The Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center in Plymouth houses men for court-mandated addiction treatment. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

07:474 hours ago

Is It Addiction Treatment Or Prison? A Look Inside A State Center For Involuntary Commitments

Some say these commitments save lives, while others say forced treatment is ineffective and violates people's civil rights.

Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and longtime research leader on hormone therapy. (Courtesy)

Study: No Rise In Early Deaths Among Women Who Used Hormone Therapy

Sep 12, 2017

Male Patients Are Likelier To Bail On Female Doctors. The Question Is Why

Sep 8, 2017

Doctors Should Be Doing More To Help Patients Eat Better, JAMA Editorial Argues

Sep 8, 2017

Support the news

Special Series: This Moment In Cancer

(Bizuayehu Tesfaye/AP Images for College of American Pathologists/See, Test and Treat)

With Cancer Diagnoses, Better-Off Americans May Get Too Much Attention

05:24Jun 8, 2017

Doctors first found a tumor in Nick Claudio's brain when he was 9 years old. Surgery to remove it caused him to lose his eyesight. Now 16, Nick still has tumors in his brain, but more surgery could cost him his hearing. He's now on a drug regimen known as "low-dose chemo." It's a gentler, steadier drug regiment that aims not to cure cancer but to keep it at bay. Doctors think it could help with a central challenge they face: that many cancers evolve and become resistant to treatment. (Joe DiFazio for WBUR)

When Cancer Can't Be Cured, Low-Dose Chemo Aims To Keep It In Check

06:41May 19, 2017

From left to right: Drs. Angela Belcher, Paula Hammond and Sangeeta Bhatia. (Courtesy)

Nano-Scale 'Dream Team': 3 MIT Professors Use Tiniest Of Tools Against Cancer

06:38May 15, 2017

Dr. Laurie Glimcher at her office at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. (Alison Bruzek/WBUR)

Dana-Farber Chief: Federal Cuts Could Threaten ‘World’s Greatest Biomedicine Ecosystem’ In Boston

Apr 7, 2017

Health & Science News From NPR

Behold The Fatberg: London's 130-Ton, 'Rock-Solid' Sewer Blockage

Made up of cooking fat, wet wipes and other sanitary products, the mass is said to weigh as much as...

NPR

Sep 12, 2017

The U.S. Thought It Was Rid Of Hookworm. Wrong

The American medical establishment was confident: no hookworm disease in the country for decades. A new study uncovered cases in...

NPR

Sep 12, 2017

Organic Industry Sues To Push Animal Welfare Rules

The organic industry is suing the government, demanding that it implement tougher animal welfare regulations. It could force the largest...

NPR

02:3210 hours ago

Mexican Women Look For Alternatives To Cesarean Sections

Mexico has one of the highest cesarean section rates in the world. But as well-trained midwives become more available, natural...

NPR

03:2510 hours ago

On WBUR

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal, left, director David Gordon Green, center left, Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman, center right, and actress Tatiana Maslany, right, arrive on the red carpet on Tuesday at the U.S. premiere of the movie "Stronger" at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. (Steven Senne/AP)

'Stronger,' A Film On Life Of Marathon Bombing Survivor, Premieres At Spaulding Rehab

Pushing Medicare For All, Progressives Pick A Fight With Both Republicans And Democrats

How To Talk To Your College-Age Kids About Depression And Suicide

In 'Constellations' At Central Square Theater, A Map To The Heart Is Found In The Stars

Mass. General Chief Decries Transgender Ban, As More Doctors Speak Out Politically

Against Medical Advice: Sometimes, When Patients Defy Accepted Wisdom, So Must Doctors

Gov. Charlie Baker in January 2017 (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Gov. Baker, If You Met My Immigrant Patients, You'd Support 'Safe Communities Act'

A new category of drugs, biologics, inhibits elements of the immune system that fuel inflammation. Humira is an example of a biologic. (David J. Phillip/AP)

Progress On Psoriasis, From 'Last In Line' To Often First, But At A Price

Isaac Kohane devised a plan to manage his mother's heart dysfunction and along way was persuaded that spectacular gains in artificial intelligence could bode far better for our health than studies to date suggest. (David Kessler/Flickr)

What My 90-Year-Old Mom Taught Me About The Future Of AI In Health Care

Dr. Kathryn Kirkland asks: Do we gain something by willingly immersing ourselves in scary situations? (ninocare/Pixabay)

Why I Encourage My Seriously Ill Patients To Imagine The Worst

Support the news

Magic Pill, Episode #21: Where Do We Go From Here?

Magic Pill, Episode #20: Looking Good Naked

Magic Pill, Episode #19: What Does Beethoven’s 5th Have To Do With Walking?

