Chickenpox is wrongly thought of as a harmless disease. Prior to widespread vaccination, chickenpox hospitalized 13,000 Americans and killed 150 every year. But even if it was a harmless infection, wouldn't we want to vaccinate our children to spare them the pain of shingles in their later years?
Disease
Everyone knows by now that astronauts get more herpes outbreaks. Big deal. But did you ever consider what a game-changer this could be for those who might accidentally pick up a little contagion while seeking pleasure outside the marriage? No more "I got it from the toilet seat." Now you have a better excuse. Will you join this club, 62 miles up?
New guidelines from the American College of Cardiology drop the recommendation for low-dose aspirin for individuals who have not had a heart attack. The reason: the risks outweigh the benefits.
Expectant parents are bombarded with costly propositions. Diverting attention to all the "what ifs" can be distracting, as compared to "what actually is." Storing their infant's cord blood can be preoccupying. But is it worth it?
The genetic testing company released a new report detailing customer risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. It's better than a coin toss, but not a great screening test. It is medical "edu-tainment." But can it nudge us toward healthier decision making?
Before endless speculation abounds, as we saw with Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent post-operative cancer recovery, or when Melania Trump was admitted for a kidney procedure, it is important to debunk falsehoods.
High blood pressure is perhaps our most common disease. We've been treating it for well over fifty years, so you would think we have a "best treatment" well in hand. A new study suggests that if you thought that was the case, you'd be wrong.
Many of us get up two or more times per night to urinate. A study by Rand Europe tries to put a societal cost to this symptom. This is, in part, how drugs are priced and brought to market in the United Kingdom.
If someone were to lick your face in the subway, there's a pretty good chance you'd take offense. Yet, we see people getting their faces licked by dogs on the street rather commonly. What gives? Is dog saliva "cleaner" than the human kind? No, it's not. Just different.
How did pre-diabetes enter the medical vocabulary? Does it serve to improve our health -- or is it just an opportunity to create a market for medical thinking and medical sales?
The CDC has reported on the horrifying near-death of a 6-year-old boy in Oregon. As is the case with so many stories these days, he was unvaccinated. He was outside playing -- which is, quite frankly, dangerous if you're not vaccinated -- when he scratched his forehead. Then a horror story ensued.
Do you want grandma to keep baking cookies? Well, she won't anymore if she dies from the flu. So go get your shot when the next flu season rolls around in October.