Jan-Mar 2009 Health Archives

Apr 2009 Health Archives

May 2009 Health Archives

Green leafy vegetables can cut risk of diabetes: study

(Kate Kelland and Genevra Pittman, Reuters) Eating more green leafy vegetables can significantly cut the risk of developing diabetes, scientists said on Friday. British researchers reviewed six earlier studies on links between diabetes and the consumption of fruits and vegetables and found eating an extra serving a day of vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and broccoli reduced adults' risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 14 percent. The findings don't prove that the veggies themselves prevent type 2 diabetes which is often linked to poor diet and lack of exercise and is reaching epidemic levels as obesity rates rise. People who eat more green leafy vegetables may also have a healthier diet overall, exercise more, or may be better off financially and any of those factors could affect how likely they are to get diabetes.

Tai Chi Eases Fibromyalgia Symptoms, Study Finds

(AP) Tai chi eased painful joints and other symptoms of fibromyalgia in a small but well-done study of this ancient Chinese form of exercise. Tai chi (ty-CHEE') combines meditation with slow, gentle movements, deep breathing and relaxation. It can improve muscle strength, balance, sleep, coordination and, some evidence suggests, fibromyalgia. Symptoms of the illness include fatigue, body pain, and tender points in joints, muscles and other soft tissues. It is most common in middle-aged women. Its cause is unknown, and the lack of obvious signs or definitive tests has led some doctors to question whether it is a physical or psychological problem.

Garlic lowers blood pressure - study

(New Zealand Herald) The humble garlic bulb has a big reputation in herbal lore for curing almost everything from the common cold to the plague. Now it is lowering blood pressure. A new study shows aged extract of garlic might be able to help lower blood pressure in the 3.7 million Australians who suffer from hypertension. Karin Ried (Ried) from University of Adelaide's Discipline of General Practice has conducted a 12-week trial with 50 people that shows garlic could be used as an adjunct to conventional drugs for hypertension.

Campaign Aims To Make Meatless Mondays Hip

(Allison Aubrey, NPR) There's a movement afoot aimed at changing the way we eat one day a week. The Meatless Monday campaign is backed by public health advocates, chefs and suburban moms who want to tackle the problems of cholesterol and heart disease. One risk factor for these chronic conditions is consuming too much saturated fat — the type of fat found in meat. Sid Lerner, 79, learned the art of persuasion during his 50-year advertising career on Madison Avenue.

Cancer couldn't stop him from his marathon goal

(Jason English, Mental Floss) For a serious distance runner, 7 hours, 48 minutes is not a great marathon time. But cut Brian Fugere some slack. He'd been diagnosed with synovial sarcoma -- a rare soft-tissue cancer -- in his lung. He was in his fourth cycle of chemotherapy. And he was dragging an IV pole for all 26.2 miles. Oh, and this marathon was taking place in a hospital hallway. When Brian Fugere started coughing up blood in February 2005, he was an active 47-year-old who jogged regularly and once finished the Boston Marathon in a respectable 3 hours, 19 minutes. Life was good for the father of four and senior partner with consulting giant Deloitte in San Francisco, California.

Second Skin Super Suit Allows U.K. Girl to Run, Jump for First Time

(Courtney Hutchison, ABC News) Olivia Court spent the first years of her life unable to run, jump, or even walk, but thanks to a revolutionary "second skin" suit, the 3-year-old British toddler can now run and play like other kids her age. Olivia was born with a severe form of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic disorder that causes her joints to be hyper-flexible -- so flexible that her hips and knees would regularly dislocate when she tried to walk. When wearing a revolutionary custom-made lycra suit however, Olivia's spine and joints are supported enough to prevent dislocation. Her progress has been so promising, that surgeons have delayed and will possibly cancel intensive surgeries to reconstruct Olivia's hip joints, the girl's mother, Lena Court, told ABCnews.com

Heal thyself: Patients’ own stem cells used for treatment

(Malcolm Ritter, AP) A few months ago, Dr. Thomas Einhorn was treating a patient with a broken ankle that wouldn't heal, even with multiple surgeries. So he sought help from the man's own body. Einhorn drew bone marrow from the man's pelvic bone with a needle, condensed it to about four teaspoons of rich red liquid, and injected that into his ankle. Four months later the ankle was healed. Einhorn, chair of orthopedic surgery at Boston University Medical Center, credits "adult" stem cells in the marrow injection. He tried it because of published research from France.

This wheelchair is nothing to sniff at

(Maggie Fox, Reuters) A device that detects the subtle movements needed to sniff air through the nose or mouth can steer a wheelchair or allow completely paralyzed people to type messages, Israeli researchers reported on Monday. One patient wrote letters to her family for the first time since she had a stroke, while others used the device to surf the Internet or steer a wheelchair. While no replacement for a true brain implant that would allow users to control devices with thoughts alone, the "sniff controller" works better for many patients than eyeblinks or other methods of communicating, the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

New Face for Canadian Toddler After Intricate Surgery

(Karlie Pouliot, Fox News) Exceptional. Overwhelming. Unreal. Beautiful. These are just a few of the words that are being used to describe the transformation little Maddox Flynn has undergone thanks to the skilled hands of New York-based surgeon, Dr. Milton Waner. Waner, the co-director of the Vascular Birthmark Institute of New York at Roosevelt Hospital, is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of hemangiomas and vascular malformations — making him the ideal doctor to take on Maddox’s case. Since birth, Maddox has suffered from a rare lymphatic malformation that completely engulfed the left side of his face. But that’s not the case anymore.

Walking tall, the 6-year-old girl whose cancer was cured in three hours

(Rachel Ellis, Daily Mail) Diagnosed with bone cancer, Darya Egorova faced the very real threat of having a leg amputated. Less than a year later though, the six-year-old is back on her feet and free of the disease - thanks to a revolutionary procedure that took only three hours. She has become the first person in Britain to have a cancerous bone removed, treated with very high doses of radiotherapy and reinserted all in the same hospital. Her family, who are from Russia, were distraught when they were told the options available in their home country for their daughter, who loves sport and dancing. But a charity stepped in to fund the new procedure in Britain.

The $200,000 bionic man

(Simon Collins, New Zealand Herald) After five years in a wheelchair, Hayden Allen can now walk again thanks to a remarkable Kiwi invention. The West Auckland motorbike racer is one of the first seven people in the world to use a "robotic exoskeleton" called Rex - a pair of robotic legs that strap around the outside of your legs and move them for you. A small Albany company, Rex Bionics, has spent $10 million developing the product over the past seven years and believes it could potentially benefit five million wheelchair users in Europe and the United States.

Brain cell findings pave way for new therapies

(New Zealand Herald) A newly-discovered function of a protein found in the brain could lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of motor neurone disease, researchers say. The study - a joint research project between Otago University and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland - found a protein known as transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-2) appeared to regulate how motor neurons sent signals to neighbouring brain cells, Otago neurobiologist associate professor Ian McLennan said. The mechanism could lead to new therapies for symptoms of motor neurone disease.

Texting, apps can turn cellphones into health tools that work

(Lauran Neergaard, AP) What if my blood sugar's too high today? Is it time for my blood pressure pill? With nagging text messages or more customized two-way interactions, researchers are trying to harness the power of cellphones to help fight chronic diseases. "I call it medical minutes," says Dr. Richard Katz of George Washington University Hospital in the nation's capital. He's testing whether inner-city diabetics, an especially hard-to-treat population, might better control their blood sugar — and thus save Medicaid dollars — by tracking their disease using Internet-connected cellphones, provided with reduced monthly rates as long as they regularly comply.

Study: Exercise, tea and vitamin D to ward off dementia

(Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY) Improved living and diet habits — including lots of physical activity, regular tea-drinking and sufficient vitamin D levels — could reduce the risk of brain decline, according to three studies presented Sunday. "These are encouraging," says William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer's Association. "These types of studies make people think, 'Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.' "

Patients who e-mail with doctors see health improvements

(Amanda Gardner, HealthDay) Patients with diabetes or hypertension or both who communicated with their doctors via e-mail got better care and better health outcomes, new California research contends. The improvements as a result of the e-mail exchanges included such measures as blood sugar and blood pressure control, according to a report appearing in Health Affairs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has called for implementing "secure patient-physician messaging" as part of electronic health records by 2013.

Bionic Sight: FDA OKs Telescope Eye Implant

(Linsey Davis, Susan Schwartz, Ayana Harry and Jessica Hopper, ABC News) Seven years ago, life changed for Ed Nungesser in the twinkling of an eye after his wife told him about a report she saw on World News. The report was about doctors testing a new technology to implant tiny telescopes into people's eyes as a way to improve eyesight. Nungesser had been legally blind for years. He suffers from macular degeneration.

Fish supplements may reduce risk of cancer

(New Zealand Herald) The health benefits of oily fish have been advocated for 20 years. Adding one or two servings a week of mackerel or salmon to the household shopping list is believed to help fend off heart disease and has been claimed to ease the symptoms of asthma and bowel disease, prevent premature birth, boost memory, and cure depression. Now US researchers say that taking fish oil supplements may cut the risk of breast cancer.

Genetic Discovery Could Pave Way for Baldness Cure

(Fox News) Men and women have been fighting baldness about as long as humans have had hair, but a new genetic discovery could finally mean a cure is within reach. Researchers have linked alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair thinning and hair loss in over five million Americans, to eight genes, which will likely open the flood gates for new treatments, Health Day reported. The researchers were surprised to find that other autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes have already been linked to these same eight genes, so drugs already in development could be used for hair loss.

Olive oil protects against breast cancer by launching multiple attack against tumours

(Fiona Macrae, Daily Mail) A drizzle of olive oil a day could help keep breast cancer at bay. Research shows that the Mediterranean oil mounts a multi-pronged attack on the tumours, stunting their growth, driving their cells to implode and protecting against potentially-cancerous damage to DNA. The Spanish scientists, from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, set out to find out why previous studies had linked an olive oil-rich diet, to lower odds of various cancers. In experiments on rats, they showed that olive oil thwarts a gene that drives the growth of breast tumours. The oil, a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, also switched off proteins that cancer cells rely on to stay alive.

Chia, from pets to cake recipes?

(Genevra Pittman, Reuters) The seeds behind the world's favorite hair-sprouting ceramic creatures might start turning up in an unexpected place: your cake recipe. According to a new study, a gel made from chia seeds - yes, the same ones that lend their name to the beloved line of Chia Pets - may work as a substitute for eggs or oil to reduce the fat content of cakes. Led by Dr. Rafael Borneo, a researcher at the Center of Excellence in Products and Processes Córdoba in Argentina, the study's authors experimented with cake recipes that substituted 25 percent, 50 percent, or 75 percent of the original recipes' eggs or oil for a gel made from chia seeds and water.

New Meningitis Vaccine Could Stop Outbreaks

(Fox News) Health officials say a new meningitis vaccine will help prevent epidemics in Africa for the first time, revolutionizing how doctors fight outbreaks of the deadly disease. Meningitis, a potentially fatal infection of the lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, strikes more than 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia. Last year, there were about 80,000 cases including more than 4,000 deaths. While rich countries have used meningitis vaccines for years, those available in the developing world cannot be used to prevent outbreaks because they don't last very long. They also cannot be used in children under 2, who are most vulnerable to the disease. Until now, health officials have only immunized people in an emergency situation once an outbreak starts. Last week, the World Health Organization approved a new vaccine that could stop outbreaks before they even begin.

Why We Dream: Real Reasons Revealed

(Rachael Rettner, LiveScience) The slumbering mind might not seem like an apt tool for any critical thinking, but humans can actually solve problems while asleep, researchers say. Not only that, but one purpose for dreaming itself may be to help us find solutions to puzzles that plague us during waking hours. Dreams are highly visual and often illogical in nature, which makes them ripe for the type of "out-of-the-box" thinking that some problem-solving requires, said Deirdre Barrett, a psychologist at Harvard University.

Boy's Eyesight Saved By Playing Videogames

(Claire Bates, Daily Mail) A six-year-old boy who nearly went blind in one eye can now see again after he was told to play on a Nintendo games console. Ben Michaels suffered from amblyopia, or severe lazy eye syndrome in his right eye from the age of four. His vision had decreased gradually in one eye and without treatment his sight loss could have become permanent. His GP referred him to consultant Ken Nischal who prescribed the unusual daily therapy. Ben, from Billericay, Essex, spends two hours a day playing Mario Kart on a Nintendo DS with his twin Jake. Ben wears a patch over his good eye to make his lazy one work harder.

Boot camp gets owners, pups in shape

(Reuters) With obesity rates on the rise among Americans and their pets, two Californian women have come up with an all-in-one solution — a doggy boot camp where dog owners and their canine friends work out together. Thank Dog boot camp is the nation's first outdoor fitness program where both humans and dogs get a full body workout while the pooches also learn basic obedience skills. Founded two years ago by identical twins Jill and Jamie Bowers, the program has grown to include classes at various Los Angeles and Orange County locations.

Brain scans show how meditation calms pain

(Alan Mozes, HealthDay) People who routinely practice meditation may be better able to deal with pain because their brains are less focused on anticipating pain, a new British study suggests. The finding is a potential boon to the estimated 40% of people who are unable to adequately manage their chronic pain. It is based on an analysis involving people who practice a variety of meditation formats, and experience with meditation as a whole ranged from just a few months to several decades.

Combining Two Competing Cancer Drugs, Study Finds Rare 100% Response Rate

(Clay Dillow, PopSci.com) The American Society of Clinical Oncology wrapped its annual conference this week, going through the usual motions of presenting a lot of drugs that offer some added quality or extension of life to those suffering from a variety of as-yet incurable diseases. But buried deep in an AP story are a couple of promising headlines that seems worthy of more thorough review, including one treatment study where 100 percent of patients saw their cancer diminished by half.

'The hair you always wanted'

(Amanda Marrazzo, Chicago Tribune) When Luann Bauer was a couple of weeks into chemotherapy for breast cancer, the despair she already felt over her diagnosis deepened when her long, blond hair began to fall out in clumps. "One of the hardest days of my life was going to buy a wig," said Bauer, who also underwent a lumpectomy and today is cancer-free. "I knew it was time when I had a hand full of hair." After struggling to find the right wig — the first she bought cost $2,000 and was, she said, "a piece of junk" — Bauer ended up finding several. They helped give her the courage to get out of the house, get on with her life and, she said, cope with a "very hard time, a very lonely time."

Apple peel - the secret weapon against cancer

(Daily Mail) Apples are known to protect against serious illnesses such cancer, but now scientists know why - it's all in the peel. Tests at the University of Wisconsin show that antioxidants packed inside the peel can slow the growth of prostate cancer cells and breast cancer cells. The results suggest consumers who throw away the peel may be getting little or no anti-cancer benefits. Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of apples in protecting against heart disease and cancer.

8 Incredible Health Innovations That Transform Lives

(Gizmodo.com) Each day, the physical capabilities that technology gives us is incredible, and we're not just talking about texting friends at lightening pace, or the ability to see our energy consumption in real time. We're talking about the abilities given to us by new tech in the health industry, either to supplement or restore disabilities experienced by people across the globe. Technology is giving us wonderful options for those of us with physical limitations. From the blind to the deaf, from amputees to burn victims, gadgets are creating a whole new realm of abilities. Here are eight extraordinary technologies that hold promise for an easier life.

Want To Get Faster, Smarter? Sleep 10 Hours A Night

(Allison Aubrey, NPR) New research adds to a growing body of evidence showing the perks of a good night's sleep. A study from researchers at Stanford University finds that extra hours of sleep at night can help improve football players' performance on drills such as the 40-yard dash and the 20-yard shuttle. "The goal was to aim for 10 hours of sleep per night," says Cheri Mah of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic.

