Health & WellnessS


Binoculars

Researcher: Trees Make for Better Lives


United Press International
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:16 UTC
A U.S. scientist says people living on tree-lined streets are happier, healthier and less likely to be victims of crime.

Frances Kuo of the University of Illinois reviewed studies on the effect of trees, The Daily Telegraph said. She reported her findings to the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Chicago.

"Nature calms people and it also helps them psychologically rejuvenate," she said. "They are better able to handle challenges which come their way."
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People

Words give brain handle on feelings: U.S. researcher

Julie Steenhuysen
Reuters
Sat, 14 Feb 2009 06:48 UTC
Brain Model
© Reuters/Claro Cortes IV CC/TWA Chinese girl explores a huge model of the brain displayed at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum August 27, 2003.
Brain scientists are starting to understand something poets, songwriters and diarists have long known: putting feelings into words helps ease the mind.

"It is a pretty well-established finding that this occurs, but we don't know why," Matthew Lieberman of the University of California, Los Angeles, said on Saturday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago.

"When you put feelings into words, you are turning on the same regions in the brain that are involved in emotional self-control," Lieberman said.

"It regulates distress," said Lieberman, who studies the brain using technology known as functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI, which highlights brain regions as they become active.
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Cheeseburger

UK: Four in ten unaware that cancer is linked to poor diet

Jane Kirby
The Scotsman
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 05:19 UTC
Four out of ten people are unaware that eating a poor diet increases their risk of cancer, a survey reveals.

The poll of almost 2,000 people found that 41 per cent were unaware of the link between what they ate and the disease.
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Magnify

Subliminal Messages Really Do Affect Your Decisions


New Scientist
Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:00 UTC
If you ever felt paranoid about subliminal messages, you might be right to worry. Images we see but don't consciously register have been shown to inform people's decision-making.

Joel Voss of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and colleagues showed volunteers 12 kaleidoscope images for 2 seconds each while they also performed an unrelated number task to distract them from consciously committing the images to memory.

A minute later, volunteers were asked to look at pairs of similar-looking images and choose the one they had seen before. They were also asked whether they were sure, had "a feeling" they were right, or were just guessing.
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Cookie

A World Without Chocolate?

Lama Hasan
ABC News
Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:00 UTC
Without conservation efforts, cocoa could one day be in short supply.

Chocolate Factory
© Getty ImagesIt's hard to imagine Valentine's Day without chocolate, but some scientists say that it's possible that chocolate could one day become extinct.
It's hard to imagine Valentine's Day without chocolate, but some scientists say that it's possible that chocolate could one day be in short supply.

What would the world be like without this decadent, delectable and divine dessert?

Historians say the Aztecs discovered chocolate more than 3,100 years ago and it was revered to the point of worship. Cocoa beans were linked to the feathered serpent god of agriculture and creation called Quetzalcoatl. If you believe the myth, Quetzalcoatl descended from the heavens on the beam of a morning star, carrying a cocoa tree stolen from paradise.

Comment: See the benefits of chocolate:

Chocolate, Wine And Tea Improve Brain Performance

Dark Chocolate: Half A Bar Per Week To Keep At Bay The Risk Of Heart Attack

Chocolate: A Health Food After All

Study: Chocolate lowers blood pressure

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Syringe

MMR vaccine: 'No jab, no school'

Joanna Walters
The Guardian
Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:02 UTC
Image
© David McNew/Getty ImagesA five-year-old child in California is given the MMR vaccination in preparation for his first day at school
As measles cases in the UK hit a record high, Joanna Walters reports from the US, where unvaccinated children are barred from school - and their parents could face jail.

As British health experts become increasingly anxious about declining rates of immunization and the risk of a serious measles epidemic in the UK, the American authorities are convinced that their tougher rules are the answer.
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People

More Germans 'doping' to enhance workplace performance


The Local
Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:02 UTC
While Germany tries to combat doping in sports, drug abuse to boost desk jockey performance in the country is on the rise, according to a new study published by German health insurer DAK this week.

As long-distance drivers on amphetamines or classical musicians on beta-blockers become less-surprising in today's society, more people in varied industries are resorting to prescription drugs to improve workplace efficiency or simply lift their mood, the study released on Thursday said.

DAK questioned some 3,000 employees between the ages of 20 and 50-years-old and researched some 2.5 million insurance records to find out more about doping in the workplace.
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Magnify

Shower after swimming to avoid MRSA, scientists advise

Ian Sample
The Guardian
Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:36 UTC
Image
MRSA bacteria in a scanning electron micrograph

Large-scale study shows bathers have a high chance of contact with the drug-resistant superbug.

Holidaymakers should shower after swimming in the sea to reduce their chances of picking up the superbug, MRSA, according to scientists.

The warning follows one of the first major studies into dangerous microbes that bathers might encounter during a trip to the seaside.
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Butterfly

Organic Gardening Offers Many Health Benefits and Helps Plants and Animals

Heather Havey
Natural News
Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:59 UTC
Many scientific studies have begun to conclude that organic gardening is beneficial for every level of life: soil, plants and animals, insects, water and air quality, as well as our own mental and physical health. Certain conventional farming practices have led to increases of pollutants in our air, water, soil, and our own bodies. More and more, people around the country are beginning to grow their own organic food or to buy locally grown organic food. Growing food at home and supporting local farms can be easy ways to help support a healthy earth and also to take better care of our own bodies.
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Attention

Flashback One In Five Rooms Is 'Highly Contaminated' With Hidden Mold


Royal Society of Chemistry
Thu, 01 May 2008 18:02 UTC
Surely your bathroom is fungus-free once you've wiped the mould off the tiles? Not according to a study by French scientists in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Journal of Environmental Monitoring. They report that almost one in five rooms studied with no visible mould was in fact "highly contaminated" by fungus which could aggravate conditions such as asthma.

Comment: In addition to asthma and allergies, mold toxins have been associated with nerve damage and immune system abnormalities, including autoimmunity or autoantibodies against the body's own nerves and brain tissue.

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