(UPI) [A Swedish researcher] says older people are usually thought of as a rather homogenous group -- ill, lonely and unable to take care of themselves. However, differences among people actually grow with age and stereotypes of the aged are not based on reality…

[The] study found social mechanisms strengthened one's identity, helping maintain self-esteem through successful responses to challenges and promoting conversational support that may help promote longer life.

"Taken together, these mechanisms also contribute to increased everyday activity, which has some beneficial physical effects," [researcher Bo] Eriksson said.

Read more.

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(Harvard HEALTHbeat) No men or women over the age of 50 would argue that their sex life is just the same as it was when they were 20. Maybe it’s better. Maybe it’s worse. But either way, it’s bound to be different.

Just as the body changes with age, so does sexuality. This physical transformation usually includes declining hormone levels for both men and women, as well as changes in neurology and circulation. These shifts often lead to a variety of sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction or vaginal dryness. A wide array of medical treatments are now available to address these and other conditions.

Outward appearances also change with age, sometimes bringing a decline in self-confidence in the sexual arena. Nearly everyone experiences some of these changes. But they don’t spell the end of a sex life for most older people…

Greater experience, fewer inhibitions, and a deeper understanding of your needs and those of your partner can more than compensate for the consequences of aging. The physical changes of aging can provide an impetus for developing a new and satisfying style of lovemaking.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Soccer is a pleasurable team sport that provides an all-round fitness and can be used as treatment for lifestyle-related diseases. Men worry less when playing soccer than when running. Women's soccer creates we-stories and helps women stay active.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Last year, researchers made a game-changing realization: brown fat, the energy-burning stuff that keeps babies warm, isn't just for the youngest among us. Adults have it, too (if they are lucky, anyway), and it is beginning to look like the heat-generating tissue might hold considerable metabolic importance for familiar and irritating trends, like our tendency to put on extra weight as we age. If we can find a way to hold onto, make more, or activate brown fat, it might be one way to help keep us slim, according to scientists who have written a series of minireviews…

The reviews suggest brown fat might be an answer to obesity, whether as a solution for those who are already overweight or as a strategy to prevent those who aren't from getting too heavy in the first place.

Read more.

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(SouthBeachDiet.com) Head to any grocery store and you’re guaranteed to find an aisle full of bottled water. Some people claim it tastes better than tap water, while others buy it for the convenience of staying hydrated on the go. Whatever the reason, the truth is bottled water may come from several sources…

• Purified water is essentially tap water that has been purified through a distillation, deionization, or reverse-osmosis process. Purified water may also be referred to as demineralized water.
• Spring water is water that flows naturally from the earth and is collected directly from its natural source.
• Mineral water is spring water that contains dissolved minerals and other trace elements (at least 250 parts per million) that come directly from the source…

Water is essential no matter how you drink it. Most people can safely (and inexpensively!) drink water straight from the tap. If you want to improve the taste of tap water, you can purchase a water-filtration pitcher, which reduces the amount of fluoride and chlorine in the tap water. And if you’re looking for a convenient way to stay hydrated and protect the earth, give up the disposable plastic containers entirely and treat yourself to a reusable water bottle made of polycarbonate or aluminum, which are both environmentally friendly.

Read more.

Community: We use the filtering pitcher. The water really does taste better.

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(USA Today) Chefs have always wanted us to eat something good. Now, it seems they're just as interested in seeing that we eat well…

"It became clear to a bunch of us that not only is it a good idea now, but people are ready to be receptive," says [Rocco] DiSpirito, author of the recent New York Times' bestselling healthy cookbook, Now Eat This!...

[Jamie] Oliver, for example, is headlining Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, an ABC reality show documenting his efforts to change eating habits in a community the network calls the nation's unhealthiest.

Chefs are realizing they have a responsibility to use their influence to foster change, Oliver says. And celebrities often can do that with more panache than traditional nutrition advocates have.

"You don't want to food nazi the fun out of everything," he says. "You can still cook great things that are calorific, but you just need to intro it with kind of — Look, this is a special occasion, or this is for the holidays, or whatever."…

"One doesn't want to suck the life or fun out of food because that would be wrong. But, you know, I think the general world of food — chefs, celebrity chefs, fast-food industry, supermarkets, the 'government food gang' — they all need to do a bit. Hopefully, a bit more than a bit. And if they do, the world will change."

Read more.

Community: We tried Oliver’s recipe for roast chicken last Sunday, for Easter, and it was delicious.

