Health & Wellness
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Researchers found that people were able to think more laterally and quickly after a snooze
Sleeping on a problem really can help solve it, claim scientists who discovered a nap can improve your powers of creativity. Researchers found that people were able to think more laterally and quickly after a snooze and that if they dreamed the ability was even more enhanced.
The scientists believe that "incubating" a problem often leads to a solution but that the effect was increased when people entered a phase of sleep known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM).
They believe that REM- which occurs most predominantly just before we awake - helps the brain make connections between unrelated subjects.
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As of May 20, police around the country were on the lookout for a Minnesota mother who fled with her cancer-stricken 13 year old son rather than consent to chemotherapy.
Colleen Hauser had told a judge that she wished to treat her son's cancer with natural healing methods advocated by an American Indian religious group known as the Nemenhah Band.
Daniel has Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer. But the teen and his parents rejected chemo after a single treatment, with the boy's mother saying that putting toxic substances in the body violates the family's religious convictions.
The Hauser family had been ordered to appear before a judge for a hearing to consider chemo. But mother and son failed to show, and a warrant was issued for the mother's arrest.
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A newly developed diabetes drug is more effective than older available medication in helping patients control their blood sugar levels, a study says.
According to the study presented on Sunday at the ADA scientific meeting, once-daily liraglutide, taken as monotherapy, helps diabetics reach and maintain their target blood sugar levels more effectively compared with the commonly used glimepiride -- belonging to an old class known as sulfonylureas.
The injectable liraglutide belongs to a newer GLP-1 class and works by stimulating the release of insulin only when blood sugar levels are high.
Fathers become more Left-wing if they have daughters because girls are more socially conscious, according to research.
Economists claim to have found a correlation between the number of daughters and sons in a household and their father's political views.
By analysing data in the British Household Panel Survey, they found that 67 per cent of parents with three sons and no daughters voted for Labour or the Liberal Democrats.
This rose to 77 per cent in households with three daughters and no sons. A similar pattern was found among families with two and four children.
Comment: While the connection between the mother's testosterone level and the sex of her child is real, it is not likely to be the explanation for the study results.
First, the relationship between the number of daughters and the fathers' socially progressive views is graded, i.e., the more daughters the father has, the more progressive he is. The article mentions in passing the research by a US professor Ebonya Washington that has demonstrated a similar effect among both Democrat and Republican members of Congress. Clearly, the influence of daughters is felt by both politically conservative and liberal fathers, and is therefore likely to be of the social nature rather than a result of "assortative mating" of the parents.
And second, in contrast to Dr. Mayne's statement, observations from daily life suggest that people would rather pick a complimentary personality as a partner. This is especially true for dominant men who are not attracted to dominant women but rather to the empathetic ones. Sandra Brown's research on psychopathy victims points towards the same conclusion. Further, any preferences for a certain type of partner will likely be noticeable only at the farthest ends of the testosterone level spectra for both men and women. Most of us have average testosterone levels, and therefore our mating would be based on other criteria, while remaining "chance-dependent" in regards to testosterone.
It is entirely possible that the connection between the gender of the children and the political views has a different mechanism for men and women. Men may be molded by their daughters, while women indeed may be giving birth to the children that they are best fit to parent, according to their biologically defined temperament. Future research in this area will certainly be very interesting.
Nicola Pearson
The TimesSun, 09 Mar 2008 07:17 UTC
Something that you've probably known intuitively for years is finally official: mothers of daughters are different to mothers of sons, and we produce the sex of children we're most suited to bring up.
Traditional perception is that the sex of your baby is pure toss-of-the-coin chance, but ten years ago, Dr Valerie Grant, a reproductive scientist at the University of Auckland, came up with the theory that dominant women have high levels of testosterone (often considered the male sex hormone) and are much more likely to give birth to boys.
News readers gorge on media messages that fit their pre-existing views, rather than graze on a wider range of perspectives. In other words, they consume what they agree with, researchers say.
The finding comes out of a recent study which tracked how college students spent their time reading media articles on hot-button issues such as abortion or gun ownership.
Unsurprisingly, students gravitated toward articles that supported their views.
Study finds healthy, active lifestyle stems mental decline
If you want your mind to stay sharp when you're 90, here's what you'll need to do.
Exercise moderately or vigorously at least once a week, live with someone, avoid smoking and continue to volunteer or work into your 70s or 80s.
A new study shows that seniors with at least a high school education and a ninth-grade literacy level who followed such a lifestyle were more likely to stay mentally fit than those who didn't.
Researchers are looking for 1,200 women who have a child with autism and who are pregnant with another child, as part of a large study of the disorder.
The study is primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health along with money from Autism Speaks, an advocacy group. The project, known as Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation or EARLI study, will follow women from pregnancy, and then monitor the babies until they are three years old.
The study's goals are to identify early signs of autism and understand its possible causes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 150 U.S. children have an autism spectrum disorder, which includes autism, Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorders. There is no known cure for autism, which is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and unusual behavior and interests, but therapy and medication can improve symptoms.
* Diet cut weight, LDL cholesterol, blood pressure
* Commentators say bigger, longer studies needed
A vegetarian version of the Atkins low-carb diet may help people lose weight and lower levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, Canadian researchers said on Monday.
A small, month-long study of the so-called Eco-Atkins diet, which stresses plant proteins, worked better than a high-carb diet at reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein or LDL, which raises the risks of heart attacks and strokes.
It also showed signs of lowering blood pressure, a team led by Dr. David Jenkins of St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto in Ontario, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Nappers have less hyperactivity, depression and anxiety, research suggests
Children's nap time is not only beneficial to caregivers who may need a break. For children aged 4 to 5 years, taking a nap during the day may help reduce hyperactivity, anxiety and depression, new study findings show.
In the study of 62 children categorized as either napping (77 percent) or non-napping (23 percent), researchers found that those who didn't take daytime naps had higher levels of anxiety, hyperactivity and depression.
Comment: While the connection between the mother's testosterone level and the sex of her child is real, it is not likely to be the explanation for the study results.
First, the relationship between the number of daughters and the fathers' socially progressive views is graded, i.e., the more daughters the father has, the more progressive he is. The article mentions in passing the research by a US professor Ebonya Washington that has demonstrated a similar effect among both Democrat and Republican members of Congress. Clearly, the influence of daughters is felt by both politically conservative and liberal fathers, and is therefore likely to be of the social nature rather than a result of "assortative mating" of the parents.
And second, in contrast to Dr. Mayne's statement, observations from daily life suggest that people would rather pick a complimentary personality as a partner. This is especially true for dominant men who are not attracted to dominant women but rather to the empathetic ones. Sandra Brown's research on psychopathy victims points towards the same conclusion. Further, any preferences for a certain type of partner will likely be noticeable only at the farthest ends of the testosterone level spectra for both men and women. Most of us have average testosterone levels, and therefore our mating would be based on other criteria, while remaining "chance-dependent" in regards to testosterone.
It is entirely possible that the connection between the gender of the children and the political views has a different mechanism for men and women. Men may be molded by their daughters, while women indeed may be giving birth to the children that they are best fit to parent, according to their biologically defined temperament. Future research in this area will certainly be very interesting.