New Source of an Isotope in Medicine Is Found
By MATTHEW L. WALD
A nuclear reactor in Poland has emerged as a new source for technetium 99, an isotope used to measure blood flows in the heart and to help diagnose bone and breast cancers.
Scientists Decode Genomes of Five Africans, Including Archbishop Tutu
By NICHOLAS WADE
An analysis of four African Bushmen and the archbishop found 1.3 million novel DNA variants, an important step in expanding the study of genetic diversity.
Consults Blog
Easing the Tics of Tourette’s Syndrome
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Dr. Robert King and Dr. James Leckman from the Yale Child Study Center discuss treatments for Tourette's syndrome.
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
These fries have savory, crisp edges and, like regular fries, they’re a bit addictive.
Wanted: Volunteers, All Pregnant
By PAM BELLUCK
Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times
ON BOARD Alejandra, a 30-year-old waitress in Queens, is part of a government study of children’s health that will follow her and her daughter, Isabella, shown with her husband, José, for 21 years.
The world’s largest long-term study of the health of children aims to track 100,000 babies until they turn 21.
Well
As Girls Grow Up, Sports Pay Dividends
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Two new studies found that girls' involvement in team sports can mean lifelong improvements in educational, work and health prospects.
Well
After Surviving Cancer, a Focus on True Manhood
By DANA JENNINGS
Dana Jennings, who was treated for Stage 3 prostate cancer, found erectile dysfunction to be a particularly stubborn side effect.
Surgery for Obese Children?
By LAURA BEIL
Though still considered experimental, bariatric surgery is fast becoming the next front in the battle against pediatric obesity.
Doctor-Patient Divide on Mammograms
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Patients and doctors may see the new scan guidelines differently, a medical journal reports.
Global Update
Girls’ Health: Kits to Aid in Menstrual Health May Cut School Absenteeism in Kenya
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
A new American-backed charity in Kenya has begun giving away kits containing washable sanitary pads, underwear and soap.
Vital Signs
Regimens: Pungent Pills
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Some patients using the popular medication metformin have stopped because they think it smells like “dead fish.”
Vital Signs
Hazards: Are Pipe and Cigar Users Blowing Smoke?
By RONI CARYN RABIN
They may say they don’t inhale, but such smokers were found to have more than double the risk for abnormal lung function.
Vital Signs
Aging: Hospital Type May Play Role in Decision on Feeding Tubes
By RONI CARYN RABIN
A new study found that large hospitals and for-profit hospitals were more likely to use the tubes in caring for nursing home residents with advanced dementia.
The Common Cold Stirs Fear in Winter Olympians
By KATIE THOMAS
Olympic athletes, who are barred from taking a number of everyday cold and flu medications, are obsessive about not becoming sick in the first place.
Drug Firms Apply Brand to Generics
By NATASHA SINGER
Drug makers are pursuing a consumer base in markets like Asia and Latin America, where many pay out of pocket for medicines but often cannot afford expensive brand-name drugs.
The Health Care Debate
Excise Tax Loses Support Amid White House Push
By ROBERT PEAR
Labor leaders now say a proposed tax on employer-sponsored plans is not worth the limited health care package they expect to emerge from Congress.
In California, Exhibit A in Debate on Insurance
By KEVIN SACK
With the health care debate stalled, the White House has seized on fury about an insurer’s planned rate increases.
New Jersey Added to Trial to Cut Health Insurance Paperwork
By REED ABELSON
Doctors and hospitals will be able to check a patient’s private coverage and track claims through a single Web portal.
Research »
Results Unproven, Robotic Surgery Wins Converts
By GINA KOLATA
Robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery makes sense in some ways, but it is not clear if its outcomes are better.
Fitness & Nutrition »
Recipes for Health
Chickpea Batter-Fried Vegetables
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
Chickpea flour lends these vegetables a crisp, nutty flavor.
Money & Policy »
Long-Term Care Hospitals Face Little Scrutiny
By ALEX BERENSON
Lawsuits, state inspections and federal statistics paint a troubling picture of the care offered at some hospitals.
Documents: Health Inspections
Should Coke Talk About Heart Health?
February 16, 2010
The Myth of Bras and Breast Cancer
February 16, 2010
As Girls Become Women, Sports Pay Dividends
February 15, 2010
After Surviving Cancer, a Focus on True Manhood
February 15, 2010
Women Resolve to Keep Getting Mammograms
February 15, 2010
White House Hints at New Health Bill
February 16, 2010
Let Health Insurance Cross State Lines, Some Say
February 13, 2010
White House Invites Congressional Leaders to Summit
February 12, 2010
Columns
Personal Health
Empathy’s Natural, but Nurturing It Helps
By JANE E. BRODY
The capacity for empathy seems to be innate, but parents can encourage it in children by teaching them to relate positively to others and by modeling it themselves.
Really?
The Claim: Counting Sheep Helps You Fall Asleep
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Do sheep have the power to lull you to sleep?
Q & A
Bras and Cancer
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Is there any truth to the rumor connecting breast cancer to wearing bras?
Patient Money
When Children Are Overweight, Changes for the Whole Family
By LESLEY ALDERMAN
Parents can do a lot to prevent or rectify childhood obesity. It’s a case of home economics: exercise and healthier food are the easiest, cheapest approach.
Patient Voices: Tourette's Syndrome
Sudden jerking movements, uncontrollable tics and strange vocalizations. Seven men and women talk about living with Tourette’s syndrome.
Join the Discussion- Ask an Expert
More Patient Voices: Migraines | A.L.S. | More »
Understanding the Tics of Tourette’s
Dr. Robert A. King and Dr. James F. Leckman of the Yale School of Medicine are answering readers’ questions about Tourette’s syndrome.
- A Hidden Danger of ‘an Aspirin a Day’
- Do you have a question about health? E-mail consults@nytimes.com.
The Weekly Health Quiz
In the news: Tics, 3-D movies and hypersexuality. Test your knowledge of this week's health news.
Multimedia
Health Care Conversations
Share your thoughts about the health care debate. Join the discussion.
- Top conversations: The Public Option | A Single-Payer System | Illegal Immigrants
Taking a Chance on a M.R.I.
February 17, 2010,
A New Way to Comment
February 16, 2010
Mammograms and Severe Dementia
February 15, 2010
Inside Health
Views
18 and Under
When to Worry if a Child Has Too Few Words
By PERRI KLASS, M.D.
Every pediatrician knows the frustration of trying to quantify the speech and language skills of a screaming toddler.
Interactive Feature: Training Tool
Get ready for marathon day with customized training plans that help you track your progress.
Multimedia
Meeting an Unmet Need
First created to give medical care to people in isolated areas outside the United States, a traveling health clinic is now spending 60 percent of its resources to providing care in the U.S.
Mapping the Human ‘Diseasome’
Researchers created a map linking different diseases to the genes they have in common.
The Health Care Debate
The latest on efforts to overhaul the health care system.
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