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Grilled Cumin Chicken with Fresh Tomatillo Sauce
Bring the heat of the southwest to the dinner table with a delicious take on the weeknight meal of grilled chicken. Serve with chipotle rice.

7 Ways With Leftover Ham

25 Chicken Dinners for the Busy Cook

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(UPI) U.S. researchers say they have refuted the notion intentional weight loss is harmful to seniors.

Researchers … found far fewer deaths -- half the number -- in the group of participants exercising or modifying diet to lose weight, compared to the group not intentionally losing weight…

The study… not only ruled out risk due to intentional weight loss, but also suggested a mortality benefit to losing the weight.

Read more.

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(HealthDay News) -- A new study challenges the widespread belief that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps protect against cancer.

U.S. researchers analyzed data from more than 470,000 men and women in 10 European countries and found only a weak association between high intake of fruits and vegetables and reduced cancer risk.

Read more.

Community: Well, some protection is better than none, and there are plenty of other reasons to eat fruits and vegetables.

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(USA Today) Trying to lose weight raises a person's stress levels, even if the dieter doesn't realize it.

The stress comes not only from trying to avoid the refrigerator or fighting the bathroom scales. A new study shows there also may be a physical reason for greater stress while dieting…

"[A]nything you can do to decrease your stress when dieting is a good idea," [lead author Janet Tomiyama] says. Or you can "ditch the diet and exercise more."

Read more.

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(UPI) Many consider gout to be "the disease of kings" or a "rich man's disease," but it is becoming increasingly common, a U.S. newsletter says.

The Harvard Health Letter says gout is a form of arthritis, which is caused by a buildup of uric acid in the blood and when the uric acid crystallizes in the joints, it causes inflammation and pain.

"Gout is becoming more common partly because of the obesity epidemic and dietary choices such as meat, seafood, sugar and alcohol -- especially beer -- can trigger attacks of gout," the newsletter says.

"Soda drinkers are also at risk, since there is evidence that fructose, the main sweetener in many sugared beverages, increases uric acid levels in the blood."

High blood pressure is another risk factor and diuretics taken to lower blood pressure can also increase uric acid levels.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) A mobile compression device is as effective as medication at preventing the formation of blood clots after hip replacement surgery but provides greater patient safety, according to a study…

"This device is as useful as blood thinners for the reduction of blood clots after hip replacement and it's superior in safety," said Douglas E. Padgett, M.D…, one of the investigators and final author. "This has the potential to change the paradigm as to how we prevent blood clots after hip replacement. The efficacy is the same, the safety is markedly better and the cost is comparable. This essentially raises the specter of 'can we use mechanical agents in lieu of the pharmacologic agents to prevent blood clots.'"

Read more.

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(Reuters) Older patients with lower back pain are increasingly getting more complex and costlier spinal fusion surgeries, resulting in higher rates of life-threatening complications and increasing costs for the healthcare system, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) The proportion of older middle-aged Americans who report disabilities related to mobility increased significantly from 1997 to 2007, in contrast to the disability decline that has been found among Americans ages 65 and over, according to a new study…

The reason for the increase is not clear, although many of those reporting disabilities say they are due to health problems that began in their 30s and 40s.

"Although the overall rate of needing help with personal care among this group remains very low -- less than 2 percent -- this rise in disability is reason for concern," said Linda Martin, the study's lead author… "It does not bode well for future trends for the 65 and older population, plus there are substantial personal and societal costs of caring for people of any age who need help."

Read more.

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(Reuters Health) Traffic-related air pollution may be linked to a higher death rate among people who initially survived strokes, hint study findings from the United Kingdom.

Read more.

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(UPI) Palliative care, which treats the pain and stress of serious illness while seeking curative therapy, is increasing across the United States, advocates say…

The analysis was conducted in conjunction with the National Palliative Care Research Center using hospital data from the American Hospital Association annual survey database.

Large hospitals and not-for-profit hospitals were more likely than other types of hospitals to have a palliative program.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) The implementation of electronic health record systems may not be enough to significantly improve health quality and reduce costs… [Researchers] report finding that currently implemented systems have little effect on measures such as patient mortality, surgical complications, length of stay and costs. The authors note that greater attention may need to be paid to how systems are being implemented and used, with the goal of identifying best practices.

Read more.

Community: The big advantage of having electronic records will be the wealth of data available to determine the efficacy of foods, drugs, and medical procedures over large populations.

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(Reuters) Pressure from global recession and relentlessly rising costs of chronic disease will force healthcare systems across the world to become more patient-focused, a report on the industry said on Tuesday.

