Sunday, August 30, 2015
Start Your Hike on the Right Foot With Proper Footwear
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Many Parents Unaware of Dangers E-Cigarettes Pose to Little Kids: Survey
Obesity May Be Linked to Greater Risk of Stillbirth
Could Oral Contraceptives Help Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Women Soldiers No More Likely to Develop PTSD, Study Finds
How Parents Add to Math Anxiety
Settling the Back-to-School Jitters
Friday, August 28, 2015
Guidelines for Preventing Catheter Infections in ICU Often Ignored: Study
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Gains in Life Spans Seen Around the Globe
False-Positive Mammogram Result Traumatic for Most Women: Study
Experimental Drug for Blood Cancer Shows Promise
Health Highlights: Aug 26, 2015
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Flu Vaccines Offer About 6 Months of Protection, Study Finds
Many Kids Tossing Fruits, Veggies in Trash Since New U.S. School Lunch Rules
Most Don't Need 'Bridging' When They Stop Warfarin Temporarily
Impotence Drug Aids Treatment of Rare Lung Disease: Study
Five million 'at risk of diabetes'
Just Mayo maker warned by FDA that mayonnaise needs eggs
Female genital mutilation is alive in Australia. It's just called labiaplasty | Van Badham
Behind both female genital mutilation and the dramatic increase in genital surgery is the pressure to conform to a constructed ideal of desirability
The girl lies in a half-conscious state, her legs wedged wide apart, her exposed genitals splayed. By her shoulders, a man and woman are stationed to prevent her from stirring. Standing over her naked body, the man in charge brandishes the metal instrument in his hand. The metal glints, he clamps the red lip of her of her most intimate parts into the jaws of his scissors, and he cuts. There is no other sound in the world like that of flesh severed by a blade and that’s the sound made as he snips, slices and chops away bloody chunks from the healthy tissue of the young woman’s vulva.
This is not snuff porn. These are not the superstitious rituals of ancient traditions in faraway lands. This is not a horror movie. This is labiaplasty, the cosmetic reduction and reshaping of the female labia minora; one of surgeries gaining such rapid popularity in Australia that its official numbers have tripled in little more than a decade. There were 1565 women who claimed the surgery on Medicare in 2011 alone. The scene described above I saw in a documentary.
Related: Designer vagina surgery: snip, stitch, kerching!
Women electing to have unnecessary surgery on intimate tissue risks a permanent impairment or loss of erotic sensation.
Related: Sierra Leone's secret FGM societies spread silent fear and sleepless nights | Lisa O'Carroll
Continue reading...Many Parents Put 'Food Pressure' on Their Kids, Study Finds
Low vitamin-D genes linked to MS
Skipping blood pressure pills may raise heart failure risk
Spain detects first ever case of mosquito-borne chikungunya virus
Officials say Valencia man ‘most likely’ infected with painful viral disease in Gandia, a seaside Mediterranean resort
Spain has detected its first domestic case of the painful mosquito-borne viral disease chikungunya in a 60-year-old man in the eastern province of Valencia, officials said Tuesday.
The man was “most likely” infected in Gandia, a seaside Mediterranean resort, and was treated in hospital last month, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a statement.
Continue reading...Men Who Feel Less Masculine May Be More Violent, Study Finds
Thousands of microbes in house dust
Tips for keeping your kitchen germ-free
Health Highlights: Aug 25, 2015
3 generations of Swedish family linked by single womb
Mom's Healthy Diet Linked to Lower Heart Defect Risk at Birth
Appliances of science: the synthetic body parts used to reconstruct humans
A robotic arm and a bionic penis both made headlines this week. Here are eight other prosthetic innovations that could revolutionise surgery
“There’s a pump in my testicles. When I want to have sex, I pump it up, inflate it … And then, when I’m done, I deflate it again.” So said Edinburgh’s Mohammed Abad about the “bionic penis” he has been given by doctors at University College London, after a childhood car accident robbed him of his genitals.
The pneumatic phallus is the first in a long line of organ innovations that promise to one day send us in to the world of body disposability. This week, 25-year-old Joel Gibbard from Bristol won the James Dyson award for engineering innovation by designing an artificial hand that uses 3D printing to match the owner’s real hand, while also slashing component costs from £25,000 to about £3,000.
