the cost of reassignment surgery and hormone therapy for transgender people. Oregon joins a handful of states that provide such coverage through Medicaid.

Queue Listen Now

Women with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health demonstrate Wednesday outside the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. A federal appeals court in New Orleans is considering whether a Texas law puts up an unconstitutional obst

Texas Abortion Case May Hinge On Definition Of 'Undue Burden'

6:53pm January 08, 2015

by Carrie Feibel

A federal appeals court this week is once again weighing whether Texas restrictions on clinics that perform abortions are too onerous for women who seek the procedure. How far is too far to drive?

Jackie Fortin's daughter, Cassandra, last summer.

Can Connecticut Force A Teenage Girl To Undergo Chemotherapy?

5:58pm January 08, 2015

by Lucy Nalpathanchil

A 17-year-old says she doesn't want to undergo treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, but her doctors and the state say she will die without it. The Connecticut Supreme Court is hearing the case.

Queue Listen Now

The human papilloma virus causes most — but not all — cases of cancer of the cervix.

Specialists Split Over HPV Test's Role In Cancer Screening

12:49pm January 08, 2015

by Rob Stein

An HPV test could replace the Pap smear for many women, two groups of physicians say. But other doctors, including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, still urge dual testing.

Queue Listen Now

You don't want to run into methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria. A potential new antibiotic could help fight this bug.

Scientists Hit Antibiotic Pay Dirt Growing Finicky Bacteria In Lab

12:39pm January 08, 2015

by Richard Harris

A natural compound kills germs that have become resistant to antibiotics, researchers say. If it works in humans, it could help combat diseases like tuberculosis.

Queue Listen Now

Belviq, a weight-loss drug from Arena Pharmaceuticals, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012. With the agency's approval of Saxenda in December, there are four new weight-loss pills available.

Health & Safety

Many Insurers Don't Cover Drugs For Weight Loss

8:07am January 08, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

Despite the intensifying efforts to turn back the obesity epidemic, Medicare and many private health plans are reluctant to pay for four medicines approved to help people shed pounds.

Even with the best available technology, keeping blood sugar under control requires constant vigilance.

Tight Control Of Type 1 Diabetes Saves Lives, But It's Tough

8:06am January 08, 2015

by Miriam E. Tucker

Keeping blood sugar under control reduces the risk of early death for people with Type 1 diabetes, a study finds. But keeping that tight control can be hard, even for people with good health care.

Why The U.S. Still Bans Blood Donations From Some U.K. Travelers

6:17pm January 07, 2015

Rules governing who can donate blood in the United States have recently changed. But anyone who spent more than three months in the UK between 1980 and 1996 is still prohibited from donating.

Queue Listen Now

Dr. Richard Schlegel and postdoctoral fellow Nancy Palechor-Ceron use a microscope to look at human epithelial cells growing on mouse fibroblasts at Georgetown University Medical Center.

A Bed Of Mouse Cells Helps Human Cells Thrive In The Lab

12:35pm January 07, 2015

by Richard Harris

Researchers have developed a powerful method for growing human cells in the laboratory that has led to some unusual findings. Cell tests suggest a malaria drug might work against cervical cancer.

Queue Listen Now

Kids May Not Benefit From Extended Isolation After Concussions

6:36pm January 06, 2015

New research suggests isolating children with concussions for more than two days may do more harm than good compared to adults.

Queue Listen Now