Poison Pen

Air Pollution as a Heart Threat

By DEBORAH BLUM

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Downtown Los Angeles covered in smog.

An increasing number of studies link air pollution not just to cancer, but to cardiovascular disease as well.

Ravaged by Typhoon, Philippines Faces Threat of Serious Diseases

By RICK GLADSTONE

Illnesses that thrive in tropical, fetid environments, where sewage and water supplies intermingle, could form what doctors fear is the disaster’s second wave.

The Typhoon's Wrath: Photos, Nov. 7-14

Obama Selects Health Policy Advocate as Surgeon General

By STEVE KENNY

President Obama nominated Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, an early supporter and grass-roots advocate for the Affordable Care Act, as surgeon general on Thursday.

Statin drugs are mostly sold as inexpensive generics.

Questions for a New Class of Cholesterol Drugs

By KATIE THOMAS

A promising new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as PCSK9 inhibitors is being developed.

“We fumbled the rollout” on the law, President Obama said Thursday.

Obama Moves to Avert Cancellation of Insurance

By ASHLEY PARKER and ROBERT PEAR

President Obama, bowing to pressure, said insurers could temporarily keep people on health plans that were to be canceled. But there is no guarantee that insurers will do so, or that the states will allow the renewals.

Full Transcript of Obama’s Remarks

Knee or Hip Replacement Cuts Heart Risks

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

For people with severe arthritis, knee or hip replacement may have an added benefit: a reduction in the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Chicago Said to Weigh Suit Over Marketing of Painkillers

By BARRY MEIER

Lawyers for the city are investigating whether the benefits of the drugs, known as opioids, were overly promoted while their risks were underplayed.

Recipes for Health

Roasted Sweet Potato Pie or Flan

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

An untraditional flan that is irresistibly creamy.

Gluten-Free Pies for Thanksgiving

November 15, 2013

Weight Loss Surgery Raises Some Pregnancy Risks

November 15, 2013

Ask Well: Table Salt vs. Sea Salt

November 14, 2013

Doctors Identify a New Knee Ligament

November 13, 2013

3 Things to Know About the New Cholesterol Guidelines

November 12, 2013

Go to Well »

The Weekly Health Quiz

Predicting a Fall’s Aftermath

November 15, 2013

When the Doctor Disappears

November 14, 2013

A Different Kind of Hearing Aid

November 11, 2013

‘A Very Ungrateful Old Lady’

November 8, 2013

Go to Blog »

Columns

Personal Health

Rethinking ‘Term Pregnancy’

By JANE E. BRODY

A pregnancy that is shorter or longer than full term can sometimes be less than ideal for the infant, and occasionally for the mother.

Ask Well

Buying Cheaper Drugs Online

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

There’s no guarantee of getting high quality medications from any website, but you can increase your chances by buying from a credentialed site.

Multimedia

Picture Your Life

Faces of Breast Cancer

We asked our readers to share insights from their experiences with breast cancer. Here are some of their stories.

Programmers Find New Way to Navigate Health Plans

November 15, 2013

Wisconsin Governor Seeks to Extend Medicaid

November 14, 2013

California Shuts Down Sites Mimicking State Insurance Marketplace

November 14, 2013

Go to In Practice »

From Opinion

Op-Ed Contributors

A Haitian Boy’s Needless Death From Diabetes

By PALAV BABARIA and AISLING O’RIORDAN

On World Diabetes Day, a plea to create universal test strips that will work in any available glucometer.

From the Magazine

Photo illustration by Carl Kleiner

The Pills of Last Resort

By DARSHAK M. SANGHAVI, M.D.

For desperate patients, the pace of clinical drug trials can be lethally slow. But there is a way for them to beat the clock.

Jumper Cables for the Mind

By DAN HURLEY

Would you give your brain a jolt if a Harvard scientist said it could make you smarter, more creative and less depressed?

From Booming

Ask an Expert

Elizabeth Shown Mills, a former president of the American Society of Genealogists.

Advice on How to Research Family History, Part 2

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Elizabeth Shown Mills, a genealogist, discusses “memory holes” created by the Holocaust, record-keeping systems and other issues related to genealogy.

My Story

The Gift at an Ending

By DIANE MELTON

My mother at the extraordinary age of 99 was “winding down” and faraway. But then my husband, a doctor, sat down at her bedside and started cracking jokes.