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Your Health
How To Decide If Space Tourists Are Fit To Fly
by Sarah Zielinski
Commercial space travel is becoming a reality. Now people who have longed to go into space can buy a ticket, if they've got the cash. But are they healthy enough to make the voyage?
Your Health
Ah, Wilderness! Nature Hike Could Unlock Your Imagination
by Nancy Shute
Communing with nature has long helped artists get their creative juices flowing. A neuroscientist wondered how backpacking trips without any electronic devices might change the way people solved problems.
Public Health
We're Living Longer, But Not All That Healthier
by Michaeleen Doucleff
A fresh look at what makes people sick around the world finds that life expectancy has ticked up in the past 20 years. But people aren't necessarily in the best of health during those extra years. Chronic problems, like depression and pain, are on the rise.
©2012 NPR
Your Health
Caution: Walking Under The Influence Of Mobile Devices
by Scott Hensley
Nearly a third of pedestrians crossing some of Seattle's most dangerous intersections were doing something distracting at the same time. People texting were four times more likely to cross the street without looking both ways.
Public Health
What Killed Him? A 'Verbal Autopsy' Can Answer
by Michaeleen Doucleff
In many parts of the world, there aren't enough doctors around to do post-mortems. Answers to a few questions can help a computer deduce what killed someone when an autopsy can't be done. The results can help guide decisions about public health.
Your Health
A Guarded Thumbs Up For Sugar To Ease Tots' Pain From Shots
by Nancy Shute
A roundup of the medical evidence by a group of independent researchers suggest that giving babies sugar water before injections can help comfort them. But the latest analysis is less enthusiastic about the approach than a previous review.
Policy-ish
Democrats Draw Line On Medicaid Cuts
by Julie Rovner
Democrats are worried that cuts to the program will go beyond the impact on the people it serves. It will also affect the Affordable Care Act, which calls for expanding Medicaid to as many as 16 million more people. The states are watching closely because the federal government has promised it will pay most of those additional costs.
Your Health
Kids' Eating Binges Could Signal Other Problems Ahead
by David Schultz
Children between the ages of 9 and 15 who went on eating binges at least once a week were more likely to use marijuana or to show strong signs of depression as those who didn't. There's no proof of cause and effect, but the researchers say it's another reason parents and doctors should keep an eye on kids' eating habits.
Health Inc.
How A Health Insurer's Overpayment Can Become Your Problem
by Michelle Andrews
Health insurers sometimes pay too much to a doctor or hospital for services rendered. When insurers look to get their money back, patients may be surprised to get stuck with the bills.
Policy-ish
Feds Say 'No' To Partial Medicaid Expansion
by Julie Rovner
In the Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act ruling this summer, it decided that states' plans for expansion of the Medicaid program should be optional. That led governors to ask if they could expand the program in part but still receive federal funding. The administration has said no.
