Health Care

Science Out of the Box

Sun An Important Source Of Vitamin D

September 27, 2008 · Vitamin D is essential for strong bones. Our bodies use sunlight to create their own vitamin D. Bruce Hollis, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, talks about how the process works. ()  

Psychiatrists Protest Pentagon Interrogations

September 26, 2008 · The nation's leading organization of psychiatrists says the Pentagon has reneged on an agreement not to use psychiatrists in interrogations of detainees at Guantanamo and other detention sites. ()  

Election 2008: Issues

Health Care And The Campaigns: A Discussion

September 21, 2008 · Carrie Staton is an uninsured mother of two; her husband has multiple sclerosis and she's coping with diabetes. Ralph Smith is a small business owner struggling to pay for his employees' health benefits. Smith and Staton both live in the swing state of Virginia. Host Andrea Seabrook asks representatives of both presidential nominees to explain how their health care plans would help Smith and Staton. ()  

Why Intensive Care Leads To PTSD

September 17, 2008 · A new study shows about 20 percent of patients checking out of hospital intensive care units suffer post traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Sydney Spiesel — a practicing pediatrician and professor at Yale Medical School — talks to Madeleine Brand about why this happens and what hospitals can do. ()  

Business

Tailoring Treatments To Patients' Genetics

September 11, 2008 · Since it turns out that genes play a big role in how an individual responds to certain drugs, the pharmaceutical industry is looking at genetics. Entrepreneurs are developing and marketing products to try to determine whether a particular drug will work for a patient. ()  

Your Health

Drugs Hint At Potential Reversal Of Autism

September 23, 2008 · Fragile X is a mutation on the X chromosome that can cause mental retardation and autism. But early studies suggest several new drugs may help correct the mutation and diminish some of its effects, including autism. ()  

Nation

Census: Fewer Americans Lack Health Insurance

August 26, 2008 · The total number of Americans who don't have health insurance has dropped slightly for the first time in seven years, the U.S. Census Bureau has said. Those figures can be attributed, in part, to an expansion of federally subsidized insurance for children. ()  

Measles, Once Declared At An End, Makes A Return

August 22, 2008 · About a decade ago, health officials declared an "end" to measles in the United States. That has changed: 131 cases of measles have been reported so far this year, the most in more than a decade. The virus is finding its way to unvaccinated children — including the home-schooled. ()  

Legal Affairs

Doctors Fear Effects Of Illegal Immigrant's Arrest

August 26, 2008 · The recent arrest of a popular woman who happens to be an illegal immigrant has some North Carolina doctors concerned. The woman's immigration status apparently was turned over to authorities after she received medical care. Doctors worry that illegal immigrants will be afraid to seek care, which might lead to public health problems. ()  

Election 2008: Issues

Plans To Cut Health Costs May Not Pay Off

August 22, 2008 · The United States spends $2 trillion on health care every year. If costs continue to rise, health economists say the U.S. could see a significant drain on spending in areas such as the military or education. McCain and Obama both promise to cut costs, but their plans may not be aggressive enough. ()  

Your Health

In The ER, Unhealthy Premium On Insurance Data

August 21, 2008 · After rushing a stranger to the emergency room, health economist Philip Musgrove discovered that getting insurance information can trump getting emergency care. ()  

Health & Science

HIV Up Among Young, Gay Black Men

August 6, 2008 · The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says annual increases in rates of infection among young, gay black men are the highest in any demographic group in the U.S. One member of the community says it will take more than condoms to change that. ()