Health & Safety

Doctors who diagnosed Shariah Vroman-Nagy with bipolar disorder wanted to keep her in the hospital for treatment, but her insurance company wouldn't cover the stay.

Depressed Teen's Struggle To Find Mental Health Care In Rural California

3:44pm June 24, 2016

by April Dembosky

After a teenager attempted suicide, her parents searched in vain for therapists who would take their insurance and were accepting new patients. The family paid for therapy with credit cards instead.

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Lead pipes like this one still bring water into many U.S. homes.

Are Your Pipes Made Of Lead? Here's A Quick Way To Find Out

2:23pm June 24, 2016

Flint, Mich., brought the risk of lead pipes to many people's attention, but the problems go further. Find out if lead pipes could be affecting your drinking water.

A solar-powered cellphone charger is part of a new program called "Kazi na Zola," which provides devices that can help small businesses — say, a barbershop — earn more revenue.

Health & Safety

This $6-A-Month Plan Brings Solar Power To People Living Off The Grid

2:13pm June 24, 2016

by Malaka Gharib

That's the price for a solar energy package from Off-Grid Electric, who's lit up the homes of 100,000 people without electricity in Tanzania.

Tests you can take at home to check for colorectal cancer are now recommended on par with colonoscopy.

Changes For Colon Cancer Screening: 5 Things To Know Now

12:30pm June 24, 2016

by Julie Appleby

A federal task force expanded the list of recommended colorectal cancer screening tests. Here's the lowdown on the tests and how they might be covered now and in the future by health insurance.

"If you want to encourage people to do something? Make it easy." - Richard Thaler.

What Is A Nudge?

12:07pm June 24, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

How can a simple adjustment - a nudge - change our behavior for the better? Professor Richard Thaler says his "nudge theory" can make it easier for people to save money, eat healthily and more.

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"With mindfulness training, we dropped the bit about forcing and instead focused on being curious." - Judson Brewer.

Can Mindfulness Help You Quit Smoking?

12:07pm June 24, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

Psychiatrist Judson Brewer describes how patients who practice simple mindfulness techniques can kick unhealthy habits.

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"We're on the verge of a whole new social science. It's a social science that recognizes...the complexity of the human mind." - Sendhil Mullainathan

How Can A Nudge Save A Life?

12:06pm June 24, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

We have the treatments to end health problems like infant diarrhea. Sendhil Mullainathan says the "last mile" nudge is to encourage people to use them.

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"It required a change in thinking. A change that forced public health workers to stop treating it as a medical problem but rather as a human behavior problem." - Richard Thaler

How Are Health Workers Putting An End To Guinea Worms?

9:43am June 24, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

Professor Richard Thaler returns to the show to talk about how a nudge has essentially eradicated guinea worm disease in Africa.

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Bad News For Kids Who Don't Like Flu Shots

8:21pm June 23, 2016

by Carolyn Beans

A panel of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against using a needle-free flu vaccine that's popular with pediatricians, parents and children.

Scrubbing up with running water is simply not possible in some hospitals.

It's Not Easy Running A Hospital Without Running Water

5:08pm June 23, 2016

by Marc Silver

A third of hospitals surveyed in low- and middle-income countries report they do not have running water all the time. And sometimes not at all.