December 2009 - NPR Health Blog - The Network of Care

Senate Hits 51 Votes in 15 Minutes On Health Care Bill

By Scott Hensley After more than three weeks of rancorous debate and a series of hard-fought procedural victories, Senate Democrats secured the votes needed to pass a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system Thursday. The achievement brought...

Published Thu, Dec 24 2009 4:16 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Health Overhaul

Down Syndrome Births Rise Unexpectedly

By Joseph Shapiro You might be surprised to learn there's been an increase in the number of children born with Down syndrome in recent years. The conventional wisdom holds that with more prenatal screening, the rate at which children would be born...

Published Tue, Dec 01 2009 9:50 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Public Health, Children, People with disabilities

Chicken Collagen Tested As Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

By Allison Aubrey From the barnyard to your medicine chest: there's some provocative evidence suggesting that a protein extracted from cartilage in chicken breasts may help relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Hands off my cartilage. (iStockphoto...

Published Wed, Dec 02 2009 8:56 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Personal Health, Pharmaceuticals

A Famous Brain Goes Under The Knife In Search For Memory Machinery

By Scott Hensley When it comes to the annals of scientific exploration, we're almost numb to dispatches from deep in a rain forest, the icy expanse of Antarctica and the bottom of the sea. Henry Molaison in the 1970s. (MIT Museum) So brace yourself...

Published Thu, Dec 03 2009 6:03 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Research

'Is That So?' We Fact-Check Health Bill's Hot Topics

By Maggie Mertens As the debate about the health overhaul bill goes on (and on and on) you might find that sometimes what one Senator says seems to be the exact opposite of the next. If you're like us, you've probably found yourself yelling "Is...

Published Thu, Dec 03 2009 1:35 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Health Overhaul

Drug Companies Spend Less On Advertising Aimed At Consumers

By Scott Hensley For many people, nothing drug companies do is quite as aggravating as their pitches about prescription medicines. Click on image for full-size chart of promotional spending. (CBO) Those ubiquitous TV spots for pills to treat erectile...

Published Fri, Dec 04 2009 12:40 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Pharmaceuticals

Gawande Looks To Barnyard For Health Cost Controls

By Christopher Weaver What do farming and medicine have in common? At one time or another both sucked vast resources from the American economy, led to "unmanageably costly sectors," and posed problems that appeared intractable, writes Dr. Atul...

Published Mon, Dec 07 2009 11:10 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Health Overhaul, Medicare, Costs, Economy

Decline In Colorectal Cancer Rates Leads Overall Drop

By Scott Hensley In the wake of recent recommendations for less testing to find *** and cervical cancer, you might be wondering where screening is paying off the most. The answer: colorectal cancer. The latest annual report on the state of cancer in the...

Published Tue, Dec 08 2009 6:32 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Cancer

Infections From Transplanted Kidneys Spark Rethink Of Rules

By Scott Hensley Being sick enough to need an organ transplant is bad enough. But then there's the problem of some transplanted organs making people even sicker. An undetected amoeba, like this one, in transplanted kidneys is thought to have have...

Published Mon, Dec 28 2009 8:58 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Organ transplant

Recall Of Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets Widens

By Scott Hensley Nobody wants to get sick from medicine they've bought to feel better. Bottles of Tylenol like these have been recalled. (J&J) So watch out for bottles of Tylenol Arthritis Pain formula that contain 100 caplets and have a red "EZ...

Published Tue, Dec 29 2009 10:56 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Personal Health, FDA, Pharmaceuticals

FDA Impostors Shake Down Internet Drug Buyers

By Scott Hensley The shady world of online prescription drug commerce just got even shadier. Beware of purported FDA agents asking for money. (iStockphoto.com) Beware of purported FDA agents asking for money. ((iStockphoto.com)) --> The Food and Drug...

Published Wed, Dec 30 2009 9:58 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: FDA, Pharmaceuticals

Dems Turning GOP Attacks On Health Bill Into Campaign Cash

by April Fulton Defeat it. If you can't defeat it, repeal it. If you can't repeal it, blanket it with lawsuits. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) pumps his fist as he speaks with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina (2nd L) and Sen. Joe Lieberman...

Published Thu, Dec 31 2009 12:30 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Health Overhaul

Caring For Elderly And Disabled Is A Family Affair

By Joseph Shapiro Here's something else to consider in the definition of what it means to be an American: Being a caregiver for an elderly or disabled loved one. A new study of family caregivers says almost one out of three adults in the U.S. currently...

Published Tue, Dec 08 2009 1:52 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Aging, People with disabilities

Cost Of Medicare Buy-In Could Be Daunting

By Scott Hensley With all the fanfare about a potential political compromise on health overhaul that could let people ages 55 to 64 buy Medicare as their health coverage, you might be surprised to learn the idea has been kicking around for quite a while...

Published Wed, Dec 09 2009 11:14 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Health Overhaul, Insurance, Medicare

Why Aren't You Getting Your Seasonal Flu Shots?

By Richard Knox With the unprecedented calls to get flu shots, you'd think more people would be getting vaccinated this year. Apparently not -- at least not when it comes to seasonal flu vaccine. A new national survey by the Rand Corporation finds...

Published Wed, Dec 09 2009 1:39 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Swine Flu (H1N1), Vaccines, Flu Shots

December 2009 - NPR Health Blog

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Senate Hits 51 Votes in 15 Minutes On Health Care Bill

Down Syndrome Births Rise Unexpectedly

Chicken Collagen Tested As Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

A Famous Brain Goes Under The Knife In Search For Memory Machinery

'Is That So?' We Fact-Check Health Bill's Hot Topics

Drug Companies Spend Less On Advertising Aimed At Consumers

Gawande Looks To Barnyard For Health Cost Controls

Decline In Colorectal Cancer Rates Leads Overall Drop

Infections From Transplanted Kidneys Spark Rethink Of Rules

Recall Of Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets Widens

FDA Impostors Shake Down Internet Drug Buyers

Dems Turning GOP Attacks On Health Bill Into Campaign Cash

Caring For Elderly And Disabled Is A Family Affair

Cost Of Medicare Buy-In Could Be Daunting

Why Aren't You Getting Your Seasonal Flu Shots?