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We would think a physician could use guidelines to advise a patient about screening. But what if the guidelines are good for society, but not necessarily as good for the patient? Three separate articles in the Annals of Internal Medicine clarify the dilemma, without providing a solution.

The bat population is declining dramatically due to White-Nose Syndrome. A fungus grows on the bats, irritating them and waking them during hibernation. This energy-sapping growth kills them before they wake in the spring. A new study discovered that a genetic mutation in the fungus could save the bats by ridding them of this disease.

One study examined more than 900 family trees, dating hundreds of years back, finding that the tendency to have girls or boys was inherited. Researchers concluded that the father's genes may also be involved in the process.

With snow days making some stir crazy, delving into what can be physically possible seemed an essential, compelling escape. 

Alas, the $37 billion dietary supplements industry likely will remain unregulated for the foreseeable future. And with it, the fight against junk science and bogus health claims must soldier on.

Treatment advances are not easy to come by, especially in some hard-to-treat cancers like brain and triple negative breast cancer. New research, however, shows that infection with a virus could be key in making a promising treatment applicable to some cancers that were previously resistant.

A new study confirms a trend that adult care is more available than definitive pediatric hospital care. The declining capability is surging inter-hospital transfer rates and regionalizing care with even common conditions.

Brutal cold temps have been circling the U.S. for some days now, with a "bomb cyclone" headed for the East Coast this week. This arctic chill brings about a very real and scary scenario: hypothermia. Since Tuesday, 11 people in the U.S. have died, after succumbing to the cold. 
Do you know how to identify and/or prevent hypothermia, and potentially save a life? Let's talk about some important points..
 

All coffee comes from trees, and all of it contains caffeine. And since there's no such thing as a "caffeine-free coffee tree," there must be ways to separate out the caffeine. The most common involves extracting it from coffee beans with a solvent. One solvent – ethyl acetate – illustrates the madness of the organic movement. 

Behold, two troubling articles, the first on using cadavers in hotel ballrooms to practice medical procedures. The second, spotlighting a practice of Chinese physicians, who rarely disclose the diagnosis of cancer to their patients.

Activists repeat a lie often, get it re-tweeted and soon it's the truth for those who major in Confirmation Bias at Google University. That's likely the only explanation why Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return, basically an anti-meat investment group, released new material prompting regulators to put a "sin" tax on meat.

Jumping into near-freezing water in a summer bathing suit can seem to many simply as a harmless, quasi-crazy act of frivolity and personal expression. But it's not without risk. That's because it also produces "cold-shock," which under some circumstances can actually be fatal. So just know the risks before taking the plunge.

Society has been blind to the secret suffering of many children. What appears to the rest of us as a cute albeit slightly annoying phase is actually a serious mental illness: Dinosaur Obsession Disorder.

Tinnitus, a humming or ringing sound heard when no sound is actually present, affects roughly 15% of the U.S. population. A new study offers what might be an effective treatment for a disease that currently has few good treatment options.

Back from maternity leave, Ana Dolaskie shares her thoughts on why most resolutions fail, and key factors in the ones that succeed.

Flu season is ramping up and it will be nearing its peak in a month or two. Unfortunately, what we've learned so far is that H3N2 is the predominant circulating strain. What that tells us, using previous flu seasons dominated by that strain as a guide, is that we're probably in for a rough ride.

As our diagnostic ability increases, we're finding more cancers that may be treated by watchful waiting. But doing nothing when told you have cancer is difficult for patients and physicians.

Advertising of tobacco products on TV and radio has been verboten since 1971 to reduce the appeal of such products — especially to kids. That, of course, was long before the age of the internet, and a new study finds that online tobacco marketing is linked to an increased risk that adolescents will start using these products.

The recent harrowing episode of cardiac arrest, involving American Heart Association President Dr. John Warner, is a precautionary tale. And it serves as a useful guide for all of us in choosing an achievable 2018 resolution.

With President Trump's annual physical looming, what matters most? And specifically, what would it take to make a president unfit to serve? 

Dietary supplement claims come two in flavors: ridiculous and more ridiculous. This one is the latter. RenewLife's Smokers’ Cleanse™ is gonna clean your lungs. It doesn't matter whether you've smoked more Camels than you can find in the Gobi desert. If you fall for this, the only cleansing that'll take place will be in your wallet.
 
 

Pollsters are always seeking our opinions and trends, and the close of 2017 was prime time for probing how we feel as we look ahead to 2018. For instance, in the "not-so-great category" what words or phrases irked the largest number of people? And then there are all those New Year's resolutions: Will we make them? Will we keep them?
 

We spend over $73 billion annually on state lotteries. What is that all about?

Lawyers are routinely required to solve problems that they themselves created. If something like this were to occur in any other area of life, it would be called racketeering. So beware, science: a lawsuit-happy nation turns its eyes to you.

Whether it involves closing your eyes, drinking a hot beverage by the mug or basking in the warmth of dry heat, these activities are among a handful of easy ways to improve your health in the coming year (as well as those to come).