A report by the consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) Health Research Institute said the industry's response to the pressures would be to encourage people to take more responsibility for their own health.

New tools, technology and health information systems will be developed and deployed to give consumers the "power to take charge," it said.

Read more.

Community: We’ve got lots of disease care. Time for some health care.

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(HealthDay News) There just might be plenty of truth to the old adage, "With age comes wisdom."

A new study finds that seniors are better equipped than younger folks to solve social conflicts. Seniors could more easily see multiple points of view, were more interested in searching for compromise and were more willing to acknowledge that there might be things about a difficult situation that they didn't know.

Taken together, those attributes make people 60 and older generally wiser than younger people, the researchers said.

"People have held the opinion forever that older people are wiser," said senior study author Richard Nisbett, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. "Now we have some evidence it's true. Independent of social class, older people are wiser, by our definition, for group conflicts and individual conflicts. And this was true independent of their level of intelligence."

Read more.

Community: Maybe it’s just that I’ve spent too much time in the political trenches of the internet, but I am much less tolerant than I used to be of those who believe a lot of nonsense without question. I refuse to honor their misinformed beliefs. If that makes me unwise, then so be it.

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(Science Daily) Motorcycle riders across the country are growing older, and the impact of this trend is evident in emergency rooms daily. Doctors are finding that these aging road warriors are more likely to be injured or die as a result of a motorcycle mishap compared to their younger counterparts…

The increase in injury severity for older riders may be related to the reduced capacity to withstand injury as the body ages. Age-related changes, such as decreases in bone strength and brain size, may make older riders more susceptible to injury. Other factors associated with aging, such as impaired vision, delayed reaction time, and altered balance contribute to motorcycle crashes in this population, explaining in part the researchers' finding that older riders crashed more often as a result of loss of control than younger riders.

Read more.

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(HealthDay News) People who socialize with heavy drinkers are more likely to imbibe a bit too much themselves.

And the same holds true for teetotalers: Those who have non-drinking friends and relatives are more likely not to consume alcohol themselves, a new study found…

"In addition to working with individuals who are drinking more than is good for them, we need to come up with new ways to address this on more of a public health level, looking at groups of people and some of the settings in which they congregate and reinforce each other's drinking habits," said Dr. Ralph Manchester.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers, according to researchers who analyzed the results of numerous published studies.

"Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health," says Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be."

Read more.

Community: Don't forget Dr. Ilardi's list of measures that alleviate depression.

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(Psychology Today) Is it good for your health to see me coughing, sneezing and blowing my runny nose? Believe it or not, recent research suggests that the answer might be: Yes…

The researchers asked young adults to watch a 10-minute slide show containing a series of unpleasant photographs. Some of these participants looked at pictures of people who looked obviously sick in some way (people with pox and rashes, people coughing and sneezing and blowing mucus out of their noses)…

[B]y measuring IL-6 before and after the slide show, the researchers were able to determine whether seeing pictures of disease-y people actually stimulated the immune system to fight infection more aggressively. And it did.

So it appears that merely looking at people who look sick does help your immune system prevent you from getting sick yourself.

Read more.

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(HealthDay News) Does carrying a gene tied to obesity doom a teenager to becoming obese? Not if that teen stays physically active, a new study shows.

Among genes related to obesity, mutations in the so-called fat mass-and-obesity-associated gene (FTO) appear to be particularly important. In fact, each copy of a mutation in this gene has been tied to an average jump in weight of about 3.3 pounds, the researchers say.

However, an hour of physical activity a day largely negated the gene's effect, the new study found.

"These findings have important public health implications, and indicate that meeting the physical activity recommendations may offset the genetic predisposition to obesity associated with the FTO [gene variant] in adolescents," said lead researcher Jonatan R. Ruiz.

Read more.

Community: But it’s not just teens who have to overcome that gene.

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(HealthDay News) -- Although marketed on the Internet as "natural," the popular weight loss supplements known as Brazilian diet pills contain potentially addictive ingredients, researchers say.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers in 2006 of dangers associated with the diet pills, but they remain popular and easy to order online, the researchers say.

"What we have seen and what the FDA has found is that, unfortunately, there are dozens of products that are sold as dietary supplements that are contaminated with pharmaceutical compounds," said lead researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen.

Read more.

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Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce
For sustainability reasons, be sure to choose Alaskan cod, or substitute halibut or even tilapia.