Gates to Spend $1.5 Billion on Women's Health

(Robert Burns, AP) Philanthropist Melinda Gates announced Monday that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $1.5 billion over five years to support maternal and child health projects abroad. Gates, whose husband Bill is co-founder of Microsoft Corp. and one of the world's richest people, made her announcement at an international conference on women's health attended by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The event was billed as the largest-ever conference on women's health.

Acupuncture may trigger natural painkiller

(Alan Mozes, HealthDay) The needle pricks involved in acupuncture may help relieve pain by triggering a natural painkilling chemical called adenosine, a new study has found. The researchers also believe they can enhance acupuncture's effectiveness by coupling the process with a well-known cancer drug — deoxycoformycin — that maintains adenosine levels longer than usual. "Acupuncture has been a mainstay of medical treatment in certain parts of the world for 4,000 years, but because it has not been understood completely, many people have remained skeptical," lead author Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said.

Birmingham patients getting revolutionary 'grow your own knee' cartilage operation

(Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail) A rare revolutionary operation at a Birmingham hospital is allowing patients to “regrow a knee” from scratch in a lab. Although shock absorbant cartilage tissue is unable to regenerate in the body, medics at Good Hope Hospital, in Sutton Coldfield, are using advanced treatments to give sports enthusiasts, arthritics and young patients a second chance with their damaged knees.

911 program could ease emergency room problems

(Jessie Halladay, USA TODAY) Hoping to ease crowded emergency rooms and trim ambulance runs, Louisville Metro Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has launched a program that aims to screen low-priority calls and divert patients from hospitals into more appropriate health care. Under the program, which started April 19, a small number of the lowest priority calls — such as those for an earache or a stomachache — are being turned over to a nurse who is able to spend time with the patient on the phone to figure out appropriate treatment, which may not include a trip to an emergency room in an ambulance.

Woman gives her father a kidney in revolutionary operation, despite different blood types

(Daily Mail) Surgeons are celebrating success today after a father successfully received a kidney from his daughter - despite the fact that they have different blood groups. Mark Trimby, 47, an engineer from Bradley Stoke, Bristol, had the organ transplant from his daughter Carly, 24, in March using a new technique pioneered in Japan which potentially offers hope to more patients with advanced kidney failure. Southmead Hospital in Bristol is currently the only one in the south of England to offer this procedure, removing the blood's antibodies, which could prevent a successful transplant.

Stem-Cell Dental Implants Grow New Teeth Right In Your Mouth

(Denise Ngo, PopSci.com) The loss of a tooth is a minor deformity and a major pain. Although dental implants are available, the healing process can take months on end, and implants that fail to align with the ever-growing jawbone tend to fall out. If only adult teeth could be regenerated, right? According to a study published in the latest Journal of Dental Research, a new tissue regeneration technique may allow people to simply regrow a new set of pearly whites.

Art therapy reduces anxiety in kids with asthma

(Rachael Myers Lowe, Reuters) Draw your own conclusions: Researchers suggest in a small new study that art therapy makes kids less anxious about their condition. The results provide "encouraging initial data" that art therapy can help improve the emotional health of chronically ill children, the authors write in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

Yoga May Help Cancer Patients After Treatment

(Pamela Mazzeo, M.D., ABC News) In the chemotherapy infusion room at the Staten Island University Hospital sit several cancer patients hooked up to IVs. But they aren't leafing through magazines or staring at a talk show and worrying about their health. Instead, their right legs are lifted up in the air, and they're circling their ankles clockwise while breathing deeply under the instruction of their yoga teacher. "Most people don't look forward to chemotherapy," said Kerry Gillespie, director of the hospital's Center for Complementary Medicine. But he said the patients in this program look forward to the yoga class they take during their chemotherapy infusions every Thursday.

Ginger May Ease Muscle Pain

(LiveScience.com) Ginger root has been used as a folk remedy. Now researchers have found evidence that daily ginger consumption reduces muscle pain caused by exercise. The study, which will be published in the September issue of the Journal of Pain, was funded by the McCormick Science Institute — yes, an offshoot of the company that makes and sells spices. While ginger had been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects in rodents, its effect on experimentally-induced human muscle pain was largely unexplored, said University of Georgia researcher Patrick O'Connor. It was also believed that heating ginger, as occurs with cooking, might increase its pain-relieving effects.

Scientist inspired by Dalai Lama studies happiness

(AP) After hearing about his cutting-edge research on the brain and emotions through mutual friends, the Dalai Lama invited Richard Davidson to his home in India in 1992 to pose a question. Scientists often study depression, anxiety and fear, but why not devote your work to the causes of positive human qualities like happiness and compassion, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader asked. "I couldn't give him a good answer," recalled Davidson, a University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist.

Need a hug? Just pick up the phone

(Steve Connor, New Zealand Herald) As the slogan goes, it's good to talk. Scientists have discovered that a conversation on the phone can be as good as a hug in terms of boosting the "love hormone" oxytocin - at least when it comes to mothers and daughters. Oxytocin is often called the love hormone because it appears to promote social bonding and is released into the bloodstream when babies suckle at the breast or when lovers embrace. But now researchers have found that a telephone conversation can also do the trick.

Hand-Clapping Songs Improve Child's Cognitive Skills

(Rochelle Oliver, PsychCentral.com) Many childhood songs incorporate hand clapping. Now, there's research to prove that those simple sing-a-longs help a child's motor and cognitive development. The firsthand study, conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), in Israel, reveals the impact these activities have on a child's development. When comparing early-age elementary students who are exposed to hand-clapping songs to those who aren't exposed to these activities, the differences were striking.

Stem Cells from Uterus Treat Parkinson's in Mice

(Reuters) Stem cells from the lining of a woman's uterus transformed into brain cells when they were injected into mice whose brains had damage resembling Parkinson's disease, researchers reported on Thursday. The findings suggest that women with Parkinson's could serve as their own stem cell donors, the team at Yale University School of Medicine in Connecticut said. And because the cells are easy to find, banks of tissue-matched endometrial stem cells could be set up, they said.

U.S. schools add fresh food without busting budgets

(Lisa Baertlein, Reuters) Thousands of U.S. public school districts are teaming up with local farmers to put more fresh fruits and vegetables on lunchroom menus, without breaking budgets or getting any help from celebrity chefs. The schools are taking early steps toward adding more fresh and homemade foods as advocated by British chef Jamie Oliver, who led a campaign to improve school lunch in his country.

Broccoli could stop breast cancer spreading by targeting stem cells

(Jenny Hope, Daily Mail) Broccoli could hold the key to preventing and even treating breast cancer, claim scientists. A chemical found in the vegetable superfood targets the cells that fuel the growth of tumours. Broccoli contains high levels of sulforaphane which can kill these cancer stem cells and prevent the disease from developing, or spreading when it is established.

Behavioral therapy can quickly calm irritable bowels

(Amy Norton, Reuters) Some people with irritable bowel syndrome see a rapid improvement with behavioral therapy, with the benefits lasting at least several months, a small study finds. The findings bolster evidence that "talk therapy" -- also called cognitive behavioral therapy -- is effective for some people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). They also suggest that so-called "rapid responders" are particularly likely to fare well in the longer term.

Air Force Tests Method for Using Light to Heal Battlefield Injuries

(Rebecca Boyle, PopSci.com) In the near future, wounds may be treated with a flash of light. A process called photochemical tissue bonding can replace conventional stitches, staples and glues in repairing skin wounds and even reconnecting nerves and blood vessels. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, working with funds from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, recently completed a pilot study to determine the effectiveness of light bonding compared to traditional stitches. The study involved patients who had skin lesions removed and needed stitches.

Five minutes in the green can boost self esteem

(Reuters) Just five minutes of exercise a day in the great outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study released on Saturday, and policymakers should encourage more people to spend time in parks and gardens. Researchers from the University of Essex found that as little as five minutes of a "green activity" such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming can boost mood and self esteem.

'Poor man's Gatorade' could save kids from diarrhea death

(Margie Mason, AP) A pinch of salt. A fistful of sugar. A half liter of water. It's a recipe 8-year-old Mee Akter recites easily while squeezing and scooping her tiny fingers through the air with precision, pretending to measure just the right amount of each ingredient. "You take the salt with three fingers," says the little girl in a pink- and blue-ruffled dress, smiling shyly. "I learned it in school last year." Over the past 30 years, this simple 'poor man's Gatorade' has become a cheap, trusted home remedy passed down to generations of Bangladeshi moms nationwide. It is bought or whipped up and sipped down at the first sign of diarrhea to stave off dehydration, which can drain a weak child of life in just hours.

Miracle Surgery Saves Teen's Life

(WBZ) At 14, Brianna Ranzino was diagnosed with a rare cancer and given just months to live. Then Boston doctors agreed to try a surgery never before performed on a human; and it saved Brianna's life. "I feel good," Brianna said from her hospital bed at Brigham and Women's Hospital, one month after the life-saving operation. That simple statement means everything to her mom. "Nothing else is important anymore," said Lisa Ranzino. "It really puts life into perspective."

Vitamin E may be new boon for liver disease

(Alicia Chang, AP) People with a common, obesity-related liver disease that has no known treatment got a surprising benefit from vitamin E pills, researchers reported Wednesday. It appears to be the first time that a vitamin supplement has been shown to help treat a major ailment not caused by a nutrient deficiency.

Can laughing give you a workout?

(Madison Park, CNN) Rolling on the floor laughing, giggling until your stomach hurts, guffawing and slapping your knees -- sometimes laughing can feel like a workout. Studies have shown that mirthful laughter, the kind that stems from real joy, relieves stress, lightens mood and confers health benefits. Since the concept of laughing for health surfaced in the 1970s, studies have indicated it can decrease cortisol and epinephrine (the hormones that regulate stress), help reduce blood vessel constriction and boost immune function.

Denver Health opens fun center catering to ill kids

(Annette Espinoza, Denver Post) Twenty-two colorful acrylic butterflies dangled over an outdoor playground that featured an oversized toy xylophone and drums: just some of the fun features designed to help soothe the fears and anxieties of hospitalized children. Child Life Zone, a 3,300-square- foot, state-of-the-art therapeutic and education play area, was unveiled Saturday at Denver Health Medical Center, designed to be a place where sick children can simply be kids.

In Fast-Tracked Trial, Nanopatch Flu Vaccine Found Effective

(Jeremy Hsu, PopSci.com) In a successful test of a prototype nanotech vaccine patch, Australian researchers at the University of Queensland used a patch smaller than a postage stamp to deliver vaccine through the skin without needles, and with 100 times less vaccine required to evoke a similar protective immune response, according to Pharmacy News. We noted previously that the nanopatch efficiency could help limited stocks of vaccine go a longer way during epidemics. Its ability to be self-administered also means that ordinary people in the developing world could more easily get vaccinated without the presence of physicians or nurses.

Naps boost memory, but only if you dream

(Denise Mann, Health.com) Sleep has long been known to improve performance on memory tests. Now, a new study suggests that an afternoon power nap may boost your ability to process and store information tenfold -- but only if you dream while you're asleep. "When you dream, your brain is trying to look at connections that you might not think of or notice when [you're] awake," says the lead author of the study, Robert Stickgold, the director of the Center for Sleep and Cognition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. "In the dream...the brain tries to figure out what's important and what it should keep or dump because it's of no value."

Fix Farsightedness by Sleeping in Your Contacts

(Clay Dillow, PopSci.com) What if you could go to sleep with a vision problem and wake up with a crystal-clear view of the world? A Spanish optometrist not only says this is possible, but he actually wants you to sleep in your contacts. His patented contact lenses, designed to achieve the same effect of corneal reshaping surgery, can correct vision defects like myopia (nearsightedness) and stigmatism – and now hyperopia (farsightedness) – without taking sharp instruments or lasers to your eyes. Reshaping the cornea is a tricky business, of course, and generally requires a surgical procedure to permanently fix the problem. But Jaume Paune’s corrective lenses don’t aim to permanently reshape the corneas at all, but rather to temporarily reshape them each night while you sleep.

Pedal power is fueling green awareness

(Madison Park, CNN) From Detroit to Denmark, the power of the pedal is generating electricity and energy conservation awareness. At a homeless center in Michigan, residents work out on 10 specially outfitted bicycles that send power back into the building. Female inmates at an Arizona jail take turns on a stationary bike to power their TV to watch their favorite soap operas. And this week, an upscale Copenhagen hotel began offering free dinners to guests who sweat it out on power-generating cycles.

It's Parkinson's, Playaz... Sharon Kha Raps for Awareness

(Dan Childs, ABC News) Think of the term "hip-hop star," and 66-year-old Sharon Kha is probably not the first person who would come to mind. When she dons her sideways baseball cap and hangs an oversized plastic clock on a chain around her neck ... well, she still doesn't look entirely the part. But Kha, a former vice president at the University of Arizona who in 2003 was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, has hit the YouTube music scene in an unusual way -- by rapping about her condition.

Growing a new disc is a revolutionary way to help relieve back pain

(Roger Dobson, Daily Mail) Growing your own new disc could be a revolutionary way to tackle back pain. A simple jab in the back is designed to help re-grow discs that have been damaged by degeneration, the leading cause of low back pain. In earlier animal studies, a single injection led to a dramatic reversal of the degeneration and the growth of a new disc in just weeks. Clinical trials are about to start in humans - and researchers say it could be the first cure for disc-related back pain.

Eat Yogurt, Battle Cancer?

(Antoinette Kelly, IrishCentral.com) An Irish team of scientists based at University College Corkhas found that probiotic yogurt could revolutionize the battle against cancer. Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) have found that harmless bacteria from probiotic yogurt (bifidobacteria) naturally travels through the body and can grow inside tumors. The discovery could one day rule out the need for administering chemotherapy drugs via painful IV injections.

Why people swear by the neti pot

(Elizabeth Landau, CNN) "Saline irrigation" may not sound sexy, but Kelly Nance says she's hooked. It's an unlikely activity to draw such a following. However, Nance and others like her have become devoted to the practice of flushing water through their nasal passages to help them breathe easier. Although doctors have long known that a saline solution can help unclog sinuses, the practice has gotten a newfound popularity with the "neti pot," a teapot-shaped container that flushes a saline solution through the nose --in one nostril and out the other, taking with it mucus and rinsing away irritants.

Chocolate may be good medicine for liver patients

(Ben Hirschler, Reuters) Cocoa-rich dark chocolate could be prescribed for people with liver cirrhosis in future, following the latest research to show potential health benefits of chocolate. Spanish researchers said on Thursday that eating dark chocolate capped the usual after-meal rise in abdominal blood pressure, which can reach dangerous levels in cirrhotic patients and, in severe cases, lead to blood vessel rupture. Antioxidants called flavanols found in cocoa are believed to be the reason why chocolate is good for blood pressure because the chemicals help the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen.

Bikes, Balls in Class: How Phys Ed Transformed One School

(David Wright and Hanna Siegel, ABC News) Sound body, sound mind has long been the accepted wisdom. But schools have traditionally promoted brains and brawn separately. Not so at Naperville Central High School west of Chicago. Here the kids who struggle with math and reading go to gym class first. "What we're trying to do here is jump start their brain," says Paul Zientarski, chairman of the Physical Education Department at Naperville. So the very first class of the day is physical education.

Gold Nanosensors Can Be Implanted in the Body to Continuously Monitor for Blood Clots and Trace Proteins

(Clay Dillow, PopSci.com) When it comes to gold we generally associate higher quantities with higher values, but UK researchers are finding the precious metal can be invaluable in very small doses as well. Scientists in Scotland have devised a novel way to continuously monitor for blood clots with a little bit of gold and a laser.