Continue reading...Steroid injections for lower back pain have limited benefits, study says
Acupuncture Best for Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Survivors: Study
Five tips for growing and selling marijuana like a pro – from a university instructor
The developer behind a Canadian university’s online course for prospective cannabis professionals offers key advice for success in the newly legal business
If you’ve had enough of your nine-to-five’s wearying toil, perhaps a change of vocation is in order. The Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Vancouver can recommend an intriguing alternative starting this September: selling pot.
The shady-looking fellow on the corner will tell you that you hardly need a college diploma to sell weed for a living. But Kwantlen’s new 14-week online course will sculpt aspiring dealers into professionals in a robust – and newly legal – field.
Continue reading...
Exercise, Supplements Like Fish Oil Won't Keep Elderly Sharper: Studies
People would use the NHS less if they knew the true price tags | The Secret Doctor
I first learned about the value of equipment in my early years at A&E. A woman had a laceration to her hand and I was happily stitching away and moving on to the second pack of kit. A male nurse from Nigeria obligingly brought me what I needed but he politely commented on my liberal use. “Back home we have to make it last – we don’t have enough to waste.” That has stayed with me ever since.
Related: My wife’s £10,000 bill for cancer treatment makes me appreciate the NHS | Liam J Stratton
One of the first steps in saving the NHS has got to be increasing patient understanding of the price tag on treatments
Related: Doctors write 10m needless antibiotics prescriptions a year, says Nice
Continue reading...Mum has early Alzheimer’s and needs 24-hour care. Where’s the help we were promised? | Chris King
A report on Friday suggested that dementia might not be the epidemic we had been led to believe, showing that there were 22% fewer people aged over 65 with dementia in 2011 than had been predicted in 1990. But even one case of this devastating illness is one too many. My mum was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, which affects about 14,000 people aged under 65 in the UK, three years ago. At the time, my dad said she “would not be what she was”, and he wasn’t wrong. My mum was an inspirational woman who worked harder than anyone I have ever met, ran the family home like a military operation, and was active, healthy and successful. I always imagined this kind, loving woman would be around for ever. But what was once second nature to her is now a daily struggle.
I liken Alzheimer’s disease to a burglar who keeps coming back, no matter how many security systems you put in place, taking more and more until there is nothing left. It is a uniquely cruel disease that dismantles personalities and strips away the ability to perform basic tasks, such as washing and getting dressed, while triggering deeply upsetting behaviours.
My mum did everything right in her life. Now she is being catastrophically let down by those who should be helping her
Related: Dementia not the epidemic it was feared to be, say academics
Continue reading...The US Congress is finally poised to rethink its outdated chemical laws
Congress, industry and environmentalists all agree that regulation of chemicals in the US is broken – but change could soon be on the way
Kids dread back-to-school shopping because it means an end to summer fun. Parents have reason to fear it too, particularly those who read the Back-to-School Guide published annually by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Dangers lurk everywhere, according to the EWG. Avoid plastic covers on binders, the group advises. Don’t buy dry-erase or permanent markers, which contain solvents. Avoid lunch boxes made with lead paint, PVC, BPA and antimicrobial chemicals. Look for plain wooden pencils, no paint or glossy coating. Choose clothing that doesn’t carry Gore-Tex or Teflon tags, and avoid fabrics labeled stain resistant or water repellent.
Related: Will the US ever pass a new chemical safety law?
Related: California law change sparks nationwide demand for flame-retardant-free furniture
Related: Making green chemistry mainstream – event
Continue reading...Fed up with NHS waiting times? It’s even worse in the US | Mary O’Hara
I have a lot of information about my primary care physician (GP to British readers). Because the private insurance company publishes it, I’m aware of what university she attended, what degrees she has and I even know her hobbies. But we’ve never actually met.
There have been many trips to see the doctor over the past year that I have lived in Los Angeles, but I’ve never managed to get an appointment with the US equivalent of my GP when I needed it, instead being directed to the equivalent of a locum. The shortest waiting time offered to see my designated doctor was five weeks. Otherwise it’s been over two months. And that’s after I’ve forked out hundreds of dollars every month in insurance premiums – plus up-front cash fees equivalent to £20 and £35 for each visit and referral.
