Health Buzz: Flus, Cats, and Coffee

Flu off the Shelves
Only 18% of NY state docs have received their ordered supplies of flu vaccine, according to the NY Daily News. And as many as 38% have no vaccine at all. Smaller medical practices may be getting short-changed as larger chain stores are gobbling up the medicine.

Catatonic
Is your girlfriend's cat driving you crazy? It really might be. A DC area psychiatrist suggests that a parasite in kitty's litterbox may be linked to schizophrenia. But don't make her get rid of the furball too quickly! The Chairman of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center suggests this is all still very theoretical.

Turn Your Head and Coffee
The NY Times reports that instead of causing hypertension as previously thought, coffee may actually help reduce blood pressure - especially in women. Though these are only preliminary results, this may be yet another benefit of being a java junkie. Other reported bonuses include a lower risk of diabetes in men and lower rates of certain cancers. So the next time you hit your local coffee shop, tell them to make your overpriced drink a double.