The Appendix Fights Illnesses! Seven Misunderstood Body Parts Explained.
To survive, you need your heart, lungs, and liver. But what about your appendix, tonsils, wisdom teeth, and other parts that you normally hear about only when they're being removed. Are they just troublemakers? Not quite. “Most likely all of these were useful and all of them may still be,” says Dr. Robert Ashton, a surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center who admits that “some of them are thought to be more useful than others. ” Still, some body parts may linger thanks to evolutionary laziness, says Dr. Udayan Shah, associate professor of otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and chair of the medical devices and drug committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology─Head and Neck Surgery. “If it doesn’t interfere with reproduction, it’s not going to be removed from the human gene pool.” With recent research indicating that the appendix isn't just a ticking time bomb, we got thinking: what other body parts get an undeserved bad rap, and which ones...
Couples Face Tough Choices on Unused Embryos
A psychologist on the complicated reasons couples are reluctant to donate or destroy stored embryos after their fertility treatments end.
Top 10 Gifts That Bring Health and Holiday Cheer
A tooth cleaning for Christmas? Don't laugh. In a tight economy, giving the gift of health isn't just practical, it can be a life-saver.
Couples Face Tough Choices on Unused Embryos
A psychologist on the complicated reasons couples are reluctant to donate or destroy stored embryos after their fertility treatments end.
Top 10 Gifts That Bring Health and Holiday Cheer
A tooth cleaning for Christmas? Don't laugh. In a tight economy, giving the gift of health isn't just practical, it can be a life-saver.
Are Gluten-Free Diets Healthier, or Is It Hype?
Americans are spending about $2 billion a year on gluten-free products, which advocates claim can help with everything from autism to ADHD, but is the trend more about hype than health?
Julie Andrews's Daughter and Her Love of Reading
Emma Walton Hamilton writes children's books with her mother, Julie Andrews. Now she's written about how to get kids to read.
Diet: How to Bake Healthier Holiday Goodies
A dessert expert's tips on making holiday treats more healthful.
Mandating Calorie Counts on Menus Nationwide
Would a national law requiring calorie counts on chain restaurant menus help curb the obesity epidemic, or would we stay in 'Dining Denial'?
Myths vs Reality in the Fight Against Belly Fat
Do those flat-abs diets work? We sort through the myths and realities of fighting waistline weight gain.
Altgeld Gardens: Remembering the Young Obama
At the Chicago apartment block where Obama worked as a community organizer, remembering a "God-sent" young man.
Three New Studies Look at the Mystery of SIDS
Three new studies examine the mystery of SIDS—a condition that takes thousands of infant lives every year.
Flexitarians: Can You Be a Part-Time Vegetarian?
Advocates call it flexitarianism, but critics say being a little bit vegetarian is like being a little bit pregnant.
How Women Around the World Cope With Infertility
In developing countries, where infertility is seen as a personal failing, or even a curse, a woman who can't conceive may face devastating ostracism. But there's hope for more affordable treatment.
A Book for Teens Shows a 'Survivor'-Like World
'The Hunger Games' portrays a world where kids must kill each other to survive. The shocker? It's a book for 12-year-olds.
The Success of the Chickenpox Vaccine
A CDC expert on the success of the chickenpox vaccine and why every child should get a booster shot to prevent new outbreaks of the potentially serious disease.
Why Prophylactic Mastectomies Are Increasing
Like Christina Applegate, more women are choosing prophylactic mastectomies. But does the radical procedure increase breast-cancer survival rates?
Who Should Get the HPV Vaccine and When?
The author of a new study of the HPV vaccine discusses its cost-effectiveness and the conflicting information about who should get it and when.
Inside Bennigan's Bankruptcy Filing
Bennigan's restaurants fall victim to American belt-tightening.
Preemies' Problems May Last a Lifetime
As a new study paints a dark picture for babies born before 37 weeks, an expert offers advice about having a healthy pregnancy.