Related: More than one in 10 people in England could not get GP or nurse appointment
In the city of Boston it took on average 66 days – more than two months – to get an appointment to see a family doctor
Continue reading...Want a compassionate NHS? Then make sure staff are happy
New evidence links patient experience to staff wellbeing, and to a working environment that encourages good behaviour
At NHS England we have been working for the past few years on understanding how compassion as a concept, value, belief or skill can help improve the care experience of the millions of patients who visit hospitals, clinics or GP surgeries every year or receive care at home.
In 2012 Jane Cummings, the chief nursing officer for England, published a three-year vision for nursing, Compassion in Practice, starting the debate on what compassion is, whether it can be measured or taught, or if it is innate in individuals. It also looked at the impact compassion has on patient outcomes and experience.
The work that we have completed suggests that focusing on providing compassionate care can make a significant difference. And often all that is needed is simple and thoughtful behaviour. Cynics may ask: “If it is that simple, why can it not happen all the time?” That for me is the crux of the matter.
Research commissioned by NHS England, Building and Strengthening Leadership – Leading with Compassion (pdf), surveyed a number of NHS clinical and non-clinical leaders on their understanding of compassion in practice. Through a number of follow-up interviews they explored how they showed compassion in their everyday practice and identified some of the barriers nurses face in acting with compassion at all times.
Researchers highlighted the challenge in bringing compassion to life in people, teams and organisations. They concluded that “to create environments where compassion can thrive practices are needed which reconnect people to the values and behaviours that underpin their work and values”.
The research concluded that there is no silver bullet. It requires a multi-faceted approach that can be targeted at the level of the individual; the manager/leader; the team and the organisation – and usually all four if it is truly to thrive.
While there is no recipe, compassionate behaviour is often affected by the environment and culture of an organisation/department. Engaging staff at all levels is key – evidence is emerging that links patient and staff experience, and that positive experiences are unlikely to happen to one without the other.
Our research also identified that compassion applies to everyone. At an individual level people need to develop routine habits to stay balanced, keep rooted to their core purpose, and plan ahead for situations where work is personally depleting, and notice the signs when they have to activate those plans. The role of the manager/leader is pivotal. He or she must be able to notice and respond to need, while connecting individuals and teams to their core purpose. The norms, practices and capabilities of teams contribute to the formation of effective working relationships and determine whether there is a micro-climate that allows compassion to thrive.
It is important to note that the culture and environment at the organisational level has the potential to trump other determinants: good people in corrosive or toxic environments have been known to collude in undesirable behaviour.
To enable staff to act with compassion, organisations should:
• listen first-hand to experiences of staff and patients
• define and clearly articulate values in behavioural terms and ensure these are incorporated into organisational life
• connect the organisational strategy with individual goals and objectives, which includes holding people to account on both performance and values
• Signal what is valued and retain your best people
If you get the basics right and help people reconnect with their work, it can transform patient care. How we behave towards each other is key to setting the groundwork for true compassion in practice. This should be done at all levels, no matter what the interaction or how brief the encounter.
Continue reading...Tuesday, August 25, 2015
After Heart Attack, Quitting Smoking Boosts Mental Health, Quality of Life
When will my life begin? You asked Google – here’s the answer | Linda Blair
The answer to this question may surprise you. Your life will begin when two important changes take place. Fortunately, these changes are totally within your control. They are attitudes, not circumstances, and both have been chosen by you rather than imposed upon you, although you may not be aware of having made those choices.
The first impediment to living fully right now is the belief that you need to consider all possible options before you commit to anything. We believe in choice – when asked, most people will tell you that it’s better to have lots of choices. That way, most people will say, you’ll make a better decision, and feel happier and more satisfied as a result.
Related: Mindfulness: a beginner's guide
Stop searching for as many possibilities as you can find and agonising over which one to choose
Related: The chronic pain that won’t go away
Continue reading...Melbourne city council cleared of failing to protect women from anti-abortion protesters
Court says council did not fail in its duty, or break the law, by allowing women to be harassed by protesters outside East Melbourne fertility clinic
Melbourne city council did not fail in its duty of care or breach Victorian law by allowing anti-abortion protesters to harass women attending the East Melbourne fertility clinic, a court has ruled.
