Archive for October, 2009
Mental Health: A brief overview
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
When the heart breaks down, it beats erratically or not at all. A bone can chip or snap. But when the complex network of neurons in our brain malfunctions, the result can be a near-endless variety and combinations of mental illnesses.
It’s normal to sometimes be sad, happy, anxious, confused, forgetful or fearful, but when a person’s emotions, thoughts or behaviour frequently trouble [...]
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History of The Swine Flu
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
Six months ago, swine flu emerged as a massive threat to global health. It seemed to come out of nowhere, but our timeline explains how the origins of the H1N1 pandemic go back more than a century
1889
Prior to 1889, the main flu virus circulating in humans has been from the H1 family. But this year, a [...]
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Honey Fights the MRSA Superbug
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
A dark, bitter kind of honey can cripple infection-causing bacteria, including the highly virulent strain known as MRSA, and now researchers think they know how the honey fights the superbug.
Manuka honey is made when honeybees primarily consume the nectar of the manuka bush, a flowering plant native to Australia and New Zealand.
Researchers already knew that manuka [...]
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A 25-year Trek Toward A Cure
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
Discoveries by Nobel laureate Carol W. Greider and her colleagues have led to advances toward potential cures or treatments for certain types of cancer, and for a growing list of diseases rooted in malfunctions of the DNA-protecting enzyme, called telomerase, that she discovered.
In cancer, the overproduction of telomerase enables tumor cells to maintain unchecked reproduction, [...]
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Attorney Demands Proof of Cocoa Krispies’ Immunity-Boosting Claim
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
Kellogg’s just can’t get a break. First, one pissed-off cereal consumer realizes thatFroot Loops cereal contains no actual fruit and decides to sue for false advertising. Now Kellogg’s is dealing with more false advertising claims, this time from San Francisco City Attorney, Dennis Herrera, who just announced that he has written a letter to the CEO [...]
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Mothers Who Diet Twice As Likely To Have Daughters With Eating Disorder
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
Mothers who diet are almost twice as likely to have daughters who suffer from an eating disorder, researchers have claimed. The majority of teenagers in a survey said they felt damaged by the effects of their mother’s dieting and views on food and regarded their mothers as the biggest influence on their own self-image.
The survey [...]
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10 Most Hated Foods that are Actually Good for You
Posted on 27. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
Children are expected to say things like, “I don’t eat eggs, ever.” Or, “Liver? Gross!” However, when adults do it they better have a severe allergy or a convincing health, political, or environmental argument to back it up. Not liking a food, no matter how it’s prepared, makes you seem like an unworldly country bumpkin. [...]
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Meet future woman: shorter, plumper, more fertile
Posted on 22. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
Women of the future are likely to be slightly shorter and plumper, have healthier hearts and longer reproductive windows. These changes are predicted by the strongest proof to date that humans are still evolving.
Medical advances mean that many people who once would have died young now live to a ripe old age. This has led [...]
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Apple of Your Eye: Why Apples Are So Good for You
Posted on 22. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
With thirty-six states growing apples, it is fair to say that many of us have some picking to do! Although the old mantra of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is pretty ingrained, the average American consumes a mere sixty-five apples a year. That is barely once or twice a week, or two [...]
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Thousands of breast cancer sufferers to be denied life extending drug
Posted on 22. Oct, 2009 by Steve W..
The drug Tyverb, is licensed for women with breast cancer that has spread and who have a form of the disease known as HER2 positive.
It is designed to be taken after Herceptin has stopped working for these patients and trials have suggested it may prolong their lives by around three months.
However the National Institute for [...]