Nanotech Vaccine Successfully Cures Type-1 Diabetes in Mice

(Alessandra Calderin, PopSci.com) An innovative nanotech "vaccine" has been proven to cure type 1 diabetes in mice, and paves the way to do the same for humans. A dose of therapeutic nanoparticles given to diabetic mice restored healthy sugar levels in the rodents. The nanoparticles making up the vaccine, thousands of times smaller than the cells they act on, are coated with protein fragments that suppress the autoimmune response that's characteristic of diabetes. Most importantly, unlike existing treatments for autoimmune disorders, the particles do all this without compromising the rest of the immune system.

Inkjet-like device 'prints' cells right over burns

(Maggie Fox, Reuters) Inspired by a standard office inkjet printer, U.S. researchers have rigged up a device that can spray skin cells directly onto burn victims, quickly protecting and healing their wounds as an alternative to skin grafts. They have mounted the device, which has so far only been tested on mice, in a frame that can be wheeled over a patient in a hospital bed, they reported on Wednesday. A laser can take a reading of the wound's size and shape so that a layer of healing skin cells can be precisely applied, said the team at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Women donate to breast milk banks to help others' babies

(Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY) When both of her sons were born prematurely, Keely Shaw wanted to feed them breast milk to bulk them up. But because her body wasn't yet making enough milk, Shaw, of Arvada, Colo., turned to a nationwide system that collects donated milk from nursing mothers and distributes it to babies in need. Shaw's two boys received milk donated through the Mothers' Milk Bank at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver until she could provide enough of her own, she says.

Touch therapy comforts fragile patients

(Jason Kotowski, Bakersfield Californian) Charlie Myers suffered a stroke a year and a half ago that paralyzed the right side of his body and left him barely able to speak. Now one of the few things he looks forward to are his sessions with massage therapist David Dowdy. "Charlie can't say my name, but he can say 'Dave' and smile when I ask him who comes on Mondays," Myers' wife Connie said.

Celebrity chefs lead the charge for healthier food

(J.M. Hirsch, AP) Jamie Oliver is using fresh fruit and vegetables to try to win the hearts, or at least the fatty arteries, of a West Virginia city. Rachael Ray is working to reform school lunch. And Paula Deen, queen of Southern-fried goodness, recently taught an auditorium of kids how to cook and eat healthy. Chefs have always wanted us to eat something good. Now, it seems they're just as interested in seeing that we eat well. "They're digging down to more substance, which is great because we all win," says Phil Lempert, the food marketing expert known as The Supermarket Guru. "Before it was cleavage and being cute to get noticed. Now it's all about substance, nutrition."

'I was stung by 1,500 bees and I feel great': MS sufferer's pioneering therapy

(Luke Salkeld, Daily Mail) Bee stings have been credited with helping a multiple sclerosis patient regain her quality of life. Sami Chugg, 45, says she was bedridden before turning to the unusual treatment which sees bees being held up to the sufferer's back to sting the area around the spine. Now she is now back on her feet with a much improved quality of life. The 45-year-old was diagnosed with MS 12 years ago and says she was numb and unable to move until she tried a treatment known as Bee Venom Therapy or Apitherapy.

Cinemas turn up lights, turn down sound for families touched by autism

(Chris McNamara, Chicago Tribune) At a recent screening of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" at the AMC Northbrook Court 14, the lights were a little brighter and the sound a little softer, and there were no ads before the feature film. Most of the moviegoers who had nestled into their seats probably didn't realize the screening was a special event part of a program that welcomes those affected by autism to gobble some popcorn, slurp a pop and enjoy the show. The screening was the latest installment in the AMC theater chain's Sensory Friendly Screenings. Audience members are invited to roam the aisles, dance, sing and talk out loud.

Massage may help lift depression

(Reuters) Massage therapy may help relieve symptoms of depression, a new review of the medical literature hints. The authors of the review, however, acknowledge difficulties with research on the effects of massage, including the fact that it's impossible to "blind" study participants or care providers to whether a person is receiving massage or a comparison treatment. Nevertheless, they say there is "good evidence to suggest that massage therapy is an effective treatment of depression." Depression is a huge public health problem, and treatment is often inadequate, Dr. Wen-Hsuan Hou of I-Shou University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and colleagues note in their report.

Chocolate in small amount is good for heart, study says

(Kristi E. Swartz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Chocolate lovers, this is just what you need to justify snacking on one of those Cadbury eggs at Easter time. A study in the European Heart Journal says people who eat small amounts of chocolate had lower blood pressures. And they were at a 39 percent lower risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to the study, published in the March edition. The key word is "small," the Journal reports. Though some may argue that "tiny" is perhaps a more accurate description.

5 good Samaritans start chains of life

(Judith Graham, Chicago Tribune) Five Chicago-area adults who have stepped forward to give kidneys to strangers may help save the lives of as many as two dozen people, thanks to transplant chains that will multiply the impact of the donations. Two of the donors are young women in their early 20s, in perfect health and eager to help others. One is a dad honoring a 17-year-old daughter killed in a car accident. Another is a dental hygienist inspired by her father's death. The fifth is a woman eager to repay a cousin's act of kindness.

Despite initial self-doubt, woman loses 100 pounds

(Steve Almasy, CNN) When Chris Dolley's sister-in-law asked her to join her in a weight-loss quest, the fast-food fanatic thought to herself she'd do it to help her relative out. It really wasn't about personal goals or missions or health. After all, she thought she'd probably last only a few weeks and end up back at her original weight, while her skinny sister-in-law went back to her pre-baby mark on the scale. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to failure.

Nanotech robots deliver gene therapy through blood

(Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters) U.S. researchers have developed tiny nanoparticle robots that can travel through a patient's blood and into tumors where they deliver a therapy that turns off an important cancer gene. The finding, reported in the journal Nature on Sunday, offers early proof that a new treatment approach called RNA interference or RNAi might work in people. RNA stands for ribonucleic acid -- a chemical messenger that is emerging as a key player in the disease process.

Nepalese doc is ‘God of Sight’ to nation’s poor

(Margie Mason, AP) Raj Kaliya Dhanuk sits on a wooden bench, barefoot, with a tattered sari covering thin arms as rough as bark. Thick clear tears bleed from her eyes, milky saucers that stare at nothing. For nearly a year, cataracts have clouded out all sight from the 70-year-old grandmother's world. With no money, she assumed she'd die alone in darkness. But now she waits quietly outside the operating room for her turn to meet Nepal's God of Sight.

Boy Given New Windpipe In Pioneering Op

(Izzy Broughton, Sky News) A 10-year-old British boy has had his windpipe rebuilt from his own stem cells during groundbreaking surgery. The nine-hour operation at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children involved doctors taking stem cells from the boy's bone marrow and injecting them into a donor windpipe. The windpipe, which had been stripped of its own cells, was then implanted into the boy. The stem cells will now begin to transform themselves into tracheal cells within the boy's body.

Hypnotherapy 'can help' irritable bowel syndrome

(BBC News) Greater use of hypnotherapy to ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome would help sufferers and might save money, says a gastroenterologist. Dr Roland Valori, editor of Frontline Gastroenterology, said of the first 100 of his patients treated, symptoms improved significantly for nine in ten. He said that although previous research has shown hypnotherapy is effective for IBS sufferers, it is not widely used. This may be because doctors simply do not believe it works.

New attack on cancer forces cells to grow old and die

(Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters) Instead of killing off cancer cells with toxic drugs, scientists have discovered a molecular pathway that forces them to grow old and die, they said on Wednesday. Cancer cells spread and grow because they can divide indefinitely. But a study in mice showed that blocking a cancer-causing gene called Skp2 forced cancer cells to go through an aging process known as senescence -- the same process involved in ridding the body of cells damaged by sunlight. If you block Skp2 in cancer cells, this process is triggered, Pier Paolo Pandolfi of Harvard Medical School in Boston and colleagues reported in the journal Nature.

Blind Man Sees With His Tongue

(Thomas Moore, Sky News) A British soldier who lost his sight in Iraq is being taught to 'see' with his tongue, using a revolutionary new device. Craig Lundberg, 24, who was blinded in a rocket-propelled grenade attack three years ago, is the first British soldier to test the BrainPort system. The device consists of a high-tech 'lollipop' that rests on Craig's tongue. It converts images from a video camera, that he wears on a pair of glasses, into signals that stimulate electrodes on the lollipop.

Memorial Video Helps U.K. Teen Raise Funds

(Courtney Hutchinson, ABC News) Sixteen-year-old Sarah Phillips has raised more than $75,000 for cervical cancer research in the past 10 days, just by posting a YouTube video. A powerfully touching video tribute to Sarah's mother, Debbie, who recently died of the cancer, went viral within days of being posted, making headlines in the United Kingdom and the United States. After battling cervical cancer for four years, Sarah's mother succumbed to the disease in the early morning hours of Feb. 11. She was 48.

Scientists find "mother" of all skin cells

(Kate Kelland, Reuters) Scientists have found the "mother," or origin, of all skin cells and say their discovery could dramatically improve skin treatments for victims of serious wounds and burns. Hans Clevers and a team of Dutch and Swedish researchers conducted a study in mice and found that the stem cell that gives produces all the different cells of the skin actually lives in hair follicles. The findings, which they say will translate for human use, mean it may be possible to harness these stem cells to help with wound repair or skin transplants for burns victims, they said in a study in the Science journal on Thursday.

NZ group to jetski from London to Auckland

(New Zealand Herald) A group of six New Zealanders will attempt to jet-ski from London to Auckland, via Sydney, later this year. The 32,000km, world record bid, will start in August and aims to boost awareness of healthy living, cancer prevention and to raise funds for cancer research. The team will be led by Auckland pilot Jeremy Burfoot, who was the first to circumnavigate New Zealand on a jet-ski.

Why pregnant film fans should stick to happy movies

(David Derbyshire, Daily Mail) Pregnant women planning a night at the cinema might want to steer clear of tear-jerkers. Scientists have discovered that unborn babies respond to their mother's mood while she is watching a movie - and become quiet and still if the film is sad. In a bizarre experiment, foetuses threw their arms around when their mothers watched a feel-good clip from The Sound of Music - but became subdued during a sad scene from The Champ. Researchers have no idea how the babies pick up on their mothers' emotions, but suspect that the rush of hormones triggered by an emotional film are transmitted indirectly to the foetus.

Virus that 'kills off' prostate cancer cells: Volunteer patients injected with 'tame' bug

(Daniel Martin, Daily Mail) Scientists have discovered a virus they hope could be used as a weapon against prostate cancer. They have injected six volunteer patients with the 'tame' virus - and found it killed off cancer cells while sparing normal tissue. And they believe it could also work against other tumours, such as breast, ovarian, pancreatic, lymph and some brain cancers. Each year around 35,000 men in Britain are diagnosed with prostate cancer and 10,000 die from the disease. The virus is called the respiratory, enteric, orphan virus - shortened to reovirus. It is widespread but causes no significant illness in humans.

Art briefly helps patients draw themselves out of mental illness

(John Keilman, Chicago Tribune) A week into his hospitalization at the Elgin Mental Health Center, Jeffrey Eppard was given pencils and paper and invited to draw anything he wanted. The subject he chose was his left arm. He outlined it in a blur of charcoal, then filled in the details: the lines crisscrossing his palm; the bracelet spelling out "Angel"; and the still-fresh scar that began at his wrist and slashed toward the crook of his elbow. The wound was a remnant of the suicide attempt that had landed him in the hospital. He said evoking it with a sketch was, to his surprise, a comfort.

Cord blood stem cells help meet minority marrow needs

(David Martin, CNN) Diana Tirpak was so sure her leukemia was going to kill her, she bought a suit for her husband, Jake, to wear at her funeral. "I was bound and determined he was going to look fine at the funeral," says Tirpak, 68, a retired school nurse in Hudson, Ohio. Until recently, Tirpak would have faced a death sentence without a bone marrow transplant. But Tirpak's physician, Dr. Mary Laughlin, turned to something deemed medical waste until recently: umbilical cord blood. Cord blood is rich in stem cells and easier to match than adult bone marrow because the immune cells are not developed. Also, patients can get the treatment in about three weeks -- as opposed to six to eight for bone marrow from an adult donor, said Laughlin, founder and medical director of the Cleveland Cord Blood Center.

Living a Purposeful Life Can Stave Off Alzheimer's

(Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today) Patients who maintain a greater sense of purpose in life as they age may have greater protection against Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found. Those with a purpose had more than a 50 percent reduced risk of the disease, Dr. Patricia A. Boyle of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and colleagues reported in the March issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. "The tendency to derive meaning from life's experiences and to possess a sense of intentionality and goal directedness are associated with a substantially reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and a less rapid rate of cognitive decline in older age," the researchers wrote.

Snacking for happiness

(The Independent) According to Caring.com, a caregiver resource site, certain snack choices can change your mood for the better - essentially make you happy. Caring.com lists five snack foods because of their essential minerals, amino acids and vitamins to enhance your mood, wellbeing and brain functions to make you happy. Tryptophan, a natural way to boost serotonin levels in the brain, is in four of the five snacks.

Studies: Belief in God relieves depression

(Jennifer Harper, Washington Times) The "Big Man Upstairs" is getting accolades from mental health specialists who say they are finding that a belief in God plays a positive role in the treatment of anxiety and depression. University of Toronto psychologists reported last year that "believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress," their research showcasing "distinct brain differences" between believers and nonbelievers. A new study released Wednesday by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago took the idea a step further. In patients diagnosed with clinical depression, "belief in a concerned God can improve response to medical treatment," said the new research, which has been published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Singing 'rewires' damaged brain

(Victoria Gill, BBC News) Teaching stroke patients to sing "rewires" their brains, helping them recover their speech, say scientists. By singing, patients use a different area of the brain from the area involved in speech. If a person's "speech centre" is damaged by a stroke, they can learn to use their "singing centre" instead. Researchers presented these findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Diego. An ongoing clinical trial, they said, has shown how the brain responds to this "melodic intonation therapy."

Employees Healthier When Boss Is Flexible

(Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today) Workers who had more control over their schedules and work days saw improvements in both physical and mental health, according to a review published in The Cochrane Library. "Flexible working initiatives which equip the worker with more choice or control, such as self-scheduling of work hours or gradual or phased retirement, are likely to have positive effects on health and well being," Clare Bambra of Durham University in the U.K., told MedPage Today. Conversely, Bambra and colleagues found that mandatory overtime and fixed-term contracts had absolutely no positive effects on health outcomes.

Naps Clear the Mind, Help You Learn

(LiveScience.com) You might not need to feel so guilty about taking a mid-day snooze. A new study suggests that napping for an hour or so can refresh your brain, boosting your ability to learn. On the other hand, the more hours we spend awake, the more sluggish our minds become, according to the findings. "Sleep not only rights the wrong of prolonged wakefulness but, at a neurocognitive level, it moves you beyond where you were before you took a nap," said study author Matthew Walker, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

New blood test detects whether a cancerous tumour is responding to therapy

(Mark Henderson, Times Online) A blood DNA test that can detect whether a tumour has returned or is responding to therapy has been developed by American scientists, in an advance that could revolutionise cancer care. The achievement promises to transform management of cancer by allowing doctors to monitor the progress of patients with any type of tumour and to adjust their treatment accordingly. The test, which should be widely available within five years, should spare some patients chemotherapy and radiotherapy that they do not need, while ensuring that others get potentially life-saving extra treatment when the initial course does not kill all the cancer.

Meditation May Boost Mood and Mental Toughness

(Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience.com) Meditation exercises could boost mental toughness in soldiers readying for war, keeping them from becoming overly emotional, according to new research. The study found that mindfulness training, which teaches people how to stay alert and in the moment without becoming emotional (giving them a kind of "mental armor"), improved the moods of U.S. Marines preparing for deployment to Iraq. Practicing mindfulness also improved a type of memory that enables people to complete complex mental tasks.

