OK. So a pig caught “swine flu” at the Minnesota State Fair this year. No big surprise in that announcement on Monday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Still, this is the first confirmed finding in a U.S. pig of the H1N1 influenza that has so many humans sneezing and shivering. As such, it opens a window into fascinating questions of why we humans share flu viruses with pigs and birds but don’t seem to infect cats and dogs — the animals that breathe the air in our homes,... 

As the high-stakes battle over health care escalates in Congress, Minnesota’s medical industry is pouring millions into lobbying with Medtronic and United Health Group alone spending more than $6.7 million this year to make their case to lawmakers. “Medtronic is gangbusters for lobbying,” said Dave Levinthal, communications director at the Center for Responsive Politics. The medical device manufacturer spent $3.2 million on lobbying this year and United Health paid out more than... 

One of the dilemmas facing hospitals is where to send homeless patients when they’re too sick to return to the streets but not sick enough to remain hospitalized. Hospitalization can cost $1,000 or more a night, and the costs could go higher if patients don’t have time to recuperate properly and end up returning to the emergency room. As state lawmakers and advocates for the poor look for cost savings to restore some vestige of the General Assistance Medical Care program for impoverished... 

Instead of feeling crisp and refreshed, Jesse Wu wakes up sluggish after 12 hours of sleep. “If I sleep the right amount, I feel really good,” said the 25-year-old who lives in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. “If I sleep too long, I feel groggy throughout the whole day.” Like Wu, some feel exhausted after long hours of rest. “Many people will tell you, they sleep a little worse when they sleep a long time on weekends,” said Dr. Daniel Kripke, co-director of Scripps... 

SIGG’s trendy aluminum water bottles have scored a lot of free advertising in recent years. In Touch Weekly raved about how Madonna’s kids sipped from the lightweight, eco-conscious and super-cute bottles. Julia Roberts was photographed with one. Jennifer Garner was too. The Swiss brand became the must-have accessory as consumers rushed to find alternatives to plastic bottles that contained bisphenol-A (BPA), a controversial chemical used to harden plastics, which some studies have linked... 

Think of omega-3s as the oils that keep our brains and hearts from getting rusty. Hundreds of studies show that these essential fatty acids can help prevent cardiovascular disease and some scientists believe they are also beneficial for the brain and nervous system. But not all omega-3s are created equal. The ones with the biggest health benefits are found in fish like salmon and mackerel, which have the two long chain fatty acids docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA). Plant-derived omega-3s...