Nine cases of measles have been confirmed in California, . All nine individuals — seven are Californians while two were visiting the state from Utah — visited Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park in Orange County, California, sometime between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20. Before the measles vaccine became widespread in the early '70s, measles was a commonplace wintertime and early spring disease that sickened hundreds of thousands of Americans, typically children, each year. (MORE: ) In 2000, the U.S....

Added sugar is everywhere, padding your waistline and upping your risk for a host of diseases. In the following photos, each cube of cane sugar equals one teaspoon, meaning that each time you eat the listed serving size of these foods, you’re consuming that many teaspoons of sugar. (Edecio Martinez and Camille Mann/Weather.com) On a cold winter's day, what better way to warm up than a cup of steaming oatmeal? But, what you don't know about this beloved breakfast option...

A warm day at the beach can be great for your health. , according to one new study. Swimming and walking in the sand is great exercise. Plus, a day of relaxation can soothe stress levels and boost your mood. But certain myths and misunderstandings about your health in summer weather can be harmful. Here, learn which pieces of popular summer advice are just myths, and how you can stay safe and healthy all summer long. NEXT: . Myth: Peeing...

It doesn't have to be January for you to resolve to improve your health. No matter the season, self care is key, though it doesn’t have to take all day. When you’re pressed for time, there are always tiny steps you can take to improve your well-being, through stress-relieving activities, picking a smart snack and more simple things — that don’t have involve a trip to the gym. The strategies above will help you weather flu season, beat the winter...

Step 1. Maintain a Schedule This is obviously an important one, and it should be one of the first things you try to change. ‘You should maintain the same sleep wake schedule every day, even on the weekends,’ said McEachron. This isn't the easiest time of year to be a morning person. It's freezing outside, but nice and warm in your bed. The days are short and your exposure to sunlight is practically nonexistent. But, despite the winter hurdles, there...

(Thinkstock/Stockbyte) How well you'll weather the winter cold-and-flu season likely has more to do with your choices — vaccinations, nutrition and dental hygiene, among other factors — than your genes, a new study of twins from the Stanford University School of Medicine found. Researchers examined 78 identical twins and 27 fraternal twins and found that the older the siblings were, the more such environmental factors made a difference in their immune response to infection. "The immune system has to think...

Cooler air — both inside your nasal cavity and in the air around you — can help the common cold virus replicate thanks to an immune response, a new study from Yale University found. This finding gives some credence to the old wives' tale that you should bundle up — and cover your nose — to avoid getting sick. It might also help explain why touching your face after contact with a potentially contaminated surface is one of the fastest...

The restored curved corridors leading to the laundry room from the Ferry House of Ellis Island. (Gordon Donovan/Caters News) Hospitals can be scary places. Whether you’re sick or well, they are often associated with fear and an eerie sense of foreboding. Surely the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, once a place where people too ill to enter the U.S. were sent to recover, represented unease for the tens of millions of immigrants who passed through the island. All individuals were subject...

Stepping into a hot, steamy shower after battling an early-morning chill can feel so exhilarating, especially in the winter. Though it may help you warm up, or even soothe sore muscles, the indulgence may not be good for you in the long run. (MORE: ) Meteorologist Mike Bettes tells you how often might be too often. MORE ON WEATHER.COM: 15 Foods with More Sugar Than Donuts ...

As announced in early December, this year's flu shot is . It'snow only , according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as 46 states report widespread flu activity. The issue arose because of the dominant strain of the flu circulating this year — H3N2 — mutated, rendering the vaccine, which contains a slightly different variety of H3N2, ineffective. This is a particular issue because the H3N2 strain is known to be particularly virulent,...

Can't live without a few cups of joe? If you drink a lot — four or more cups per day — that might benefit your risk of skin cancer. Researchers don't know exactly what it is about coffee that might help protect against the disease, Erikka Loftfield, M.P.H., of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, and the author of a new study on coffee and malignant melanoma, told weather.com in an email. But what she did...

Cold, dark days bring their own set of health challenges, thanks in large part to the way your body reacts to cooler, drier air. Click through to find out how to weather winter healthfully. (Thinkstock/Digital) Temperature and climatic extremes — whether it's brutually hot or bitterly cold, oppressively sunny or depressingly dark — can have profound health impacts. Cold and flu rates spike in the winter, for example, thanks to part to the viruses' specific abilities to spread more effectively...