Your Health

Some employees say e-cigarettes increase their productivity and help them steer clear of tobacco. But health regulators are looking into possible risks to e-cig users — and to co-workers.

Health & Safety

OK To Vape In The Office? Cities, Feds And Firms Still Deciding

8:50am April 24, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

As e-cigarettes become popular, bosses and others continue to mull over the pros and cons of letting workers vape on the job. Are e-cigs a polluting gateway to tobacco, or do they help smokers quit?

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Dr. Jim Olson meets with Carver Faull at Seattle Children's Hospital in August. Carver, now 12, had surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2012.

Treating Kids' Cancer With Science And A Pocket Full Of Hope

10:02am April 22, 2014

by Joe Palca

Lessons in optimism from very ill children inspire pediatric oncologist Jim Olson in his hunt for better treatments for brain tumors.

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Xanax and Valium, prescribed to treat anxiety, mood disorders and insomnia, can be deadly when mixed with other sedatives.

Risks Of Popular Anxiety Drugs Often Overshadowed

6:40pm April 15, 2014

by Susan Sharon

Benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the U.S. Patients and addicts often mix them with prescription painkillers — sometimes to deadly effect.

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According to Dr. Martin Blaser, the overuse of antibiotics has contributed to killing off strains of bacteria that typically live in the gut.

Modern Medicine May Not Be Doing Your Microbiome Any Favors

8:18pm April 14, 2014

In Missing Microbes, Dr. Martin Blaser argues that the overuse of antibiotics, as well as now-common practices like C-sections, may be messing with gut microbes.

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Farmworkers like these in California picking produce may soon be required by the FDA to take more precautions against spreading foodborne illness.

FDA Releases Rules To Strengthen Safety Of Food Supply

3:10pm April 07, 2014

Two years after a food safety bill became law, the FDA issues a rule to prevent foodborne illness in produce and one to require food manufacturers to have plans in place to prevent contamination.

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We hate losing twice as much as we love winning, behavioral researchers say. And that gets us into trouble with financial decisions.

One More Speed Bump For Your Retirement Fund: Basic Human Impulse

7:34pm April 03, 2014

by Chris Arnold

Basic human impulses often conflict with saving for retirement. For one thing, people hate losing something — even more than we love winning. Behavioral economists call this "loss aversion."

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Mary-Claire King says obscurity gave her the freedom to spend years looking for breast cancer genes.

How Being Ignored Helped A Woman Discover The Breast Cancer Gene

9:17am March 30, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Twenty years ago, many scientists didn't think that genes could cause diseases like cancer. The discovery of the BRCA gene for hereditary breast cancer changed that. Mary-Claire King tells how.

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Genetic Sequencing May Not Be Ready To Become Routine

6:51pm March 11, 2014

by Rob Stein

Sequencing someone's genetic code may seem a good way to raise warnings on health risks. But results can be a confusing mess of information that only leaves patients and doctors needlessly scared.

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Up till now, all babies have had two genetic parents. That could soon change.

Scientists Question Safety Of Genetically Altering Human Eggs

12:08pm February 27, 2014

by Rob Stein

Researchers say they can replace DNA in human eggs with genetic material from another woman to prevent devastating disorders in children. But big questions remain on safety and ethics.

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Parents And Teens Aren't Up To Speed On HPV Risks, Doctors Say

2:17pm February 20, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

Only one third of teenage girls have gotten the recommended three shots of HPV vaccine to protect against cervical cancer. Doctors are trying to figure out what will get them in the door.

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