Your Health

African-American women may be more sensitive to metabolic abnormalities like high triglycerides or low good cholesterol.

Heart Risk Factors May Affect Black Women More Than White Women

11:31am May 21, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Black women are more likely to have heart disease with just a few metabolic risk factors, a study finds. That's not the case for white women. Being obese seems to affect black women more, too.

Black Cherry Soda. Smell/taste: cherry, creamy, berry. Common effects: relaxed, euphoria, lazy. Top medicinal uses: stress and pain.

Looks Good Enough To Smoke: Marijuana Gets Its Glamour Moment

8:15am May 21, 2015

by Meredith Rizzo

Aficionados of fine weed describe the effects as if they're talking about vintage wine. But how to know which medicinal or recreational strain to choose? This field guide cuts through the haze.

Dense Breasts Are Just One Part Of The Cancer Risk Calculus

1:00pm May 20, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Women with dense breasts are more likely to get cancer and less likely to catch it early on a mammogram. But degree of density matters too, a study finds, as do other factors like family history.

People exercise along the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.; the metro area was ranked as America's fittest city for the second year in a row.

Wanna Go To Fit City? List Ranks America's 50 Fittest Metro Areas

9:44am May 20, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The new American Fitness Index is out, with some good news and bad news. Five cities fell five or more slots; Washington, D.C., finished first, followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Sex Ed Works Better When It Addresses Power In Relationships

8:25pm May 18, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

Most school sex education programs stick to the nuts and bolts of biology. Teenagers who also talk about what makes for a good relationship are more likely to avoid pregnancy and STDs, a study finds.

The administration told insurers that they have to pay for anesthesia during screening colonoscopies for cancer.

Health & Safety

Feds Tell Insurers To Pay For Anesthesia During Screening Colonoscopies

5:14pm May 18, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

Most people are anesthetized during colonoscopy. Federal law mandates that the cancer test itself must be fully covered by insurers, but quite a few of them didn't pay for anesthesia.

Sam Swiller and his dog, Sully, in their home in Washington, D.C.

Deaf Jam: Experiencing Music Through A Cochlear Implant

12:16pm May 18, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

After swapping hearing aids for a cochlear implant, Sam Swiller's taste in music shifted dramatically, from grunge rock to folk. Now scientists are trying to improve how implants relay music.

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Seasons May Tweak Genes That Trigger Some Chronic Diseases

3:26pm May 14, 2015

by Rob Stein

Genes linked to inflammation are more active in winter, a study hints. That might partly explain why some diseases, including Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, are more likely to start then.

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Here's A Radical Approach To Big Hospital Bills: Set Your Own Price

3:26pm May 14, 2015

by Jay Hancock

Some companies are refusing to pay employee hospital bills that they think are out of line. Instead, they pay what they think is reasonable. So far the gambit appears to be working.

Smokers More Likely To Quit If Their Own Cash Is On The Line

3:25pm May 14, 2015

by Richard Harris

A carrot isn't enough — bring on the stick. A study finds smokers are more likely to quit tobacco if they lose some of their own money after a relapse, than if they get a bonus for quitting the habit.

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