Your Health

Emil Girardi, 83, and Shipra Narruhn, 67, chat in Girardi's San Francisco apartment. They were paired through a nonprofit called Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly, which aims to relieve isolation and loneliness.

Easing Old People's Loneliness Can Help Keep Them Healthy

8:35pm January 01, 2017

by Anna Gorman

Little Brothers, which operates in San Francisco and several other cities, sends volunteers to brighten up the lives of isolated elderly people, helping them reduce the risk of serious illness.

U.S. Marines march in the annual Veterans Day Parade along Fifth Avenue in 2014 in New York City.

For Veterans, Trauma Of War Can Persist In Struggles With Sexual Intimacy

3:19pm January 01, 2017

by Ailsa Chang

What happens to sexual relationships after service members return from combat? Former Marine Chuck Rotenberry and his wife, Liz, open up about their struggles with sex and his PTSD.

Queue Listen Now

Reality Of Women's Heart Health Clashes With Perceptions

8:56am January 01, 2017

Did you know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S.? Many don't. NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with cardiologist Dr. Marianne Legato.

Critics Worry New Law Will Weaken FDA Regulation

8:53am January 01, 2017

The 21st Century Cures Act promised more money for medical research, but some worry it will make patients more vulnerable. Ailsa Chang talks to Dr. Jerry Avorn about possible changes under the law.

The genes in mitochondria, which are the powerhouses in human cells, can cause fatal inherited disease. But replacing the bad genes may cause other health problems.

Unexpected Risks Found In Editing Genes To Prevent Inherited Disorders

5:00am January 01, 2017

by Jill Neimark

In 2016, scientists combined the genes of three people in an effort to make a baby free of an inherited disease. But the process doesn't wipe out all faulty mitochondria, and could pose new risks.

It's sometimes hard to assess the value of health claims about yoga, but if it relieves some pain, that may be enough.

A Skeptic Fact-Checks Yoga's Health Claims And Goes With The Om

10:00am December 31, 2016

by Ann Finkbeiner

Yoga has been promoted as the cure for many ills, from diabetes to insomnia. Scientific proof is mixed. But this skeptic says if yoga makes climbing the stairs hurt less, that's good enough.

From Psychedelics To Alzheimer's, 2016 Was A Good Year For Brain Science

5:00am December 31, 2016

by Bret Stetka

A woman with ALS was able to type just by thinking about the letters, and people with cancer found their anxiety and depression erased by a single encounter with magic mushrooms.

Keishla Mojica, 23, lives in Cuagas, Puerto Rico. She was infected with Zika virus while pregnant and expects to give birth in early January.

In Puerto Rico, A Woman Infected With Zika Prays For A Healthy Baby

4:21pm December 30, 2016

by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez

Puerto Rico has experienced many more cases of Zika virus than the continental U.S. But health and educational services are scarce on the islands for children born with disabilities.

A diet high in saturated fats and sugars can affect the parts of the brain that are important to memory.

The Wrong Eating Habits Can Hurt Your Brain, Not Just Your Waistline

10:13am December 30, 2016

by Alan Yu

A diet high in saturated fats and sugars can affect the parts of the brain that are important to memory. Diet-linked brain changes can also make people more likely to crave unhealthful food.

Diseased brain tissue from an Alzheimer's patient showing amyloid plaques (in blue) located in the gray matter of the brain.

Where Does Alzheimer's Treatment Go From Here?

12:35pm December 29, 2016

by Bret Stetka

The failure of an experimental drug that targets clumps of protein inside the brains of Alzheimer's patients called into question one of the leading theories about the cause of the dementia.