Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    The Case of the Suspicious Hamsters

    A recent outbreak of Salmonella poisoning showed that hamsters, mice, and other pocket pets can spread the dangerous bacteria, which are typically associated with chickens and eggs.

    By Janet Raloff
  2. Health & Medicine

    Positive Jolt: Electroshock therapy may have side benefit

    People with depression have high concentrations of norepinephrine, a brain hormone, but electroshock treatment lowers these levels to the normal range.

    By Nathan Seppa
  3. Health & Medicine

    Shot in the gut

    A mystifying case of lead poisoning, which may have lasted more than a decade, turned out to have been caused by a swallowed shotgun pellet.

    By Ben Harder
  4. Health & Medicine

    Enzyme stopper combats cancers

    An experimental drug combination that inhibits an enzyme that's abundant in tumor cells shows promise against several cancers.

    By Nathan Seppa
  5. Health & Medicine

    Us against Them

    New antibiotics may be valuable weapons in the fight against tougher bacteria.

    By Christen Brownlee
  6. Health & Medicine

    Star Wars Goes Organic

    A group promoting organic foods has produced its own version of Star Wars, featuring heroic produce, villainous eggs and bananas, and warnings about dangerous agricultural practices.

    By Janet Raloff
  7. Health & Medicine

    Insulin may trigger type 1 diabetes

    Insulin itself may precipitate the body's autoimmune attack in people with type 1 diabetes.

    By Christen Brownlee
  8. Health & Medicine

    Heartburn in Bed: Soda, sleeping pills can spoil sleep

    Nighttime acid reflux is a common condition that often goes hand-in-hand with sleep problems.

    By Ben Harder
  9. Health & Medicine

    Baby Rescue: Cord blood saves infants with rare disease

    Using umbilical cord blood, doctors can rescue babies from Krabbe's disease, a lethal enzyme deficiency that causes brain damage.

    By Nathan Seppa
  10. Health & Medicine

    To Fight Cataracts, It’s Fish Yea, Mayo Nay

    Which fats predominate in a person's diet may influence that individual's susceptibility to cataracts.

    By Janet Raloff
  11. Health & Medicine

    Watch and Wait, or Not: Studies weigh risks of delaying prostate surgery

    Two long-running studies of men with prostate cancer have partly clarified the risks of postponing treatment of the disease.

    By Ben Harder
  12. Health & Medicine

    Proteins’ Promise: New test could reveal early ovarian cancer

    A screening test for ovarian cancer shows promise in preliminary trials.

    By Nathan Seppa