It is known that the elderly benefit by receiving a high-dose flu vaccine. However, residents of assisted living facilities are not getting it. Why is that? Dr. David Shlaes, American Council advisor and infectious disease expert, tells us how his inquiry began: with his own family.

Two decades ago Africa seemed like a lost cause. AIDS was unrelentingly decimating the continent and there was little cause for optimism. But life could not be more different now. Thanks to the discovery and distribution of new, powerful drugs, the tide is turning, with Kenya predicted to be AIDS-free by 2030. It's a medical miracle. 

Switzerland believes the practice of throwing a live lobster in a pot of boiling water is mean-spirited, and most of all, cruel. Lawmakers in that landlocked European country actually passed a law recently, banning that particular crustacean toss – even though science has shown that lobsters cannot feel pain. 

An infectious virus or idea plus a susceptible population can cause the flu, a riot or fake news. A study of the 2005 riots in France finds an epidemiologic explanation.  

There are those who believe that Ph.D's are still useful. Others might agree -- but with this gigantic caveat: It's only useful to those who are 100% certain that a life at the research bench is what they want to do.

If the poor are really at risk because hospitals will be shut down due to lack of funding, the worst thing that the Empire State can do is add costs to health care. But that's exactly what Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently did with his budget proposal. 

Why people respond differently to infections of the same bacterial species has been a long-standing question. Work has traditionally focused on the variations in those infected, but new research suggests that the important factors may lay in the bacteria themselves. 

Flavonoids: a group of phytonutrients mostly responsible for the vivid colors in fruits and veggies. But they're also touted as antioxidants that have some health benefits, most recently in the prevention of glaucoma. Let's take a look at the evidence.

Ever familiar with the puffing of peacock feathers having started my career in neurosurgery before switching fields, watching CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta question Trump's White House physician brought back memories.

Some say that energy drinks are the worst thing that you can do to your body, and that they cause everything from nausea to seizures. But the fears are overdone. Way overdone. Here's why.