Valentine's Day falls smack dab in the middle of flu and cold season, so kissing may not be such a good idea, a U.S. infectious disease expert suggests. Dr. Jorge Parada, medical director, infectious disease at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill., said changing weather or temperatures are often blamed for winter's coughs and sniffles, but in reality, colds, coughs and the flu are in...

A blood test analyzing levels of nine biomarkers accurately distinguished patients diagnosed with depression from others, U.S. researchers said. MCT Lead author Dr. George Papakostas of the Massachusetts General Hospital said previous efforts to develop tests based on a single blood or urinary biomarker did not produce results of sufficient sensitivity. “The biology of depression suggests that...

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (AP) ― The first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in more than 15 years means most offerings ― including the always popular pizza ― will come with less sodium, more whole grains and a wider selection of fruits and vegetables on the side. First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the new guidelines during a visit Wednesday with elemen...

Kangbuk Samsung Hospital said Thursday that it will open an international clinic on Feb.16 at the Samsung office building in Taepyeongno, central Seoul. Located 500 meters from Seoul City Hall, the clinic expects to cater mostly to expats and foreign tourists. It will share facilities and infrastructure with the Samsung hospital. The hospital conducts joint studies with Johns Hopkins University...

Also termed “flowers in the land of the dead,” black spots on the face are generally referred to as seborrheic keratosis or senile lentigo, and are gradually formed as the skin ages. There are many people who think that black spots on the face occur only in old age. But they can also occur in younger people who frequently perform outdoor activities and are exposed to ultraviolet rays. The signs ...

Study suggests that obese doctors are more generous to patients in need of weight loss Encouraging a healthy weight has become essential in Korea. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, about 26.5 percent of women and 35.6 percent of men are considered to be either overweight or obese by WHO standards. Health authorities have estimated that the domestic weight loss industry will reach...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Zapping testicles with ultrasound can reduce sperm counts and might be used in the future as an inexpensive, reliable and reversible male contraceptive, according to US researchers. Scientists from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, who conducted experiments on male rats, issued their findings on Saturday in the journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology....

Measuring blood pressure on both arms rather than only one can reveal an elevated risk of heart disease or even death, according to a study released Monday. A file picture shows a medic taking a patient's blood pressure in Connecticut, United States. (AFP) In a review of medical literature, researchers at the University of Exeter found that a difference in the so-called systolic blood pressure ...

Women are better than men when it comes to parking, a recent survey found, reversing the existing idea that men have better spatial awareness. The report by a car parking operator in the United Kingdom studied the parking habits of 450 drivers through CCTV footage and surveyed 2000 more to find that women drivers received 13.5 out of 20 for “parking coefficiency,” compared with 12.3 for their ma...

Not commonly found in manual laborers, the forward head posture may occur in individuals who stay in the same posture for long periods of time while working. If muscle contraction and relaxation are repeated, this may prevent the occurrence of the condition. In individuals who maintain the same posture for extended periods of time, however, it may occur because of persistent muscle tension. Occ...

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Recent headlines offered a fresh example of how the health care system subjects people to too many medical tests ― this time research showing millions of older women don’t need their bones checked for osteoporosis nearly so often. Chances are you’ve heard that many expert groups say cancer screening is overused, too, from mammograms given too early or too often to prostate canc...