The approach would recognize changes in behavior and in the brain. Right now there are no treatments that slow down the disease, but identifying high-risk patients early on could help with prevention.

When doctors ran out of treatment options for her dying husband, Oxana Rucsineanu took matters into her own hands. The costly new drug she got for him has menacing side effects, but it might save him.

Acting fast can be key to preventing permanent damage from a stroke. But many women don't realize that face or arm numbness, speech trouble or abrupt, severe headache can mean it's time to call 911.

In 2010, 15 percent of people who went to the doctor for a headache got a brain scan, even though the vast majority of headaches aren't symptoms of something seriously wrong.

Teenage boys are still the primary users of stimulant medications to treat ADHD, but increased use by adults, particularly young women, has fueled a 36 percent rise in prescriptions in five years.

A regional transplant service built a centralized surgical center in St. Louis where organs are removed from donors. The approach has shaved hours from the time it takes to get organs to patients.

Improvements in doctors' ability to detect breast cancer have outpaced our understanding of what to do about it. Doctors and their patients need to work through the options together.

The annual well-child visit should be about a lot more than getting shots, doctors say. New guidelines for checkups include screening tools for depression and substance abuse starting at age 11.

It's getting easier to cancel a health insurance policy if you get a new job or have other life changes. And new parents can buy coverage for the baby after he or she is born. But there are exceptions to many rules in the Affordable Care Act, so it's worth checking out how they affect you.

Young people are usually less likely to become seriously ill with flu, but this season looks like an exception to that rule. Blame the H1N1 strain. Even though the flu vaccine is less than perfect, getting a shot each year can make the illness less severe, doctors say.