In June Melbourne’s supreme court heard that for the past two decades women attending the clinic for medical treatment had been targeted by protesters from the group Helpers of God’s Precious Infants.
Related: Women delay treatment at abortion clinic because of harassment, court told
Continue reading...Study suggests method for predicting men who may kill their spouses
US paediatricians say giving food with nuts to at-risk infants prevents allergies
American Academy of Pediatrics and others endorse surprising guidance that exposing children under 12 months to peanuts seemed to help build tolerance
A paediatricians’ group in the US is recommending that infants at high risk of peanut allergies be given foods containing peanuts before they are 12 months old.
The interim guidance is in response to a major allergy study published earlier this year that found that exposure to peanuts in infancy seemed to help build tolerance, which was contrary to conventional thinking.
Related: Could peanut studies point the way to a cure for other allergies?
Continue reading...Dental device promises pain-free tooth repair
Obesity and sedentary lives put 5m Britons at risk of type 2 diabetes
Public Health England says figures demonstrate need for a countrywide prevention scheme to help lower the number of cases
Five million Britons are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes because people are increasingly overweight and live sedentary lifestyles, according to a fresh warning from the NHS.
Public Health England (PHE) said that the 5 million have high blood glucose levels, which are a precursor of type 2 diabetes – a condition that already affects more than 3 million in the UK and costs the NHS up to £10bn a year to treat.
Related: Huge rise in UK diabetes cases threatens to bankrupt NHS, charity warns
Related: We need to learn what 2,000 calories a day looks like to prevent diabetes | Ann Robinson
Continue reading...Transplanting a womb: Q&A on revolutionary Swedish technique
Many Young Adults Think Hookahs, E-Cigs Safer Than Cigarettes
Just Mayo is just not mayo: FDA says eggless mayonnaise must change name
Hampton Creek Foods’ vegan sandwich spread, which is made without eggs and packaged with ‘misleading’ labels, violates condiment’s ‘standard of identity’
As a name, Just Mayo just won’t do.
Hampton Creek Foods Inc, a California healthy food startup, can no longer refer to its vegan sandwich spread Just Mayo as mayonnaise because it doesn’t contain eggs, the US Food and Drug Administration has said.
Related: Josh Tetrick's food revolution: saving the world one egg at a time
Continue reading...Teen being treated with experimental drug after contracting brain-eating amoeba
Flu Vaccine Protects Nursing Home Residents, Study Finds
Lack of vitamin D may cause multiple sclerosis, study finds
Researchers say findings may have important public health implications as vitamin supplements are relatively safe and cost-effective
Lack of vitamin D may be a direct cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study has found. The discovery may have important public health implications since so many people have insufficient levels of the essential vitamin, researchers say.
The findings may help explain why rates of MS, a potentially disabling auto-immune disease that damages nerve fibres, are higher in high-latitude regions such as northern Europe, which have fewer sunny days. Sunshine triggering a chemical reaction in the skin is the primary source of vitamin D.
Continue reading...Mums' diet linked to baby heart risk
Some people are truly happier single, study says
CT Scan Use in Kids Fell Over Past Decade
Melbourne salmonella outbreak blamed on mayonnaise at Langham hotel
Raw-egg mayonnaise from hotel kitchens tested positive for the same strain of salmonella found in 90 people who ate at the hotel on 11 and 12 July
Raw egg mayonnaise has been blamed for a salmonella outbreak during high tea at a luxury Melbourne hotel.
Related: Salmonella outbreak linked to Melbourne's Langham hotel
Continue reading...Universal flu vaccine a step closer as scientists create experimental jabs
Annual vaccinations could be a thing of the past as scientists have successfully tested vaccines on animals infected with different strains of influenza
A universal flu vaccine that protects against multiple strains of the virus is a step closer after scientists created experimental jabs that work in animals.
The vaccines prevented deaths or reduced symptoms in mice, ferrets and monkeys infected with different types of flu, raising hopes for a reliable alternative to the seasonal vaccine.
