common cold

The Common Cold Came From … a Camel?

New research suggests that the first human to ever catch a cold may have gotten it from his or her camel. Scientists at the University of Bonn stumbled upon the discovery while investigating Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
A more aggressive and deadly virus than the common cold, MERS first appeared in humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Although camels most often carry MERS, it can spread to humans in rare cases. And when studying the virus, researchers found that it was incredibly similar to the cold virus in at least 6% of cases. [1]

Study Suggests We Patients be Able to Predict Illness Better than Doctors

My mother never goes to the doctor for a diagnosis; she diagnoses herself, tells the doctor what’s wrong with her, and he treats her for it.
…And she’s never wrong. I mean never.
A recent study backs up my mother’s theory (and she’s not alone in that theory) that since people know their own bodies better than anyone else ever could, sometimes you have to tell the doctor he’s wrong.