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Your Pap Smear Is Abnormal -- Now What? 10/26/2015 08:00pm • The phone rings. It's your OB-GYN's office. "Your Pap smear came back abnormal." ... What does that mean? As if going to an annual appointment that brings apprehension and anxiety to even the most mindful health enthusiasts wasn't enough, now your test has been dubbed that scary word: abnormal. Let's Get Serious About Flu and Pneumonia Shots 10/21/2015 08:00pm • Fever. Body aches. Exhaustion. Incessant coughing. You likely have the flu. Hours ago, you were at work, feeling fine, and now all you want to do is crawl under the covers. You could have avoided this -- if you had listened to the countless medical experts who recommend the flu vaccine for everyo The new war on superbugs 10/14/2015 10:00am • After a train accident severed his leg while he was working in India in 2011, David Ricci was airlifted home to a hospital in Seattle, where doctors discovered that he was infected with several strains of resistant bacteria. The 19-year-old was immediately moved into isolation and given antibiotic a Are you at risk for oral cancer? 10/09/2015 10:30am • Who gets oral cancer? We're all at risk. Oral and pharyngeal cancers -- which refer to the mouth and upper throat and fall into the realm of head and neck cancers -- kill nearly one person every hour of every day of the year, or 7,600 people annually, according to the American Association of Oral Column: Is free anti-virus good enough? 10/01/2015 04:59am • Q: Is it necessary to pay for good anti-virus protection or are the free ones good enough? A: The answer to this question differs widely based on the user’s behavior and comfort level with technical products, but before I get into those details, it’s important to understand the difference bet What to Do If Someone You Care About Has a Gambling Addiction 09/30/2015 08:00pm • If you have a family member or a friend with a gambling problem -- and you ignore it -- you're making a risky bet. Particularly if that person is heavily involved in your life, since his or her financial problems could more easily become your own. Gambling, as you likely know, is often treated as Healthy aging: vaccines you need now 09/25/2015 12:00pm • If you're 65 or older, the big three vaccines are for influenza, pneumonia and shingles -- conditions that can put you in the hospital and make life miserable. You can be vaccinated against flu in a variety of locations, from doctors' offices and pharmacies to senior centers and health fairs. Pharma Virus forces Prince William shelter to stop cat adoptions 09/23/2015 07:47am • UPDATE: Seventy three cats had to be euthanized on Monday and Tuesday because they all had feline calicivirus. PREVIOUSLY on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 10 a.m.: WASHINGTON — For the next two to three weeks, the Prince William County Animal Shelter has stopped cat adoptions and cat intakes. The 73 cats euthanized in Prince William Co. 09/23/2015 07:42am • MANASSAS, Va. (AP) _ Animal control officers say that nearly three-quarters of the cats at the Prince William's County Animal Shelter have had to be euthanized recently after contracting a respiratory virus. The Washington Post reports that 73 cats were euthanized on Monday and Tuesday because t Family: Laurel woman dies of West Nile virus 09/16/2015 09:01pm • WASHINGTON — A 94-year-old woman from Laurel has died of West Nile virus, the woman's daughters tell city officials. The passing of Dorothy Mount is Maryland's second West Nile death this year, The Baltimore Sun reports. Japonette Mount says her mother died at the Baltimore VA Medical Cente 12 Tips to Outsmart Financial Spies 09/15/2015 08:00pm • People are scared of identity theft, and for good reason. If a bad guy gets his hands on your credit card information or Social Security number, he can set up accounts in your name, launder thousands of dollars and ruin your credit. It can take years -- and countless amounts of time and energy -- t More salmonella cases linked to D.C. restaurant 09/15/2015 05:48pm • WASHINGTON — There are two more confirmed salmonella cases linked to Fig & Olive, the upscale new restaurant in CityCenterDC. The total now stands at eight, with dozens of suspected cases still waiting for test results. Four of the confirmed cases were handled at Sibley Hospital in D.C. Maryland reports 1st death from West Nile virus this year 09/15/2015 03:56pm • BALTIMORE (AP) -- Public health officials say the first confirmed death from West Nile virus in 2015 has been reported. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a news release Tuesday that the patient, identified only as an older adult who lived in Baltimore County, died on Sept. 8. The Rick Perry Lesson for Donald Trump 09/14/2015 08:00pm • Is this the year of the antipolitician? Political pundits would have us believe it is. As evidence, they cite recent polls showing businessman Donald Trump widening his lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, while another political neophyte, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, gains groun Are you ready for flu season? 09/14/2015 10:00am • Every year we look forward to our favorite seasons -- the holidays, football season and, unfortunately, influenza season. It is extremely reliable, showing up sometime in late fall, usually peaking over the winter and then waning as we gallop toward spring. Since 1819, we have records of its annu