August 2012 - NPR Health Blog - The Network of Care

Tax Breaks For Organ Donors Aren't Boosting Transplant Supply

The tax incentives are intended to defray the organ donor's cost in medical care, travel and lost wages. By federal statute, it's illegal to pay someone for the organ itself. But the modest breaks available in some states haven't made a dent...

Published Fri, Aug 31 2012 5:46 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Internet's Cat Obsession Justifies Itself In Cancer Ward

An artist at a Seattle hospital turned a teenage leukemia patient's room into an art installation using nearly 2,000 photos of cats solicited through social media. "In the hospital, you feel cut off," says the patient. "So the photos...

Published Wed, Aug 08 2012 3:57 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Yes, There's Probably A Medical App For That

What can count calories, perform triage and make appointments, all at once? Medical apps are transforming the way patients and doctors understand health and monitor it. Read More...

Published Fri, Aug 10 2012 6:26 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Not Milk! Too Much Calcium Does The Body Bad, Researchers Say

Calcium has been touted to stave off osteoporosis and promote bone health. But new research suggests going overboard on calcium consumption may do more harm than good. Read More...

Published Mon, Aug 13 2012 12:29 AM by Shots - Health Blog

How A Virus In Snakes Could Offer Clues To Ebola In Humans

A newly discovered disease that makes boa constrictors sick could help researchers figure out how some dangerous viruses in animals end up infecting people. Read More...

Published Tue, Aug 14 2012 12:32 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Hospitals Gripe About Health Insurers, Too

WellPoint ranked last in overall favorability and in the "dealing with hospitals" category. Cigna was No. 1 in overall favorability while Aetna scored best in the dealing with hospitals category. Read More...

Published Tue, Aug 21 2012 9:46 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Kids Of Older Fathers Likelier To Have Genetic Ailments

Icelandic scientists have found solid evidence that older men have more random mutations in their sperm cells. They're warning that can cause autism, schizophrenia and a long list of other genetic diseases in their offspring. Their findings are reported...

Published Wed, Aug 22 2012 3:57 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Dire Health Conditions In South Sudan Prompt Airdrops

More than 100,000 people have fled to refugee camps in South Sudan to escape fighting in Sudan and find food. Heavy rains have depleted supplies and raised mortality rates above emergency levels. The United Nations has launched emergency airdrops of food...

Published Fri, Aug 24 2012 10:04 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Pediatricians Decide Boys Are Better Off Circumcised Than Not

A doctors group has revised its recommendation after concluding that circumcision helps protect the health of baby boys. Circumcised males are far less likely to get infected with a long list of sexually transmitted diseases, they say. But critics of...

Published Sun, Aug 26 2012 9:01 PM by Shots - Health Blog

West Nile Virus Makes A Comeback This Summer

An unusual number of severe West Nile cases has prompted a warning from federal health officials. Most of the cases have occurred in just three states — Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. But cases are occurring throughout the country. Read More...

Published Thu, Aug 02 2012 2:04 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Should Lack Of Exercise Be Considered A Medical Condition?

To help fight rising rates of inactivity, a physiologist argues that doctors should write prescriptions for exercise for inactive patients. Read More...

Published Thu, Aug 16 2012 6:01 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Would Judge Give Psychopath With Genetic Defect Lighter Sentence?

A new study suggests using the term psychopath adds an average of five years to criminal sentences. But once a biological explanation was included, the length of the sentence dropped. In other words, our sympathy for the idea that biology might be responsible...

Published Thu, Aug 16 2012 11:58 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Why Can Some People Recall Every Day Of Their Lives? Brain Scans Offer Clues

People with extraordinary autobiographical memories also tend to have obsessive tendencies, researchers are learning. Brain scans reveal structural differences in the brains of these people, including a larger-than-normal caudate, a brain area linked...

Published Mon, Aug 20 2012 12:23 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Health Law Gives Medicare Fraud Fighters New Weapons

Criminals who defraud public health care programs to the tune of billions of dollars a year are now up against sophisticated computer systems designed to catch them. But the new efforts may yield far more leads than the current team of investigators and...

Published Tue, Aug 21 2012 12:28 AM by Shots - Health Blog

More Cases Of New Swine Flu Virus Appear In Three States

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new warnings about a flu virus that infected 16 people in three states in the last few weeks. Almost all the infections occurred in kids who had close contact with pigs at agricultural fairs. Read...

Published Fri, Aug 03 2012 11:51 AM by Shots - Health Blog

August 2012 - NPR Health Blog

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