New Report Shows More of a Reason to Cook at Home

Norovirus, a potentially deadly foodborne illness, is typically associated with cruise ships, where outbreaks ruin vacations. But you’re much more likely to catch norovirus going out to eat, not setting sail, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that 64 percent of the outbreaks that occurred between 2009 and 2012 occurred in restaurants.

The stomach bug causes diarrhea and vomiting, and it spreads from person to person or through contaminated food. More than 20 million people are sickened from it every year, and the CDC is now calling for stricter adherence to hand-washing policies in restaurants, as well as paid sick leave for restaurant workers.

"The bottom line is that norovirus is one tough bug," CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a press conference. "Everyone should be able to go out to eat without worrying whether their food is safe."

How to Survive Your Hospital Stay

Most people expect to leave the hospital in better shape than they came in – and while they're hospitalized, they take their safety for granted.

But a hospital stay involves risks and could cause you harm. At times a patient’s very survival is at stake. It’s been estimated that more than 400,000 deaths occur in U.S. hospitals each year arising from medical errors.

While some risks are beyond your control, four experts weigh in on what you can do to defend against some common hospital safety hazards. [Read more: How to Survive Your Hospital Stay.]

All About the Gas You Pass

Although intestinal gas is relegated to the realm of bathroom humor in our culture, the fact is that excessive gas is not funny at all for the countless people beleaguered by chronic bloating, abdominal pain and socially inconvenient reality of excessive flatulence, writes U.S. News blogger Tamara Duker Freuman. Fart jokes may draw a cheap laugh, but there’s nothing amusing about having to cancel plans all the time due to debilitating gas pain or bloating.