Nancy Shute
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Ten percent of pregnant women say they drink, even though doctors have spent decades saying that birth defects and developmental delays from alcohol can be prevented completely by abstaining. -
Cities and towns across the West are warning residents that high levels of smoke from forest fires threaten their health, with no sign of abating. That means indoor recess and no vacuuming. -
The widely publicized measles outbreak linked to California theme parks appears to have made parents more confident about vaccine safety and benefits, a national poll finds. -
It turns out jeans really can be too tight. An Australian woman suffered nerve and muscle damage after wearing superskinny jeans. She couldn't walk and was hospitalized, but has since recovered. -
If you've got a life-threatening medical condition, your first call might not be to an economist. But Alvin Roth used a theory about matching markets to help connect kidney patients and donors. -
Long hours in practice might account for the higher concussion risk in high school and college football, a study finds. Some schools are retooling practice to reduce the number of hits. -
When children think they're being slighted, it can lead to risky behavior as teenagers, a study finds. Having warm, respectful relationships helps counteract the claim, "You always liked her best!"
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The rare virus is spreading fast, and doctors don't have an instant test to find out who has it. So parents should be ready to seek help quickly if a child has a cold that's rapidly getting worse.
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Drinking too much alcohol is a big factor in deaths of adults under age 65, CDC researchers say, from obvious risks like vehicle accidents to more subtle effects like higher rates of breast cancer. -
Almost half the states have passed laws easing access to marijuana for medical or recreational use. But most Americans have reservations, especially when it comes to access by young people.
