Health & WellnessS


Ambulance

UK: Vomitting virus shuts four wards at West Suffolk Hospital

Four wards have been closed at West Suffolk Hospital after the number of patients suffering winter vomiting virus doubled.

Staff at the Bury St Edmunds hospital are warning people who are displaying symptoms of the highly contagious Norovirus to stay away in order to avoid further infections.

A total of 58 patients have now contracted the virus - 43 have fully recovered and 15 are still displaying symptoms - compared to 24 last week.

Health

Heavy marijuana use can shrink brain - study

Heavy marijuana use over many years appears to shrink parts of the brain that control emotion and memory, a new Australian study shows.

Brain scans on 15 men who smoked at least five joints a day for more than a decade show for the first time that they have structural brain abnormalities not seen in non-smokers.

People

Mom's behavior key to dad's involvement in child care

Mothers play an important role in determining how much fathers get involved in taking care of their infants, according to new research.

A study of 97 couples found that fathers were more involved in the day-to-day care of their infants when they received active encouragement from their wife or partner.

In fact, this encouragement was important even after taking into account fathers' and mothers' views about how involved dads should be, the overall quality of the couple's parenting relationship, and how much mothers worked outside the home.

In addition, fathers' beliefs about how involved they should be in child care did not matter when mothers were highly critical of fathers' parenting. In other words, fathers didn't put their beliefs into practice when faced with a particularly judgmental mother.

"Mothers are in the driver's seat," said Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, co-author of the study and assistant professor of human development and family science at Ohio State University.

Laptop

Text-messaging: Scourge of civilization? LOL

The notion that text-messaging is destroying the writing skills of American students gets two distinct reactions from linguists.

Jacquie Ream's response: OMG (Oh My God).

"We have a whole generation being raised without communications skills," says Ream, a teacher and author of the book K.I.S.S. Keep It Short and Simple.

That kind of talk leaves Derek Denis LOL (Laughing Out Loud).

Wolf

Germans seek exorcism over psychology

Hundreds of Germans, who believe themselves to be at grips with the Devil, seek out priests for exorcism. One person per day undergoes a full-scale exorcism. Many suffered sexual abuse as children.

Attention

Babies exposed to chlorinated water at risk of heart problems

Babies born in areas where drinking water is heavily disinfected with chlorine are at double the risk of heart problems, cleft palate or major brain defects, according to a new study.

Attention

Africa: Are We Ready to Risk Smaller Brains, Livers And Testicles?

Although evidence is mounting that GM crops are not safe for consumption and that they pose significant risks for the environment, Africa is still being exhorted to feed its people on GMOs.

The GMO push, backed by big dollars, is coming at a time when the technology is being rejected elsewhere. For instance, in April 1999, the anti-GMO campaign in Europe forced most big manufacturers there to publicly commit themselves to stop using GM ingredients in their European brands.

Health

Silver Rings To Treat Arthritis Symptoms Validated

Research by academics at the University of Southampton in collaboration with occupational therapy clinicians into the effectiveness of wearing a particular type of silver ring to alleviate symptoms of arthritis has found some benefits to their use.

Silver ring splints
©University of Southampton
Silver ring splints.

Health

Antibacterial Wipes can Spread Superbugs

Disinfectant wipes routinely used in hospitals may actually spread drug-resistant bacteria rather than kill the dangerous infections, British researchers said on Tuesday.

Wine

New hints seen that red wine may slow aging

Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs.