Your Health

Health & Safety

Few Employers Cover Egg Freezing For Women With Cancer

8:56am December 17, 2014

by Michelle Andrews

Although egg freezing is the perk of the moment at some high-profile companies, the benefit isn't often available, even for women with serious illnesses that could affect their fertility.

After a quick swipe and online registration, these test tubes were ready to ship back to the lab at the University of Colorado in Boulder for sequencing and analysis.

To Get To The Bottom Of Your Microbiome, Start With A Swab Of Poo

4:53pm December 16, 2014

by Katherine Harmon Courage

To find helpful patterns in personal microbe populations, scientists also need to gather a long list of information about the people who serve as homes for the microscopic critters.

Our bodies host trillions of microbes that play important roles in health. We get our unique collections of microbes from a wide range of sources, including diet, Mom and maybe even the family dog.

Health & Safety

Poo And You: A Journey Into The Guts Of A Microbiome

8:27am December 16, 2014

by Katherine Harmon Courage

Quick and inexpensive genetic sequencing is offering a glimpse of the microbes inhabiting our bodies. One woman volunteered to have her microbes cataloged. Her mom, husband and dog did, too.

Would it help you to know that your worries about the flu shot are unfounded? Perhaps not.

Debunking Vaccine Myths Can Have An Unintended Effect

7:35am December 15, 2014

by Tara Haelle

People concerned about potential flu vaccine side effects may be less likely to get the shot after learning that their worries are more misplaced than they were to start with.

Confusion Over Job-Based Insurance Can Shortchange Consumers

7:20am December 15, 2014

by Michelle Andrews

Some consumers mistakenly think that having access to skimpy coverage at work means they won't qualify for subsidies if they are interested in a more complete policy on the health care exchanges.

Mathematician Phillip Adkins (left) and Drew Abbot, a software engineer at AiLive. They were members of the winning team.

A Crowd Of Scientists Finds A Better Way To Predict Seizures

8:12am December 11, 2014

by Jon Hamilton

The winners of an online competition identified electrical patterns in the brain that often precede a seizure. The victors included a mathematician and an engineer, but no doctor.

Radiation therapy is effective in treating breast cancer but typically requires dozens of visits over five to seven weeks. A newer protocol takes just three weeks.

Doctors Lag In Adopting Cheaper, Faster Radiation For Breast Cancer

8:54pm December 10, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Three weeks of radiation works just as well as six weeks for most women with early stage breast cancer. But doctors have been slow to make that switch. Money may be one big reason why, a study says.

When the wrong cells take over, scientists' experiments can be derailed.

Scientists Often Skip A Simple Test That Could Verify Their Work

5:34pm December 10, 2014

by Richard Harris

Scientists have published thousands of studies using immortal cell lines, but in many cases the cells in the experiments have been misidentified or contaminated. The problem could be avoided easily.

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New evidence on the effectiveness of medical treatments can take a long time to influence medical practice.

Doctors Are Slow To Adopt Changes In Breast Cancer Treatment

4:58pm December 09, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

There's not much evidence that radiation increases survival in older women with early-stage breast cancer, but doctors are still prescribing it. It can be hard to get doctors to change protocols.

Bob Smithson, 79, can now hold his head upright and breathe on his own, thanks to a medication for myasthenia gravis.

Medicine's Subtle Art Gives A Man The Chance To Breathe Again

4:57pm December 09, 2014

by Jon Hamilton

When Bob Smithson could no longer breathe on his own and surgeons wanted to operate, his doctor decided to take a chance on a different treatment. That decision gave Bob another chance at life.

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