Medicine

New England Governors Converge To Address Opioid Epidemic
The governors spoke to an international conference of physicians who prescribe or study opioids and urged them to reduce prescribing on their own.

Birth Control's Next Frontier? Health Center Aims For Quick And Easy IUDs And Implants
If they're so effective, why aren't more women using IUDs and implants? A health clinic in Worcester is getting help to put better birth control front and center -- particularly...

Diagnosing CTE In The Living: Massive Study Of Degenerative Brain Disease To Begin
Researchers are recruiting 180 former NFL and college football players hoping their study will help develop ways to diagnose CTE in people while they're still alive. The only way to...

At 'Pain School,' Veterans Learn To Manage With Fewer Pills
Bedford's is one of 67 VA Pain Schools across the country. Through the schools, the VA is trying to shift the way patients think about pain.

New Addiction Treatment Implant Will Hit The Market Next Month At $4,950
The FDA has approved the implant, but the debate over how effective it will be and whether insurers will cover its $4,950 price tag continues.
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Popping A Daily Baby Aspirin? Caution: New Guidelines, Amid Controversy
The bottom line is aspirin "has benefits, but it also has harms, and the harms are important to understand,” says Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an author of the new guidelines that...

The Promise And Price Of New Addiction Treatment Implant
A drug company is touting the benefits of a new implant designed to deliver a continuous dose of an existing and popular opioid treatment drug.

Boston Medical Center Launches First Comprehensive Transgender Medical Center In Northeast
The center brings together services including primary care, hormone therapy and mental health support as well as chest and facial reconstruction procedures. Its creation reflects a shift within mainstream medicine...

Dartmouth Study Looks At When Doctors And Patients Clash Over 'Unnecessary' Care
What happens when you want a test that your doctor thinks won't help? What drives doctors to provide care that they don't think a patient needs? That's what Dartmouth researchers...

7 Things To Know About The Nation's First Penis Transplant
It's a big headline -- the first penis transplant in the United States -- but what may it mean for patients? A look at the basics.

Cancer Patient Receives Nation's First Penis Transplant At MGH
The patient is 64-year-old Thomas Manning from the South Shore town of Halifax.

MIT Researchers Aim To Create An On-Demand Pharmacy
They've created a device the size of a refrigerator that can turn out 1,000 pills in just 24 hours. It's a whole new way to make drugs, but questions about...

State's Opioid Epidemic Is Vividly Seen On Boston's 'Methadone Mile'
“This has to be the worst section of the city right now,” Vinny Pardini, a resident at a recovery program, says of the one-mile stretch of Massachusetts Avenue. “It’s full...

Health Care And Civic Leaders Launch Serious Illness Care Coalition
The aim of the group is to encourage patients, doctors and family members to talk about what type of care they want when facing a serious illness.

Opinion: Pediatrician Asks, Why Can't I Talk To You About Guns In The Home?
Since 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics has encouraged primary care providers to discuss firearm safety with families.

Judge Rejects Injunction To Stop Construction On Children's Hospital Healing Garden
The hospital plans to demolish Prouty Garden and build a new clinical building.

Policies For Transgender High School Athletes Vary From State To State
There's a lot of attention on bathrooms in the debate about transgender rights. The next battleground may be locker rooms, basketball courts and soccer fields. For high school students, the...

Opinion: In Simulation Era, Your Doc's First Try At A Procedure Should Not Be On You
Doctors in training increasingly practice on computers and simulated patients, but the “see one, do one, teach one” culture still persists in many hospitals.

Narrating Medicine: Let's Talk Bedpans, And Why Doctors Should Get Good With Them
As a doctor myself, I was embarrassed that I didn’t know how to help handle a patient's bedpan.

Harvard Study: Shopping For Health Care Fails To Lower Costs
A new Harvard study finds that, contrary to hopes and expectations, helping people shop for health care does not bring down costs -- in fact, shopping may even lead people...