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Shots - Health News

Shots

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Millions of people take statins to reduce the risk of heart attacks, but for some the medication causes debilitating side effects. Digital Vision./Getty Images hide caption

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Digital Vision./Getty Images

Got muscle pain from statins? A cholesterol-lowering alternative might be for you

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Even a one-hour change in the clock can disrupt the body's circadian rhythms, especially when the clock "springs forward." Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption

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Charlie Riedel/AP

Changing our clocks is a health hazard. Just ask a sleep doctor

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Early mornings may still feel dark and wintry, but the season is about to change. This weekend most of the U.S. will "spring forward" — setting clocks forward one hour — as daylight saving time begins. Maja Hitij/Getty Images hide caption

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Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Karla Renée was 18 weeks into her pregnancy when she and her husband Sam learned that the fetus had a serious genetic anomaly that could lead to severe physical and mental disabilities. They were faced with an enormous and pressing decision. In North Carolina, where they live, the current law forbids abortion after 20 weeks gestational age. Maxwell Posner/NPR hide caption

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Maxwell Posner/NPR
LA Johnson/NPR

How to help young people limit screen time — and feel better about how they look

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Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in treating the eyes. Optometrists have less training and specialized education, but now provide most primary eye care in the United States, routinely diagnosing and treating conditions that were outside their scope of practice half a century ago. FG Trade/Getty Images hide caption

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FG Trade/Getty Images

Researchers are testing a promising approach to male contraception, one that involves immobilizing sperm. Derek Berwin/Getty Images hide caption

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Derek Berwin/Getty Images

A new, experimental approach to male birth control immobilizes sperm

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Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick believes offering medical explanations in clear, everyday language from trusted messengers can help shrink health disparities. Her video company, Grapevine Health, is built on that idea — and some health insurers are buying in. Ryan Levi/Tradeoffs hide caption

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Ryan Levi/Tradeoffs

Cocoa contains compounds called flavanols, which have been shown to improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. Kevin Delcroix /Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Delcroix /Getty Images

Is chocolate good for your heart? Finally the FDA has an answer – kind of

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Eileen and Louise both got COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic in New York. Eileen ended up on a ventilator for two months and then spent five months in a rehab hospital. Louise fought the illness at home as hospitals started filling up. Gabriela Bhaskar for NPR hide caption

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Gabriela Bhaskar for NPR

Eye-popping egg prices have finally started to fall. Wholesale eggs in the Midwest market dropped by 58 cents to $3.29 a dozen at the end of January, according to USDA data. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Eggs prices drop, but the threat from avian flu isn't over yet

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Rachel Maryam Smith fell in love with the ethereal beauty of giant soap bubbles several years ago and began creating them at sunset events in Santa Cruz, Calif. When enjoying bubbles together, "there is a euphoric point I have observed my participants reach," she says. Carolyn Klein Lagattuta hide caption

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Carolyn Klein Lagattuta

Each year, RSV infections send up to 80,000 kids under 5 to the hospital for emergency treatment. A new antibody treatment could protect the youngest kids — newborns and up infants up to 2 years old. Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance via Getty I hide caption

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Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance via Getty I

Wegovy has been called "a major breakthrough" given how well it works to reduce body weight. But the injection drug is extremely expensive and when people can't afford to stay on it, they experience rebound weight gain that's hard to stop. Katherine Streeter for NPR hide caption

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Katherine Streeter for NPR

Wegovy works. But here's what happens if you can't afford to keep taking the drug

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Brenna Kearney plays with her daughter, Joey, at home in Chicago. When Kearney was pregnant, she developed a rare type of preeclampsia and had to undergo an emergency cesarean section. Joey was discharged after a 36-day stay in the NICU. Taylor Glascock for KHN hide caption

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Taylor Glascock for KHN

A baby spent 36 days at an in-network hospital. Why did her parents get a huge bill?

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Prairie voles mate for life and are frequently used to study human behavior. Todd H. Ahern/Emory University hide caption

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Todd H. Ahern/Emory University

Can you bond without the 'love hormone'? These cuddly rodents show it's possible

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Joy Ho for NPR

Your kids are adorable germ vectors. Here's how often they get your household sick

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Islenia Milien for NPR

To reignite the joy of childhood, learn to live on 'toddler time'

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Jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman plays in 2019. Swing is an essential component of nearly all kinds of jazz music. Physicists think that subtle nuances in the timing of soloists are key to creating that propulsive swing feel. Bernd Thissen/picture alliance via Getty Image hide caption

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Bernd Thissen/picture alliance via Getty Image

What makes that song swing? At last, physicists unravel a jazz mystery

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Shots - Health News

Shots

Health News From NPR

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