Related: Scientists hope computer modelling can help predict flu outbreaks
Related: Next winter’s flu vaccine may not be effective, concedes researcher
Continue reading...Study finds parents who do this have better sex lives
Universal flu vaccine comes closer
Exercise Best Bet Against Diabetes for College Graduates
Do you like salad? You're a fool
Unless you live on an organic farm, chances are, the salad you eat comes from a supermarket, served in a plastic bag. No wonder so much of these nutrition-lite limp leaves end up in the bin
Do you like salad? You’re a fool. Not because bacon is better (although, of course, it is) but because salad vegetables are nutrition-lite, resource-guzzling, pseudo-healthy food crimes that enable the overconsumption of blue cheese dressing. If they aren’t bringing foodborne diseases to your table, they are being chucked, soggily, into the bin. Tamar Haspel, the Washington Post’s food columnist, made properly considered and intelligent versions of all these points yesterday, leading us to wonder what life would be like if we, as she suggests, started to think of salad as a resource-hungry luxury, rather than a wholesome staple.
We have a joke in our house. We ask the five-year-old what his favourite food is. He shouts “SALAD” loud enough to frighten the frisee, we all laugh heartily and then I crack open a bag of Starmix and sprinkle them affectionately on his dinner plate. Do you really love lettuce (a definition that we will extend to include leafy greens that are commonly eaten raw, in salad-style situations)? Would you mourn a shift in its status that led to consumption only on high days and holidays, on a level with the nice smoked salmon, hand-churned butter you can only buy from a unique Swede, and hens’ teeth? If so, I would wager you are in one of the following circumstances.
Related: How to make a lunchtime salad exciting | The lunch box
Continue reading...Girls Lose Friends for Having Sex But Boys Don't, Study Shows
Oddly, women are more likely to end a marriage
'There is an urgent need to update adult thinking to catch up with the reality of teenagers’ lives'
A huge spike in mental health concerns among young women means that almost half of young British girls aged 17 to 21 have needed mental health support but are struggling to access it
Almost half of British girls aged 17 to 21 have needed help with their mental health, according to findings published today from the Girlguiding 2015 girls’ attitudes survey. The results suggest that mental wellbeing is a major area for concern, with worries starting from as young as seven and escalating as girls get older.
Self-harming tops a list of health concerns for girls aged 11 to 21, closely followed by smoking, mental illness, depression and eating disorders. The results suggest that these concerns have changed dramatically over the past five years. In 2010, girls’ top three health concerns were binge drinking, smoking and drug abuse.
There are many contributing factors at play. The world has changed an awful lot in the last 10 to 15 years for children, and there are so many different pressures – pressure to do well at school, pressure to look a certain way, sexual harassment, sexual pressure – they create the perfect storm.
I also think things like social media can play a big part. When I was at school, we didn’t have smartphones, so we could switch off, but now you’re constantly switched on and people are pressured to have a certain persona. I think mental health is a serious issue for girls and boys, but people can be particularly nasty to girls online and, with the pressure to look a certain way in particular, it can be really damaging.
We need to help children to have more resilience and cope in the face of challenges. It would help to open up discussions so people are happy to talk about mental wellbeing and health. There’s so much stigma attached to it that people can’t talk about it until it’s too late and they’ve reached breaking point.
We also need to have these discussions in a safe environment where girls can ask the questions they can’t ask anywhere else. I think it should be part of the curriculum and people like teachers and frontline staff should have training to know how to talk to young people about these issues.
At a school near me, there was a sexting incident, and when the photos were spread around the teachers suggested she shouldn’t have taken the pictures in the first place instead of dealing with the crime.
Girls are whistled at and shouted at in the street in their school uniforms; it’s just another pressure that makes them conscious of how they’re looking and what they’ve done to get that attention. In fact, it’s not about what they’ve done at all, but they don’t have the confidence to challenge it. What kind of a world is that?
Continue reading...Texas couple marries in hospital while bride is in labor
Troubled kids get treated if they are white – but punished if they are black | Tedra Osell
Too many children do not receive the help to which they are legally entitled because of ingrained biases
There’s a saying in educational circles: white kids get diagnosed, black kids get disciplined. Poor and brown kids, too, disproportionately get suspended, expelled, transferred to “continuation” schools, or even arrested for behavioral problems as mild as swearing. White kids, especially if their parents have money, health insurance, and access to lawyers, are more likely to have even chronic discipline problems treated as symptoms needing investigation and assessment.