Magic Pill, Episode #18: Time For A Game Of 'Fitness Fact Or Fiction'

Gov. Baker Testifies On Health Care Before Senate Committee

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker testified before a Senate committee as part of a rare bipartisan effort to stabilize the Affordable Care Act. WBUR's Anthony Brooks reports from Washington.

04:17Sep 8, 2017

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, accompanied by from left by the governors of Tennessee, Montana, Colorado and Utah, speaks Thursday at a Senate committee hearing on ways to stabilize health insurance markets. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

Baker And Warren On Same Page At Health Care Hearing

Baker and four other governors testified before a Senate committee, of which Warren is a member, on ways to stabilize the individual insurance market.

Sep 7, 2017

Richard Chenery rests after injecting heroin he bought on the street at the Insite safe injection clinic in Vancouver, B.C. in 2011. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mass. Lawmakers Debate Supervised Injection Facilities

The proposed measure would authorize places, sometimes called supervised injection facilities (SIFs), where drug users could swallow, snort or inject illegal substances while monitored by a doctor or nurse.

Sep 7, 2017

Houston Lesson: Anti-Immigrant Moves Put Public Health At Greater Risk

A primary care doctor who treats many immigrants writes that fear caused by the Trump administration's crackdown leaves immigrants -- and all of us -- at greater risk for health problems.

Sep 7, 2017

On Capitol Hill, Gov. Baker Will Push A Bipartisan Approach To Health Care Reform

Gov. Charlie Baker will testify on Capitol Hill on Thursday alongside four other governors -- two fellow Republicans and two Democrats -- in the latest sign that he's playing a role in the next phase of federal health care reform.

04:41Sep 6, 2017

In an alley outside of Cambridge's Central Square, WBUR reporter Martha Bebinger, right, walks with Kristin, a drug user who has been repeatedly sexually assaulted while high. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Opioid Drug Users Tell Of Rarely Discussed Injury: Rape

Kristin, 32, who's been addicted to opioids since she was 13, has story after story of unwanted kissing and groping.

06:27Sep 6, 2017

The author's father recovers from prostate surgery. (Courtesy of Alicair Peltonen)

Why Patients May Be Put In Charge Of Their Own Post-Operative Care

My father is on the leading edge of a growing trend for routine surgical patients with no complications and no other complex medical problems: Get out and stay out.

Sep 1, 2017

In this July 6 photo, Timothy Schnellenberger, rear right, speaks with recovering addicts at his substance abuse treatment center, Recovery Boot Camp, in Delray Beach, Fla. Schnellenberger has operated treatment centers since 2002, and says that the influx of criminal operators has cast a dark shadow over an industry with deep roots in South Florida. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

Reports Of Rehab Scams Raise Concerns About Addiction Treatment Quality

In Massachusetts, health officials say the treatment system is strong, even though 300 complaints were filed last year against treatment programs.

08:02Sep 1, 2017

Larry Dapsis points out a tick the size of a poppy seed on the white cloth captured along a path near Dennis Pond in Yarmouth. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

7 Things I Learned While Reporting On Lyme And Other Tick-Borne Diseases

Dr. David Scales offers lessons learned from his months of reporting.

Aug 31, 2017

This Wednesday June 7, 2017 photo shows hypodermic needles that were recovered from the Merrimack River in 2016, at the Clean River Facility facility in Methuen, Mass. (Charles Krupa/AP)

The Opioid Epidemic Needs A Strategy For Teens

"We are facing a new reality: our patients, who could be your next-door neighbor’s child or even your own, need help confronting the traditionally ‘adult’ problem of addiction," write Dr. Scott Hadland and Dr. Sarah Bagley.

Aug 29, 2017

Why Doctors Need To Remember That Sick Patients Were Once Healthy People

In medicine, it is easy to forget that life is far more than just a beating heart or breathing lungs.

Aug 28, 2017

Dr. David Crandell and Jean Marie Hart discuss her status living with Lyme disease during check-up at the Dean Center for Tick Borne Illness at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Many Seek Care At Boston 'Tick-Borne Impairment' Clinic That Tries To Avoid Taking Sides On Lyme

Instead of focusing on the most contentious Lyme disease questions -- diagnostic labels, long-term antibiotics -- Spaulding Hospital's Dean Center sidesteps the controversy and focuses on treating patients’ symptoms.

Aug 25, 2017

University of Miami dermatologist Dr. Anne Burdick checks the computer screen as she discusses telemedicine on April 8, 2014. (J Pat Carter/AP)

Telemedicine Helps Patients And Cuts Costs, But Mass. Is Far Behind

"If Massachusetts is serious about controlling its high costs," writes Scott Haller, "there is no better next step than to expand telemedicine's use."