Super Sandwiches–Hold the Meat

1 List, 5 Meals Archive

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(SouthBeachDiet.com) Food recalls due to salmonella poisoning can happen from time to time, which may leave you concerned about your health. But before you start tossing everything suspicious in your refrigerator or cupboard, be aware that you can easily prevent salmonella by taking proper care of your food.

Although salmonella, which typically causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, is a common infection, affecting about 4 million people each year, most people who are affected recover without any treatment. In severe cases, rehydration and antibiotics are needed. Follow these guidelines when buying and preparing food to keep you and your family safe from this type of food poisoning:

• Use separate cutting boards to prepare meat and vegetables to avoid cross-contamination. If you have only one cutting board, be sure to wash it with antibacterial soap and warm water after each use.
• Do not leave uncooked meat, poultry, shellfish, and milk products at room temperature for extended periods of time.
• Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly, and reheat leftovers well. Wash raw fruits and vegetables with antibacterial soap and warm water before consuming — or use one of the special veggie washes.
• Make sure to wash your hands and all cooking utensils with antibacterial soap and warm water after handling raw meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, and vegetables.
• When buying dairy products and fruit juices, choose varieties that are pasteurized, since pasteurization kills salmonella.
• Securely cover and refrigerate foods promptly; bacteria tend to harbor and grow in raw or undercooked foods left at room temperature.

Source

Community: But all that antibacterial soap may not be terribly good for the environment. WebMD gives us the recipe for a more environmentally friendly disinfectant:

All-purpose disinfectant:

1 teaspoon borax

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 cups hot water

1/4 teaspoon lavender essential oil

3 drops tea tree essential oil

Mix all ingredients together and stir until dry ingredients dissolve. Pour into spray bottle for long-term storage and use. Spray as needed on any surface except glass. Scrub and rinse with a clean, damp cloth.

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(HealthDay News) Scientists say they've figured out how to vaccinate a person without using a needle, potentially giving the public one less excuse to avoid getting immunized…

Victor C. Yang … and colleagues developed a protein that can pass through the outer membranes of cells into the interior, carrying the vaccine with it.

The researchers noted that it may be possible for people to get booster vaccinations without needing to even visit a doctor. They may be able to use patches that they administer themselves.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) For many people, remembering to take a daily medication can be the difference between life and death. Yet, people forget all the time. Now a landmark study from North Carolina State University has found that changes in daily behavior have a significant effect on whether we remember to take our medication…

“For example, young people do the best job of remembering to take their medication on days when they are busier than usual,” [Dr. Shevaun ] Neupert says. “But older adults do a better job of remembering their medication on days when they are less busy.”…

“We’ve found such a disparity between young and old adults, that it’s clear we need to tailor our messages to these two groups,” Neupert says. “For example, it is important for young people to stay busy and be active. That will help them remember to take their medications. However, we need to let older adults know that need to be particularly vigilant about remembering medication on days when they expect to be busier than usual.”

Read more.

Community: When I start a new habit, I have to tie it to some activity that’s already habitual.

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(Science Daily) UCSF scientists report that they were able to prompt a new period of "plasticity," or capacity for change, in the neural circuitry of the visual cortex of juvenile mice. The approach, they say, might some day be used to create new periods of plasticity in the human brain that would allow for the repair of neural circuits following injury or disease.

Read more.

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(Reuters Health) More and more Americans are landing in the hospital due to poisoning by powerful prescription painkillers, sedatives and tranquilizers, according to a report released today. City-living middle-aged women seem particularly vulnerable.

"People have seen the headlines related to Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith and they think that's tragic but maybe contained to Hollywood," Dr. Jeffrey H. Coben of West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown told Reuters Health.

"But the fact of the matter is we are seeing, across the country, very significant increases in serious overdoses associated with these prescription drugs," Coben warned.

Read more.

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(Reuters) U.S. health regulators on Monday called for flat government payments next year to private insurers offering Medicare health coverage to the elderly, in line with recently passed health care legislation.

So-called Medicare Advantage plans would see the same payment rates they saw in 2010, instead of a previously proposed increase of more than 1 percent, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The law requires payments to Medicare Advantage plans to remain steady in 2011 and for reductions to begin in 2012.

Read more.

Community: Medicare Advantage was an attempt to show that private programs could be more efficient than the public program. It has failed miserably, and has to be subsidized by about 15%. In other words, we taxpayers are subsidizing the profits of the private insurers who provide Medicare Advantage insurance.

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(UPI) Unintentional activity can help people burn a few extra calories, U.S. researchers suggest.