I know this because my white kid is in that second group. From first through sixth grade, he was a challenging kid to teach. He was extremely bright – known for arguing with adults when they mistook a declarative sentence for an interrogative one, or got the definition of a light year wrong – and he would interrupt, shout or even swear when frustrated, and refuse to do work he found boring or repetitive. In elementary school, this was chalked up to his being bright and impatient and maybe a little overindulged at home. In middle school, homework issues and social difficulties bloomed into a full-blown case of clinical anxiety and eventually depression that led me to learn a lot about how schools do and don’t deal with these problems.
Continue reading...No Mental Benefits Seen for Elderly Who Stop Blood Pressure Meds
Nearly-term babies have elevated risk for ADHD
I wish patients would remember that doctors have lives too
I love my job but I and many of my medical colleagues made personal sacrifices to do it
What are patients thinking of me when I am running late? I often wonder. If our patients knew more about us and the personal sacrifices that we make as doctors, would it reassure them that we genuinely try our best for them?
Since qualifying, my husband, who is also a doctor, and I, have seen our non-medical friends accelerate past us with regards financial security and life stability. During the last 10 years, while working as a trainee surgeon and trainee GP, I have worked in 12 different hospitals and GP practices stretching from Edinburgh to Slough to Melbourne, Australia. The current structure means that junior doctors are constantly planning and applying for their next job. For a single, 24-year-old this is not too problematic, but as a 35-year-old mother, it becomes a logistical nightmare.
Related: As a part-time female doctor, I'm considered a danger to the NHS
Continue reading...Sharp Spike Seen in Statin Use in Elderly Without Heart Disease
Living in fear of FGM in Sierra Leone: 'I'm not safe in this community' – video
Girls in Sierra Leone are under huge pressure to be initiated into all-female secret societies that practise female genital mutilation. Mariatu* describes her struggle to escape FGM while Plan International worker Aminata Sheriff, who helps young girls like Mariatu, recalls the horror of being cut at the age of 16. Two soweis, the highest ranking figures in the secret societies, speak about the cultural traditions and financial pressures that perpetuate FGM
* Names have been changed
Continue reading...Brief Drop in Blood Sugar at Birth Tied to Poorer School Performance
Sierra Leone's secret FGM societies spread silent fear and sleepless nights | Lisa O'Carroll
Traditional practitioners of female genital mutilation have established deep roots in Sierra Leonean culture and politics, creating a culture of fear among young women and posing a major obstacle to opponents of the custom
When 16-year-old Mariatu* goes to bed at night she is scared of going to sleep. She fears members of powerful, all-female secret societies are going to break into her room with the consent of her parents and kidnap her.
Mariatu has good reason to be afraid. She has already fled her village in northern Sierra Leone to avoid female genital mutilation (FGM) and expects to go on the run again to avoid being cut.
Continue reading...Monday, August 24, 2015
Autism diagnosis rising in Australia, but not clear if condition more prevalent
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute says more children are being confirmed with the condition, but are unsure whether trend is due to earlier diagnoses
More Australian children are being diagnosed with autism, but researchers don’t know if it’s because the condition is becoming more prevalent or if it is being diagnosed earlier.
The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute found the overwhelming majority of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were boys.
Continue reading...Scientists seeking cause of mysterious heart attack plaguing young women
Parent and teen weight relate to feeding practices
Health Highlights: Aug 24, 2015
Meet the women fighting corruption and saving mothers' lives in India
Corruption, a lack of political will and poor medical facilities are a lethal mix for new mothers in India’s Assam state. Armed with cheap Nokia phones, local groups are taking a stand
Until recently, Monika Singh would never have dreamed of taking on corrupt medical officials to defend the rights of pregnant women. The demure 21-year-old, who is from north-east India’s marginalised Adivasi community, has learned a lot since joining a project to tackle the region’s alarmingly high rate of maternal deaths.
