Health & Safety

Meredith Was, a senior at the University of Virginia, heads a chapter of the mental health advocacy group Active Minds.

Health & Safety

Triage System Helps Colleges Treat Mentally Ill Students

4:34pm January 08, 2013

by Jenny Gold

Over the past decade, colleges and universities across the country have seen an influx of students with mental health needs. Some campus health centers are exploring new systems to help meet the growing demand for services.

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Health & Safety

The Latest Science On Fat And Fitness

2:39pm January 08, 2013

Each January, people flock to gyms and raid the produce aisle at grocery stores to fulfill New Year's resolutions. NPR food and health correspondent Allison Aubrey and Dr. Timothy Church, professor of preventative medicine at Louisiana State University, discuss what the latest research on fitness and weight loss.

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The majority of what happens on Jan. 1, 2013, is tax increases and cuts in tax deductions to pay for the changes coming in 2014.

Health & Safety

What The Health Law Will Bring In 2013

2:19pm January 08, 2013

by Julie Rovner

In October 2013, open enrollment begins, when people can start signing up for their 2014 coverage through the new state-run health exchanges. But most of the changes in 2013 are tax increases and cuts in tax deductions to pay for the 2014 changes.

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New Regulations Could Treat Virginia Abortion Clinics Like Hospitals

10:00am January 08, 2013

by Kathy Lohr

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has approved regulations requiring clinics where abortions are performed to meet the same building codes as new hospitals. Abortion-rights groups say the regulations are unnecessary, but abortion-rights opponents say they're the only way to ensure that clinics are safe.

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Shea Catlin, a nurse practitioner, doses out flu vaccine to give a shot at a CVS Minute Clinic in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 3.

Can You Get A Flu Shot And Still Get The Flu?

6:06am January 08, 2013

by Rob Stein

Vaccination is still the best way to avoid getting sick, but it's not 100 percent protective. Some people may get infected with a strain of flu that isn't covered by this year's vaccine. For others, the shots just don't work.

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Health & Safety

Is It Pain Or Dependency? A Doctor's Dilemma

3:31pm January 07, 2013

While most causes of accidental death are on the decline, drug-related deaths are increasing. This is due in part to the increase of deaths caused by prescription pain medication, like Vicodin or OxyContin. A Los Angeles Times investigative series looks at how doctors are contributing to the trend.

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South Korean men play games at a downtown park in Seoul on Nov. 1. Recent data suggest that South Korea is now the fastest-aging country on Earth.

South Korea Prepares The Young For A Rapidly Aging Population

1:43pm January 07, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

South Korea now appears to be the fastest-aging country in the world. The government has launched a series of creative programs, including a network of community centers for dementia patients and training for young people that simulates the physical and mental effects of old age.

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'Full Planet, Empty Plates'

12:23pm January 07, 2013

In Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity, Lester Brown says the world's food supply is tightening, and the reasons are many. People in developing countries are eating more meat, a grain-intensive food; farmers are overpumping, causing water tables to fall; and crop yields have plateaued, despite technological advances.

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You Can't See It, But You'll Be A Different Person In 10 Years

11:06am January 07, 2013

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

People generally fail to appreciate how much their personality and values will change in the years ahead — even though they recognize that they have changed in the past, according to fresh research.

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Lew Bird says that before passing away, his friend requested that his funeral include one last ride on a motorcycle.

Baby Boomers' Last Wishes: Motorcycle Hearses And Facebook Obits

7:02pm January 04, 2013

by Peter Gray

As graying baby boomers begin to consider their funeral needs, they're driving a trend toward less traditional, more personalized memorial services. But not everyone in the death-care industry is embracing those innovative changes.

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