Health A-Z News & Features

Here are the top 10 most viewed news stories of the last year.

WebMD editors pick 2005's major health news stories.

Digital technology and tiny microphones are creating hearing aids so small you can barely see them.

What should you expect from endoscopic surgery?

Germs are often spread through shared toys. Try these 10 tips to beat bacteria in the bedroom and playroom.

Changing a few habits and doing some spring cleaning around the calendar can help keep your bathroom sterile. Check out these 10 tips.

Experts look at the pros and cons of alternative arthritis therapies.

Experts share first aid tips while debunking some common home remedies.

Instead of following old wives' tales, try these tips to treat the dings and scrapes of summer.

Why it's so important to spend time in the kitchen with your children -- and how you can get started

Here's how to avoid illness or injury on your next vacation in the U.S. or abroad. Prepare before you leave, and pack some health essentials in your luggage.

Good news for folks whose bedrooms have more activity than their bank accounts: New research shows that sex is better for your happiness than money.

The news media are so full of warnings about potential summer health hazards that you may wonder, as the season wears on, how anyone ever comes through unscathed.

Innovations in technology improve health care and efficiency in health-care systems.

All states -- even ones at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to hospital care -- have good hospitals and bad hospitals. What do you look for in a good hospital?

It couldn't happen here. Before 9/11, that's what we used to think. We've known better for two years. Yet America remains unprepared to deal with disaster.

How private are online medical records?

Online management tools and other technology put patients in control of their health.

Want your children to eat healthy foods? Create a nutritional home. Begin here.

Americans are popping more vitamins than ever before -- not to mention all the vitamin-fortified foods hitting store shelves. Is this a dangerous habit or are we throwing our money away?

Timeline of events in biological and chemical terror history

Federal government presents a disaster preparedness plan in case of terrorist attack.

Exploring the 'dark side' may be a psychological need that's met when the scare is actually over.

Is the U.S. healthcare system prepared for another attack?

Is the U.S. healthcare system prepared for another attack?

U.S. funding only permitted for cells already taken from embryos.

Direct-to-consumer, or DTC, advertisements for prescription drugs may negatively impact the doctor/patient relationship.

As the number of prescriptions soars, so too does the number of mistakes. For patients, the consequences can be serious.

Medication errors happen more often, causing housands of deaths from preventable errors.

Medical Savings Accounts an Alternative to Managed Care -- for Some

President George W. Bush is expected to announce a discount card plan as an immediate way of keeping prescription drug prices down for seniors.

Hospitals must either tell patients they have sustained treatment-related injuries or risk losing what amounts to their Good Housekeeping seal of approval.

As the baby boom generation ages, the nation is facing an unprecedented explosion in its elderly population.

Eeport details ER overflow, as a nursing shortage threatens to worsen.

Experts Urge Family Members to Discuss Their Wishes for End-of-Life

A strong relationship with your doctor doesn't just make office visits more pleasant -- it's key to having better health.

Taking a key early step in the annual Washington budget negotiations dance, the administration Monday officially delivered to Congress hundreds of pages of documents containing its proposals for national spending for 2002.

Drug company spending on direct-to-consumer advertising rocketed 39% last year, and experts predict it's not going to slow down.

Two years ago, a blue-ribbon panel committee dropped a bombshell -- the news that up to 98, 000 Americans die annually from medical errors.

Open Discussion is Important

Whether you're new in town, your insurance coverage has changed, or you're facing a health concern that calls for a specialist, chances are that you'll be looking for a new doctor at some point.

The frustrations confronting patients and doctors.

President-elect Bush's pick to head the nation's health and human services department is being criticized for his relations with the tobacco industry.

In the 19th century, the tools of progress were coal, oil, and steel. In the 21st century, they will be atoms, microscopic tubes carrying drugs, and miniature disease-fighting robots, say small-thinking scientists with big ideas.

Few medical or scientific issues have stirred up more controversy in recent years than the idea of using cells and tissue from human embryos in medical research.

Battling a rare genetic disorder called pseudoxanthoma elasticum, or PXE.

You're a working woman in a physically demanding job. And, you're expecting a baby. What are your workplace rights?

I predicted at the start of the year that Congress would not enact any significant health care legislation this year. While there is still time for Congress to prove me wrong, I think my prediction will hold up.

Should schools have the right to test your kids for drugs? One father said no -- and his decision has embroiled him in a high-stakes legal battle over constitutional rights.

Thousands of Americans are crossing the border to get the best deal on their prescriptions.