So when a malnourished woman she was working with was told she had to pay for medicine while hospitalised in her fourth month of pregnancy, Singh wasn’t intimidated by the doctor on duty. “Why are you charging for medicine?” she demanded, “it’s supposed to be free for pregnant women in a government hospital.” Surprisingly, a lot of women in Sonitpur district are unaware that maternal healthcare should be free by law.
Related: Women on the beat: how to get more female police officers around the world
Related: African schoolgirls: dropped out, but not left behind
Related: Does talking about corruption make it seem worse?
Continue reading...Dr. Manny: When is a woman too old to have a baby?
Can we reverse the ageing process by putting young blood into older people? – Podcast
Click here for text version Continue reading...
With many Ebola survivors ailing, doctors evaluate situation
I am almost repulsed by my husband's attempts at lovemaking
I’ve told him how I feel, and he has done everything in his power to get us back on track. But now the problem is me
For the past year or so, my husband has ceased to be able to turn me on, to the point where I am almost repulsed by our lovemaking. Recently, I broke down and told him everything. Since then, he has done everything in his power to get us back on track. The problem is now me! Even though this is all I’ve wanted, I can’t bear to be touched in certain areas.
This “hot potato” syndrome is not uncommon: one partner has an issue, but once he throws it off, the other catches something too hot to handle. In many ways, it is a good thing that your husband is responding so energetically to your plea for change, and you did an excellent job of moving beyond what had become a long-term impasse. But real change takes more time, and this current phase in your relationship is only a stepping stone. Creating a climate for new sexual possibilities doesn’t guarantee that either of you will like the results. At this point, a considerable amount of refinement needs to occur, and an even greater degree of honesty. For example, you say you don’t like to be touched in certain places, so the exact details of this must be gently communicated to him, and he needs to be shown exactly what you would prefer. You have done very well so far – be brave enough to address the next steps, which are largely about better communication.
Continue reading...Book clubs play a big role for women in dating
Family Doctor Can Safely Assist Many Births
Running saved my life
When depression hit, Zoe Margolis felt suicidal. Pills and therapy did nothing to help, but then she got out her old trainers and began to jog
At the start of this year, I was in the depths of the worst depression I have ever experienced. My public face was a mask of success, confidence and happiness, but, privately, I was defeated. The long-term relationship that I had hoped would last the rest of my life and lead to children had ended, painfully. Work was at a standstill and I was broke. I felt overweight and unhappy with my tired, sluggish body, and was unable to concentrate on anything apart from my persistent grief and self-loathing. I am a writer who has always written openly about my thoughts and feelings, so my inability to do so didn’t seem like writer’s block – my entire existence felt worthless.
Every waking moment was filled with crushing anxiety and heavy sadness. I couldn’t sleep, and all I seemed to be capable of achieving each day was crying, mourning lost opportunities both personal and professional. After months of a broken heart, I felt I had used up all my “listening ear” favours with friends, and that my permanently low mood made me unattractive company. I longed for quiet, for my brain to shut up. I was isolated, overwhelmed and suffocated by my depression. I considered suicide and began to self-harm. I found that external pain temporarily numbed my internal pain. I knew I was at my lowest ebb.
Continue reading...Sunday, August 23, 2015
Over-65s drink 'unsafe' alcohol levels
The correct way to stop a nosebleed
Teenage girls' mental health overlooked by parents, survey finds
Parents worrying about drug and alcohol abuse by daughters than more prevalent issues such as cyberbullying, self-harming and finding a job
Parents are worrying more about drug and alcohol use by their teenage daughters than the more prevalent “mental anguish” they face every day, a survey has suggested.
Young girls said mental health, cyberbullying and jobs were the biggest worries in their lives and an increasing number considered self-harm and depression as the most significant health issues facing their peers, above drug or alcohol abuse.
Continue reading...Sex Lives Best When Couples Share Child Care Duties, Survey Shows
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Ministers 'failing on mental health'
Outdoor areas in Victorian restaurants to be a smoke-free zone from mid-2017
Anti-smoking groups express concern over two-year delay but health minister says businesses need time to make changes before tobacco ban comes into place
Smoking will be banned in the outdoor dining areas of all restaurants, cafes, take-away shops and licensed premises in Victoria, the state’s health minister, Jill Hennessy, announced on Sunday.
