Air quality in Denver was badly affected by wildfire smoke from blazes in Oregon and provinces of western Canada on July 24, 2024. David Zalubowski/AP hide caption
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Health News From NPRSaturday
Friday
Bristeria Clark (center) at the graduation ceremony for Morehouse School of Medicine's first class of rural doulas, called perinatal patient navigators. Clark, who's also a nurse and county employee, wants other women to have more support than she did while navigating pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care. Matthew Pearson/WABE hide caption
Thursday
Judith Dambowic, a multiple myeloma patient, on her porch in Oakland, CA, right before shaving her head in preparation for a stem cell transplant in May. Dambowic wanted California to pass a law regulating Medigap insurance policies. The reform, which ultimately failed, would have made it easier for her to switch her coverage from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare.
Judith Dambowic
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Wednesday
Cheaper copycat versions of blockbuster weight loss drugs are flooding the market. Guido Mieth/Getty Images hide caption
Chickens stand in their cages at a farm in 2009, near Stuart, Iowa. Millions of chickens have been culled in Iowa, Colorado and other states since 2022 in response to the current H5N1 bird flu outbreak. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption
A large study looked at 11- and 12-year-old children, and 72% of them had their own cellphone. Sladic/E+/Getty Images hide caption
Monday
Abortion rights and other health care issues were part of Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign stump speech in Fayetteville, N.C., on Thursday — three days before Biden dropped out of the race. Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images hide caption
It took Jacqueline Vakil seven weeks to find an alternative asthma medication for her 4-year-old son James. Jonathan Wilson/WHYY hide caption
Friday
Months away from the U.S. presidential election, 73% of respondents in a poll by the American Psychiatric Association say they are feeling anxious about the election. Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Thursday
Rogue health insurance agents have been switching people into Affordable Care Act plans without their knowledge. Social media ads that falsely promise people money for groceries are part of the scheme, a lawsuit says. Sarayut Thaneerat/Getty Images hide caption
A study finds that psilocybin can desynchronize networks in the brain, potentially enhancing its plasticity. Sara Moser/Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis hide caption
A prominent brain scientist took psilocybin as part of his own brain study
Wednesday
The most recent recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is that all women 40 to 74 get mammograms every other year. A previous recommendation said screening should start at 50. One doctor suggests that people "test smarter, not test more." Heather Charles/Tribune News Service via Getty Images hide caption
Tuesday
Caitlyn Mai underwent cochlear implant surgery with her insurer's approval, expecting it would be covered in full. Then she started getting bills for $139,000. Nick Oxford/KFF Health News hide caption
Monday
Obstetrician-gynecologist Taylar Swartz uses an ultrasound scanner to check the health of Addie Comegys' baby on May 30. Comegys, who is due in late August, had traveled 45 minutes for her prenatal appointment at Mahaska Health in Oskaloosa, one of a few rural hospitals in Iowa still offering labor and delivery services. Tony Leys/KFF Health News hide caption