Aug 23, 2017

(Courtesy of the state Department of Public Health)

State Officials 'Encouraged' By Drop In Overdose Deaths

A quarterly report shows an estimated 5 percent drop in overdose fatalities in the first six months of this year, as compared with the same period in 2016. But death rates are still rising.

Aug 22, 2017

Solar Burn: Why You Really, Truly Should Not Peek Bare-Eyed At The Eclipse

Remember using a magnifying glass to focus the sun to burn a hole in a piece of paper? You don't want to do that to your retina.

01:59Aug 21, 2017

CommonHealth Classics

The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)

Jan 10, 2014

Flunking The Insanity Workout But Coming Away Wiser

Jul 6, 2012

An urgent laparoscopic appendectomy performed aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (U.S. Navy via Wikimedia Commons)

When A Burst Appendix Doesn't Kill You: Big New Study Adds Data

Jun 17, 2015

Pediatric Politics: How Dire Warnings Against Infant Bed Sharing 'Backfired'

Dec 19, 2014

On Point

Is It Addiction Treatment Or Prison? A Look Inside A State Center For Involuntary Commitments

Study: No Rise In Early Deaths Among Women Who Used Hormone Therapy

Male Patients Are Likelier To Bail On Female Doctors. The Question Is Why

Doctors Should Be Doing More To Help Patients Eat Better, JAMA Editorial Argues

With Cancer Diagnoses, Better-Off Americans May Get Too Much Attention

When Cancer Can't Be Cured, Low-Dose Chemo Aims To Keep It In Check

Nano-Scale 'Dream Team': 3 MIT Professors Use Tiniest Of Tools Against Cancer

Dana-Farber Chief: Federal Cuts Could Threaten ‘World’s Greatest Biomedicine Ecosystem’ In Boston

Behold The Fatberg: London's 130-Ton, 'Rock-Solid' Sewer Blockage

NPR

The U.S. Thought It Was Rid Of Hookworm. Wrong

NPR

Organic Industry Sues To Push Animal Welfare Rules

NPR

Mexican Women Look For Alternatives To Cesarean Sections

NPR

'Stronger,' A Film On Life Of Marathon Bombing Survivor, Premieres At Spaulding Rehab

Pushing Medicare For All, Progressives Pick A Fight With Both Republicans And Democrats

How To Talk To Your College-Age Kids About Depression And Suicide

In 'Constellations' At Central Square Theater, A Map To The Heart Is Found In The Stars

Mass. General Chief Decries Transgender Ban, As More Doctors Speak Out Politically

Against Medical Advice: Sometimes, When Patients Defy Accepted Wisdom, So Must Doctors

Gov. Baker, If You Met My Immigrant Patients, You'd Support 'Safe Communities Act'

Progress On Psoriasis, From 'Last In Line' To Often First, But At A Price

What My 90-Year-Old Mom Taught Me About The Future Of AI In Health Care

Why I Encourage My Seriously Ill Patients To Imagine The Worst

Magic Pill, Episode #21: Where Do We Go From Here?

Magic Pill, Episode #20: Looking Good Naked

Magic Pill, Episode #19: What Does Beethoven’s 5th Have To Do With Walking?

Magic Pill, Episode #18: Time For A Game Of 'Fitness Fact Or Fiction'

Gov. Baker Testifies On Health Care Before Senate Committee

Baker And Warren On Same Page At Health Care Hearing

Mass. Lawmakers Debate Supervised Injection Facilities

Houston Lesson: Anti-Immigrant Moves Put Public Health At Greater Risk

On Capitol Hill, Gov. Baker Will Push A Bipartisan Approach To Health Care Reform

Opioid Drug Users Tell Of Rarely Discussed Injury: Rape

Why Patients May Be Put In Charge Of Their Own Post-Operative Care

Reports Of Rehab Scams Raise Concerns About Addiction Treatment Quality

7 Things I Learned While Reporting On Lyme And Other Tick-Borne Diseases

The Opioid Epidemic Needs A Strategy For Teens

Why Doctors Need To Remember That Sick Patients Were Once Healthy People

Many Seek Care At Boston 'Tick-Borne Impairment' Clinic That Tries To Avoid Taking Sides On Lyme

Telemedicine Helps Patients And Cuts Costs, But Mass. Is Far Behind

State Officials 'Encouraged' By Drop In Overdose Deaths

Solar Burn: Why You Really, Truly Should Not Peek Bare-Eyed At The Eclipse

The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)

Flunking The Insanity Workout But Coming Away Wiser

When A Burst Appendix Doesn't Kill You: Big New Study Adds Data

Pediatric Politics: How Dire Warnings Against Infant Bed Sharing 'Backfired'