Short nature intervention can bring out the best in people. Is it any wonder that most happiness idioms are associated with nature? Happy as a pig in muck, happy as a clam, happy camper. A UBC researcher says there’s truth to the idea that spending time outdoors is a direct line to happiness. In fact, […]
E-Cigarettes Linked To Increased Arterial Stiffness, Blood Pressure And Heart Rate In Humans
New research has shown for the first time that e-cigarettes with nicotine cause a stiffening of the arteries in humans. This has important implications for the use of e-cigarettes, as arterial stiffness is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in later life. Presenting the research at the European Respiratory Society International […]
Common Antiseptic Ingredients De-Energize Cells And Impair Hormone Response
A new in-vitro study by University of California, Davis, researchers indicates that quaternary ammonium compounds, or “quats,” used as antimicrobial agents in common household products inhibit mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, as well as estrogenic functions in cells. Their findings will appear online Aug. 22 in Environmental Health Perspectives, a publication of the National Institute […]
Tracking Hazardous Chemicals From Fast-Food Wrappers In The Body
Research teams from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Medicine and the University of Notre Dame have developed a new method that enables researchers to radiolabel three forms of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances and track the fate of these chemicals when they enter the body. This is a significant and timely advancement […]
Professor And Her Students May Have Found A Cure For Lyme Disease
Could a common sweetener that’s already in the kitchen cupboards in many American homes — stevia — prove to be an effective treatment for a disease as debilitating and persistent as Lyme disease? It’s too early to say that for sure, but research by Eva Sapi, a University of New Haven professor of cellular and molecular […]
Is Soda Bad For Your Brain? (And Is Diet Soda Worse?)
Americans love sugar. Together we consumed nearly 11 million metric tons of it in 2016, according to the US Department of Agriculture, much of it in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages like sports drinks and soda. Now, new research suggests that excess sugar—especially the fructose in sugary drinks—might damage your brain. Researchers using data from the Framingham Heart […]
13 Surprising and Powerful Benefits Of Aloe Vera
You’ve probably used aloe vera before. After spending one too many hours baking in the sun, you may have have slathered it on your skin, savoring the sweet cooling sensation. Aloe vera can be a sunbather’s best friend. But did you know that aloe vera has loads of other uses? From soothing mouth ulcers to […]
Yogurt Consumption In Older Irish Adults Linked With Better Bone Health
The largest observational study to date of dairy intakes and bone and frailty measurements in older adults has found that increased yogurt consumption was associated with a higher hip bone density and a significantly reduced risk of osteoporosis in older women and men on the island of Ireland, after taking into account traditional risk factors. […]
Hidden Tooth Infections May Predispose People To Heart Disease
According to a study carried out at the University of Helsinki, an infection of the root tip of a tooth increases the risk of coronary artery disease, even if the infection is symptomless. Hidden dental root tip infections are very common: as many as one in four Finns suffers from at least one. Such infections […]
Patients With Drug-Resistant Malaria Cured By Plant Therapy
When the standard malaria medications failed to help 18 critically ill patients, the attending physician in a Congo clinic acted under the “compassionate use” doctrine and prescribed a not-yet-approved malaria therapy made only from the dried leaves of the Artemisia annua plant. In just five days, all 18 people fully recovered. This small but stunningly […]