Happiness makes for a healthy heart

(Kate Kelland, Reuters) People who are usually happy and enthusiastic are less likely to develop heart disease than those who tend to be glum, scientists said on Thursday, and boosting positive emotions could help cut heart health risks. U.S. researchers said their observational study was the first to show an independent relationship between positive emotions and coronary heart disease, but stressed that more work was needed before any treatment recommendations could be made.

Stem cell experiment reverses aging in rare disease

(Maggie Fox, Reuters) In a surprise result that can help in the understanding of both aging and cancer, researchers working with an engineered type of stem cell said they reversed the aging process in a rare genetic disease. The team at Children's Hospital Boston and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute were working with a new type of cell called induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells, which closely resemble embryonic stem cells but are made from ordinary skin cells.

NZ breakthrough in transplant test

(Allison Rudd, New Zealand Herald) In a world first, University of Otago researchers have developed a simple urine test to detect whether transplanted kidneys are failing. Once it has been fully tested and produced commercially, the test could enable transplant recipients to check their own kidney function daily at home, eliminating the need for expensive and invasive kidney biopsies.

Ga. man's heart surgery featured on Twitter

(AP) Robert Peacock is no celebrity, but his heart may be on its way to becoming one. The Waycross, Ga., man allowed St. Vincent's Medical Center in Jacksonville to "tweet" his heart procedure Thursday. That is, a hospital representative gave a snip-by-snip account of the procedure live on the social-networking site Twitter. For the occasion, he insisted on star treatment. "My limo wasn't waiting for me like I asked for," Peacock, 61, quipped as he waited to be wheeled into the operating room. "I don't know what a key grip is, but I want one."

Oxytocin Shows Promise in Autism

(John Gever, MedPage Today) Social function improved in autism-spectrum patients treated with the hormone oxytocin, according to a small study. Following oxytocin inhalation, adults with Asperger's syndrome or high-functioning autism were more inclined to play with the most socially responsive partner in a video ball game, reported Angela Sirigu of the CNRS lab in Bron, France, and colleagues. Also, when participants were shown pictures of human faces, they were more likely to focus attention on the eyes, an important marker of social interaction, the researchers found.

Sweet Science: The Health Benefits of Chocolate

(Rachel Rattner, LiveScience.com) Yet another health benefit has been linked to eating chocolate: It may decrease your risk of stroke, a new study suggests. The analysis, which will be presented in April at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting, reviewed the results of three previous studies. One study with more than 44,000 participants found that those who ate a weekly serving of chocolate were 22 percent less likely to suffer a stroke than those who ate no chocolate.

Mediterranean diet may help prevent dementia, study says

(Elizabeth Landau, CNN) Eating a diet rich in healthy fats and limiting dairy and meat could do more than keep your heart healthier. It could also help keep you thinking clearly. New research shows that sticking to the Mediterranean diet, previously shown to reduce heart and other health issues, also may help lower the risk of having small areas of dead tissue linked to thinking problems. Known as brain infarcts, they're involved in vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer's disease.

Woman with MS finds strength, friendship in Frisco Pilates sessions

(Valerie Wigglesworth, Dallas Morning News) For the first time in years, Sharon Marchioli is walking down stairs. And she's wearing heels, tapping her right foot, standing up straight – things she thought she had lost to multiple sclerosis. "I am having fun," the 61-year-old said. "I am just like a liberated woman right now, totally liberated." She says her savior has been Frisco Pilates trainer Rebecca Swieczkowski, whose patience and compassion have given her back her life. But Swieczkowski, a former professional ballerina, calls Marchioli the inspiration.

By Stimulating Stem Cells, Bioactive Nanogel Regenerates Cartilage in Joints

(Clay Dillow, PopSci.com) The body is a resilient biological structure, but there's one thing medical science, an increasing number of Baby Boomers, and the majority of professional athletes will all tell you: Take care of your joints, because once you burn up the cartilage you started with, you're not getting any more. But a breakthrough by Northwestern University scientists will now allow adult joints to naturally grow new cartilage for the very first time. Unlike bone, muscle and other tissues in the body, cartilage that is damaged or worn away over time does not regenerate itself. The cartilage you have when you reach adulthood has to last you for life.

Curry spice saffron 'could stop you going blind'

(Fiona Macrae, Daily Mail) It is one food colouring that you won't mind giving to the family. Research has shown that saffron, which gives chicken korma and paella their yellow colour, helps keep vision sharp. Test findings suggest the spice reverses age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, the most common cause of blindness in old people. 'Patients' vision improved after taking the saffron pill,' said Professor Silvia Bisti, of the University of Sydney, who carried out the research. 'When they were tested with traditional eye charts, a number of them could read one or two lines smaller than before, while others reported they could read newspapers and books again.'

New 'Freeze' Technique Aids Kidney Transplant

(Thomas Moore, Sky News) A new blood freezing technique has enabled a woman to donate a kidney to her sister, saving her from probable death. Maxine Bath's blood pressure was so low because of years of kidney failure that parts of her body were being starved of oxygen. Her eyes had already been damaged and doctors feared her brain could be next. Only a transplant could save her, but her antibodies would have destroyed a new organ. For the first time, doctors at University Hospital in Coventry used a freezing technique to filter out the antibodies from her blood, allowing her sister, Michelle Titmus, to donate one of her kidneys.

Sixty Seizures to None: Young Girl Overcomes Epilepsy

(Lara Salahi, ABC News) Amanda Momberg of Cedarburg, Wis., was 8 years old when she fell to the kitchen floor and experienced her first epileptic seizure. "I would shake on one side and I couldn't talk," she said. "But I would hear people talking to me." For most of her life, she took medication to control the seizures. But in December 2008, at age 16, the medications stopped working. Amanda suddenly started having 60 to 100 seizures a day. "It was awful," said Amanda's mother, Kathy Momberg. "I was not in control; you couldn't do anything about it." Doctors hoped surgery would help, but the surgeons' first attempt to remove the part of her brain causing the seizures was not successful.

Scientists say crack HIV/AIDS puzzle for drugs

(Kate Kelland, Reuters) Scientists say they have solved a crucial puzzle about the AIDS virus after 20 years of research and that their findings could lead to better treatments for HIV. British and U.S. researchers said they had grown a crystal that enabled them to see the structure of an enzyme called integrase, which is found in retroviruses like HIV and is a target for some of the newest HIV medicines. "Despite initially painstakingly slow progress and very many failed attempts, we did not give up and our effort was finally rewarded," said Peter Cherepanov of Imperial College London, who conducted the research with scientists from Harvard University.

Running barefoot may be healthier, say scientists

(Steve Connor, New Zealand Herald) During her colourful career as a track and field athlete, Zola Budd was as famous for her eccentric habit of running barefoot as she was for turning her back on apartheid South Africa. Now, scientists have found that running without any footwear could in fact be better for your legs than jogging in trainers, because it encourages the use of a different set of muscles as well as a different gait that avoids repeated heavy impacts between the feet and the ground.

Paraplegic amputee walks again thanks to artificial brace

(The Telegraph) Robert Field amazed medics after taking his first steps after being confined to a wheelchair for more than two years. The 23-year-old has fulfilled his dream of walking again with the aid of a special brace and a prosthetic leg. Mr Field was left paralysed from the waist down when a hay bale fell on him while working on the family farm. He broke his back, fractured his jaw and severed a main artery in his leg. Surgeons were forced to amputate his left leg below the thigh and steel rods inserted into his back to help stabilise it.

Study finds vitamins boost mental health

(Jarrod Booker, New Zealand Herald) People with mental illness made "remarkable" improvements by taking a daily dose of nutritional supplements rather than conventional medicines, a trial has found. The work by a Canterbury University clinical psychologist has shown the potential that consumption of the right micronutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids, could have for helping a range of mental health problems. Many who took part in a trial with Associate Professor Julia Rucklidge showed improvements they had not shown under prescription drugs.

High-Fat Diet Ends Epileptic Seizures For Boy

(WCCO) A trip to the doctor is all good news these days for 4-year-old Max Irvine. Just a year ago, however, Max was enduring more than 100 seizures a day. Even a barrage of tests at the famed Mayo Clinic's Epilepsy Laboratory revealed no clear medical explanation. Epilepsy was consuming every waking hour of Max's life. "It got to the point where he couldn't walk or talk or function, or even eat hardly," said Max's father Troy Irvine. Medications control epilepsy for 75 percent of children, but not for Max. His family watched helplessly as the light disappeared from his eyes. Max's playful nature vanished. Priceless intellectual developmental time was being lost.

Start running and watch your brain grow, say scientists

(Ian Sample, The Guardian) The health benefits of a regular run have long been known, but scientists have never understood the curious ability of exercise to boost brain power. Now researchers think they have the answer. Neuroscientists at Cambridge University have shown that running stimulates the brain to grow fresh grey matter and it has a big impact on mental ability. A few days of running led to the growth of hundreds of thousands of new brain cells that improved the ability to recall memories without confusing them, a skill that is crucial for learning and other cognitive tasks, researchers said.

'I didn't want to lose my hair after chemotherapy'

(Jane Elliot, BBC News) Melanie Rowland is very proud of her thick white hair. She did not realise just how important it was to her until she risked losing it all, during chemotherapy. "I got as far as imagining myself bald. I have got white hair, but for some obscure reason you can't get a wig with white hair. "I had to get a creamy blonde wig which I must say took years off me. They had lots of greys and some ghastly colours but no whites. But the nearer it got to thinking I was going to have to look at a bald head the more I felt traumatised at some level."

Exercise protects and improves the aging brain

(Megan Brooks, Reuters) Two new studies provide more evidence that regular aerobic exercise not only staves off the problems with thinking and memory that often come with age, but it can actually help turn back the clock on brain aging. In one study, researchers found evidence that engaging in moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming, or yoga in midlife or later may cut the risk of developing mild thinking problems. In the other study, a group of elderly individuals who already had mild problems had improvements in their mental agility after six months of high-intensity aerobic activity.

Self-Control Is Contagious, Study Finds

(LiveScience.com) When you restrain from scarfing down unhealthy foods or hold back on that extra drink, others may deserve some of the credit. Self-control is contagious, a new study suggests. In a series of studies in a lab setting, researchers found that watching or even thinking about someone with good self-control makes others more likely show the same restraint. And they found the opposite also holds true — people with lousy self-control influence others negatively. The effect is so powerful, in fact, that just seeing the name of someone with good or bad self-control flashing on a screen for 10 milliseconds changed the behavior of volunteers.

School teaches boys to meditate to reduce stress

(Sam Lister, Times Online) Pupils at a leading public school are to receive weekly 40-minute classes in meditation and stress relief in a ground-breaking addition to the school curriculum. Schoolboys aged 14 and 15 at Tonbridge School, in Kent, were given their first lesson yesterday as part of a course designed with psychologists from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The project — the first to introduce meditation skills as a regular subject on the curriculum — has been designed specifically for adolescents and comes after the success of a pilot study at the school last year.

The anti-Alzheimer's milkshake: Once-a-day miracle drink that boosts memory

(Fiona Macrae, Daily Mail) A memory-boosting milkshake for Alzheimer patients could be available within two years. Tests show that taken once a day with breakfast, the strawberry shake significantly improves short-term memory in those in the early stages of the devastating disease. The changes were apparent after only 12 weeks, providing ‘compelling evidence’ of the drink’s potential, the journal of the American Alzheimer’s association reports.

Vinegar and honey cured my crippling arthritis, says delighted organist

(Daily Mail) When Sarah Gall was crippled by arthritis, the powerful painkilling drugs prescribed by her doctor brought no relief. Yet the 55-year-old church organist now claims to be completely pain-free thanks to a simple but startlingly effective cure she found in her kitchen cupboard - vinegar. After being left in constant agony and having to give up her beloved music, Mrs Gall began taking a mixture of cider vinegar and honey four times a day.

New Year's resolution: Have more sex

(Elizabeth Cohen, CNN) Yoga instructor Sadie Nardini and her husband got an early start on their New Year's resolution: In December, the New York couple decided to have sex every day for the entire month. Nardini and her husband, a professional photographer, initially decided to have sex like bunnies in the hopes that all the activity might help them overcome his-and-her bad habits: cigarettes and chocolate, respectively. And indeed, the nightly trysts did help. But they also found, unexpectedly, that frequent sex made them feel better in other ways, too.

Exercise makes your brain brighter at any age

(Jacqueline Stenson, MSNBC.com) If you’re trying to motivate yourself to get moving in the new year, here’s some added inspiration: Mounting research shows that exercise isn’t just good for the body, it’s also good for the brain — and not just the brains of older folks. While much of the research on the effects of exercise on the mind has focused on countering dementia in seniors, recent studies show that kids and young to middle-aged adults can get a brain boost as well.

Mistletoe cures woman's cancer after she shuns chemotherapy

(Daily Mail) A cancer sufferer has told how mistletoe saved her life after she shunned conventional treatments. Joan van Holsteijn put her faith in the healing properties of the plant, which is more commonly associated with Yuletide romance. She turned down potentially life-saving chemotherapy and instead had injections of misteltoe. Amazingly, it has worked wonders: the tumours in her leg are now gone and she's well on the road to recovery.

Leftover Medical Supplies Put To Use Abroad

(Josie Huang, NPR) Elizabeth McLellan has been a nurse for more than 30 years. But she has never been able to get over how many perfectly good medical supplies — millions of dollars' worth — get thrown out each year by U.S. hospitals. So she started a nonprofit group, called Partners for World Health, that collects leftover supplies from hospitals in the Portland, Maine, area and ships them to clinics in developing countries. After she and other nurses pick up the supplies, McLellan stores them in her home while shipments are prepared.

Ramesh and Jaya Shah lead medical mercy missions

(Robert L. Smith, Cleveland Plain Dealer) As they prepare for an upcoming, month-long trip to India, Ramesh and Jaya Shah are packing for a disaster. Their clothes and personal belongings will go into one small bag. Suitcase space is needed for essentials: medicine, antibiotics, bandages and blood-sugar testing kits. If the Mayfield retirees travel like pilgrims, they arrive like saviors. The Shahs are leaders of medical mercy missions. They blaze a path of health care through some of the poorest corners of the world.

Stem cell treatment allows the blind to see again

(Paul Sims and Jenny Hope, Daily Mail) Pioneering stem cell treatment by British scientists has restored the sight of those threatened with permanent blindness. The technique has transformed the lives of patients who have lost their vision through injury or disease. The procedure has so far been carried out only on those who have lost their sight in one eye. But trials are already under way on patients who have damage to both their eyes - and millions could one day benefit from the treatment.

Stroke patient says Kenny Rogers helped brain recovery

(Jane Elliott, BBC News) Mike Pensom loves country and western music, particularly anything by Kenny Rogers. He hates hip hop and rap. But recently Mike found that his musical likes and dislikes also have a profound effect on his brain. Twenty years ago Mike had a stroke which caused problems with the left-hand side of his body and left him missing things in part of his field of vision. But when scientists played him his favourite tunes he has seen more - and when they played the stuff he did not like there was no change.

Stem cell therapies for hearts inching closer to wide use

(Elizabeth Landau, CNN) If you've just had your first heart attack, doctors may one day be able to reverse the damage done with stem cell therapy. An intravenous method of injecting stem cells into patients who had experienced heart attacks within the previous 10 days suggested that this method works to repair -- not just manage -- heart damage, a recent study found. The study is a step forward in a field in which a lot of approaches have been tried in animals and preliminary human trials, but none has been approved for widespread clinical use for heart patients.

