HowStuffWorks Newsletter
Thanks to modern medicine, we have at our disposal countless medications and techniques for overcoming health problems. Learn about recent innovations in modern medicine techniques and how they have transformed the medical world.
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And that's huge, because they'll be more accessible AND affordable.
We have mRNA technology to thank for remarkably successful COVID-19 vaccines. Can that same mRNA technology be used to help prevent or even eradicate other diseases as well?
How long does it take for a pandemic to end? History suggests the disease itself will fade but will almost never be truly gone.
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Not crazy about going into your doctor's or therapist's office these days? You might be interested in a telemedicine service like Doctor on Demand.
Venomous snakebites are one of the world's largest hidden health problems. But now researchers believe they've found a new way to treat the problem onsite, before victims get to the hospital.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak has people self-quarantining as much as possible, telemedicine has become a big alternative. But if you've never done it before, what can you expect?
By Alia Hoyt
A little girl with epilepsy caused the mash-up of a beloved children's book title and a CBD oil that changed medical history.
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A ventilator is a machine that helps a person breathe by blowing oxygen into the lungs and removing carbon dioxide out of the lungs. They're a critical piece of equipment for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Machine learning, or artificial intelligence, might just save us from bacterial infections in the future.
You've probably seen the ads for drugs to treat depression, and the warnings that they may cause suicidal thoughts. But why would that be?
By Alia Hoyt
He was able to detect a significant number of early cancers with his method, paving the way for the first mass screening program, launched in Tennessee in 1928.
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Forget the knife and take a pill instead?
By Chris Opfer
Flexible electronics have enabled a team at Tufts University to create a bandage that not only monitors wounds, but delivers treatment as well.
The new 3D color scans look like cross sections from a vividly realistic anatomical model, revealing great detail and true-to-life color.
The study, led by Boston Children's Hospital, was successful at getting mice with spinal cord injuries to walk again.
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There's actually a need for donated stool to help treat certain intestinal infections. But not everyone is qualified for the task.
By Alia Hoyt
Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections pose a grave danger to the health of millions of people every year. Phage therapy may provide a solution.
By Carrie Tatro
An as-yet untested Ebola vaccine is giving health officials hope of containing the outbreak sweeping the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa.
Scientists hope to grow transplant organs from patients' own stem cells, but success may still be a long way off.
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Ingestible sensors in pills are becoming a reality with digital drugs.
By Diana Brown
Spermbots, originally designed to help lethargic human sperm fertilize eggs, also may be used to deliver chemotherapy to fight cervical cancer.
Fecal transplants have been proven effective in treating C. diff bacterial infections, but a new pill might be cheaper and less invasive.
Psilocybin (the drug in magic mushrooms) provides relief for severely depressed people, according to new research. But there are some caveats.
By Alia Hoyt
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Maple syrup for medicinal purposes? Sign us up.
A neurosurgeon duo hopes to transplant a living human head from a patient whose body is dying to a healthy donor body. But that raises questions — a lot of questions.