Personal Health
From medical mysteries to mental health: 7 podcast picks from WBUR's health editor
WBUR managing editor Elisabeth Harrison loves a good podcast. Here are several she's been enjoying this year that cover topics like health, science, psychology and crime.
What we know — and don't know — about the benefits of vitamin D
With the end of winter around the corner, I figured this might be a moment when people might have vitamin D on the mind. So I called Brigham and Women’s...
3 health experts weigh in on New Year's resolutions — and a personal favorite
We checked in with a few leaders in health and medicine here in Massachusetts to understand how they think about New Year’s resolutions, what goals they have for 2024 and...
From Paxlovid to Spikevax: Inside the 'intensive' process of naming drugs
“The typical reaction to a pharmaceutical name is like, ‘Who came up with that? They must have shouted it out when they were leaving a meeting,’” Scott Piergrossi, The Brand...
What the end of the COVID public health emergency means in Massachusetts
After more than three years, COVID public health emergencies at the federal level and in Massachusetts come to an end Thursday. Here's what will change with testing, masking, vaccination and...
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Scientists studied the DNA of 240 different animals. Here are some of the quirkiest findings
Scientists who worked on the Zoonomia Project believe the innovative DNA research could eventually lead to important insights about health and human disease.
Judy Collins On Suicide, Mental Illness And The Story Her Voice Is Telling
Singer Judy Collins wins an award from McLean Hospital for speaking out about mental health and addiction, including her own alcoholism and depression and her son's 1992 suicide.
Yuck! The Weird Things Kids Swallow Or Stuff Go On Display At Boston Children's
Thousands of children are treated annually for sticking stuff they're not supposed to into their mouths, noses and ears. And at Boston Children's Hospital, these items are now on display....
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...
Minimum Age For Buying Tobacco In Worcester Raised To 21
The Worcester Board of Health has unanimously voted to increase the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products in the city from 18 to 21.
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...
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...
When The Therapist Has A Fear Of Elevators
As a psychologist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, I knew that I should be able to calm myself in the elevator, writes Ellen Holtzman.
Exercise Addiction: How To Know If You've Crossed The Line Between Health And Obsession
If you feel driven to work out daily, and do it even through illness and injury -- that could signal a problem. And if you feel guilty, anxious or out...
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...
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...
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.
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...