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Shots - Health News

Shots

Health News From NPR

A new study finds that stimulating the brain during sleep can improve memory. DrAfter123/Getty Images hide caption

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Scientists zap sleeping humans' brains with electricity to improve their memory

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Many medical students do not attend lectures in the first two years, instead opting to watch recorded classes on their own time. Tom Fowlks/Getty Images hide caption

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Tom Fowlks/Getty Images

Abbie Harper worked for a helpline run by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), which is now being phased out. Harper disagrees with the new plan to use an online chatbot to help users find information about eating disorders. Andrew Tate hide caption

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Andrew Tate
Kaitlin Brito for NPR

Worried about your kids' video gaming? Explore their online worlds yourself

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Good health depends on more than daily exercise and a healthy diet. Access to safe housing, good schools and a decent job are important too. Si-Gal/Getty Images hide caption

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Why our allergies are getting worse —and what to do about it

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Cutting back on ultra-processed food in your child's diet doesn't have to be a huge lift. Learn shortcuts and smart swaps, like giving them nuts for a snack instead of chips. Even if they're salted, the higher protein and healthy fats in nuts are an added benefit. Meredith Rizzo for NPR hide caption

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Meredith Rizzo for NPR

A clinician prepares cells for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, the treatment for infertility. In the future, it could be joined by IVG, in vitro gametogenesis, a new process that could turn any cell first into a stem cell and then into a sperm or egg cell. Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images

Creating a sperm or egg from any cell? Reproduction revolution on the horizon

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The brain requires a large number of nutrients for optimal health and efficiency, but micronutrients are typically absorbed better through foods than through supplements. Grace Cary/Getty Images hide caption

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Grace Cary/Getty Images

Can multivitamins improve memory? A new study shows 'intriguing' results

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Foods classified as ultra-processed are those that have many added ingredients such as artificial coloring, added sugars, emulsifiers and preservatives. An apple may undergo minimal processing when it gets made into applesauce. But when it gets made into a shelf-stable apple pie or candy gummies with added sugars, colorings and flavorings, these foods are considered ultra-processed. Meredith Rizzo for NPR hide caption

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Meredith Rizzo for NPR

What we know about the health risks of ultra-processed foods

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Alicia Celaya, David Cardenas and their son Adrian, 3, in Phoenix in April. Celaya and her family will lose their Medicaid coverage later this year, a result of a year-long nationwide review of the Medicaid enrollees that will require states to remove people whose incomes are now too high for the program. Matt York/AP hide caption

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Matt York/AP

"When you're younger, your mind is more open, and you're more creative," says 13-year-old Leo De Leon. Adolescence is a time of rapid brain development that scientists call "breathtaking." Jon Hamilton/NPR hide caption

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Jon Hamilton/NPR

Want to understand your adolescent? Get to know their brain

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After emergency surgery, an American expatriate with Swiss insurance now carries the baggage of a five-figure bill. Aria Konishi/KFF Health News hide caption

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Aria Konishi/KFF Health News

He visited the U.S. for his daughter's wedding — and left with a $42,000 medical bill

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Dr. Franz Theard performs a sonogram on a patient seeking abortion services at the Women's Reproductive Clinic in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, a state that has not banned abortions. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Farming in a 20-year drought is "hard for us," says John Mestas, at his cattle ranch in Colorado's San Luis Valley. Rising levels of arsenic in the water supply are linked to the drought. Melissa Bailey/KFF Health News hide caption

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Melissa Bailey/KFF Health News

Experimental therapies for cancer can be tempting when you're sick, but many fail to offer any benefit. Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF hide caption

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Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Genetics, gut microbes and other lifestyle and environmental factors can impact how people's bodies react to food. An NIH study aims to find out how. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images hide caption

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Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

The first vaccine to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, moved a step toward approval by the Food and Drug Administration with positive votes Thursday from a panel of experts. Kateryna Kon/Getty Images/Science Photo Library hide caption

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Kateryna Kon/Getty Images/Science Photo Library

FDA advisers support approval of RSV vaccine to protect infants

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Some older Americans got dozens of COVID tests they never ordered in the mail, just as the free test benefit was ending. It could mean they are at risk for more fraud involving their Medicare numbers. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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