Does empathy have a dark side?

Plus: Help for seasonal allergies | Prenatal genetic testing

Getty Images A New Kind Of Relief For Seasonal Allergies Sneezing, runny nose, congestion, or irritated eyes? Yes, we hear you: The misery of seasonal allergies is real. A lot of people find temporary relief with over-the-counter medications, but these don't treat the cause. As we head into grass pollen season over the next few months, here's an option to consider: Many allergists now prescribe immunotherapy tablets, which work in the same way as allergy shots. Immunotherapy helps calm the immune system to cut off allergies at the root. Read more to find out if your allergies are a good candidate to be treated with tablets.   Christina Chung for NPR Is There A Problem With Feeling Too Much Empathy? Empathy allows us to experience the perspective of others — to put ourselves in their shoes. Only good things can come from that, right? Not necessarily, according to author Fritz Breithaupt, author of a forthcoming book The Dark Sides of Empathy.   He observes that some negative things —including helicopter parenting, and even terrorism — can come from identifying too strongly with others. Read more for his advice on and how we can learn to cultivate the positive aspects of empathy. And don't miss the latest Invisibilia episode which explores empathy's ambiguous sides.    Lindsey Moore/KQED Prenatal Testing Can Ease Minds Or Heighten Anxieties A growing number of companies offer extensive genetic testing for expecting parents to screen the health of their fetus for hundreds of rare diseases. In the past, doctors may have screened parents for a few suspect diseases common to their specific ethnicity or family history. But now there's a glut of information available. But does knowing more help? And how are expecting parents supposed to make sense of the test results? It turns out your OB-GYN likely can't interpret the results herself. Read more to find out how expecting parents are making sense of their risks.   More of this week’s health stories from NPR A new technology that could sharpen aging memory Porcupine inspires researchers to develop a better way to suture wounds When medical mistakes are prosecuted as crimes, does it make medicine safer? We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism on Shots and follow us on Twitter at @NPRHealth. Your Shots editor, Carmel Wroth   What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: shots@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Goats & Soda, Daily News, Best of NPR and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to our Health emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002