Your Health

Hearing That Things Can Change Helps Teens Dodge Depression

11:02am September 26, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

High schoolers are vulnerable to depression. Telling teenagers that people and circumstances can change and things will get better helps reduce the risk of depressive symptoms, a study finds.

Canada: "The food was inedible," Flickr user Paul Jerry wrote via Flickr Mail about the meat-and-cooked-vegetable platter served to his father at a Canadian hospital. Jerry says he had to bring his father food from the outside.

Around The World In 8 Hospital Meals

1:32pm September 25, 2014

by Whitney Blair Wyckoff

From tasty tempura to gross gruel, hospital meals across the globe vary wildly. Highbrow institutions in China and India have long served top-notch food. U.S. hospitals are starting to follow suit.

Proton beam therapy can precisely target tumors to avoid harming surrounding tissue, advocates say.

Health & Safety

Insurers Cautious As Proton Beam Cancer Therapy Gains Popularity

10:04am September 25, 2014

by Michelle Andrews

Supporters of the controversial, high-priced treatment say routine coverage would help propel research that would support its use. Skeptics say that approach is backward.

This may be the most efficient way to get in shape, but it may also be the least fun.

To Make Interval Training Less Painful, Add Tunes

3:41pm September 24, 2014

by Katherine Hobson

Alternating rest periods with bouts of really intense exercise may make you fitter, but it's not a breeze. Researchers say music can make intervals less wretched and also make you work harder.

Health & Safety

More Women Skip Some Prenatal Tests After Learning About Risks

3:41pm September 24, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

Research suggests that women may not be getting the information they need to make informed decisions about prenatal genetic testing, particularly invasive tests that can harm the fetus.

Health & Safety

Best To Not Sweat The Small Stuff, Because It Could Kill You

8:21am September 23, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

Chronic stress can lead to heart disease, cancer and other health problems. A study shows it doesn't matter if the stress comes from major life events or minor hassles. Time to take a deep breath?

Queue Listen Now

Low water levels, like at this reservoir near Gustine, Calif., bring birds and mosquitoes together and help transmit West Nile virus to humans.

In California, Less Water Means More West Nile Virus

8:20am September 23, 2014

by April Dembosky

You'd think that mosquitoes wouldn't like drought, but that's not what's happening in California, where stagnant water breeds more mosquitoes. Cases of West Nile virus have doubled since last year.

Contraceptive coverage has long been required by state laws or sought by nonreligious employers the religious health plans serve.

How Catholic Insurance Companies Outsource Contraceptive Coverage

11:15am September 22, 2014

by Julie Rovner

For years Catholic health plans have been arranging for independent insurance firms to provide contraceptive coverage to their enrollees.

The Biology Of Altruism: Good Deeds May Be Rooted In The Brain

10:55am September 22, 2014

by Michelle Trudeau

Angela Stimpson donated a kidney to a complete stranger. Why did she do it? Researchers found that the brains of Stimpson and other altruists are sensitive to fear and distress in a stranger's face.

Queue Listen Now

How To Get Children To Behave Without Hitting Them

8:13am September 22, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Most parents say they have used corporal punishment. But there's abundant evidence that it doesn't improve behavior over time. Changing how parents talk to children does work, but it takes practice.