((Thinkstock/Tom Le Goff)) Just in time for flu season, there may be a brand-new way to detect the highly contagious virus — before you spread it to your co-workers or classmates. Scientists are developing a home test to diagnose influenza quickly, according to a presentation at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. The new technology is not fully developed, but could be as quick and cheap as a home pregnancy test or throat swab for strep...

Vitamins Fruits and vegetables are nature’s vitamins, so adding additional supplements can be toxic — several studies have linked multivitamins to heart attacks and even shorter lifespans. Other risks include irregular heartbeat, pain and seizures, according to the NIH. (Thinkstock/Ablestock.com) Too much sunshine and too little rain can lead to droughts. Too much power can lead to corruption. More money? More problems. You might think that you can’t have too much of a good thing when it comes to your...

Climate change will affect the spread of West Nile virus and other vector-borne,disease ecologists believe, but exactly how differs from region to region, researchers say in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Under current climate change models, many locations will see longer mosquito seasonsbecause of warmer temps.(Now, West Nile season is from April to September.)But hotter, drier summers will be harder on the mosquito population, shrinking the summer numbers of disease-carrying insects, researchers at the University of Arizona found,...

((Thinkstock/Digital Vision)) A late-summer hike results in tired legs, a sweaty body and a tick bite. The feeding tick infects you with Lyme disease, but your treatment options are limited because you had an allergic reaction to penicillin as a child. This dilemma is fairly common — about one in 10 Americans report a serious allergy to penicillin, according to a New York Times blog post from Abigail Zuger, MD. But patients and doctors might not need to be so...

At least 89 people have gotten sick after eatingChobaniGreek yogurt infected with mold, the Food and Drug Administration reported after an investigation into the illness outbreak. Chobani issued a voluntary recall of the yogurt on Sept. 5 after some customers reported nausea and vomiting after eating the product. No cases of illness have been 100-percent confirmed as linked to the yogurt. At the time of the initial recall, the company described affected containers of Chobani as swollen and bloated, with...

Storms, lightning and barometric pressure changes are a well-known triggers for migraines and headaches. But how vulnerable you are to migraines depends on more than just the weather — it's associated with your weight, according to a new study published in the online issue ofNeurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (MORE: Can Weather Trigger a Migraine?) Obese people are more likely to experience frequent migraines, researchers said, with the new study showing that even occasional migraines could...

((Thinkstock/Jeffrey Hamilton)) A new vaccine could cure simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) — an infection found in monkeys similar to HIV — and might eventually help scientists create a human version for HIV, according to a study from the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute at Oregon Health and Science University published in the journal Nature. Researchers tested the vaccine on 16 monkeys infected with an aggressive form of SIV called SIVmac239. Nine of the 16 monkeys had the infection completely eliminated...

((Thinkstock)) Is mud nature's original pre-natal medicine? Some cultures believe it is. It sounds outlandish, but the practice of eating mud or clay — calledgeophagy— is traditional in some regions, particularly for expectant mothers. But most modern medicine dispels geophagy's benefits, considering it pica, an eating disorder characterized by the consumption of non-food materials, such as dirt or paper. In pregnant women,nutritional deficiencies are what often triggers pica,according to the National Institutes of Health. Iron deficiency (anemia) and zinc deficiency...

Thousands of Colorado residents have evacuated — and three have died with more than a dozen unaccounted for — after rain and flash floods hammered the state throughout the week. The severe weather and flash flood threat is still ongoing — and spreading to New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service — which highlights the need for safety best practices both during the storm and once cleanup begins. (MORE: The Latest on the Colorado Flood) In Arvada, Colo., for...

Summer may just be winding down, but the cold-weather flu season is already upon us. Flu season typically runs from October to April, so the time to get your 2013 flu vaccine is now,said WilliamSchaffner, MD, the chairman of the department of preventive medicine and professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. "This year's influenza vaccine is now widely available through healthcare providers, including pharmacists," he said. "It's important particularly for children under...

A medical illustration of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, one of the deadliest antibiotic-resistant superbugs in the United States, according to the CDC. (CDC) Antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" are one of the most serious threats to human health, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overuse of antibiotics and poor hygiene practices are partially to blame. In March 2012, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, saidthat the overuse of antibiotics is so common that someday,...

A compound called pterostilbene found in blueberries may help boost the human immune system. (Photo courtesy of US Department of Agriculture) When summer weather winds down and cooler temps move in, cold and flu season begins. Compounds found in red grapes and blueberries may enhance immune function, possibly preventing the common cold and other infections, a new study published in the journalMolecular Nutrition and Food Researchfound. In grapes, it's resveratrol, the compound that's responsible for the heart-health benefit of red...