Body

Can Electrically Stimulating Your Brain Make You Too Happy?

When doctors can directly access patients' cerebral reward networks, someone has to decide just how good people should feel.

• Lone Frank
• March 21, 2018

Skin-Firming as Self-Flagellation

Using a remedial lotion—that may not even work—only worsened my body image.

• Catherine Green
• February 19, 2017

It’s the Moms Who Get Kids to Church

A new study suggests women are the primary models for religious faith in many households.

• Emma Green
• October 26, 2016

Why the Male Pill Still Doesn't Exist

Despite decades of research, it’s still only women who deal with the daily annoyances of contraceptive medication.

• Andy Extance
• July 13, 2016

The 4 Kinds of People Who Don’t Vaccinate Their Kids

And how to change their minds

• Julie Beck
• October 6, 2015

The Drug With a 5,000 Percent Markup

The story of Daraprim’s huge price hike is part of a trend of exorbitant pharmaceutical pricing.

• Julie Beck
• September 22, 2015

The NFL's Continuing Concussion Nightmare

As a new season starts, the National Football League tries to move forward from an ugly history of brain injuries.

• Julie Beck
• September 21, 2015

Vaccine Skepticism and 'Big Government'

Donald Trump and Ben Carson’s remarks on vaccines during the Republican debates show how hard it is to fight ideology with facts.

• Julie Beck
• September 17, 2015

Women Don't Need to Have Periods

Using birth control to eliminate menstruation isn’t unsafe, even if some worry it’s “unnatural.”

• Alana Massey
• September 9, 2015

Carbs: A Love Story

Several new studies suggest starches are an essential human nutrient and can be part of an effective weight-loss plan.

• Olga Khazan
• August 18, 2015

The Toxins in Feminine-Hygiene Products

How perfumed toiletries—particularly douches—lead to dangerously high levels of chemicals in the body

• Olga Khazan
• July 20, 2015

What Does It Mean to Be Healthy, Anyway?

The search for answers often leads to more questions. Notes from Spotlight Health.

• Julie Beck
• June 25, 2015

Save the Trees, Save the People

A new study shows that conservation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon are linked to lower rates of some diseases.

• Julie Beck
• June 16, 2015

What to Expect When You're Expecting to Eat Your Placenta

A new review of the literature finds no evidence that “placentophagy” is good for mothers. It could even be harmful.

• Julie Beck
• June 4, 2015

How Contact Lenses Change the Eye's Microbiome

New research finds certain species of bacteria to be more prominent in the eyes of contact-wearers, offering a possible explanation for why they’re prone to some kinds of infections.

• Julie Beck
• June 2, 2015

Don't Let Them See Your Tampons

What’s behind the urge to keep feminine products hidden?

• Julie Beck
• June 1, 2015

A Liberian Hospital After Ebola

In the wake of the epidemic, Liberian healthcare facilities have overhauled the way they handle infectious disease. But as resources and attention wane, can the country’s health system sustain these changes?

• Sarah DiLorenzo
• May 29, 2015

Is Depression a Symptom of Parkinson's Disease?

A new study suggests depression is an early manifestation of the neurodegenerative disease, not just a byproduct of being chronically ill.

• Adrienne LaFrance
• May 20, 2015

Blueprint for a Better Human Body

People who wear and design prosthetics are rethinking the form of our species.

• Rose Eveleth
• May 17, 2015

How One Hospital Reduced Unnecessary C-Sections

Public report cards for doctors led to lowered costs and more natural births.

• Anna Gorman
• May 13, 2015