Washing contaminated hospital bedsheets in a commercial washing machine with industrial detergent at high disinfecting temperatures failed to remove all traces of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), a bacteria that causes infectious diarrhea, suggesting that linens could be a source of infection among patients and even other hospitals, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital […]
Microwave ovens ‘fluke’ your heart while they ‘nuke’ your food
If you are health conscious you probably won’t use a microwave too often. Many people have faded away from the convenience of a microwave oven because of the dangerous health risks they pose. Microwave ovens not only nuke our food and destroy any nutritional value that it has, but it is also having a seriously negative effect […]
It’s official — spending time outside is good for you
Living close to nature and spending time outside has significant and wide-ranging health benefits — according to new research from the University of East Anglia. A new report published today reveals that exposure to greenspace reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure. Populations with […]
Dental research shows that smoking weakens immune systems
As if lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease weren’t enough, there’s more bad news for cigarette smokers. Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine found that smoking also weakens the ability for pulp in teeth to fight illness and disease. In other words, smokers have fewer defense mechanisms on the inside […]
Artificial sweeteners have toxic effects on gut microbes
FDA-approved artificial sweeteners and sport supplements were found to be toxic to digestive gut microbes, according to a new paper published in Molecules by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The collaborative study indicated relative toxicity of six artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame, and acesulfame […]
Irreversible damage to color vision linked to popular erectile dysfunction drug
In a first-of-its-kind study, Mount Sinai researchers have shown that color vision problems caused by retinal damage on a cellular level can result from a high dose of sildenafil citrate, the popular erectile-dysfunction medication sold under the brand name Viagra. The results demonstrate that excessive use of the drug could lead to long-term vision problems, […]
Typical mutations in children of radar soldiers
The offspring of radar soldiers exposed to high doses of radiation during their service experience more genetic alterations than families without radiation exposure. This has been demonstrated in a pilot study by the research team involving Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands) […]
Plastic contamination in bottled water
Research shows that a single bottle can hold dozens or possibly even thousands of microscopic plastic particles. Tests on more than 250 bottles from 11 brands reveal contamination with plastic including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Twenty-seven different lots of bottled water from 11 different brands purchased in 19 locations across 9 different countries […]
Range of electrical frequencies that help heal chronic wounds tested by researchers
Naturally occurring electricity in our cells is key to how our bodies function, and that includes the healing of wounds. And externally applied low-amplitude electric fields have been shown to help hard-to-heal chronic wounds, like those associated with diabetes, where there is insufficient blood supply and drug treatments are not effective. The externally applied electric […]
Scientific guidelines for using cannabis to treat stress, anxiety and depression
In a first-of-a-kind study, Washington State University scientists examined how peoples’ self-reported levels of stress, anxiety and depression were affected by smoking different strains and quantities of cannabis at home. Their work, published this month in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suggests smoking cannabis can significantly reduce short-term levels of depression, anxiety, and stress but may […]