Scientists target cancer with light particles

(NZPA) New Zealand scientists have developed tiny "light" particles that can seek out and destroy cancer cells. Victoria University synthetic chemist Richard Tilley said researchers had established the tools to detect cancer when it was at the stage of a single diseased cell - well ahead of some MRI scans which cannot identify tumours until they are about 2.5 centimetres wide. "This will mean earlier detection, so it could lead to a better chance of survival," he told the Dominion Post.

Paralyzed man 'turns thoughts into sounds'

(CNN) An experimental system is letting a paralyzed man turn his thoughts into the beginnings of real-time speech, according to researchers. Erik Ramsey, 26, from Georgia, in the U.S., suffered a stroke after a car accident at the age of 16, leaving him with Locked-in Syndrome. That's the same condition suffered by Rom Houben, the Belgian man who was last month discovered to have been wrongly diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state for 23 years. Ramsey is completely paralyzed and currently able to communicate only by blinking his eyes. But researchers at Boston University have implanted an electrode into his brain that lets him convert his thoughts into vowel sounds produced by a voice synthesizer.

Drinking cups of tea and coffee 'can prevent diabetes'

(BBC News) Tea and coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a large body of evidence shows. And the protection may not be down to caffeine since decaf coffee has the greatest effect, say researchers in Archives of Internal Medicine. They looked at 18 separate studies involving nearly 500,000 people. This analysis revealed that people who drink three or four cups of coffee or tea a day cut their risk by a fifth or more, say researchers. The same amount of decaffeinated coffee had an even bigger effect, lowering risk by a third.

Feeling blue? Look to hugs before religion

(Erin Anderssen, Globe and Mail) Christmas spirit flagging? Go out and get a hug. A new Canadian study has found that people who get hugs regularly are more likely to report better mental health. A warm embrace, in fact, had a more significant connection to an uplifting frame of mind than attending church regularly. "For people who either benefit from affection or lack it, there are substantial differences," says Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Montreal-based Association of Canadians Studies, who analyzed the data from the 2007 Canadian Community Health Survey. "I recommend getting a hug."

Massive transplant effort pairs 13 kidneys to 13 patients

(Val Willingham, CNN) Renee Patterson's most precious present this Christmas won't be under her tree, and it didn't come from a store. This holiday, she said, she got her life back. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland, resident learned nine years ago she had kidney disease. One of her kidneys began to deteriorate, and she had to begin regular dialysis. Because she couldn't find a family match, her former colleague and friend, Michael Williams, offered to donate one of his kidneys. Problem was, Patterson and Williams didn't match either. But Patterson's doctor suggested they look into the paired kidney donation program at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

The marigold miracle that saved my sight

(Daily Mail) As a retired optician, Harry Marsland knew better than most how serious it was when he was diagnosed with an untreatable eye condition. But his tale of despair has turned into an astonishing story of recovery - thanks to the marigold plant. Mr Marsland, who at one stage needed help just to walk, could be the first person in the UK to have recovered from a devastating condition that causes blindness. Within months of starting to take a food supplement containing marigold extracts he is driving a car again, reads without a magnifier and has near-perfect vision in the affected eye.

Meditation is giving offenders an enlightened outlook on criminal behavior

(Nancy Cambria, St. Louis Post-Dispatch) It was a routine business conference for the judge: Agendas. Handshakes. Business cards. But then something kind of mystical happened. David Mason was approached by a man wearing a crisp suit with a neatly pointed kerchief in his breast pocket. In a measured Indian accent, the man said he too was a lawyer and knew all about the judge and his enlightened views on criminal rehabilitation. He wanted to tell him about the power of meditation in prisons. The man was Farrokh Anklesaria. He was a direct student of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and he'd been sent around the world by him to bring meditation to convicts.

Autism seen as asset, not liability, in some jobs

(Chris Tachibana, MSNBC.com) Ron Brix’s longtime job as a computer systems developer for Wrigley, the gum and candy maker, required intense attention to detail, single-minded focus and a willingness to work on something repetitively until perfect. The secret he credits to his success? Autism. Brix, age 54, was diagnosed in 2001 with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism often marked by the exact traits that help make him an ideal employee.

A little Mozart might benefit preemies' growth

(Reuters) The sounds of Mozart might help slow premature infants' metabolism, potentially helping them to put on needed weight, a study published Monday suggests. Most research into the so-called "Mozart effect" has focused on whether listening to the composer can boost a person's IQ. A 1993 study of 36 college students found that listening to a Mozart sonata appeared to temporarily boost performance on a test of spatial- temporal reasoning -- measured by participants' ability to make cuts in a folded paper while visualizing what the final results would be when the paper was unfolded.

The amazing new operation that means anyone can see in HD

(Alice Grebot, Daily Mail) The first artificial lens implant to treat cataracts was carried out in London just over 60 years ago. Pioneered by ophthalmic surgeon Sir Harold Ridley, it was a concept that would go on to save the sight of millions. Now, a groundbreaking new type of lens has been developed that can be adjusted to give a patient perfect vision after it has been inserted into the eye. Made from a unique material, the lens has the ability to change shape when a certain strength of laser light is shone on to it, meaning it can be tailored to an individual patient's needs.

In Month of Giving, a Healthy Reward

(Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times) When Cami Walker of Los Angeles learned three years ago that she had multiple sclerosis, her health and her spirits plummeted — until she got an unusual prescription from a holistic health educator. Ms. Walker, now 36, scribbled the idea in her journal. And though she dismissed it at first, after weeks of fatigue, insomnia, pain and preoccupation with her symptoms, she decided to give it a try. The treatment and her experience with it are summed up in the title of her new book, "29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life"

To relieve stress, schools in tough neighborhoods turn to yoga

(Sharon Noguchi, San Jose Mercury News) Luis Gutierrez is sounding like a human kazoo, demonstrating what he calls the "evilbuster breath." As the speaker's hands tent his nose and he exhales in a loud hum, few of the two dozen freshmen at Overfelt High in San Jose are smirking or rolling their eyes. After the students try this newest yoga technique and report vibrations in their noses, throats and brains, Gutierrez explains the breathing will help calm their nerves. Use this in many situations, he advises, including the times when teachers suddenly call on you in class.

Blind man fitted with 'bionic' eye sees for first time in 30 years

(Liz Hull, Daily Mail) A blind man who thought he would never be able to read again has had his vision partially restored after being fitted with a 'bionic' eye. Peter Lane, 51, is one of the first people in the world to have electronic receivers implanted into his eye which send signals mounted in a pair of glasses to the brain. The technology has allowed Mr Lane, from Manchester, to see the outline of objects, such as doorways and furniture, and to read letters through a series of dots of lights for the first time in almost 30 years.

Cup of mint tea is an effective painkiller

(BBC News) A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, a study suggests. Hyptis crenata has been prescribed by Brazilian healers for millennia to treat ailments from headaches and stomach pain to fever and flu. Working on mice, a Newcastle University team has proved scientifically that the ancient medicine men were right.

Stroking pets can cut painkiller use after surgery

(The Telegraph) Stroking a pet can help patients cut their amount of painkillers in half, according to a new study. The research found that patients who had undergone hip or knee replacement operations needed less painkillers if they used pet therapy. It is well known that animal owners are generally healthier than non-pet owners because they can help reduce stress and encourage exercise. In Britain a charity called Pets and Therapy has been taking animals into care homes, hospices, hospitals and children's wards to help patients recover and reduce stress levels since 1983. A conference in America has heard that patients recovering from joint-replacement surgery needed 50 per cent less pain medication if they used pet therapy.

HIV+ soccer team scores against stigma

(Joanna Stavropoulou, CNN) Somebody told me about a group of HIV positive ladies in the Epworth Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic in Zimbabwe who had formed a football team and every time they won a match, they would march through the clinic in their football jerseys singing uplifting songs in order to inspire other HIV-infected people like them. When I heard the story it was hard to believe. Epworth is one of the poorest townships in Zimbabwe. It has a high prevalence of HIV, more than one in four are infected, and yet despite this high number, the stigma against people with HIV is horrendous.

Pioneering heart pump operation saves mother with 'life expectancy of four to five weeks'

(Eithne Donnellan, Irish Times) The life of a 37-year-old mother of four has been saved following the implantation in her abdomen of an artificial heart pump at Dublin’s Mater hospital in the first operation of its kind in the country. Elaine O’Hara from Ballinteer, Dublin was bed-bound due to a heart condition up to a few weeks ago. She had been given just weeks to live as antibodies in her blood made her unsuitable for a heart transplant. As her heart surgeon Freddie Wood put it yesterday, she was "dying" when it was decided to offer her a piece of new technology normally only used to buy time for people awaiting heart transplants.

Nintendo Wii may provide actual exercise: study

(Bill Berkrot, Reuters) The new active Wii video games from Nintendo Co Ltd may be creating a healthier generation of couch potato, according to a new study presented on Monday. Some of the Nintendo Wii sports games and activities included in the Wii fit series, both of which require video- game enthusiasts to get up off the couch, may increase energy expenditure as much as moderate intensity exercise without ever leaving the TV room, researchers said at the American Heart Association (AHA) scientific meeting in Orlando.

Wheelchair rugby puts athletes back on the team

(Leslie Wade, CNN) Talbot Kennedy became a quadriplegic on the last day of high school. He's still an athlete. Playing rugby has helped Kennedy come to terms with his injury and his new life using a wheelchair. "I've always been active in sports, and being on a sports team, it's almost like you're part of a family," he says. "It's your second family." The Smash Rugby team at the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, scrimmages several nights a week on an indoor basketball court.

Yoga helps even little ones channel energy, emotion

(Ashley Fantz, CNN) Gigi reaches up into her sun salutation. She steps back into her high lunge and kicks her legs straight into plank pose, a push-up she holds without wobbling for 10 seconds before looking up impatiently at her yoga teacher. It's close to 6 p.m. She's had a long day. She collapses on her mat, rolls on her back and closes her eyes. And then sends one finger digging up her nose. What? C'mon, she's only 5. This is yoga for kids. Once an oddity reserved for only the crunchiest communities, downward dog for the grade-school set is now being taught in studios from Minnetonka, Minnesota, to Moscow, Russia.

Canada doctor uses glue to aid open-heart recovery

(John McCrank, Reuters) A new surgical technique using glue to repair breastbones intentionally broken during open-heart surgery speeds up recovery time and is "substantially less painful" for patients, a University of Calgary scientist said on Thursday. The standard practice in operating rooms is to sew the breastbone back together with wire after open-heart surgery. That procedure takes weeks to heal and often requires strong pain medication to withstand, said Dr. Paul Fedak, a cardiac surgeon at Foothills Medical Center in Calgary, Alberta, and a scientist at the university's faculty of medicine. "We can now heal the breastbone in hours instead of weeks after open-heart surgery."

Indiana Clinic Lets Patients Work Off Bills

(Michael Linville, NPR) A low-cost health care clinic in Goshen, Ind., has come up with a business plan that allows patients to pay for treatment with something other than money. At the Maple City Health Care Center, patients can help pay off their medical bills by performing community service. Last fall, when the unemployment rate in Elkhart County, Indiana, topped 10 percent, clinic workers began noticing that patients weren't showing up for appointments. Turns out they couldn't even come up with a few bucks for an office visit. So James Gingrich, the clinic's medical director, decided to tap his patients' skills and resources instead.

The artificial hand that can 'feel'

(Mark Tutton, CNN) Researchers are working on a breakthrough in artificial limb technology -- a prosthetic hand that can actually feel. The SmartHand project is funded by the European Union and is a collaboration between researchers from across the continent. It has produced a prototype motorized prosthetic hand that researchers say gives unprecedented sensory feedback. Fredrik Sebelius, of Lund University, in Sweden, is one of those working on the project. He told CNN that the SmartHand is able to exploit the fact that many amputees experience what he terms a "phantom hand."

Finding a Better 'Position' to Deal With Disease

(Kristina Fiore, ABC News) At major cancer centers across the country, patients are putting themselves in a better 'position' to cope with their cancer. Some of the biggest names in cancer care -- M.D. Anderson, Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, among them -- now offer their patients classes in yoga. In the past, physicians may have written off the therapy as merely a trendy yuppie pastime. But today, researchers -- mainly psychologists -- are asking questions about the benefits of yoga in a variety of conditions, including cancer, asthma, sleep disorders, depression and attention disorders.

Cancers Can Vanish Without Treatment, but How?

(Gina Kolata, New York Times) Call it the arrow of cancer. Like the arrow of time, it was supposed to point in one direction. Cancers grew and worsened. But as a paper in The Journal of the American Medical Association noted last week, data from more than two decades of screening for breast and prostate cancer call that view into question. Besides finding tumors that would be lethal if left untreated, screening appears to be finding many small tumors that would not be a problem if they were left alone, undiscovered by screening.

Tumeric molecules found to kill cancer cells

(Eithne Donnellan, Irish Times) Molecules found in a curry spice have been shown by researchers at University College Cork to kill oesophageal cancer cells. The researchers found when they treated oesophageal cancer cells in the laboratory with curcumin – a chemical found in the curry spice tumeric – it started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours. The cells also began to digest themselves.

Gene therapy transforms eyesight of 12 people with rare visual defect

(Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times) Pennsylvania researchers using gene therapy have made significant improvements in vision in 12 patients with a rare inherited visual defect, a finding that suggests it may be possible to produce similar improvements in a much larger number of patients with retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. The team last year reported success with three adult patients, an achievement that was hailed as a major accomplishment for gene therapy.

Kidney transplants at UCLA Medical Center have a domino effect

(Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times) At 8:25 Thursday morning, Dr. Peter Schulam extracted a healthy kidney from a 60-year-old woman, slipped it into a bowl of sterile ice and wheeled it into the operating room next door. The donor, Nancy Seruto, a San Dimas mother, had never met the recipient, a 67-year-old retired flight attendant from Santa Ana. Less than two hours later, Seruto's husband was on the same operating table at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Another stranger, a 53-year-old Chatsworth mother of two, was giving him a kidney. They were among 18 patients paired by surgeons as part of a rare transplant chain, built largely on trust.

Music Benefits Exercise, Studies Show

(Dan Peterson, LiveScience.com) With the Fall marathon season in full swing, thousands of runners are gearing up for the big day. Just as important as their broken-in shoes and heart rate monitor is their source of motivation, inspiration and distraction: their tunes. Running with music has become so common that the two biggest names in both industries, Nike and Apple, have been joined at the hip with the Nike + iPod combination. So, what is it about music and running, or any exercise, that feels so right? Several recent studies try to chase down the connection between our ears and our feet.

Bionic Eye Opens New World Of Sight For Blind

(Jon Hamilton, NPR) Stem cells and electronics can help restore vision to people who've been blinded by retinal diseases, scientists reported in Chicago at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Diseases of the retina cause blindness by damaging the cells that line the back of the eye, where images of the world are normally transformed into nerve impulses that go to the brain. "There's very little therapeutic treatment out there right now for people with diseased retinas," says Brian Mech, a vice president of Second Sight Medical Products in Sylmar, Calif. But Second Sight is hoping to change that.

From Haircuts to Movies, Businesses Reach Out to Autism Families

(Dan Childs, ABC News) Judith Ursitti was not the first parent to dread taking her child to get a haircut. After all, kids fidget. They protest. And most will not be content until the cape comes off, the loose hair is brushed away and the stylist hands them a piece of candy or gum. But for Ursitti, the experience with her 6-year-old son, Jack, was far worse.

