NPR Health Blog

Report: Vaccines Are Safe, Hazards Few And Far Between

Autism isn't linked to childhood vaccines, according to a new review from the Institute of Medicine, but vaccines aren't free of risks. The committee found that most serious health problems were linked to two live vaccines, the ones for measles...

Published Thu, Aug 25 2011 10:45 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

Experimental Drug Reverses Effects Of Toxic Wild Mushrooms

Four wild mushroom foragers who mistakenly ate toxic fungi they found near Washington, D.C., were treated with an experimental medicine that's been used in Europe for years. Read More...

Published Fri, Sep 30 2011 7:10 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

Shortages Lead Doctors To Ration Critical Drugs

Drug shortages may be the new normal in U.S. medical care, experts say. Most drug occur because something goes wrong in the manufacturing process that halts production. Read More...

Published Sun, Oct 02 2011 9:01 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

To Reach The Underserved, Hospitals Look To Local Churches

Hospitals seeking to connect with immigrants wary of the heath care system are turning to a trusted institution for help. By partnering with churches, the hospitals are finding ways to get preventive care and screening to people who otherwise might forgo...

Published Tue, Oct 04 2011 6:48 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

My Smartphone Is A Microscope. What Can Yours Do?

Physicists have found a way to turn a smartphone camera lens into a microscope and a spectrometer. They say both could be handy for doctors in remote areas with few laboratories who need to look at blood samples. Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 05 2011 8:26 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

BPA To Be Banned In Calif. Baby Bottles, Sippy Cups

The California law will prohibit the sale of baby bottles and food intended for kids 3 and younger if they contain anything but the smallest traces of bisphenol A. The chemical has come under fire as potentially risky to health. Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 06 2011 9:14 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

Influential Panel Giving Thumbs Down To Routine Prostate Cancer Test

Routine testing of men's blood to detect prostate cancer is unwarranted, and causes more harm than good, according to findings of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The panel of experts sets the agenda for doctors and, increasingly, insurance...

Published Fri, Oct 07 2011 9:23 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

Looking For Lung Cancer With A Yearly X-Ray Doesn't Reduce Deaths

Yearly chest X-rays to look for lung cancer aren't worth doing because they don't save lives, according to a federally funded study. More than 150,000 people took part in the research. Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 26 2011 12:34 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Hormones And Metabolism Conspire Against Dieters

Willpower will only take you so far, in case you haven't run that experiment yourself. Turns out our bodies have a fuel gauge, not entirely unlike the gas gauge in our cars, that tell us when it's time to tank up on food. Dieting can make the...

Published Thu, Oct 27 2011 2:03 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Swine Flu Pandemic Eases But Hasn't Disappeared

By Scott Hensley Even as cases of swine flu are on the wane, the World Health Organization says it's too soon to say humans have won the fight over the virus. WHO's Dr. Margaret Chan (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) "I think we must remain...

Published Tue, Dec 29 2009 6:08 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Swine Flu (H1N1)

FDA To Raise Standards For Device Studies

By Scott Hensley Stung by two analyses that found weaknesses in the approval of high-risk medical devices, the Food and Drug Administration vows to beef up requirement for clinical tests. Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, acting chief of the agency's device division...

Published Wed, Dec 30 2009 5:58 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: FDA, Medical devices

A Peaceful War On Mental Institutions

By Joseph Shapiro One of the photos taken in the 1940s of Philadelphia State Hospital by conscientious objector Charlie Lord. (Charles Lord) Not many people know the story of the World War II conscientious objectors who publicly exposed the horrid conditions...

Published Wed, Dec 30 2009 12:59 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Mental Health

EPA Review Of Toxic Chemicals: Slow, Often Secret

By Scott Hensley Debates rage almost daily on the health risks from common chemicals. And the government agencies that are supposed to settle those arguments can be awfully slow in doing so. What's in that beaker? (iStockphoto.com) What's in that...

Published Mon, Jan 04 2010 9:56 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: FDA, Environmental health

Increase In Pyschiatric Drug Combos Prompts Safety Concerns

By Kathleen Masterson An increasing number of American adults are being prescribed two or more psychiatric medications, according to a study published Tuesday in the Archives of General Psychiatry. (iStockphoto.com) (iStockphoto.com) --> While the...

Published Mon, Jan 04 2010 2:40 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Hospitals Play Quality Card In Fight Over Medicare Funds

By Scott Hensley As the House and Senate start to hammer out a unified health overhaul bill, some hospitals are already shaping up as winners. The formula Medicare uses to pay hospitals would get rejiggered under language in both the House and Senate...

Published Wed, Jan 06 2010 5:55 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News

Filed under: Health Overhaul, Hospitals, Medicare

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