Your Health

Women Want To Stay In The Game, But Life Intervenes

4:52pm July 21, 2015

by Tom Goldman

Basketball is the most popular sport among both boys and girls, but many women end up dropping the game in adulthood, even though they still love it. Injuries, work and family are three reasons why.

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Babies in the neonatal intensive care unit hospital don't always need the tests and treatments suggested.

5 Things Your Baby Should Avoid In The NICU

12:52pm July 21, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Babies in the neonatal intensive care unit often get multiple tests and treatments a day. Not all of them help, and some can hurt. Neonatologists have picked the five least likely to do good.

HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer and other cancers by fending off the virus that causes them. But it's been a tough sell with doctors and parents.

Early Push To Require The HPV Vaccine May Have Backfired

3:26pm July 20, 2015

by Robin Marantz Henig

The HPV vaccine has failed to gain market share compared to other new vaccines, even though it's great at preventing cancer. Concerns about teen promiscuity and attempts to require it may be why.

You don't have to be outdoors to be hurt or injured by a nearby lightning strike, like this one in New Mexico. The pain for survivors can be lifelong.

'When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors' To Best Avoid Lightning's Pain

10:19am July 20, 2015

by Jeff Brady

Deaths in the U.S. from lightning strikes are up in 2015, compared with recent years. A convertible won't save you. Get inside at the first rumble of thunder, and stay away from plugged-in appliances.

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In Court, Your Face Could Determine Your Fate

10:16am July 20, 2015

by Nadia Whitehead

How much can someone's face affect the sentence he receives in court? A lot, according to a study that asked people to rate the trustworthiness of convicted murderers based on their mugshots.

Health & Safety

'Consumer Reports' Says Laundry Pods Are Too Risky To Recommend

5:08pm July 17, 2015

by Scott Hensley

More than 6,000 incidents involving children and liquid laundry packets have been reported to poison control centers so far this year. The health problems include respiratory distress and vomiting.

Pamela Moore/iStockphoto/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Webcast: Sports And Health In America

3:05pm July 17, 2015

What are the obstacles that keep adults off the field? How can sports help keep kids and adults in good health? What are the best ways to encourage more widespread and enduring participation?

Scientists have documented that beneficial microorganisms play a critical role in how our bodies function. And it's becoming clear that the influence goes beyond the gut — researchers are turning their attention to our emotional health.

Health & Safety

Prozac In The Yogurt Aisle: Can 'Good' Bacteria Chill Us Out?

11:04am July 17, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

In recent years, a body of research has shown that beneficial microbes play a critical role in how our bodies work. And it turns out there's a lot of communication between our gut and our brain.

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"What has happened in the last ten years, has been a remarkable increase in actual number of people who are dying or are not able to get better because they carry a resistant infection."--Ramanan Laxminarayan

How Did A Medical Miracle Turn Into A Global Threat?

9:30am July 17, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Antibiotics save lives, but we rely on them too much. Eventually, the drugs may stop working. Economist Ramanan Laxminarayan asks us to think twice before reaching for this double-edged resource.

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Health & Safety

When To Start Taking A Cholesterol Pill? The Decision Is Yours

3:29pm July 16, 2015

by Harlan Krumholz

The latest cholesterol guideline identifies more people as candidates for treatment with statins. But the decision about taking a daily pill to reduce heart disease risk is more personal than ever.