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We tend to associate vaccines with prevention of acute illness — which they're quite good at. But future benefits can also accrue to the vaccinated, such as prevention of shingles in those who have avoided chicken pox, and escaping measles-engendered encephalitis.

Continuing our 12 Days of Christmas series, we dedicate Day 5 to homeopathic products – which can be found in the aisles of almost every pharmacy. However, over the course of this past year, one in particular found itself more and more in the news – and less and less on the shelves.

OK, America. Time to finally but down that second burger and that extra-large soda. A new CDC report shows that for the first time in 22 years, life expectancy for the average American has dropped. Heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death, is directly linked to nation's ubiquitous overeating epidemic.
 

With medical fitness to serve being a recurring theme in 2016, Santa Claus requested his doctor release his latest health report. Will he be cleared by Christmas?

Ah yes, holiday time is here — so is egg nog, Christmas cookies and Hanukkah latkes — all designed to pack on the pounds. So how to best prevent or treat the resulting overweight or obesity? Science tells us there's no best way. But as we've thought for a while, there are many ways to take the weight off. And if one doesn't work another just might.

Your noggin is not as special as you think. That is, in terms of losing heat in the winter. Here's why you can skip the hat and not be entirely doomed.

Even with the hot-button topic of abortion, there's one thing that nearly everyone can agree upon: having as few abortions as possible. And recent data from the Centers for Disease and Control states that the abortion rate in America has fallen by roughly one fifth from 2004 to 2013.

In the mid-1600s, the remains of a small child from a family of nobility, were placed in a crypt in Lithuania. Now we are learning, according to a recent report in the journal Current Biology, that this small body is revealing secrets about the origins and spread of smallpox, one of the deadliest scourges to ever plague mankind.
 

There's an ever-growing body of evidence that reinforces the health benefits of being with animals. A new study published in BMC Psychiatry explores the role pets had with those suffering from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other significant, long-term mental illnesses.

It's been nearly one year since the Food and Drug Administration recommended that teens be prevented from using tanning beds, however the agency has yet to make its final ruling. But a new study estimating significant financial and life-saving benefits of such a ban will hopefully prompt the FDA to finally act.

A speaker at a recent Alzheimer's conference said that the Alzheimer's-Amyloid Plaque hypothesis shouldn't be shown the door quite yet. That's despite one failure after another to dissolve the plaques and slow the progression of the disease. Not so sure I agree. 

When you need some serious medicine for an asthma attack or an autoimmune disease flare-up, prednisone is your drug of choice. But the stuff is also nasty. Here's why.

Vivek Murthy recently announced that e-cigarettes pose a "major public health concern," adding that "the use of nicotine-containing products by youth, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe." But that's not what the science says. It'd be far better for the Surgeon General to say that those who don't currently vape shouldn't do it, bit, but that e-cigarettes are likely to prove much safer than regular cigarettes. 

When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping -- at least when it comes to easing thoughts of one's eventual demise. A few studies can attest to the notion that retail therapy tends to improve the mood of those who are in constant worry of their own mortality. And we can think of a few other reasons, too. 

As players adapt to the National Hockey League's updated concussion protocol, several who have taken head blows received on-the-spot medical evaluations. But as to whether the safety guidelines are working as intended, it's worth scrutinizing a recent controversial incident involving the NHL's leading scorer, Connor McDavid. 

President-elect Donald Trump is considering candidates to head the Food and Drug Administration. With it, there may be an opportunity to streamline the agency's drug-approval process. But what will really work?

You'd be excused for thinking that by now everyone understands the health risks of cigarette smoking. But some recent research points to a significant lack of knowledge among many Americans — a lack that can certainly put their health at risk.

All arguments are fair game as for whether Dr. Ben Carson is the right (or wrong) person to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. But don't tell us a brain surgeon only possesses the skills to be a brain surgeon.

Four new chemical elements have official names and symbols, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry recently announced. After a five-month review, IUPAC chemists have approved the names for superheavy elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 proposed by the elements' discoverers.

The proliferation of coffee shops and energy drinks clearly shows that caffeine is in high demand. The stimulant is even added to some medicine. However, because only a handful of plants produce it, there has been some interest in creating caffeine synthetically.

Despite 50,000 emergency visits for carbon monoxide poisoning each year in the U.S., there is no effective way to treat it. That could change, thanks to some very clever work being done at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Largely overshadowed by the NFL, the National Hockey League, working in conjunction with its Player's Association, deserves credit for implementing a smart concussion prevention and management plan. It shows considerable promise, and one that demonstrates a joint commitment to making pro hockey safer.
 
 
 
 

Pharmaceutical companies usually provide innovation that helps improve the lives of patients. But AstraZeneca marketed Nexium, a drug that should have never been approved in the first place. The company did it solely for money — without any benefit to society – and it hauled in nearly $48 billion during the past decade.
 

Mom and dad are just as guilty — if not more — of soaking up screen time than their offspring. That's rather interesting, considering the fact that the same parents responded that they were concerned their children would become addicted to technology. 

Surely Pfizer wouldn't mind if you took a closer look at what's listed on its label for Centrum Silver Men, which is marketed to men age 50+, right? Copper sulfate: Pesticide. Silicon dioxide. Glass. Titanium dioxide. Paint. But the biggest dirty little secret about multivitamins is that few people actually need dietary supplements.