NPR Health Blog

Latest Drug Shortage Threatens Children With Leukemia

Many hospitals around the nation are perilously close to running out of a form of the old standby cancer drug methotrexate. The reason: a principal supplier of injectable methotrexate shut down in November after it flunked an FDA inspection. Read More...

Published Wed, Feb 15 2012 9:01 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Doctors 'Disgruntled' And Frustrated By Looming Medicare Cuts

The good news for doctors: a nearly 28 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements likely won't take effect March 1. The bad news: the deal isn't permanent and a cut could be about 32 percent next year. That's leaving doctors who treat medicare...

Published Thu, Feb 16 2012 1:31 PM by Shots - Health Blog

WHO Affirms Use Of Birth Control Injections After Weighing HIV Risks

The WHO upheld its guidelines on the safety of hormone injections for contraception yesterday, despite some data that users are at increased risk of HIV transmission. An expert panel says the evidence isn't solid yet, and at-risk couples should use...

Published Fri, Feb 17 2012 11:27 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Popular Cholesterol Drugs Get New Warnings About Memory, Blood Sugar

Statins may also increase the risk slightly for high blood sugar and for developing Type 2 diabetes. People have also complained about memory loss and fuzzy thinking while taking the cholesterol-fighting drugs. Now the Food and Drug Administration wants...

Published Tue, Feb 28 2012 1:58 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Expert Panel To Give Controversial Bird Flu Research A Second Look

The studies in question looked at how the bird flu virus could spread through the air. An expert panel that advises the government on biosafety in research had earlier said the findings should not be published, fearing the data could fall in the wrong...

Published Wed, Feb 29 2012 9:44 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Air Pollution In An Unlikely Spot: An Indoor Hockey Arena

Early last year 31 people got sick after spending time at an indoor ice arena owned by a private school in New Hampshire. Poor ventilation of exhaust from a machine used to resurface the ice turned out to be a big problem. Read More...

Published Thu, Mar 01 2012 1:50 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Inconsistency: The Real Hobgoblin

Why are politicians and those of us who vote for them so obsessed with inconsistency? We take that question on from three angles: how our brains are wired; the psychology of judging what's consistent; and how consistency plays out in leadership styles...

Published Mon, Mar 05 2012 12:40 AM by Shots - Health Blog

How Birth Control Saves Taxpayers' Money

By far the biggest return on investment would come from expanding access to family planning through Medicaid, a Brookings Institution analysis finds. Read More...

Published Tue, Mar 06 2012 9:45 AM by Shots - Health Blog

For The Tavenners, Health Care Is All In The Family

Marilyn Tavenner is the acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Matt, assistant administrator at Jackson Purchase Medical Center in Mayfield, Ky., is her son. Read More...

Published Wed, Mar 07 2012 9:37 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Surgeon General Calls Smoking A 'Pediatric Epidemic'

The U.S. Surgeon General is sounding the alarm about kids and tobacco, saying a lot more has to be done to keep minors from lighting up. Most smokers in high school will smoke as adults, and half of them will die prematurely as a result. Read More...

Published Thu, Mar 08 2012 12:35 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Forget The Robots: Venture Capitalists Change Their Health Care Investments

As biotech investments and medical device development falters, hospitals are turning to other avenues to help cut costs: streamlining billing systems and investing in simpler medical products. Read More...

Published Thu, Mar 08 2012 9:01 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Couples Should Get Tested For HIV Together, WHO Says

Couples should get tested for HIV together, and if one person is infected, that partner should start treatment right away, the World Health Organization says. This new strategy is aimed at reducing transmission between "discordant" couples,...

Published Fri, Apr 20 2012 1:33 PM by Shots - Health Blog

***-Feeding Can Be Worth HIV Risks In Developing World

In countries that lack clean water and an affordable, reliable supply of infant formula, the World Health Organization recommends that HIV-positive mothers exclusively ***-feed their infants for the first six months. Read More...

Published Wed, Jul 06 2011 2:04 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

Botulism Strikes Two Who Tasted Spoiled Potato Soup

Two unfortunate people came down with botulism this year after tasting spoiled potato soup, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. In both cases the soup, which was supposed to be refrigerated, was left out at room temperature for weeks...

Published Fri, Jul 08 2011 6:53 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

High Tick Season Is Upon Us, So Keep Critters Off Of You

July is usually the peak month for Lyme disease. Cases this year are down a lot, with about 6,700 reported through the beginning of July. By comparison, last year there were nearly 14,000 cases over the same period. Read More...

Published Mon, Jul 11 2011 8:58 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

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