Cut yourself? Tribal remedy of sprinkling SUGAR on wound heals it faster

(Daily Mail) Rubbing sugar into wounds could cure painful infections including bedsores, research shows. The traditional African remedy is being trialled in British hospitals after a study led by a senior nurse raised in Zimbabwe. As a child, Moses Murandu watched his father put crushed sugar cane on villagers' wounds and grew up thinking it was a widely used treatment. When he moved to England he was surprised to find doctors did not use it. His six-month study involved 21 patients at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham whose wounds had not responded to conventional treatment.

Looking at nature makes you nicer

(Diane Mapes, MSNBC.com) "If it weren’t for Central Park, all us New Yorkers would kill each other," says Ruta Fox, a 50-something jewelry entrepreneur from Manhattan. "It’s the saving grace of this city." As extreme as that sounds, Fox may be on to something. In a set of recent experiments, researchers at the University of Rochester in New York monitored the effects of natural versus artificial environments — and found that nature actually makes us nicer. "Previous studies have shown the health benefits of nature range from more rapid healing to stress reduction to improved mental performance and vitality," says Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology, psychiatry and education at the University of Rochester

Placebo effect is in the spine as well as the mind

(Ben Hirschler, Reuters) It's not all in the mind -- the so-called placebo effect is real and reaches right down to the spine, German scientists said on Thursday. The finding may help in the hunt for better ways to tackle pain and other disorders. Using modern imaging technology the researchers found that simply believing a pain treatment is effective actually dampens pain signaling in a region of the spinal cord called the dorsal horn, suggesting a powerful biological mechanism is at work.

Using Music to Ease Patient Stress During Surgery

(Coeli Carr, Time) For as long as humans have pounded drums and plucked strings, listening to music has affected people's sense of well-being, lifting their spirits and — as new research shows — calming their nerves. Literally. According to a study at Cleveland Clinic, music can slow the neuronal firings deep within the brain during surgery designed to treat Parkinson's patients. For as long as humans have pounded drums and plucked strings, listening to music has affected people's sense of well-being, lifting their spirits and — as new research shows — calming their nerves. Literally.

Chinese herbs show promise for diabetes prevention

(Amy Norton, Reuters) A number of traditional Chinese herbs may help control blood sugar levels in people at high risk of diabetes, a new research review suggests. The review, which examined 16 clinical trials of 15 different herbal formulations, found that the herbs generally helped lower blood sugar levels in people with "pre-diabetes" -- those with impaired blood-sugar control that can progress to full-blown type 2 diabetes. When the researchers pooled data from eight of the studies, they found that adding an herbal remedy to lifestyle changes doubled the likelihood of participants' blood sugar levels returning to normal.

Born with half a brain, woman living full life

(Kelly Marshall and Eric Marrapodi, CNN) Michelle Mack has turned medical thinking upside down. Born with only half a brain, Mack can speak normally, graduated from high school and has an uncanny knack for dates. At 27, doctors determined that the right side of her brain had essentially rewired itself to make up for function that was likely lost during a pre-birth stroke. But her childhood and young adult years were fraught with frustration. "It was very hard for me," Mack said. "It was very hard for me growing up. No one knew the truth about my brain."

Groundbreaking Stem Cell Surgery Gives Boy New Cheekbones

(Dan Harris and Suzan Clarke, ABC News) Brad Guilkey, 15, was born without cheekbones and, for him, a typical sporting activity such as basketball carries tremendous risks. Brad suffers from Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic disorder in which the bones and other tissues in the face don't develop. So, for Brad, a shot to the face during a game of basketball could crush his eyeball. His mother, Christine Guilkey, said the lack of bone meant the lack of vital protection.

From an icy slope, a medical miracle emerges

(David S. Martin, CNN) Fresh from medical school, Anna Bågenholm chose to do her residency in the Norwegian city of Narvik because of its spectacular mountain slopes. An expert skier, Bågenholm had gone off the trail with two other young doctors on a warm spring afternoon when she fell. What happened that day in 1999 changed her life and has redefined what is possible in cases of accidental hypothermia.

The building that wants to 'hug'

(Jane Elliott, BBC News) When Cathy Davies was diagnosed with breast cancer she had innumerable questions. Questions about her treatment options, medication and her future. Although happy with her NHS treatment at a top cancer hospital she was looking for something else. Somewhere she could get help without spending even more time in a hospital situation. So when a friend recommended the newly-opened Maggie's Centre, in the grounds of the London's Charing Cross Hospital, the 51-year-old knew she had found a haven.

Meditation influences brain function

(Denise Ryan, Canwest News Service) Richard Davidson, one of the world's top brain scientists, believes mental exercise, specifically meditation, can literally change our minds. "Our data shows mental practice can induce long-lasting changes in the brain," said Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His startling scientific research on the impact of meditation on brain function has implications that go beyond the physical. Buddhist monks believe mental attributes and positive emotions such as compassion, love, kindness and empathy are skills that can be cultivated. And science is beginning to back that up.

Whole grains may help keep blood pressure in check

(Reuters) Eating lots of whole grains could ward off high blood pressure, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the study, men with the highest whole-grain consumption were 19 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than men who ate the least amount of whole grains. While refining grains removes their outer coating, whole grains retain their bran and germ, so they are richer in many nutrients, Dr. Alan J. Flint of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and his colleagues note in their report.

Mediterranean Diet Reduces Risk of Depression, Study Says

(Reuters) People who follow a Mediterranean-style diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish are less likely to become depressed, scientists said on Monday, but the reasons are unclear. Spanish researchers studied 11,000 people and found that those who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely had a more than 30 percent reduction in the risk of depression than those whose diet had few of the crucial Mediterranean elements.

Scientists say nanoparticles may help kill tumors

(Kate Kelland, Reuters) British scientists are developing ways to use nanoparticles as tiny magnets that can heat up and kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells around them. The researchers have found that iron-oxide nanoparticles can be attached to cancer-seeking antibodies, or injected into cancer-seeking stem cells, which take them straight to the tumors they need to kill. Heating the cells to just 5 or 6 degrees Celsius above body temperature, in a new device called a magnetic alternating current hyperthermia (MACH) machine, can kill the cancer cells.

Happiness, Inc: Deepak Chopra's Path to Inner Peace

(Dan Harris and Sidney Wright IV, ABC News) Deepak Chopra, the thoroughly modern guru, walks through Manhattan tweeting, delivering inspirational messages in 140 characters or less. "The purpose of life is the expansion of happiness," he tweets to the more than 106,000 people who follow his updates. Between his tweets, Chopra blogs, has a satellite radio show, and writes books on everything from spirituality, to health, to cooking and even golf.

Texas investing $3 billion toward cure for cancer

(AP) Texas gave birth to the modern oil industry, invented the handheld calculator and sent man to the moon. But can the Lone Star State cure cancer? Texas is ready to try by investing $3 billion over the next decade in cancer research and prevention, which would make the state the gatekeeper of the second largest pot of cancer research dollars in the United States, behind only the National Cancer Institute.

Pioneering Heart Surgery Saves Man's Life

(Thomas Moore, Sky News) Surgeons have, for the first time, used a combination of an artificial heart and stem cells to save the life of a dying man. Ioannis Manolopoulos was fitted with the mechanical pump because his heart was too weak to push blood around his body. Surgeons then injected his failing heart muscle with six million of his own stem cells in the hope that they would repair the damage. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, he said he owed the British and Greek surgeons his life.

AIDS vaccine protects people, shocks researchers

(Maggie Fox, Reuters) An experimental AIDS vaccine made from two failed products has protected people for the first time, reducing the rate of infection by about 30 percent, researchers said on Thursday. Developers said they were now debating how to test the limited amounts of vaccine they have left to find out if there are ways to make it work better. Scientists said they were unsure how or why the vaccines worked when used together in the trial, which took place in Thailand, and will study the volunteers to find out.

An Indian Doctor's Cure-All: Charlie Chaplin

(Philip Reeves, NPR) In India, laughing is a serious matter. There are laughing clubs — groups who gather in parks for a collective guffaw to relieve the stresses of daily life. Ashok Aswani goes one step further: He hands out free DVDs of Charlie Chaplin movies to patients as a cure for depression. "This makes them feel better," he says. "They enjoy it. The next visit, they ask for another movie."

How Xbox Can Help Fight Heart Disease

(Tara Kelly, Time) Countless medical studies have concluded that playing too many video games can be harmful to one's health. Now, however, it turns out that one of the more popular video-game consoles on the market, the Xbox 360, could be used to save lives. A computer scientist at the University of Warwick in England has devised a way to use an Xbox 360 to detect heart defects and help prevent heart attacks.

Hope for millions with sight loss as scientists cure colour blindness

(Fiona Macrae, Daily Mail) Scientists have cured colour blindness in monkeys in a world first that offers hope for millions. The innovative technique could not only allow colour-blind people tell red from green for the first time - it could restore sight to the blind. Sufferers of age-related macular degeneration - the most common cause of blindness in the elderly - are among those who could benefit.

Liquid specs a bold vision for world's poor

(Mark Tutton, CNN) In the developing world millions of people struggle to operate machinery, read from a blackboard, or just see the world around them, because they don't have access to the eye glasses they need. But a pair of glasses developed by Joshua Silver, a physics professor at the University of Oxford, offers an affordable solution. The glasses can be adjusted to the right strength by the wearer, without the need for them to visit an optometrist.

My Life as a Dog

(Dana Jennings, New York Times) Our creaky miniature poodle, Bijou, and I spend a lot of time together. We both like to curl up in the den at the end of the day, and we both have the uncanny ability to take a nap anytime and anywhere. I realize now as I take care of Bijou that I even became a kind of a dog myself as I went through surgery, radiation and hormone therapy for advanced prostate cancer. We don’t look anything alike, though. She’s black, snarly and curly. I have a buzz cut.

Social activity is one of the best medicines

(New Zealand Herald) Being part of a social group can be better for a person's health and well-being, and can even provide better protection against memory loss and the effects of ageing than many drugs and medicines, scientists have said. Studies have shown that when people feel part of a close-knit group they are less likely to suffer heart attacks, are more able to cope with stress and are better at retaining their memory than people who become socially isolated.

Blueberry is food for thought

(Richard Alleyne, Telegraph) A blueberry smoothie at breakfast can stop your powers of concentration waning in the afternoon - and even help fight dementia in the long term, new research suggests. Scientists have found that the food can increase your attention span in the short term and can maintain a healthy mind in the long term. They found that just one 200g blueberry smoothie was enough to increase powers of concentration by as much as 20 per cent over the day.

Why reminiscing about old times can boost your health

(Fiona MacRae, Daily Mail) Uncle Albert loved to talk about the war with Del Boy and Rodney in Only Fools and Horses, and now it appears he was right to do so. Talking about the past can be good for your health, research suggests. Pensioners who got into groups and reminisced about their youth, including their wartime experiences, saw significant improvements in memory.

Robots Act as Teaching Aids for University of Arizona Medical Students

(Angel Allen, UWIRE) It’s a happy day. Noelle has given birth to a baby. All the University of Arizona medical students who helped with the delivery are proud. For some, this is their first birthing experience — and definitely their first one with a robot. Noelle and her baby, Hal, are two computerized robotic mannequins the University Medical Center purchased on a $40,000 grant from Miami-based Gaumard Scientific. Margie Neish, the charge nurse in Obstetrics and Gynecology, works with Noelle and baby Hal and said Noelle is so life-like it’s amusing to watch the medical students who work with her.

PTSD treatment: Military goes to the dogs to help soldiers

(Alan Bavley, McClatchy/Tribune News) Can a canine companion soothe the volatile emotions of a soldier haunted by post-traumatic stress disorder? It may sound far-fetched, but the Department of Defense wants to find out. It is spending millions of dollars on medical research projects like this that may yield groundbreaking results but are too speculative for other government agencies to consider. So the Defense Department is financing a $300,000 study that will pair soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with dogs trained to sense when their masters are about to have a panic attack and give them a calming nudge or nuzzle.

Littlest patients find distraction, comfort in live feeds from zoos

(Jeff Martin, USA Today) A smile flashes across Raymond Clark's face as the 8-year-old watches ZooTV, a welcome distraction from needle pokes and other tests during his treatment for a heart defect here at Sanford Children's Hospital. The Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls launched ZooTV in March, using 14 weather-proof cameras to shoot live video in several exhibits. The idea behind the project is to comfort sick children, provide some normalcy for them and take their minds off medical procedures, says Carrie Kindopp, child life manager at Sanford.

Yoga Classes Help Lower Back Pain

(Chris Emery, MedPageToday) Yoga classes helped people with chronic lower back pain improve their mood and ability to function, and it eased their pain more than conventional treatment alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health. People who were assigned to take yoga for two months experienced a 29 percent reduction in functional disability and a 42 percent reduction in pain, the authors reported in the September 1 edition of the journal Spine.

Liquid condoms to flying syringes: Ideas to save lives

(Grace Wong and Mark Tutton, CNN) Since it was founded in 1994, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been instrumental in encouraging innovative research that will combat the biggest health issues affecting the developing world. The foundation has pledged $100 million in grants to get new scientific research off the ground, as part of Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE). On Tuesday, GCE launched its latest round of grant applications, open to anyone with a unique approach to solving problems in the developing world.

Eating broccoli 'protects the lining of arteries'

(Kate Devlin, The Telegraph) Scientists have discovered that a component of the superfood can protect arteries from “furring” which can block blood flow and lead to angina, heart attack and stroke. Arteries don’t clog at the same rate and researchers know that a protein is inactive in parts which are more vulnerable to disease.

Company wellness programs improve health, cut costs

(Alison Harding, CNN) Employee wellness programs just may be the cure for companies struggling to keep up with rapidly rising health care costs. And proponents say that in addition to saving companies money, the programs are an effective way to help employees live healthier lives. Jeff and Linda Pond of Virginia even suggest that Linda's company wellness program may have saved Jeff's life.

Mediterranean diet can stave off need for diabetes drugs

(Heather Mayer, Health.com) Studies already suggest that the Mediterranean diet -- rich in fish, fruits, nuts, and olive oil -- can prevent second heart attacks, delay Alzheimer's disease, and maybe even lower your cancer risk. Now, new research says the Mediterranean diet may also be a winning solution for people with type 2 diabetes. Compared to people on a low-fat diet, those with type 2 diabetes who ate a Mediterranean diet lost more weight and went longer without blood-sugar-lowering medication, according to a study published this week in Annals of Internal Medicine.

 

Dr. Oz on Complementary Medicine: 'Challenge the Status Quo'

(Lana Zak, ABC News) Dr. Mehmet Oz, a world-famous heart surgeon, is advocating another type of medicine that does not require a scalpel: complementary medicine. Oz believes that we are only beginning to understand what contributes to healing and wants all of us to expand our definition of health care.

Taking Cue From Reality TV, Cops Stage Own 'Biggest Loser'

(Theola Labbé-DeBose, Washington Post) The morning quiet of the Mall is punctuated by a few joggers and walkers at 6 a.m. on a recent weekday. The sun is barely out and cars move quickly on the empty pre-rush-hour streets. Arriving at the corner of Third Street and Madison Drive NW in black Crown Victorias with tinted windows and District government license plates are four men and women about to join the exercise fray. They are Alfred Durham, a D.C. assistant police chief; George Bolden, head of the police department's IT staff; Matt Bromeland, a staff assistant to Chief Cathy L. Lanier; and Betty Gene Williams, a staff assistant to Durham.

A new fitness craze – Hula Hooping?

(Kimberly N. Chase, Christian Science Monitor) It's a common sight in San Francisco – the green grass of a neighborhood park is accented by brightly colored hoops twirling at improbable angles around people grooving stylishly to dance music under the afternoon sun. These are the Bay Area Hoopers, who meet every Sunday afternoon in parks around the city to practice their moves, holding the hoops aloft, then spinning them around their midsections, arms, shoulders, and legs. For Philo Hagen, cofounder of the Bay Area Hoopers and editor of Hooping.org, the hoop is a way to shift one's attention from the head to the rest of the body.

