HowStuffWorks Newsletter
Modern medical treatments use the latest research to combat disease. Learn all about personalized medicine, stem cells, orthomolecular medicine and more.
How long does it take for a pandemic to end? History suggests the disease itself will fade but will almost never be truly gone.
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.
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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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.
Forget the knife and take a pill instead?
By Chris Opfer
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
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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.
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.
A new survey found that most parents have some very outdated ideas of treating a concussion.
By Alia Hoyt
Ultrasound may not just be for pregnant women anymore. It could play a critical role in helping patients recover from coma.
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A new program allows people to donate a kidney now and get a certificate a loved one can "cash in" later.
By Alia Hoyt
About eight percent of the U.S. population will have post-traumatic stress disorder in their lifetime. Combining verbal therapy with MDMA could help those millions.
A study shows gastric bypass surgery helps 'skinny' gut microbes flourish. Could this pave the way for a weight-loss pill?
By Alia Hoyt
Addiction isn't pretty. It ruins health and tears apart families — and we don't have any sure-fire way to cure it. When we're examining the possibilities, how do lasers measure up as a possible solution?
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In 2014, 29,532 people in the U.S. received organ transplants, like hearts, lungs and kidneys. What if you wanted a whole new body for your head?
If you've ever dealt with sciatica or degenerative disc disease, you know the unique agony of back pain. Spine surgery has traditionally been a little dicey. Here's what researchers are working on to make it better.
Oh, you can't regrow your own limbs like a starfish? You soon may be able to. That's the promise of regenerative medicine, at least, a field that seeks to help you replace and regenerate your own body parts.
When it comes to your own body, you generally don't want to hear the words "Open 'er up." Minimally invasive surgery is a modern blessing. As researchers innovate, what can patients expect?
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Two thousand years ago, Hippocrates pointed out that diseases affect everyone differently. Fueled by that philosophy, today's scientists and physicians are using personalized medicine to treat the most common to the most complex conditions.
You develop a cough and hop online to search for flu information. Google tracks those searches to predict waves of illness geographically. But how accurate are those predictions?