Health Care

Opinion

Sorry About the Cancer. How's Your Hair?

August 31, 2006 • Commentator Debra Jarvis has been a hospital chaplain for 20 years -- she serves on the staff of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Last year, she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she told people about her diagnosis, she found that all they wanted to talk about was her hair.

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Timeline: The Debate over Plan B

August 28, 2006 • A look at the political and regulatory battle to allow over-the-counter sales of the emergency contraceptive known as the "morning-after" pill.

Research News

Studies Link Depression, Heart Disease

August 28, 2006 • A survey of medical studies shows a clear link between depression and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Sydney Spiesel, Yale Medical School professor and Slate medical columnist, talks with Madeleine Brand about how depression can contribute to heart trouble.

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The Plan B Debate

August 28, 2006 • In November, the morning-after pill -- or Plan B -- will be available for sale over the counter at pharmacies and health clinics for individuals eighteen and older. Supporters of the pill demand that it be available to all ages. Anti-abortion activists say Plan B ends a life and could increase sexual promiscuity.

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Hurricane Katrina & Recovery Efforts

Louisiana Doctor Sees Post-Katrina Crisis

August 28, 2006 • NPR's Farai Chideya checks in with Dr. Joe Freeman of Baton Rouge, La., who has had to close his emergency clinic for evacuees. He says New Orleans is on the verge of a health crisis.

Louisiana Doctor Sees Post-Katrina Crisis

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Research News

Will a New Stem-Cell Technique Satisfy All?

August 25, 2006 • Researchers are reporting this week on a new way to make stem cells for research without destroying embryos. Could this settle ethical concerns surrounding this type of research?

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'Plan B' Gets FDA's Over-Counter Approval

August 24, 2006 • Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Julie Rovner about the Food and Drug Administration's decision to approve sales of the so-called morning-after pill without a prescription. The new rules allow women over 18 to buy the "Plan B" drug over the counter. The decision comes after three years of national debate over access to emergency contraception.

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Law

Montana to Fight Meth Epidemic with Treatment

August 24, 2006 • The Montana Department of Corrections plans to create two stand-alone treatment facilities exclusively for prisoners hooked on methamphetamine. Meth-related crime has clogged Montana's prisons with addicts, draining government funds.

Montana to Fight Meth Epidemic with Treatment

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Sharp Price Increase for Oral Contraceptives

August 24, 2006 • A major producer of birth-control pills dramatically raised their prices last month, a move that could hinder access to contraceptives for low-income women. Ortho-McNeil once charged public-health centers only one cent for a pack of pills -- now the price is $18.

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'Plan B' Pill to Be Sold Over the Counter

August 24, 2006 • By the end of the year, the emergency contraceptive called "Plan B" will be sold as an over-the-counter drug to women 18 and over. Currently, it is available only by prescription.

FDA Approves Non-Prescription Morning-After Pill

August 24, 2006 • The Food and Drug Administration approves over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill, called Plan B by its maker, to those 18 or older. The FDA's decision ends a contentious 3-year effort to make it available without a prescription. But women 17 and younger will have to obtain a doctor's prescription to get the pills.

FDA Approves Non-Prescription Morning-After Pill

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Health

Study: Prostate Cancer More Likely to Strike Black Men

August 24, 2006 • Ed Gordon talks with Dr. Matthew Freedman, an instructor at Harvard Medical School and associate member of the Broad Institute. He's the author of a new study that suggests African-American men are genetically predisposed to an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Study: Prostate Cancer More Likely to Strike Black Men

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Katrina & Beyond

Study: FEMA Trailers Unhealthy for Katrina Survivors

August 23, 2006 • A new study suggests that long-term living in mobile homes supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) threatens the physical and mental health of many survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Study: FEMA Trailers Unhealthy for Katrina Survivors

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Health

Firm Creates Stem Cells Without Hurting Embryos

August 23, 2006 • Scientists on Wednesday unveiled a new technique that they say could break the political deadlock over human embryonic stem cells. The method relies on the extraction of a single cell and does not destroy the embryo, scientists from Advanced Cell Technology report.

Firm Creates Stem Cells Without Hurting Embryos

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Law

Legal Battles over Parental Guardianship

August 23, 2006 • Legal experts are increasingly seeing bitter disputes when children of elderly parents assume legal guardianship. Bitter custody battles have occurred over finances and real estate. It's legally tricky terrain that experts say can be avoided with a some foresight.

Legal Battles over Parental Guardianship

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