Filed by KOSU News in Health.
July 3, 2011

In an unprecedented public hearing, a panel of experts advising the Food and Drug Administration considered whether the pricey drug Avastin should keep its approval for the treatment of breast cancer. The agency is moving to pull the approval for that use, and we talk about the outcome of the hearing in this week’s podcast.

Looking to cool off at the beach this summer? We round up the superstars and the duds from around the nation when it comes to pollution.

We check in on a new series of stories about women and childbirth. NPR’s Melissa Block reports from Mozambique on a drug that can prevent deaths from bleeding after childbirth but is controversial because it can also be used for abortions.

Another series from NPR’s investigative team looks at shaken baby syndrome, a diagnosis that often comes up in legal cases involving allegations of child abuse. Some doctors, including the neurosurgeon credited with coining the term, are rethinking the condition.

And we hear from gerontologist Mark Lachs about how some rates of disease, disability and death decline once people reach a certain age.

To subscribe to the Your Health podcast, click here. [Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]