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Story Archives of 'Health'Broken MindsBy Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, May 13, 2008.
Explorations of our brains' fragility fill the pages of Mason's book, "Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath." Mason, a brain injury case manager in Tulsa, Oklahoma, speaks with Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott about the efforts made to help those permanently disabled by brain injury. We also speak with Lee Harvey, a prominent Seacoast architect who suffered a stroke four years ago while on a Caribbean cruise with his wife. He tells the story of his ongoing recovery at local schools and rehabilitation programs through The Krempels Brain Injury Foundation's SteppingStones program. Listen to the NHPR StoryCorps interview with David Krempels of the Krempels Brain Injury Foundation (Photo by Kenny Stoltz) listen:
  The Family and Medical Leave ActBy Laura Knoy on Tuesday, May 13, 2008.Fifteen years ago, President Clinton signed a law giving unpaid leave and job protection to employees having a baby, suffering from an illness or dealing with a family emergency. Yet some businesses say the law’s been abused, sparking an effort to make some serious reforms. We’ll look at the history of the Family and Medical Leave Act, its impact and the proposed reforms. Guests
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Wi-Fi Could Save Your LifeBy Jacob Eaton on Monday, May 12, 2008.Wi-Fi networks can be found in your home, your office, and your favorite coffee shop. Now, the British Office of Communications (Ofcom) predicts that the same technology may be implanted in human beings – and used to save their lives. Gilmanton Oil Spill ContainedBy Amy Quinton on Thursday, May 8, 2008.State environmental officials say they’ve contained an estimated one-thousand gallon oil spill in Gilmanton. Gilmanton police say a large tanker truck parked nearby emptied the fuel oil into a brook that feeds into Rocky Pond. As New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports, both bodies of water and surrounding wetlands are contaminated and police say the spill might have been intentional. listen:
Pharm AnimalsBy Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, May 6, 2008.A time traveler from the past may think we were pulling his leg if we told him that in the year 2008, humans can actually manufacture drugs inside a goat, then harvest the medicine from the goat's milk. But it’s no joke - researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have teamed up with a company in Massachusetts to expand the way farm animals can be used as pharmaceutical factories. Science reporter Kerry Grens at public radio station WHYY in Philadelphia recently reported on this, and joined Word of Mouth's Virginia Prescott with the scoop.
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Residents Resist a Drug Clinic in ConwayBy Richelle Elberg on Monday, May 5, 2008.Drug addiction is a well known problem across America, and small towns like Conway are not immune. But area residents were shocked last month when they learned that a private, for-profit company wants to open a methadone clinic in town to treat people addicted to opiates. It isn't heroin use that's driving the reported demand - it's the growing problem of prescription drug abuse. NHPR correspondent Richelle Elberg reports from Conway. listen:
A Cold HeartBy Jacob Eaton on Wednesday, April 30, 2008.
Audit Finds Ailing Board Of MedicineBy Josh Rogers on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.4-year audit finds management controls often "weak or nonexistent" at board that regulates doctors. While board leaders say they will address findings they agree with, lawmakers may force the issue. listen:
Hooked from the First CigaretteBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, April 24, 2008.Research on cigarette addiction has long held that it takes years to develop the nicotine habit. But new research indicates that the symptoms of addiction - withdrawal, cravings, and failed attempts at quitting - can appear within the first week of smoking. That's even more cause for tobacco-prevention programs to keep kids from picking up the habit in the first place.
Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott spoke about the research with John Rennie, editor-in-chief of Scientific American, which published the new findings in its May issue. Read a preview of the Scientific American article "Hooked from the First Cigarette" (Photo by Juan Jackson) listen:
Health and Human Services Commissioner Nick ToumpasBy Jon Greenberg on Monday, April 21, 2008.He's been head of HHS for three months, but Nick Toumpas didn’t come in cold - he was previously assistant and then interim Commissioner. He's inherited issues his predecessor, John Stephen, had to deal with: Medicaid, mental health and long term care, but Toumpas also has a tough economy and state budget cuts that have hit his department particularly hard. We’ll talk about the issues he’s begun to tackle and how he’s working around major budget cuts. Guest
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"A tap on the head, and anything can go wrong." That's how our guest 
Until recently, the quickest treatment for a victim of cardiac arrest consisted of an aspirin or the use of a cardiac defibrillator. 
Here in New Hampshire, 20.5 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes. Last year, the state ranked dead last in the country for spending on tobacco prevention programs, with zero dollars spent on prevention, and it looks like New Hampshire will earn that dubious distinction again this year due to budget constraints. It's alarming, given that some scientists have found evidence of changes in the brain of novice smokers after just one dose of nicotine.