'DASH' diet may prevent kidney stones

(Amy Norton, Reuters) A diet widely recommended for lowering blood pressure may also curb people's risk of developing kidney stones, a new study suggests. The diet, known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), advocates eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and moderate amounts of low-fat dairy and lean meat and fish. In the new study, adults with the most DASH-like diets had a 40 percent to 45 percent lower risk of developing kidney stones compared with those whose eating habits least emulated the DASH diet.

Even phone calls help cancer patients

(Liz Szabo, USA Today) Asking nurses to reach out to people who have advanced cancer — even if only by phone — can improve patients' mood and quality of life, a study in today's Journal of the American Medical Association reports. Nurses in the study of 322 cancer patients were specially trained in palliative care, which focuses on relieving pain and coordinating the medical and social needs of people with long-term illness. Doctors randomly assigned half the patients to receive regular phone consultations and half to receive only their regular care.

Sweet temptation? How gazing at cake helps you lose weight

(Fiona MacRae, Daily Mail) Women who want to lose weight can have their cake – as long as they don’t eat it, scientists believe. A study found that showing weight-conscious women pictures of sweet treats strengthens their resolve to eat healthily. The finding suggests that glossy adverts designed to make cakes, chocolate and desserts irresistible may actually have the opposite effect.

Battling inflammation, disease through food

(Shara Yurkiewicz, Los Angeles Times) If you want to live longer -- avoid heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer -- then pick and choose your foods with care to quiet down parts of your immune system. That's the principle promoted by the founders and followers of anti-inflammatory diets, designed to reduce chronic inflammation in the body. Dozens of books filled with diets and recipes have flooded the market in the last few years, including popular ones by dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone and Zone Diet creator Barry Sears.

Had a heart attack? Eating chocolate twice a week could save your life

(Daily Mail) Heart attack survivors who snack on chocolate at least twice a week could greatly reduce their risk of dying from coronary disease, according to research. A Swedish study shows victims who eat chocolate regularly are nearly 70 per cent less likely to die from cardiac problems than those who rarely eat it. Even a weekly chocolate treat can help, almost halving the risk of death from heart problems. The findings, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, are the latest in a long line of studies highlighting the health benefits of chocolate, especially dark chocolate.

Cheers - an extra 21 years of life!

(Jane Elliott, BBC News) When surgeons told Ken Hunt that his bowel cancer had spread to his liver things looked very gloomy indeed. The senior surgeons of the day told Mr Hunt that they could do nothing - and that if nothing was done he would die. But a young surgeon just setting out on his career agreed to operate. And today the pair are celebrating the fact that Mr Hunt has enjoyed an extra 21 years of life that neither initially expected him to see.

Study Suggests Gene Therapy May Enable Blind to See

(Marrecca Fiore, Fox News) Scientists believe the brain of a blind woman rewired itself and enabled her to see after partial vision was restored to sections of her retina through gene therapy. The finding surprised scientists at the University of Florida College of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania who two years ago began testing the safety of gene therapy in three patients born with Leber congenital amaurosis type 2, a rare blindness condition. The findings are contained in a study to be published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

 

Stem cells may offer promise for damaged hearts

(Elizabeth Landau, CNN) In a field largely still in its infancy, scientists are making headway toward using stem cells to treat heart ailments. The major focus of stem cell research in cardiology is promoting regeneration of the heart or preventing scar formation, said Jeffrey Karp, who runs a stem cell biology lab at Harvard University. One study reporting successful results in humans involves harvesting patients' own stem cells, purifying them, and injecting them directly into the heart muscle.

Smile and count your blessings – it'll make you happier

(Karen McVeigh, The Guardian) A public experiment designed to lift the nation's spirits has reported its hopeful conclusions – that smiling, counting your blessings and reliving happy memories will make you happier. The Science of Happiness study said thinking of a positive thing that happened the day before was by far the most effective way for people to cheer themselves up. It could be something as simple as a great cup of coffee or meal, watching a good film or television programme, or things going well at work.

First Wi-Fi pacemaker in US gives patient freedom

(Ben Gruber, Reuters) After relying on a pacemaker for 20 years, Carol Kasyjanski has become the first American recipient of a wireless pacemaker that allows her doctor to monitor her health from afar -- over the Internet. When Kasyjanski heads to St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York, for a routine check-up, about 90 percent of the work has already been done because her doctor logged into his computer and learned most of what he needed to know about his patient.

Optimistic Women Live Longer, Healthier

(LiveScience.com) Optimistic women live longer and healthier lives than their pessimistic peers, a new study suggests. Specifically, researchers found that women who see the glass as half full are at a lower risk for developing heart disease, and have a lower risk of dying from any cause, than those who see the glass as half empty.

The rewards of volunteering

(Valerie Ulene, Los Angeles Times) For more than 20 years, Penny and Ted Landreth have been feeding the hungry and homeless. It's not glamorous work. Afternoons, they -- along with a small but formidable group of volunteers -- prepare dinner using whatever food donations they happen to have on hand. The couple then head for the corner of Romaine Street and Sycamore Avenue in Los Angeles, where up to 150 men and women wait for what may be their only meal of the day.

Giving up alcohol and caffeine is as good as IVF says doctor

(Jenny Hope, Daily Mail) Women wanting to become pregnant are as likely to succeed by giving up alcohol and caffeine than by attending a fertility clinic, a nutrition specialist claims. Dr Emma Derbyshire said that 32 per cent of those having trouble conceiving became pregnant by giving up stimulants compared to 33 per cent after IVF treatment. And she revealed that quitting smoking is as important as a healthy diet in improving a woman's fertility. Previous studies have shown that smoking can delay a woman's chances of getting pregnant by two months.

An apple a day couldn't hurt

(Jessica Belasco, San Antonio Express-News) It seems that the old aphorism is true: An apple a day can actually keep the doctor away. Make that an apple, beans, almonds and a handful of other foods known to lower levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad kind). In fact, incorporating these foods into your daily diet (along with some exercise) can be so effective that cholesterol-lowering drugs may not be necessary.

Blood donors on tap on world's largest floating hospital

(Anouk Lorie, CNN) Ali Herbert has spent the last seven months being "a walking blood bank" aboard one of the the world's largest hospital ships. The 50-year-old nurse and grandmother from the UK resigned from her position in a hospital to volunteer aboard a ship that provides free medical treatment to some of the world's poorest people. Like any of the 450 volunteer crew members currently aboard the Africa Mercy, Herbert can be called on at any time of the day to give blood, as the ship has no facilities for storing blood products.

Finally, the Spleen Gets Some Respect

(Natalie Angier, New York Times) As a confirmed crab apple who has often been compared to the splenetic Lucy Van Pelt character from Peanuts, I am gratified to learn that should my real spleen ever decide to vent in earnest, the outburst may just help save my life. Scientists have discovered that the spleen, long consigned to the B-list of abdominal organs and known as much for its metaphoric as its physiological value, plays a more important role in the body’s defense system than anyone suspected.

Gardening is good for you, finds survey

(Louise Gray, The Telegraph) The poll of around 1,000 people found 70 per cent of the population think that spending time in gardens is important for their quality of life. Given the choice, many would rather spend time in their gardens than in front of the television or shopping. Celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh welcomed the result of proof that gardening is good for physical and psychological health.

 

Blind women help detect breast cancer

(Nick Wade and Joana Krause-Palfner, CNN) Blind women are being trained to use their sensitive touch to help detect breast cancer earlier and more precisely than doctors. The program, called "Discovering Hands," is the brainchild of German gynecologist Dr. Frank Hoffmann. Two years ago, he created Braille strips as a system of orientation, allowing the blind to carry out breast examinations. Using these strips blind women are trained to become Medical Tactile Examiners (MTUs) because they are more able to detect smaller lumps than sighted doctors.

Act Like an Optimist, Improve Your Health

(Marguerite Lamb, Redbook) First, let's be clear: This is not an article about happiness. We're not going to tell you to smile or lighten up. It's not our intent to have you twirling through your backyard, picking buttercups, and singing about the "bright, sunshiny day." No, this is an article about optimism. And though the two words are often used interchangeably, there is a vital distinction between them: "Happiness is an emotion, a feeling. Optimism is a belief about the future," says Suzanne Segerstrom, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky.

At Camp Twitch and Shout, Tourette kids can be themselves

(Leslie Wade, CNN) For Brad Cohen, the barking and squealing noises he could not control began in the fifth grade. "I remember eating lunch at school all by myself and the mean kids would parade around me and mock my noises. My teacher made me get up in front of the class and apologize to everybody for the noises I was making," Cohen recalls. More than 20 years later, Cohen is a camp director, celebrating the first year of Camp Twitch and Shout, a place for youngsters, who like Cohen, have Tourette syndrome.

Can Good Bacteria Really Fight the Flu?

(Radha Chitale, ABC News) Cold and flu sufferers, there may be a way to head off those irritating symptoms before they cause you to miss work or school. New evidence suggests that probiotics -- good bacteria that can aid immune function -- can have a preventive effect for cold and flu viruses. In a study sponsored by Danisco, a Danish nutritional supplement company that makes probiotics products, researchers found that a six-month course of probiotics was a safe and effective way to ward off flu symptoms and reduce their duration in 3- to 5-year-olds.

How coloured lenses helped Ben read

(Jane Elliott, BBC News) Ben Osborne-Harris is a bright teenager, who has sat two of his GCSEs a year earlier than normal. But just a couple of years ago, the 13-year-old London schoolboy was struggling badly - because he could not read properly. "He just found it incredibly difficult to grasp reading at school," said his mother Gaynor. "His reading age was well below average. When he got homework I had to help him read it and when he sat his Sats tests at 11 (in English, maths and science) he had to have someone read the questions to him."

Contact High: Lenses That Deliver Drugs

(Hadley Leggett, Wired) Dry-eye sufferers and glaucoma patients may soon be able to trade their messy eye drops for a contact lens that delivers medication gradually over time. Although eye drops account for 90 percent of all eye medication, drops are irritating and inefficient. Doctors estimate that only 1 to 7 percent of the medication actually gets absorbed into the eye, while the rest drips down the cheeks or into the back of the throat. Even worse, many patients hate eye drops or forget to take them.

River blindness 'can be beaten'

(BBC News) A study by the UN's health body has shown that the disease onchocerciasis - also known as river blindness - could be wiped out using drugs. The disease causes sufferers to lose their sight and also to develop painful skin complaints. It is endemic in many parts of Africa - mostly in poor, rural communities. Scientists from the World Health Organization say their discoveries are a milestone - with big implications for fighting river blindness.

New Parkinson's Treatment on Two Wheels

(Cathy Becker, ABC News) Neuroscientist Jay Alberts is an avid cyclist, but he never expected to make any medical discoveries on his bike. He did just that on a 50-mile ride across Iowa with his tandem bike partner, fellow neurologist Dr. David Heydrick, who has the movement disorder known as Parkinson's disease. After the bike trip, Heydrick noticed that his handwriting dramatically improved. In a video they shot before the ride, Heydrick's hand shook wildly, but afterward, it was steady.

Hope for nut allergy therapy

(Martin Johnston, New Zealand Herald) Children suffering from potentially lethal nut allergies have been offered the hope of leading normal lives for the first time with the success of an experimental treatment. Doctors in Britain have developed a pioneering therapy that "retrains" the immune systems of patients who have food allergies so they become desensitised to the food. Trials have helped 20 children with severe peanut allergies overcome their condition.

Daily dose of baking soda could stop kidney patients needing dialysis

(Daily Mail) A daily dose of baking soda could transform the lives of patients with failing kidneys, scientists claim. A British team says the kitchen product - also known as sodium bicarbonate - can dramatically slow the progress of chronic kidney disease. The household staple, used for baking, cleaning, bee stings and acid indigestion, is so effective it could prevent patients from needing dialysis, the results show.

Top 7 Amazing Organ Donations

(Lauren Cox, ABC News) The day taxi driver Carol Hambright picked up Keri Evans for her first dialysis appointment, neither woman imagined they'd be part of two life-saving kidney operations. Two years and 156 dialysis trips later, Evans, 52, of Midland Texas, still can hardly believe that Hambright volunteered to donate her kidney. "A lot of people think that Carol and I have been childhood friends but I've only known her for two and a half years and for her to step forward and offer her kidney was… amazing," said Evans.

Organ donation: the miracle of a girl who borrowed a heart

(Denis Campbell, The Guardian) Her life used to consist of endless rounds of medicines, long stays in hospital and uncertainty about how much longer she would live for. Now 16-year-old Hannah Clark – the first person in Britain to receive someone else's heart but later have it removed, only for her own to unexpectedly recover – relishes typical teenage pursuits such as running, shopping and walking her dog. Born with a rare heart condition that could easily have killed her, Hannah, from Mountain Ash near Cardiff, was two when she joined an exclusive club by having a five-month-old girl's heart grafted on to her own.

The key to happiness is living in the micro-moment

(Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times) People who appreciate small moments of happiness, laughter and joy through the course of each day tend to be happy people who are more likely to be resilient against adversity and more successful in jobs, relationships and health outcomes. Researchers at the University of North Carolina reached this conclusion after a series of studies that required 86 participants to submit daily "emotion reports" that gauged their emotional status in detail over the course of the day. The study showed that happy people do not need to be Pollyannas or deny the upsetting parts of life.

Latest Advance in the Treatment of Diabetes: An Artificial Pancreas

(John McKenzie, ABC News) To live with diabetes, to live like 14-year-old Sarah Carlow of Cheshire, Conn., is to live in a series of never-ending calculations. "I test my blood sugar on average maybe ten or more times a day," she says. "I check it before breakfast, lunch and dinner. You have to check your blood sugars while you're playing sports. I also have to count carbohydrates." Sarah must count the carbohydrates in every food or drink she consumes, adjusting how much insulin to give herself. But recently, for a few precious days, Sarah was able to forgo all of that, as she tested an experimental artificial pancreas which researchers believe can help diabetes patients automatically monitor their insulin levels.

Unsung heroes work hard to cut hospital-acquired infections

(David S. Martin, CNN) For years, Alfonso Torress-Cook followed the rules in his quest to eliminate hospital-acquired infections. Patients at his hospital received large doses of antibiotics and were scrubbed down with alcohol-based soaps, as he and his colleagues aimed to kill every bacterium possible. Search and destroy was the mantra. Still, patients became sick with bacterial infections after checking in. Some died. "I never saw anything change. I saw things getting worse," Torress-Cook said. Torress-Cook eventually joined Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, in California, where as director of epidemiology and patient safety, he changed the rules and slashed the number of patients who become infected.

Web-based therapy, SHUTi, shows promise for insomnia

(AP) Sleepless people sometimes use the Internet to get through the night. Now a small study shows promising results for insomniacs with nine weeks of Internet-based therapy. No human therapist is involved. The Internet software gives advice, even specific bedtimes, based on users' sleep diaries. Patients learn better sleep habits — like avoiding daytime naps — through stories, quizzes and games.

Coffee 'may reverse Alzheimer's'

(BBC News) Drinking five cups of coffee a day could reverse memory problems seen in Alzheimer's disease, US scientists say. The Florida research, carried out on mice, also suggested caffeine hampered the production of the protein plaques which are the hallmark of the disease. Previous research has also suggested a protective effect from caffeine.

Hope for blindness cure with laser breakthrough

(Denis Campbell, The Observer) Millions of people could have their eyesight saved thanks to ground-breaking laser treatment that has the potential to eradicate the most common cause of blindness. One of Britain's leading eye experts has developed a technique to reverse the disabling effects of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which leaves many older people unable to read, drive or live independently, and eventually robs them of sight in one or both eyes.

