Health & Fitness
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Brain's laughter response studied
Joyful, mocking and ‘ticklish’ laughter activates different connections in the brain, a study has shown. Scientists investigated the ‘laughter perception network’ in volunteers whose brains were scanned while they heard three different kinds of...
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Could family longevity protect against dementia?
The sons and daughters of people who live very long lives tend to get the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease later than others, but they’re not immune from the memory-robbing disease, according to a new study. Based on comparisons of people in their...
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Antibiotics 'can relieve back pain'
A simple course of antibiotics could relieve chronic back pain for up to 40 per cent of sufferers, scientists claim. Researchers have demonstrated a link between many cases of long-term back pain and infection by acne bacteria. One leading British...
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Unplanned baby 'link to depression'
Women who have unintended pregnancies are four times more likely to suffer from postpartum depression, research suggests. A year after having their babies, just three per cent of women who intended to fall pregnant suffered from the condition...
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Light exercise ‘makes difference’
Just half the amount of recommended exercise can cut the risk of serious illness, academics have found. Doing 75 minutes of light exercise – such as a brisk walk – a week can make a “big difference” to people’s health. Conrad Earnest and colleagues...
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Your attacks can be controlled
Local statistics show that 15 per cent of Maltese schoolchildren suffer from asthma, compared to 10 per cent of adults. Stephanie Fsadni finds that although the latest studies are expected to yield the same prevalence, a marked decrease in the...
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Asthma through the years
Asthma is the most common chronic condition among children, but in 50 per cent of cases, symptoms decrease drastically as they reach the teenage years. Symptoms, however, may also show up for the first time in adulthood. And the older we are, the...
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Don’t shop when you’re hungry
A new study offers evidence to support what many people have learned for themselves: never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Researchers found that people who hadn’t eaten all afternoon chose more high-calorie foods in a simulated supermarket...
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Clues for new antidepressant drugs
Scientists have worked out the way in which stress hormones reduce the number of new brain cells – a process linked to depression – and say their work should help researchers develop more effective antidepressants. The scientists identified a...
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Orajel creator dies
The creator of Orajel, a medicine aimed at fighting toothaches that was later also used for mouth sores, has died, family members said. David Morris Kern was 103. Allan Kern, his son, said his father died peacefully at a group home in Paradise...
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Hybrid yoga focuses on brawnier form of fitness
A new hybrid form of yoga that blends calisthenics and rehabilitation techniques is gaining popularity across the US with its brawnier path to fitness. Fitness experts say DDP Yoga may lack the relaxation benefits of a more traditional yoga...
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Forced vs voluntary exercise
Last week we had a look at some of the lesser known positive effects of exercise, namely the medicinal benefits enojoyed by those suffering from niggling conditions like chronic pain or migraine attacks. After some very positive feedback throughout...
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Need to take supplements
The need to take supplements provokes great controversy among the population of medics and practitioners. The fact is that most adults in the western world regularly take a vitamin supplement. From a multi-vitamin to more specific supplements such...
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Home-care agencies for ageing parents
Locally, the professional in-home care industry is playing a very important role, seeing that we have an ever-increasing ageing population and many elderly who cannot tend to themselves still prefer remaining at home. If your loved one needs...
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New gene therapy trials aim to mend broken hearts
British scientists are stepping up clinical tests of gene therapy in a bid to help people with advanced heart failure pump blood more efficiently. Researchers said they planned to enrol patients into two new clinical trials using Mydicar, a gene...
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Psychosis risk study offers hope
Children who have brains that process information more slowly are at a greater risk of psychotic experiences, according to a study by experts from Bristol and Cardiff universities. The episodes may include hearing voices, seeing things that are not...
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Blood sample predicts if cancer patients respond to therapy
A simple blood test can predict breast cancer patients’ response to therapy, how long treatment will be effective and survival. The results are being presented by Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital at the IMPAKT scientific conference in...
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Implants 'raise cancer death risk'
Women who have breast implants and go on to have breast cancer have a greater risk of dying from the disease than those without, a new study suggests. Researchers said that patients with cosmetic implants have a 38 per cent higher risk of dying from...
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Med. diet may help one think!
A Mediterranean diet low in red meat and dairy food and high in omega-3 fatty acids can help preserve memory and thinking abilities, say researchers. Scientists in the US studied the diets of 17,478 people with an average age of 64. Participants...
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Protecting the vulnerable
Vulnerable people such as the elderly, people with disabilities or with any kind of ailment may face abuse, neglect or exploitation. These individuals may be living in the community or in long-term care facilities. Yet, at times, they may be unable...
