In March, we talked about the first-ever effective vaccine against genital herpes. Now, there's news of two vaccines that may be as much as 100 times better than that. Although they haven't even entered human clinical trials, there's cause for optimism and here's why.

We thought that our fellow scientists and physicians — our peers — who joined Theranos in order to increase its transparency and communication would be willing to talk about their role on the advisory board, and the developing technology. But, after we tried to engage them, boy were we wrong.

Ben & Jerry's wants us to believe that global warming, while catastrophic enough in its own right, could also deprive us of some of our favorite dessert flavors. Immediate action is necessary, the company implores us, or the chocolate, nuts and coffee used as ingredients could vanish from the Earth. By rolling out this disingenuous marketing gimmick the ice cream maker must think its customers are dimwitted rubes with no ability to engage in critical thinking. 

This was meant purely to be a pre-debate article. But intense interest in the topic propelled it to eclipse 100,000 readers in less than a day -- The Drudge Report made it a front-page post. That's why we're now circulating it to all of our readers. Before she took to the podium, ABC News' George Stephanopoulos said that Hillary Clinton could not afford to have a coughing fit -- and she didn't have one. Maybe her aides read this piece, about how to suppress coughs.

Not only does cigarette smoking damage the lungs, it can cause often hidden damage to the heart that has nothing to do with cholesterol levels. A recent study found changes in the actual heart structure of current smokers. On the plus side, former smokers' hearts seemed to have more of the characteristics of never smokers than of current smokers. 

For most of us, our first thought when a new pathogen causes an outbreak is: Will I get it? Epidemiologists estimate how many people will get different infectious diseases, by giving each of them a rank on the scale of how contagious they are. It's called the Basic Reproduction Number.

We can’t talk about penises and urethras without mentioning vaginas. So, it seems like the perfect segue in our series on foreign bodies in the body, to move directly from one family jewel to another.  Let’s dive right in and open Pandora’s box, so to speak.

"Spice" is linked to serious health issues ranging from difficulties breathing to psychotic episodes. Yet despite well-known issues, these drugs are still in demand and the homeless, particularly, are at risk of mental health issues from their use. So what exactly are these drugs made of and why do they cause such violent reactions?

1. In US News and World Report, they cover a publicity briefing by Greg Glassman, CEO of the Crossfit extreme exercise empire. Glassman is trying to generate some traction for his recent publicity stunt claiming he knows that soda causes diabetes, despite the fact that the evidence is similar to claiming spoons do.

This Saturday marks the beginning of flu season -- which spans the months of October to May -- so that means it's time to get your flu shot. The ideal time is to get vaccinated before the end of October. The CDC has issued immunization guidance with a few changes worth noting, which we have for you here.