Your Health

A photo provided by the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania shows an Aetna mailer in which a reference to HIV medication is partly visible though the envelope window.

Aetna Mailer Accidentally Reveals HIV Status Of Up To 12,000 Customers

1:12pm August 25, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

"Aetna's privacy violation devastated people whose neighbors and family learned their intimate health information," a legal group representing customers says. Aetna calls its mistake "unacceptable."

Moshe Szyf: How Do Our Experiences Rewire Our Brains And Bodies?

9:13am August 25, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Many think genetic makeup is fixed from the moment we're born. But Moshe Szyf says this understanding is incomplete because our experiences and environment have the power to change our basic biology.

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Simply going up in pitch at the end of a sentence can transform a statement into a question.

Really? Really. How Our Brains Figure Out What Words Mean Based On How They're Said

5:28pm August 24, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists have identified the brain cells that detect pitch changes in speech, allowing us to understand whether someone is asking a question or making a statement.

In the U.S., the average age for initiating sexual activity has remained around 17 or 18 since the early 1990s, even as people have begun marrying later in life.

Abstinence Education Is Ineffective And Unethical, Report Argues

8:41pm August 23, 2017

by Sarah McCammon

Researchers say that programs advocating abstinence until marriage fail to get teens to delay sexual activity and also prevent them from getting important information about pregnancy and STDs.

Across the state of Maine, the number of prescriptions for painkillers is dropping. But some patients who have chronic pain say they need high doses of the medication to be able to function.

Intent On Reversing Its Opioid Epidemic, A State Limits Prescriptions

9:34am August 23, 2017

by Patty Wight

Maine is among a handful of states putting limits on the painkiller dose that doctors can prescribe a patient. Some doctors and patients say the law is helping, while others say it goes too far.

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, D, center, recently signed a bill into law that would require insurers in the state to cover reproductive health services.

Oregon, Texas Lay Down Markers On Abortion Coverage

5:00am August 23, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

Highlighting the country's sharp divide over abortion and mixed reactions to requirements in the Affordable Care Act, Texas restricts insurance coverage while Oregon requires that it be covered.

A California jury awarded a woman $417 million in a case against Johnson & Johnson. The woman claimed that her use of Johnson's Baby Powder led to terminal ovarian cancer. Scientists disagree on how strong a link there is between talc and ovarian cancer.

Does Baby Powder Cause Cancer? A Jury Says Yes. Scientists Aren't So Sure

6:49pm August 22, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

Scientists have found an association between talc and ovarian cancer, but they don't agree on exactly what that means.

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About 50 percent of patients don't take their medicine as prescribed, research shows. And those mistakes are thought to result in at least 100,000 preventable deaths each year.

'Smart' Pill Bottles Aren't Enough To Help The Medicine Go Down

6:08pm August 22, 2017

by Lauren Silverman

Lots of people forget to take their medicine on time. Now firms are selling "smart" pill bottles that send patients reminders through the Internet. But maybe the real problem isn't forgetfulness.

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Crowds gathered to watch the solar eclipse at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill.

How To Tell If Watching The Eclipse Damaged Your Eyes

10:10pm August 21, 2017

by Andrea Hsu

If you heeded all the warnings, you're likely fine. But spots or blurred vision that shows up 12 hours later or the next day might be a sign the sun's direct rays permanently hurt the retina.

Rosendo Gil, a family support worker with the Imperial County, Calif., home visiting program, has visited Blas Lopez and his fiancée Lluvia Padilla dozens of times since their daughter was born three years ago.

Home Visits Help Parents Overcome Tough Histories, Raise Healthy Children

5:00am August 21, 2017

by Anna Gorman

A program that provides $400 million in federal funds for the visits expires next month. Advocates and providers hope it will be reauthorized and even expanded, saying it's money well spent.