Nancy Shute
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The risk of getting dementia has been dropping for decades. Why? Research suggests education's effect on the brain and good cardiovascular health help. -
The number of people with injuries like neck strain who get CT scans in emergency rooms is on the rise. This despite efforts to reduce use of the scans, which increase cancer risk. -
People who have Medicaid insurance are much more likely to be smokers, and the program pays for medication to help them quit. But just 10 percent of Medicaid recipients get that help, a study finds. -
People still think that abuse of opioid painkillers is something that criminals do, a study of news media coverage finds. Options like expanded access to treatment are rarely mentioned.
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The number of people being diagnosed with diabetes has been on the decline since 2009, after soaring for decades. Doctors say people may be changing their eating and exercise habits for the better. -
Advance directives don't guarantee that a person's wishes for end-of-life care will always be honored. Some states let people use physician orders that override legal requirements to perform CPR. -
A study of thousands of people, most in committed relationships, finds that having sex about once a week correlates best with happiness and well-being. More didn't turn out to be better. -
People in lower-income communities are more likely to die of colon cancer, often because they don't get diagnosed early enough. Those premature deaths take a financial toll, too.
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It's the kind of oops no scientist wants to make. But the researchers who published a paper saying that watching sad movies makes it hard to perceive the color blue now say they erred. -
African-American women's advantage in avoiding breast cancer has evaporated, with their rates rising to match white women's. Higher obesity rates, a risk factor for breast cancer, may be one reason.
