Health & WellnessS


Bandaid

Stun guns may cause seizures


e! Science News
Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:16 UTC
Stun guns, in certain circumstances, may result in brain-specific complications such as seizures, according to a new case report published in CMAJ (PDF Link) . An analysis of an incident where a previously well police officer in his 30s was mistakenly hit by a taser shot with 2 barbs in the upper back and head meant for a suspect indicates that seizures may occur and should be considered an adverse event related to the use of these devices.

After the officer was hit, he collapsed and lost consciousness, not breathing, eyes rolled upward, foaming at the mouth, arms and legs jerking for about 1 minute and then confused for many minutes afterward. These symptoms "differentiate the episode from the usual transient incapacitation induced by tasers," write Dr. Richard Wennberg and coauthors from Toronto Western Hospital and the University of Toronto.

Comment: Tasers are safe though. Until one of their own gets hit!

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Bell

Warning Over Narcissistic Pupils

Katherine Sellgren
BBC News
Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:14 UTC
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Dr Craig said restricting criticism undermined learning
The growing expectation placed on schools and parents to boost pupils' self-esteem is breeding a generation of narcissists, an expert has warned.

Dr Carol Craig said children were being over-praised and were developing an "all about me" mentality.

She said teachers increasingly faced complaints from parents if their child failed a spelling test or did not get a good part in the school pantomime.

Schools needed to reclaim their role as educators, not psychologists, she said.

Dr Craig, who is chief executive of the center for confidence and well-being in Scotland, was speaking at the Association of School and College Leaders conference in Birmingham.
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Roses

Dollars From Dirt: Economy Spurs Home Garden Boom

Gillian Flaccus
Yahoo News
Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:05 UTC
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Adriana Martinez works in her backyard garden in Long Beach, California
In the green: Gardening industry sees boom as families grow own veggies to save on groceries

Long Beach, California- With the recession in full swing, many Americans are returning to their roots -- literally -- cultivating vegetables in their backyards to squeeze every penny out of their food budget.

Industry surveys show double-digit growth in the number of home gardeners this year and mail-order companies report such a tremendous demand that some have run out of seeds for basic vegetables such as onions, tomatoes and peppers.

"People's home grocery budget got absolutely shredded and now we've seen just this dramatic increase in the demand for our vegetable seeds. We're selling out," said George Ball, CEO of Burpee Seeds, the largest mail-order seed company in the U.S. "I've never seen anything like it."
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Pills

US: North Carolina mom warns of cough medicine abuse among teens


WBIR
Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:47 UTC
They're old remedies that are causing new concerns.

Most people take cough medicines to get rid of colds, but some teenagers are taking them to get high.

Many parents don't know about the potentially deadly hobby.

They're easily accessible at every drug store, but there's a danger lurking behind cough medicines.

Virtually every brand can be abused.

In the case of one teen it was Coricidin pills.

He took more than ten a day.

His mother said, "I think it's very, very possible he could have ended up dead."
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Beer

Flashback What Happens To Your Body IF You Drink A Coke Right Now?

Liz Lewis
Bliss Tree
Fri, 08 Dec 2006 18:44 UTC
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Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It's because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.
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Red Flag

Soy Lecithin and the GMO Secret

Vanessa Barrington
Ecosalon
Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:11 UTC
Take a look through your cupboards. Read the ingredient labels on your organic and natural food products (and your conventional ones). You'll likely see soy lecithin on a large proportion of labels. You probably don't know that the soy lecithin in your organic food is most likely from non-organic genetically modified soybeans.
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Sun

Papaya is the Health Fruit of Angels

Sheryl Walters
Natural News
Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:56 UTC
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Papaya is called fruit of the angels by Conquistadors because of its heavenly taste. In its prime, it is a cerise-orange colored, unbelievably juicy fruit with an aroma to match its heavenly taste. Not only is papaya beautiful, fragrant and luscious, it is amazingly healthful!

How fortunate that this glorious fruit is available year-round. Although a native of the tropics, papaya trees produce fruit all year long and are now produced in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. A ripe papaya can be as long as twenty inches, but most commercially grown fruits are pear-shaped, about seven inches in length and about a pound in weight. It is high in bromelain, which makes it beneficial in ways similar to pineapple. Since it loses nutrient strength as it ripens, papaya is best if purchased mostly ripe and eaten by the next day. Purchase fruit that is orange-red in color and just a little soft to touch. Fruits that have yellow patches are less ripe and will take a few days at home to become their best. The seeds of a papaya are small, round and black in color. Although they are edible, they have a bitter, peppery flavor that few people seem to find enjoyable.
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Attention

Old age begins at 27 as mental powers start to decline, scientists find

Urmee Khan
The Telegraph
Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:23 UTC
old at 27
© Getty Images/Rubberball Mental powers peak at 22 and start to deteriorate at 27
Old age begins at 27 as mental powers start to decline, according to scientists.

Researchers have found that peoples' mental abilities peak at 22 before beginning to deteriorate just five years later.

Professor Timothy Salthouse said the results suggested that therapies designed to prevent or reverse age-related conditions may need to start earlier, long before people become pensioners.

"Results converge on a conclusion that some aspects of age-related cognitive decline begin in healthy, educated adults when they are in their 20s and 30s," he said.

Comment: The process of our brain's degeneration might be reversed if we gain knowledge on how best to take care of our bodies, remove the accumulated toxins from our system and lead a healthy lifestyle, despite our age in years.

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Sun

'Praising obsession' creates generation of egotistical pupils

Urmee Khan
The Telegraph
Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:40 UTC
self esteem
© GettyAn obsession with children's self esteem is breeding narcissism, says Dr Carol Craig, chief executive of the centre for confidence and wellbeing in Glasgow
Teachers "obsessed with praising" are creating a generation of egotistical pupils, a child psychologist has warned.

School staff and parents feel they cannot criticise their children for fear of upsetting them, according to Dr Carol Craig, leaving them with an "all about me" mentality.

Mothers and fathers now often tell teachers that it is "bad for his self-esteem" if their son fails a spelling test, or that their daughter is left "unhappy" by missing out on a part in the school pantomime, she claimed.

Dr Craig called the self-esteem agenda, which has been imported from the United States, a "fashionable idea" that has gone too far and urged schools to reclaim their role as educators, not psychologists.
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Attention

A Medical Madoff: Anesthesiologist Faked Data in 21 Studies

Brendan Borrell
Scientific American
Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:14 UTC
A pioneering anesthesiologist has been implicated in a massive research fraud that has altered the way millions of patients are treated for pain during and after orthopedic surgeries

Over the past 12 years, anesthesiologist Scott Reuben revolutionized the way physicians provide pain relief to patients undergoing orthopedic surgery for everything from torn ligaments to worn-out hips. Now, the profession is in shambles after an investigation revealed that at least 21 of Reuben's papers were pure fiction, and that the pain drugs he touted in them may have slowed postoperative healing.
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