This Year's Flu Shot Is Just 36% Effective

It goes without saying that the flu has hit the United States hard this year, and the worst weeks may be yet to come.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released a statement that this season's flu shot is 36 percent effective — better than doctors anticipated, but still not a great number.

This is shaping up to be the worst influenza season in recent years, and it might still get worse before it gets better, according to the CDC. The flu season frequently extends into May, and it’s only the middle of February.

7 Ways to Give Her an Orgasm She'll Never Forget

Scientists gave us the data. Sex therapists gave us the how-to. The results: Science- backed ways you can be her orgasm donor.

1. PREP PROPERLY
Replace “inhibitors” (chores, kids) with “excitors”—early photos of you two, music, a scented candle, says sex therapist Ian Kerner, Ph.D. Tell her how great she looks in candlelight. Nicole Prause, Ph.D., found that body-negative thoughts curbed women’s arousal while they watched porn.

7 SURPRISING SOURCES OF PROTEIN THAT AREN’T MEAT OR DAIRY

Most guys looking to gain love a juicy piece of chicken breast, and with good reason. Your body needs protein to build and maintain lean muscle. Plus, the essential macronutrient helps keep you full, regulate your hormones, and build strong bones.

Loading up on foods like fish, chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, and milk is the most efficient way to get enough protein, and research suggests you ideally want to aim for 30 grams per meal. Meat and dairy often contain a much higher amount of protein per serving compared to plant-based protein, explains Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., a nutritionist and certified personal trainer, so you don’t normally need to eat as much to reach your daily needs.

CAN YOU THINK YOURSELF STRONGER?

Slept through this morning’s weights session? Go to your room now and think about what you’ve done. No really, we mean it: new research shows that simply visualising a past workout will make you stronger.

While the interplay between mind and muscle is well established, scientists at Germany’s University of Giessen claim you can replace some of your sweat sessions with imaginary ones, “without any considerable reduction of strength gains.”

5 Things That Secretly Make Her Horny

Sure, there are obvious things a woman can do to indicate she's interested in more than just your personality, like finding excuses to brush up against you at the bar. But what about the more subtle signs that let you know she means business? Here are five surprising things that boost her arousal—and how you can take advantage of each one.

1. ROLLER COASTERS.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Research from the University of Texas at Austin shows that people who have just stepped off a roller coaster find the opposite sex more attractive. The study found that symptoms of physiological arousal—like heavy breathing and increased heart rate—tend to linger without our knowledge after any adrenaline-pumping activity, intensifying perception of attractiveness.

8 Things That Wreck Your Erection

Boners are all about blood flow. So your heart—the organ that pumps your blood—has to be in tip-top shape for you to have A-plus erections.

Anything that puts strain on your ticker, like being overweight or smoking, also tends to take lead out of your pencil.

Testosterone is the second factor that's crucial to a strong erection, and there are plenty of weird things that screw with its production. All the items on this list can mess with your manhood:

1. Grocery receipts. The types of thermal paper and ink used for most supermarket receipts contain high levels of bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical that increases your body’s production of the female hormone estrogen. And that estrogen boost—along with some other BPA-triggered hormonal changes—harms your hardness, finds a study from Kaiser Permanente.

Here's What Energy Drinks Actually Do To Your Body

Energy drinks can give you a boost when Monday morning hits you hard. But that fizzy beverage isn't doing much for your body beyond your temporary pep, according to a new review published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

After reviewing the current studies surrounding the risks tied to energy drinks, researchers concluded that they might be associated with a wide-ranging slew of health problem. You might already know that energy drinks can screw with your sleep, make you gain weight, or even spike your blood pressure. But overarching evidence suggests they may lead to substance abuse, mental health problems, a higher diabetes risk, tooth decay, and kidney damage, too.

6 Types Of People At Risk For Blood Clots

Blood clots aren't always a bad thing. When you cut yourself, your blood cells are supposed to clump together, which stops blood from leaking to places where it doesn't belong and kicks off the healing process. But sometimes clots form in places they shouldn't, and if they occur in a location where blood needs to keep flowing, that can spell trouble.

There are several major types of clots that can cause problems. Clots that block blood to your brain cause stroke, and ones that stop up your heart’s blood flow cause a heart attack. A clot that forms in your leg is called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVTs can break away from their starting place and travel to your lungs. This is called a pulmonary embolism (PE), and can be very serious, even fatal.