Your Health

Ear infections are common in young children, and often treated with antibiotics.

For Young Kids' Ear Infections, Longer Antibiotic Treatment Works Better

8:29pm December 21, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

Cutting by half the time that children are given antibiotics for ear infections didn't do as good a job, a study finds. And it didn't reduce antibiotic resistance, which was a key goal.

A Houston grand jury investigating undercover footage at this Houston Planned Parenthood clinic found no wrongdoing by the clinic and instead indicted anti-abortion activists involved in making misleading videos about the handling of fetal tissue.

Texas Moves To Block Planned Parenthood From Medicaid Funds

7:38pm December 21, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

State health officials say they will cut off millions of dollars of federal funding in 30 days. Federal courts have struck down similar moves in at least three other states.

Third-year dental student Alex Dolbik checks the oral health of a patient at the Refugee Health Clinic in San Antonio.

In Texas, Students Help Provide Health Care For Refugees

6:50pm December 21, 2016

by Wendy Rigby

More refugees have settled in Texas than in any other state. In San Antonio, students at the University of Texas Health Science Center help them get long-deferred medical and dental care.

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Revised Special Insurance Enrollment Rules Shift Burden To Consumers

6:19pm December 21, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

Consumers who want to sign up for health coverage on the federal marketplace after the usual deadline passes may need to do extra work to show they qualify for special enrollment later.

Restoring sleep patterns could improve recovery after a serious brain injury.

As Sleep Improves, So Does An Injured Brain

4:50pm December 21, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

After a serious brain injury, people often sleep just a few minutes at a time. As the brain heals, sleep patterns begin to return to normal. The link suggests restoring sleep could improve recovery.

Genes may have a role in increasing blood pressure in African Americans when someone close to them experiences racial discrimination.

Knowing Someone Who Faced Discrimination May Affect Blood Pressure

4:43pm December 21, 2016

by Rob Stein

Seeing someone close to you experience racial discrimination may have more of an effect on health than experiencing that discrimination yourself, a study finds.

The mumps virus is on the loose. Cases are popping up in Arkansas, Iowa and Illinois.

Health & Safety

Mumps Bump: Cases Rise In Iowa, Illinois And Arkansas

5:04pm December 20, 2016

by Richard Harris

Mumps spreads easily through schools and colleges. And in northwestern Arkansas, where the current outbreak is centered, students often live in close quarters with their families.

A Rare Bird Flu Infects Cats In New York City Shelter

2:52pm December 20, 2016

by Angus Chen

Health officials are tracking people who interacted with the sick cats, since flu viruses can jump from animals to people. In this case they think there's probably little risk to humans.

Elderly hospitalized patients taken care of by female doctors had better results than those seen by male doctors.

Patients Cared For By Female Doctors Fare Better Than Those Treated By Men

6:24pm December 19, 2016

If male doctors were as good as their female counterparts at caring for older people in the hospital, about 32,000 fewer patients a year would die. What do female doctors do better than men?

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Doctors Say Parenting And Pot Smoking Don't Mix

3:36pm December 19, 2016

by Jane Greenhalgh

Babies exposed to marijuana smoke have metabolites of the drug in their urine, researchers say. They think that secondhand marijuana smoke will prove to be as dangerous as secondhand tobacco smoke.

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