Health & Fitness
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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...
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Conceive on ice or naturally
The subject of couples who want to conceive but are experiencing problems, the route to conception either through IVF, or the healthy way, could fill a book. Here is the shortened version. Freezing eggs and test-tube conception are marvels of...
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Measles vaccination
As part of the annual European Immunisation Week, the World Health Organisation urges all 53 participating member states in the European region to consider the economic impact of measles and to restore or maintain effective national vaccination...
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The secret miracles of physical activity
I’ve been in the game for quite some time now, but physical exercise itself never ceases to amaze me. The more I harp on about the many wonderful benefits exercise and fitness bestows upon us, the longer my list keeps getting. As a personal trainer,...
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Breakthrough procedure for hearing loss
A Scot has become one of the first people in the UK to undergo a breakthrough procedure to treat hearing loss. Brian Hogg, 29, from Edinburgh, was fitted with a specialist Bonebridge implant and given a reconstructed ear using bone from one of his...
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‘Cosmetic crisis’ waiting to happen
The booming cosmetic surgery industry has become an “everyday product”, British health officials have said. An independent review into cosmetic procedures has concluded that cosmetic interventions have become “normalised”. The group said there has...
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Green spaces boost your mood
City dwellers with easy access to parks and green spaces say they have a better quality of life than those living without it, new research shows. A study published in the journal Psychological Science has found people living in urban areas of the UK...
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Arthritis linked to female smokers
Smoking just a few cigarettes a day can more than double a woman’s risk of rheumatoid arthritis, research has shown. Compared with never-smokers, women who puffed between one and seven cigarettes a day had a 2.31-fold higher chance of developing the...
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Mightier mums
Many young women convey grave concerns about having children, under the impression it may be impossible to ever enjoy a good figure again. Indeed, many mums do complain about the seemingly ravaging physical effects of parenthood, however there are...
