If you’re unlucky enough to come down with the flu, you can blame your own body for your fever, cough, muscle aches and head-to-toe distress, experts say. Most of influenza’s misery is caused by the human body itself, or more precisely the immune system’s response to the virus. “Many of the things that feel bad…  read on >

Being a good student in high school seems to translate into a better job and higher pay down the road, a new study suggests. “Our research found that specific behaviors in high school have long-lasting effects for one’s later life,” said study lead author Marion Spengler. Those behaviors and achievements included being a responsible student,…  read on >

The expression “my better half” — used to describe one’s spouse — may be more than a cliche. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis conducted a five-year study that involved nearly 5,000 married people of all ages, and included questionnaires about spouses’ job satisfaction, raises and promotions. Their findings show that having a spouse…  read on >

Two eating plans — a vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy, and the Mediterranean diet — protect your heart equally, a new study shows. The research included 107 healthy but overweight people, aged 18 to 75, who ate either a low-calorie vegetarian diet that included dairy and eggs, or a low-calorie Mediterranean diet, for…  read on >

Even though it’s the end of February, it’s still not too late to get a flu shot, doctors say. This flu season is one of the worst seen in the United States in years. Flu-linked hospitalizations were still rising earlier this month, and 84 children have died from flu complications so far, according to government…  read on >

Children who’ve had surgery to repair defective hearts are more likely to die or require longer hospitalizations if they live in poorer neighborhoods, a new study suggests. The disparities between affluent and poor children persisted even though all were treated at the same major hospitals, the researchers said. And those disparities were only partially explained…  read on >

Women don’t need to have blocked arteries to experience a heart attack, a new study points out. Blocked arteries are a main cause of heart attack in men, according to researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. They found, though, that about 8 percent of women who have chest pain but no blocked arteries…  read on >

Many of us make choices about whether to eat healthy or not-so-healthy foods based on whether we’re in a good or not-so-good mood. When a bad mood strikes, we often tend to reach for junk food. And that can be a recipe for disaster when you’re trying to lose weight. Here’s how to keep your…  read on >

The number of uninsured American adults held steady at about 13 percent in 2017, but many more insured Americans are being presented with high deductibles, new research shows. A high-deductible health plan was defined by the study as one in which a single person would have an annual deductible of $1,300 or more, and a…  read on >

Cramps are a better-known symptom of a woman’s period, but about 20 percent of women are also prone to migraine headaches during menstruation. The Office on Women’s Health suggests seeing a doctor if you have any of these symptoms during menstruation: Your headaches change. Treatments that once worked no longer help. You have side effects…  read on >