Your Health

NPR senior Washington editor Beth Donovan walks on a treadmill desk in her office in Washington, D.C.

Sure, Use A Treadmill Desk — But You Still Need To Exercise

5:31pm March 31, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

Treadmill desks were the hot new trend in exercising a few years ago. The idea was to get moving and lose weight at work. But a new study suggests people don't use them enough to make a difference.

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Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross pulls on compression sleeves before a 400-meter race at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Istanbul in 2012.

Health & Safety

Compression Clothing: Not The Magic Bullet For Performance

10:30am March 31, 2015

by Lauren Silverman

Tight elasticized socks, sleeves and T-shirts supposedly make you a better athlete. But alas, science is pouring some cold water on those alluring claims.

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Dan Swangard, a 48-year-old physician from San Francisco, was diagnosed in 2013 with a rare form of metastatic cancer.

Doctors With Cancer Push California To Allow Aid In Dying

2:55pm March 30, 2015

by Anna Gorman

Dr. Dan Swangard doesn't know if he would take lethal medications to hasten death. But as someone with metastatic cancer, he wants to have that choice. He's part of a suit to change California law.

Mary Harris was relieved when Stella was born with a mop of thick black hair, as if she had been protected from the chemo somehow.

Pregnant With Cancer: One Woman's Journey

2:25pm March 30, 2015

by Mary Harris

Mary Harris found out she was pregnant the day before she had scheduled surgery for breast cancer. It turns out there is limited data on how chemotherapy during pregnancy affects a baby.

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Health & Safety

How Much Does Cancer Cost Us?

9:33am March 30, 2015

by Kathryn Tam

We asked people on Facebook to share their stories about coping with the cost of cancer care. See what they told us. Also, test your knowledge of cancer costs with a quiz.

A health inspection grade is posted outside a Manhattan eatery. In several cities, Yelp users can now find out how a restaurant scored on its health inspection well before they walk through the door.

Did That Restaurant Pass Its Health Inspection? Now Yelp Will Tell You

6:00pm March 27, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

You might not see health inspection information until you're opening a restaurant's door. But if you're in San Francisco and some other cities, you'll see it when you check out an eatery's Yelp page.

Most teenagers with mental health problems don't get any help.

New York City To Teens: TXT ME With Mental Health Worries

12:57pm March 27, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

In an effort to connect teenagers with mental health services, New York is testing counseling via text for high school students. They join a growing trend.

The H1N1 swine flu virus kills some people, while others don't get very sick at all. A genetic variation offers one clue.

A Single Gene May Determine Why Some People Get So Sick With The Flu

5:07pm March 26, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

A single genetic mutation might decide who ends up in bed with the sniffles and who heads to the hospital, because it shuts down immune system molecules called interferons.

Know Your Exposure: A Cancer Quiz

4:48pm March 26, 2015

by Paige Cowett

Throughout life we are subjected to many things that can affect our risk for developing cancer. Take our quiz to learn more.

Some surgeons aren't adept at laparoscopic surgery, although it is often the better choice for patients.

Patients Often Aren't Offered Minimally Invasive Surgery

10:32am March 26, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Laparascopic surgery can be faster, safer and cheaper, but patients don't always get the choice even if it's appropriate, a study finds. Using it more often would reduce complications and save money.