Disco tune saves man's life

(Elizabeth Cohen, CNN) Debra Bader was taking a walk in the woods with her 53-year-old husband one morning when suddenly he collapsed. At first she thought the situation was hopeless. "I looked at him and said, 'He's dead,' because he wasn't moving or making any sounds at all," Bader remembers. "But I pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and called 911, and then a public service announcement I'd heard on the radio popped into my head."

Antioxidant may boost exercise endurance

(Reuters) Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables rich in the antioxidant quercetin may boost endurance, according to a small study with healthy college students. The 12 fit college students, who were not regular exercisers, were given quercetin supplements for 7 days, which appeared to boost exercise endurance compared with a similar 7-day period without supplements, researchers report in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

Stem Cells And Weakened Hearts

(Bill Whitaker, CBS News) In a heart attack, the blood supply to part of the heart is shut off by a clot in a clogged artery - causing scarring of the heart muscle, which reduces the ability of the heart to pump. The best that doctors have been able to do is to promptly open up the clogged artery and limit the damage with drugs. But one day, there may be a way to get that damaged heart to grow its own brand-new muscle tissue. How? By using the patient's own cardiac stem cells.

A 3,000-Mile Triumph, Spurred on by Diabetes

(Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times) Last week, a team of eight cyclists completed the coast-to-coast bike marathon called the Race Across America in record time. It was quite an achievement under any circumstances, but what made it extraordinary was something all eight of them had in common: Type 1 diabetes.

Killer 'Trojan horses' get inside cancer walls

(Deborah Smith, Sydney Morning Herald) Sydney researchers have developed a way to overcome drug resistance in tumours using nano-sized particles as Trojan horses to deliver therapeutic agents to the cancer cells and kill them. The particles, or mini-cells, are made from bacteria that have had their genetic material removed.

A doctor's office that puts patients at ease

(Francis V. Adams, Los Angeles Times) I played my violin today. It's an old but not a rare or expensive instrument that I keep in my office. I don't have to play it; my violin plays itself. Just the sight of the violin brings the music to my mind. Mrs. Goldstein heard it. She sat wide-eyed across my desk, her daughter at her side, glancing constantly at the surroundings. She was 101 and frail, but refused to allow any gray hair on her head to date her -- and she loved my office. She told me that she had seen a lot of doctors but had never seen an office "like this one."

Leukemia can be cured without brain damage

(Liz Szabo, USA Today) Doctors have found a way to cure leukemia in children while sparing them from a toxic treatment that can cause brain damage, a study says. In a study of 498 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia — the most common pediatric cancer — doctors from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital treated them only with drugs and did not administer radiation to the brain, according to a study in today's New England Journal of Medicine. Although radiating the skull can help prevent cancer from spreading to the brain, it can also leave children with serious learning disabilities.

Salt cave offers saline solution to sinus problems

(Anouk Lorie and Stephanie Busari, CNN) Inside a former church on a suburban London street, a room has been designed to recreate the conditions found in Siberian salt mines. The floor and walls are covered with a thick layer of natural sea salt while particles of dry rock salt is pumped into the room. Welcome to an Eastern European-style salt cave which claims to rid asthma and allergy sufferers of their breathing problems through 'salt therapy,' also known as halotherapy.

Scientists harvest stem cells from placentas for future treatments

(Alok Jha, The Guardian) Scientists have developed a way to harvest stem cells efficiently from placentas after birth, opening up a potential new source of the cells which can be used to treat a wide range of illnesses including sickle cell disease, thalassaemia and leukaemia.

Opera 'is music for the heart'

(BBC News) Listening to the right kind of music can slow the heart and lower blood pressure, a study has revealed. Rousing operatic music, like Puccini's Nessun Dorma, full of crescendos and diminuendos is best and could help stroke rehabilitation, say the authors. Music is already used holistically at the bedside in many hospitals. Not only is it cheap and easy to administer, music has discernible physical effects on the body as well as mood, Circulation journal reports.

Vinegar Might Fight Fat

(LiveScience.com) Ordinary vinegar used to make salad dressings and pickles just might live up to its age-old reputation in folk medicine as a promoter of health, a new study suggests. Nobody should start guzzling vinegar, but Japanese scientists found new evidence that vinegar can help prevent accumulation of body fat and weight gain, at least in mice.

Giving Gift of Sight: N.C. Eye Bank provides most corneas of any in world

(Christian Kloc, Winston-Salem Journal) Dean Vavra feels lucky to be able to see the world through two healthy eyes. Vavra's mother, grandmother and four brothers suffer from granular dystrophy, a rare, inherited disease that causes eye pain and lesions that obstruct vision. The disease strikes before the age of 40 and leaves its victims blind. "Granular dystrophy is painful blindness," he said. Seeing his family suffer makes Vavra's work as the executive director of the N.C. Eye Bank even more personal.

'Surprise' prostate result probed

(BBC News) Researchers are probing an unexpected success in a study of an experimental treatment for prostate cancer. In three men with advanced disease, use of an immune drug called ipilimumab, shrank their tumours to such an extent surgeons were able to operate.

Zen in their bedside manner

(Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times) It was 8 a.m., and the subject was death. A 55-year-old man was wasting away from lungcancer and cirrhosis. His weight was plummeting and his brain was swelling. But he was in denial, refusing to discuss hospice care or consider a "do not resuscitate" order. A bright pink vase filled with yellow mums sat near the window, belying the grim task facing the healthcare workers at Beth Israel Medical Center who had clustered around a conference table.

Hysterectomies a stem cell source

(BBC News) Discarded fallopian tubes from hysterectomies could be a good source of donor stem cells, say researchers. Work shows they are an abundant source of the immature cells that have the potential to become a variety of the body's tissues, like muscle and bone. The discovery offers another "ethical" route to creating stem cell treatments for diseases like arthritis without using embryos.

Doctor's prescription: 2 arias + a chorus

(Hayley Mick, Globe and Mail) She had a hunch that belting out Home on the Range could speed their recovery. But Janice Richman-Eisenstat, a lung specialist in Winnipeg, worried that her patients were too weak to sing. Blocked airways and ravaged lungs had forced them into the in-patient program at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre. A few steps left them breathless; they dragged oxygen tanks and inhalers to appointments with language pathologists and dietitians and spiritual counsellors. It was the physiotherapy that had their doctor intrigued.

Wii Aids Doctors and Patients

(Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience.com) The popular Nintendo Wii console offers video games that venture into the world of exercise, but scientists now are taking it further, to help doctors heal the body. The key behind the Wii is its motion-sensitive wireless controller, the Wii Remote, or the "Wiimote," with which players control actions on screen. Players can swing the controller to simulate countless realistic motions, such as swatting a baseball for a home run.

Honey may hold key to beating hospital superbug

(AAP) Australian researchers have identified a type of bacteria-blasting honey capable of taking on the superbugs that have infected the nation's hospitals. It's well known that honey has anti-bacterial properties but scientists from the University of Sydney say a particular type derived from native tea tree is especially potent. They believe it could offer a solution to the growing resistance of bacteria, such as the superbug known as MRSA, to conventional antibiotics.

Outdoor fitness devotees eschew the gym

(Janny Hu, San Francisco Chronicle) The sun rose only an hour ago, but Mike Giometti is already leading his second class into the hills near San Francisco's Dolores Park. He heads west, then south, then west again, the endless climbing broken up every few minutes by power skipping, lunges and crunches. By the time Giometti reaches the top of Tank Hill a few miles away in Clarendon Heights, his charges have done nearly 100 push-ups and ascended 600 feet. Now they're squatting like sumo wrestlers, their burning quads serving as unseen badges of honor.

Placentas could be an important source of stem cells to fight disease

(Sandy Kleffman, Contra Costa Times) The human placenta could be an important source of stem cells for curing leukemia, sickle cell disease and other blood-related disorders, a new study reveals. These stem cells appear to have distinct advantages over the techniques currently used to fight such diseases, and they may one day provide an alternative treatment for people who cannot find matching bone marrow donors, researchers said.

A Better Life Through Home Dialysis

(Patti Neighmond, NPR) An increasing number of people with kidney disease are turning to home dialysis. Not only does this practice save patients hassle and time, but studies are finding that those who do home dialysis also do more frequent cleansings, which can lead to better overall health. For Christopher Moore, being able to take care of health problems at home means a life worth living, he says.

As her modern-medicine projects flourish, Amma heals with hugs in Castro Valley

(April Dembosky, San Jose Mercury News) For up to 20 hours, they wait for their hug. Devotees say the 10-second embrace is worth it, inspiring everything from simple loving reassurance to profound spiritual clarity, even a miraculous respite from aches, pains and disease. When it comes to matters of the heart and spirit, Mata Amritanandamayi, known as Amma, or Mother, willingly hugs to heal. "My religion is love," she says. But when it comes to ailments of the physical body, the hugging saint from India believes modern medicine is best.

Town sets off on healthy path practicing four keys to longevity

(Mary Brophy Marcus, USA Today) Fit and tanned, National Geographic explorer Dan Buettner has spent recent years traveling the globe, analyzing cultures where people live long, healthy lives, teasing out the secrets behind their enduring well-being. He has christened these longevity hot spots "Blue Zones," and has written a book about them, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest (National Geographic, 2008). They include Sardinia, Italy, and Hojancha, Costa Rica, and he is just back from the isolated Greek island of Ikaria, where people nap often and enjoy regular festivals — sometimes five in one week.

Discovery could ease cancer pain

(BBC News) A breakthrough could lead to drugs to alleviate the pain experienced by cancer patients. The biology of cancer pain is different to other types of pain, often rendering analgesic drugs ineffective. Work by a German team, published in Nature Medicine, shows that blocking a specific type of hormone-like molecule produced by tumours could help.

Parkinson's Patients Go to Wii-hab

(LiveScience.com) Playing virtual sports on the Nintendo Wii, an interactive video game console that makes players feel like they're actually playing the sport, improved the mood and physical function of Parkinson's disease in a new preliminary study. While the study was small, and further research is needed, the results were encouraging. In the 8-week study, 20 Parkinson's patients spent an hour playing the Wii three times a week for four weeks. They played Wii tennis, bowling and did a little virtual boxing. Players can do full body movements and see their progress on a screen.

Lung patients get singing therapy

(Adam Brimelow, BBC News) Doctors in London are investigating how singing can help seriously ill patients improve their breathing control. Regular classes are being held at the Royal Brompton Hospital. Hundreds of patients have joined the sessions, and 60 have been enrolled in a clinical trial which is expected to publish results by the end of the year. Some patients who have joined the sessions say singing has transformed their lives.

Five dream discoveries

(BBC) The old adage "I'll sleep on it" may have some truth in it, after all. A study by researchers at the University of California San Diego has concluded that problems are more likely to be solved after a period of dreamy (rapid eye movement) sleep. Scientists believe so-called REM sleep allows the brain to form new nerve connections without the interference of other thought pathways that occur when we are awake or in non-dreamy sleep.

Power Of Sound Gives Cancer Victims Hope

(Thomas Moore, Sky News) The power of sound is being used to obliterate prostate cancer - without causing the serious side effects that dog other treatments. Surgeons say the high-powered beam of ultrasound is so precise that it obliterates tumours without damaging delicate surrounding tissues, including the nerves that are critical for male sexual function.

Study Finds 4 Things That Keep Old Minds Sharp

(LiveScience.com) Some people seem to be able to keep their wits well into old age. But what's their secret? New research reveals a host of factors that may contribute to a sharper mind late in life, including exercise, education, non-smoking behavior and social activity.

'Mindfulness' meditation being used in hospitals and schools

(Marilyn Elias, USA Today) Challenges are landing fast and furious on Capitol Hill. So Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, feels he has to arrive at the top of his game every day. And Ryan says he has found a way to do that: He meditates for at least 45 minutes before leaving home. Ryan, 35, sits on a floor cushion, closes his eyes, focuses on his breath and tries to detach from any thoughts, just observing them like clouds moving across the sky — a practice he learned at a retreat.

'Cancer hope' from diabetes drug

(BBC) A common anti-diabetes drug may boost the potency of vaccines against cancer, research suggests. Tests on mice found metformin, used for Type 2 diabetes, helps the body's T-cells work more effectively. These cells, the body's key defenders against disease, "remember" former infections or vaccinations, enabling them to fight subsequent illness. Writing in the journal Nature, a US team said metformin appeared to improve this important memory of disease.

Software 'gives children a voice'

(BBC News) 'How was school today?' is software to help children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy communicate faster. The system is the result of a project between computing scientists from the Universities of Aberdeen and Dundee, and Capability Scotland. Pupils from Corseford School in Renfrewshire were first to trial it. Dr Ehud Reiter, from the University of Aberdeen's school of natural and computing sciences, said: 'How was school today?' uses sensors, swipe cards, and a recording device to gather information on what the child using the system has experienced at school that day.

'Manmade Pancreas' For Diabetes Sufferers

(Sky News) A breakthrough insulin pump designed to mimic the human pancreas is being introduced for diabetics in the UK. The pump - called the Paradigm Veo - automatically stops the flow of insulin to the body if blood sugar levels fall too low.

Making cancer bearable: Yoga group links survivors with free classes to rebuild strength & wellness

(Sarah Armaghan, New York Daily News) Stephanie Adams' active life came to a screeching halt last year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27. Two surgeries, including a mastectomy, and endless chemotherapy treatments later, her once sky-high energy level and athleticism were gone. "It was very hard for me to do my everyday normal activities, yet alone go out running and snowboarding like I used to," said Adams, who lives on the upper East Side. That's where Yoga Bear stepped in. The nonprofit links cancer survivors with free memberships to local yoga studios.

Music a 'mega-vitamin' for the brain

(Simon Hooper, CNN) When Nina Temple was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000, then aged 44, she quickly became depressed, barely venturing out of her house as she struggled to come to terms with living with the chronic condition. "I was thinking of all the things which I wished I'd done with my life and I wouldn't be able to do. And then I started thinking about all the things that I still actually could do and singing was one of those," Temple told CNN. Along with a fellow Parkinson's sufferer, Temple decided, on a whim, to form a choir. The pair placed notices in doctor's surgeries inviting others to join them and advertised for a singing teacher.

Neither age nor health issues can keep these women from their fitness routine for long

(Katie Scarvey, Salisbury Post) "I will survive; I will survive. As long as I know how to love, I know I'll be alive." Not really typical church music, but the Gloria Gaynor anthem to powerful women seemed appropriate for the elderly women of the Spencer Exercise Group gathered at Oakdale Baptist Church's fellowship hall on a recent sunny morning. These women aren't just surviving -- they're thriving, many of them well into their 80s. The group meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and has been led by Adlonia Henderson -- a youngster at 73 -- since January 2003.

Music as medicine: Docs use tunes as treatment

(Bill Briggs, MSNBC.com) As Victor Fabry napped in his hospital bed, a quiet symphony filled his room. The steady pulse of a cardiac monitor marked the progress of his mending heart. Over that beat, the swaying strains of a Brazilian guitarist pumped nearly nonstop from a CD player on the shelf. For nine days after his surgery at the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute in Morristown, N.J., Fabry soaked up that tranquil, wordless strumming. And while he praised his surgeon, he raved about the musical score that accompanied his recovery.

Mindfulness training busts stress

(Val Willingham, CNN) "Just the facts" has always been Lillian Waugh's motto. A historian and former professor of women's studies at West Virginia University, Waugh is a stickler for facts and details. And because she was always the "go to" person at WVU, she was constantly in demand -- and busy. "I was a multitasker at work," she said. Waugh's job was so stressful it started to affect her health. So when the university began a study on how to handle stress at work, she jumped at the chance to participate.