Winter Storm Leon forced thousands of commuters to the highways throughout the Southeast Tuesday, where many would be stuck for hours. At least nine deaths have been blamed on the storm across the region, including five traffic deaths in Alabama,according to official reports.Government officials have urged people not to drive and to stay indoors because the roads are not safe. Traffic accidents clearly pose an immediate threat to health and safety, but there are other dangers to hours of traffic...

(Thinkstock/Digital Vision) Scientists believe outdoor drinking can be bad for your health — in ways you might not expect. Researchers have found that it can increase your risk of skin cancer, according to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology. (MORE: Crazy Ways Sun Sensitivity Affects Redheads) The study observed two links connecting outdoor alcohol consumption with skin cancer. First, alcohol can directly increase the risk of skin cancer because the body converts ethanol into a compound that...

If you’re feeling a bit bloated post-Super Bowl weekend, you’re not alone. In fact, most people gain a little weight every weekend — thanks to eating out at restaurants and generally acting a little more lax. But this weekend weight gain is perfectly fine, as long as you get back on track during the week, a new study from Dr. Brian Wansink at Cornell University found. (MORE: Do You Live in America's Fattest State?) Dr. Wansink and his team studied...

A little shivering during chilly weather might not be all bad for you. This action could convert energy-storing ‘white fat’ into energy-burning ‘brown fat,’ resulting in similar benefits received from exercise, according to a study from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research published in the journal Cell Metabolism. (MORE: Cold Weather Superfoods for Weight Loss) You don't have to stay outside for long to see a benefit — and it doesn't have to be nearly as cold as it has...

In mid-January, a dense fog shrouded China’s capital city, as it experienced its first wave of dangerous pollution in 2014 — with toxins registering more than 24 times the level considered safe, the Associated Press reported. But what is all that haze? New research from Chinese scientists offers some clues. Using samples from “an exceptionally soupy smog that bit Beijing in January 2013,” microbiologists identified 1,300 different microbial species in the mix, according to Nature. Most aren’t harmful, researchers said,...

((Thinkstock/Stockbyte)) The changing climate will have wide ranging and profound impacts on public health, including one direct and deadly consequence, according to a new study. Heat-related deaths have been predicted to skyrocket over the next few decades, British researchers reportin the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. From present day until the2080s, researchers projected that annual heat deaths in the United Kingdom could increase from approximately 2,000 to more than 12,000. Although the country’s average temperature will increase, the number...

Figure skaters pose at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. From left are Herma Planck-Szabo of Hungary, Ethel Muckelt of Britain and Beatrix Loughran of the U.S. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Regardless of whether they win gold, athletes at this year's Winter Olympics will no doubt expend a significant number of calories as they try to ski, jump and skate their way past the competition. But which winter sport burns the most calories? According to the Compendium of...

For most people, a marathon (26.2 miles) sounds like an insane distance to run. But Samantha Gash, 29, and Mimi Anderson, 52, are not most people. The two women — both seasoned ultramarathoners— are planning a 32-day, 1,460-plus mile run across South Africa’s Freedom Trail, a varied, jagged course set up for mountain biking. That comes out to more than 45 miles of running a day — through streams, winding roads and steep mountain passes. The trek is in partnership...

(Thinkstock/Stockbyte) It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s possible that last Christmas, you gave someone your heart … and the very next day, they gave it away. There are lots of reasons to be a bit downin the dumps during this, the happiest time of year. But are the winter blues — especially the bout that supposedly comes post-holidays — real? Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, certainly is. It’s a form of clinical depression that affects a relatively small amount of the...

((Thinkstock/Chris Amaral)) It's high time for the winter blues — and the more serious seasonal affective disorder, which affects some 500,000 Americans. But that number could largely underestimate how common the condition is in the U.S. — because it doesn’t include any of the non-humans living with the disorder. Yes, even pets can experience their own form of seasonal sadness, according to veterinarians. (MORE: 19 Signs You're Depressed and Don't Know It) In 2009, nearly eight million pets living in...

Cases of West Nile virus are on the rise (partially due, perhaps, to climate change), causing not only devastating human health consequences, but also rising health care costs. All told, West Nile has cost approximately $800 million from hospitalizations since 1999, according to research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. (MORE: Climate Change to Spread West Nile Virus, Study Says) At least 37,000 cases of West Nile...

If the animalwinter blues are causing your cat to act out, make sure to avoid getting bitten — or else you could find yourself out of the house and in the hospital. Approximately 1 in 3 cat bite victims require hospitalization because of infections from bacteria injected deep into joints and tissue, according to a study from Mayo Clinic. In many cases, cat bites can be even more severe than dog bites: Two-thirds of patients hospitalized required surgery. The difference...