Anorexia and bulimia, once thought to be eating disorders affecting girls and women, affect a growing number of boys and men. Boys as young as 9 and 10 are feeling the pressure to be ripped and muscular, psychologists say. But they can have a hard time finding a treatment program geared to males.

Intrauterine devices are more than 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy — and they work for years. But misnomers about side effects and high initial costs have kept many women in the U.S. from using them. Health organizations and private companies are looking for ways to change that.

Reading literary fiction improves people's ability to recognize other people's mental states, while popular fiction and nonfiction do not, a study says. That may be because literary fiction tends to focus on the psychology and inner lives of the characters.

Hormone replacement therapy used to be considered a fountain of youth for women. Then studies from the Women's Health Initiative found that HRT raised women's risk of chronic diseases. A final report from the massive study says hormone therapy can help younger women manage menopause symptoms, but it isn't safe for use long-term.

With more Germans going vegan and vegetarian, the Munich festival wants to accommodate them. Restaurants say their vegan options at this year's festival are selling well.

The insects are the size of an adult's thumb and can sting multiple times, delivering a large dose of venom.

The debate over the Affordable Care Act has been at the heart of the government shutdown. Host Michel Martin asks two conservative thinkers why they think shutting down the government is a better option than allowing Obamacare to kick in.

Public health officials have been working to reduce use of antibiotics for years. But fresh research shows that antibiotics are still being prescribed where they don't do much good, for ailments like sore throats and bronchitis. Both doctors and patients are to blame for that, experts say.

Many will find better coverage with smaller monthly premiums on the exchanges set up under the Affordable Care Act, insurance specialists say. But in states that decided not to expand Medicaid, some low-income part-timers are finding they don't qualify for federal health insurance subsidies.