But the ban won’t take effect until August 2017, with the government set to consult with health and industry groups over the coming months to flesh out the detail of the reforms.
Related: Cancer Council unaware tobacco giant behind FOI request on child smoking habits
Related: Smoking ban in outdoor areas the 'next logical step', says Melbourne lord mayor
Related: Queensland considers ban on smoking at skate parks, pools and bus stops
Continue reading...How to choose a pet when you have allergies
Focus on Healthy Backs for Back-to-School
Friday, August 21, 2015
Stents: A cure for erectile dysfunction?
Health Highlights: Aug 21, 2015
Historic New York City hotel located as source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak
The Opera House Hotel said it will go beyond newly imposed regulations in testing its cooling system as officials declared an end to the outbreak
New York City’s historic Opera House Hotel, identified as the source of a deadly spate of Legionnaires’ disease, said it will go beyond newly imposed regulations in testing its cooling system even as officials declared an end to the outbreak.
City officials on Thursday announced an end to the outbreak, which killed 12 people and sickened 128 people. Of those, two had been guests of the South Bronx hotel, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Related: Legionnaires' disease in New York: what is it and how does it spread?
Continue reading...Dementia levels 'are stabilising'
What do doctors do to our patients when we label them as 'anxious'? | Ranjana Srivastava
Doctors are often too quick to label patients ‘anxious’ without considering the harm this can do to their care. We need to put ourselves in their shoes
In the dungeons of the hospital, when the nights were interminable, the sofa broken and the bread stale, I got to know a fellow resident who made the nights bearable by regaling us with the details of patients he had to see. Bed two: LOL at risk of AHF (little old lady at risk of an acute hissy fit). ICU: Peek and shriek (the ICU harboured a patient whose diseased abdomen the surgeons had just opened and shut). Bed 29: TEETH, check out TTR (Tested Everything Else, Try Homeopathy. TTR referred, of course, to the tattoo to teeth ratio, his favourite number).
But behind the mischievous words lay a sensitive and capable doctor who went on to become a favourite among patients because he always knew his boundaries, unlike for example, our surgical tutor who once threw bare a man’s abdomen and asked a gaggle of students to examine “this elephant”. Twenty years later, I still remember that surgeon’s callousness with unease.
Related: American doctors are over-reliant on medical tests and patients pay the price | Kenneth Ludmerer
Related: A letter to my patient, whose terminal cancer is the least of her worries | Ranjana Srivastava
Continue reading...Heaviest smokers may face biggest weight gain after quitting
Jimmy Carter Being Treated for Melanoma That Has Spread to Brain
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Black Women Less Likely to Survive Uterine Cancer, Study Finds
Endometrial cancer on the rise in US, black women most at risk
Young Australians increasingly jobless, unmarried and living at home
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report finds young people struggling to find full-time work, despite higher levels of education
Young Australians are better educated than in the past but more likely to be unemployed, unmarried and living at home with their parents, a snapshot of demographic trends has found.
More young people are joining the dole queue, with the youth unemployment rate increasing from 8.8% in 2008 to 13.3% in 2014, according to the biennial welfare report card from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Related: 'Punitive' plan to withhold dole will hurt domestic violence victims, inquiry told
Related: Plan to delay dole for young jobseekers unlikely to pass Senate
Continue reading...Well: Daily Coffee May Boost Colon Cancer Survival
18 and Under: Bedtime Stories for Young Brains
Teens may not drink or smoke if friends are counseled not to
NHS 'could prescribe E-cigarettes'
Health Highlights: Aug 19, 2015
Working longer hours ‘increases stroke risk’
Danger highlighted by research suggesting those working a 55-hour week face 33% increased risk of stroke than those working a 35- to 40-hour week
The likely toll of long working hours is revealed in a major new study which shows that employees still at their desks into the evening run an increased risk of stroke – and the longer the hours they put in, the higher the risk.
The largest study conducted on the issue, carried out in three continents and led by scientists at University College London, found that those who work more than 55 hours a week have a 33% increased risk of stroke compared with those who work a 35- to 40-hour week. They also have a 13% increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Related: How to prevent a stroke in middle age
Continue reading...Well: Another Approach to Raising Healthy Eaters
