Health & Safety

Chicago pneumologist talks side effects of wildfire smoke on the lungs

5:34pm June 29, 2023

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Dr. Kalhan, a pulmonologist at Northwestern Medicine, about the impact of wildfire smoke in Chicago, which claimed the world's worst air quality earlier this week.

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Opioids are not the best way to treat short-term back pain, study finds

5:34pm June 29, 2023

by Will Stone

A carefully conducted study of treatments for short-term back pain finds that opioids aren't the best approach. The results throw into question current guidelines.

A pedestrian walks past bullet holes in the window of a store front on South Street in Philadelphia on June 5, 2022.

Is gun violence an epidemic in the U.S.? Experts and history say it is

2:49pm June 29, 2023

by Destinee Adams

Deaths and injuries from guns in the U.S. have increased for years, mirroring the 1990s - the last time gun violence was considered an epidemic.

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Morning news brief

5:48am June 29, 2023

A Ukrainian general talks about Russia and the counteroffensive. Smoke and heat create unhealthy air in many U.S. areas. Protests in France after police killed a teen during a traffic stop.

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Health & Safety

Heat and smoke can be a health hazard — combined it's worse

5:05am June 29, 2023

Canadian wildfire smoke is causing poor air quality in the U.S. while hot temperatures are spreading in the South.

Back and neck pain affect millions of Americans. New research suggests that opioids may not make sense for treating certain kinds of acute back pain.

Opioids are overrated for some common back pain, a study suggests

9:41pm June 28, 2023

by Will Stone

New research calls into question prescribing the drugs even for short-term pain relief – especially given the risk of addiction.

The performer Madonna, onstage at the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles in February.

Madonna postpones tour while recovering from 'serious bacterial infection'

5:04pm June 28, 2023

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The 64-year-old singer's latest tour, "Celebration," was supposed to kick off in mid-July. As a result of the illness, which put her in a hospital ICU, Madonna has postponed her international tour.

Judge considering blocking parts of North Carolina abortion law won't halt broader 12-week ban

4:43pm June 28, 2023

by Gary D. Robertson, Associated Press

A federal judge said Wednesday that she won't temporarily block most of a newly revised abortion law from taking effect this weekend in North Carolina, including a near-ban on the procedure after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Nassim Haddad greets his customers and life with unflinching cheer.

Health & Safety

How to laugh in the face of sorrow: Insights from a Lebanese sweets shop owner

4:28pm June 28, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Nassim Haddad has seen his share of disaster and loss. At 79, he says of his philosophy: "I start again from the beginning. I start from zero. I [am not] afraid from anything."

Morning news brief

5:18am June 28, 2023

Record-breaking heat hits Texas. Five non-travel related cases of malaria have been reported in Texas and Florida. Over $200 billion in pandemic business loans appear to be fraudulent, watchdog says.

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