David Conroy, an associate professor of kinesiology…, said unintentional physical activity -- such as climbing stairs instead of waiting for the elevator -- helps prevent weight gain…

The study … found a positive correlation between individuals with a positive attitude about physical activity and performing more unintentional physical activity.

Read more.

Community: Science Daily’s writeup of this study said, “The researchers are now exploring whether there are ways to promote or encourage physical activity without a person knowing it.”

Now, that’s where I draw the line. I think Jamie Oliver is doing a great job of informing people about how important good nutrition is, and motivating us to eat properly. And he’s doing it in an entertaining way. But encouraging people without their knowing it is manipulation, and I believe it’s wrong.

Besides, most things that we do consciously can eventually become a habit, and then we no longer have to work at them.

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(USA Today) If you want to get in shape this spring, consider hitting the dance floor — or at least the floor in your living room.

The latest twist in exercise DVDs: workouts that feature swing, jive, cha-cha, samba, hip-hop and other dance moves, capitalizing on the popularity of ABC's Dancing With the Stars, Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and Oxygen's Dance Your Ass Off.

"When you see people on the TV screen having fun, losing weight and toning up in all the right places, it motivates you to try the same thing in the privacy of your own living room," says Lindsey Emery, senior fitness editor at Fitness magazine.

"What people like about these workouts is you can burn a lot of calories without getting bored. They're definitely more amusing than traditional aerobics," she says.

Besides providing a good cardio workout, dance exercise DVDs also could help men and women feel more comfortable dancing at a club or an event such as a wedding, Emery says.

And there are distinct advantages to learning to dance at home rather than at the gym, she says. "You can wear whatever you want and listen to whatever music you want. You don't have to worry about someone staring at your backside while you are shaking your booty, either."

Read more.

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(Chicago Tribune) Early exercise discomfort is natural and universal — it happens to everyone. But fear of those initial sensations can cause people to play it safe. So they end up choosing activities that come easy to them and avoid new types of fitness training.

Ironically, the areas that challenge you are often the ones you need most to achieve balanced overall fitness, according to exercise performance physician Max Testa. He also points out that these areas hold the potential for the greatest leaps in benefit.

Some scientists now believe that your body signals you to stop exercise well before the point of exhaustion, to keep a little in reserve in case you need to run from that lion in your evolutionary past. But each time you can motivate yourself to push through that point, your body sets the limit a little higher. Continuing to exercise will actually "immunize" you against the discomfort you feel when you first start out.

Read more.

Community: The saying is, “No pain, no gain.” But I think pushing oneself to the point of being in pain is dangerous. Discomfort, yes. Pain, no.

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(HealthDay News) -- Weight-training injuries are on the rise, increasing by nearly 50 percent between 1990 and 2007 in the United States, researchers have found…

The report … revealed that 90 percent of injuries occurred while people used free weights, such as dumbbells, as compared to machines. Sixty-five percent of injuries occurred when weights were dropped on people, and almost half of all injuries were sprains and strains.

"Before beginning a weight-training program, it is important that people of all ages consult with a health professional, such as a doctor or athletic trainer, to create a safe training program based on their age and capabilities," study author Dawn Comstock [said].

Read more.

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(RealAge.com) When hypertensive men in an 8-week study drank a couple of servings of Concord grape juice each day, they enjoyed a significant drop in their blood pressure compared with the placebo-sipping group…

The study participants drank two 16-ounce servings of the juice daily. But keep in mind that grape juice calories will add up, so don't drink too much without kicking out another calorie source. Researchers applaud the polyphenols in both grape juice and purple grapes for the blood-pressure-lowering benefit. It's thought that these compounds trigger the production of nitric oxide, a chemical that dilates blood vessels, which in turn helps lower the pressure inside them. Discover how a certain type of pasta also may lower your blood pressure…

The polyphenols in grapes, grape juice, and red wine may quell inflammation and hinder platelet production as well -- two additional good-for-your-heart benefits. But to really make a significant ding in your BP, you need to adopt some sturdier pressure-easing habits other than sipping grapes:

Ease up on the salt. Try these flavorful won't-miss-the-salt recipes from RealAge.

Think thin. If you are overweight or obese, your blood pressure is likely to creep up. The RealAge More to Lose Center can help you focus on your weight loss goals.

Keep it friendly. Nurturing friendships can do wonders for your blood pressure. Here's how.

Walk it out. A foot-minded lifestyle is great for your heart and your arteries. Here's how hoofing it for 10 minutes, here and there, helps your blood pressure.

Read more.

