Health & Safety

The story of a Kansas couple struggling to avoid bankruptcy over medical debt

5:06am December 19, 2022

by Bram Sable-Smith

In NPR's on-going investigation into medical debt with Kaiser Health News, we travel to Lawrence, Kan., to see how far one couple went to avoid bankruptcy.

Tracing America's plunge into an opioid crisis

5:06pm December 18, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Nick Miroff about his new series for The Washington Post focused on the opioid crisis and fentanyl.

Pope Francis looks at the Christmas tree inside the Paul VI hall as he arrives to meet with faithful during an audience granted to the donors of the Christmas tree and Nativity scene at the Vatican, on Dec. 3, 2022. Pope Francis has revealed in an interview that shortly after being elected pontiff in 2013 he wrote a resignation letter in case medical problems impede him from carrying out duties.

The Pope has revealed he has a resignation note to use if his health impedes his work

5:44am December 18, 2022

by The Associated Press

Pope Francis has revealed in an interview published Sunday that shortly after being elected pontiff in 2013 he wrote a resignation letter in case medical problems impede him from doing his duties.

A fourth Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shot is administered at the Dr. Kenneth Williams Health Center in Los Angeles on Nov. 1.

Updated COVID booster shots reduce the risk of hospitalization, CDC reports

5:00am December 18, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

The CDC came out with two studies to detail the bivalent booster's effectiveness against COVID-related emergency department visits and hospitalization.

Health & Safety

China's COVID-19 surge

5:09pm December 17, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Helen-Ann Smith, Asia correspondent for Sky News, about the growing wave of COVID-19 in China.

Some researchers are now warning of levels of heavy metals in some dark chocolate bars.

Health & Safety

Dark chocolate might have health perks, but should you worry about lead in your bar?

10:39am December 17, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

Dark chocolate bars tested by Consumer Reports exceeded California's daily maximum allowable dose levels for lead or cadmium. But a toxicologist says eaten in moderation, it's nothing to worry about.

Servers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi are still not back to normal two weeks after they were hacked and the data was held for ransom.

Cyberattacks on hospitals thwart India's push to digitize health care

8:33am December 17, 2022

by Raksha Kumar

Prime Minister Modi's ambitious plan to transition all Indians' health records online is running up against weak cybersecurity systems and a lack of data protection laws.

Certain cells within Crittenden's retinas that contain melanopsin help his brain to detect light, even if what he sees is darkness. Among other things, these light-detecting cells help his body regulate his sleep cycles.

Perceiving without seeing: How light resets your internal clock

7:00am December 17, 2022

by Ari Daniel

We mark our days by sunlight, with special receptors in our eyes that respond to light and help reset our body clocks each day. This man can't see, but is still a circadian wiz. Here's how.

Mariam Kasim sits with her grandson, who she says is suffering from measles and malnutrition, at a camp on the outskirts of Baidoa, Somalia, on Tuesday.

In Baidoa, Somalis live at the epicenter of drought, hunger and conflict

6:02am December 17, 2022

by Jason Beaubien

Baidoa, surrounded by Al-Shabab militants, is at the heart of Somalia's worst drought in 40 years. Aid groups warn of impending famine. "The needs are overwhelming," says a UNICEF specialist.

Danielle Russell struggled to gain access to methadone, which helped stabilize her life after heroin addiction. She takes the medication daily and is now finishing her PhD at Arizona State University.

People addicted to opioids rarely get life-saving medications. That may change.

5:00am December 17, 2022

by Brian Mann

The Biden administration is moving to make it easier for Americans with opioid addiction to gain access to medical treatments proven to save lives.

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