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(Booster Shots, Los Angeles Times) As roommates and friends at Yale University and later in New York, Dave Lieberman and Anahad O’Connor found themselves on opposite sides of a culinary divide. Lieberman was a cook who prized the finer points of European food and drink, O’Connor a health-food enthusiast who favored raw vegetables and whole grains…

The two have collaborated on a new book of essays and recipes, “The 10 Things You Need to Eat,” that looks at foods considered extremely healthful -- superfoods, if you will. They sought out foods that met three criteria: “scientifically supported health benefits, extremely easy to find, and so versatile that we could easily build a complete and varied repertoire of home-style, satisfying, and delicious meals around them.”

Their picks include both everyday staples such as tomatoes and the often praised but not widely eaten quinoa. Others are avocados, beets, spinach, lentils, cabbage, super fish, nuts and berries.

Short chapters on each of these are written in a conversational style that gracefully blends nutritional science, cultural and historical details, food descriptions, personal stories, and cooking and shopping tips…

Their book carries a “food as medicine” message but is so beautifully written and designed that the medicine goes down very easily…

Because of its specialized approach, “10 Foods” probably isn't destined to become most people’s go-to everyday cookbook. But if you’re looking for ways to get more healthful foods into your diet and recipes to perk up your cooking repertoire -- as well as some nutritional food for thought -- you may find inspiration here.

Read more.

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(RealAge.com) Kick your slim-down efforts into high gear by starting each meal with about 16 ounces of water.

In a study of dieters, those who started each meal with a tall glass of water dropped more weight over 12 weeks -- and shed it more quickly -- compared with the dieters who skipped the water and just dug in…

In fact, the water drinkers lost about 4 1/2 more pounds than the control group. And they dropped the weight about 44 percent faster…

Why the boost for water drinkers? It's possible that being properly hydrated curbed their hunger, helping them eat less at each meal. And their water habits may have caused them to cut back on high-calorie, fructose-laden drinks. A third possible mechanism? The water drinkers were asked to track their daily water intake, which may have led to more careful monitoring of calorie intake, too.

Read more.

Community: That’s an AWFUL LOT of water!

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(UPI) Canadian researchers suggest fast-food may make those exposed to it impatient and less willing to save money…

"The ironic thing is that by constantly reminding us of time efficiency, these technologies can lead us to feel much more impatience," [researcher Sanford] DeVoe says.

Read more.

Community: Ever since the proliferation of the fax machine, I’ve noticed more pressure to do everything fast, fast, FAST—so that . . . What? I still haven’t figured out why we’re supposed to be in such a hurry.

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(RealAge.com) In a new study, people with vision problems who failed to visit the eye doctor -- or who left their vision problems untreated -- were nine times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease…

[R]esearchers don't think vision problems are a direct cause of Alzheimer's disease. But untreated eye problems could keep people from engaging in the types of activities that are good for your brain -- like reading, playing games, and even walking and socializing…

Regardless of the connection between untreated eye problems and cognitive decline, there are lots of other good reasons to see your eye-care specialist regularly. The most important? Sight-robbing eye conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy typically don't have any early warning signs. Regular eye exams are the only way to spot them and treat them early.

Read more.

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(Reuters) Thalidomide, a drug that caused birth defects when it was launched as a morning sickness pill half a century ago, may be useful for treating a hereditary condition that affects blood vessels, scientists said on Sunday.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) A team of scientists … has discovered a brand new group of molecules which could help fight the spread of cancer and other diseases.

The new molecules are synthetic derivatives of a natural product known as UDP-Galactose, and block the activity of a group of enzymes called glycosyltransferases. Glycosyltransferases are used by biological cells to turn simple sugars into elongated sugar chains and branched structures…

[T]he findings could lead to a significant therapeutic advance in the treatment of cancer, inflammation and infection.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Essential oils could be a cheap and effective alternative to antibiotics and potentially used to combat drug-resistant hospital superbugs, according to research…

[The researchers] found that thyme essential oil was the most effective and was able to almost completely eliminate bacteria within 60 minutes.

The essential oils of thyme and cinnamon were found to be particularly efficient antibacterial agents against a range of Staphylococcus species…

Essential oils have been recognised for hundreds of years for their therapeutic properties, although very little is still known about how they exert their antimicrobial effects in humans… Various scientific studies have demonstrated that essential oils are not only well tolerated, but are effective against a range of bacterial and fungal species. Their therapeutic value has been shown for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including acne, dandruff, head lice and oral infections.

Read more.

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