Researchers have put yoga to the scientific test for years, and the results so far have been impressive. The practice has been shown to lower risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and hypertension. But yoga can also help those who are already ill feel better. A new study suggests that doing yoga twice a week may improve quality of life for men being treated for prostate cancer and may help reduce the side effects of radiation, which include fatigue, sexual dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Read here>>
Spinal manipulation might make a small difference in your lower-back pain, but it's unlikely to have you doing backflips right away, according to an analysis published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research, which pooled 26 prior studies, found that spinal manipulation was linked to "modest improvements" in pain and function among people with short-term lower-back pain. Their pain improved an average of one point on a 10-point scale. The analysis did not include people with chronic low back pain, which lasts much longer. A 2011 Cochrane review failed to find good evidence that spinal manipulation was any better or worse than other treatments for chronic low ba
Well-read people could come to reason that a product with even a 1-percent chance of doing anything to help is worth a shot. The health marketplace does not invite rational behavior, even when information is perfect. While pills like Synagen IQ appear to be marketed at the darkest end of the disinformation spectrum, the category of products sold as “dietary supplements” is vast and corybantic. It also includes compounds for which valid cases exist, like prenatal folate and vitamin D pills. Read the full article here>>
We can't, much as some would like to, live off water and sunshine although we do need both to survive. But how much exactly? A new study has found that our bodies have inbuilt functions that carefully calibrate the amount of water we need and that 'rules' are often wrong. There's the rule of three, which is a pretty good guide; we can generally survive for three minutes without oxygen, three days without water and three weeks without food. Read More>>
I've noticed a new, next-level toddler tanty: that moment when a little one has whatever digital device they've been given to keep them occupied, taken away. It's never pretty, and a moment that always gives me a special kind of chill, because I can see what some experts say will almost always be the pain that lies ahead when kids become addicted to screens early. Read more>>
Paul Pisko is a double amputee. He has been in and out of rehabilitation programs for years after he said he was hit by a drunk driver several years ago. The pain was too much to tolerate and in 2012 he chose to have his right leg removed. This past June his other leg was also amputated. The Post Acute Rehabilitation Program (PARP) is marking ten years of being housed at the St. Michael’s Health Centre. Read more on Paul's story here>>
Researchers have identified a cellular mechanism that allows them to reverse ageing in mouse DNA and protect it from future damage. They've shown that by giving a particular compound to older mice, they can activate the DNA repair process and not only protect against future damage, but repair the existing effects of ageing. And they're ready to start testing in humans within six months. Read more here>>
For entrepreneurs, employees are absolutely critical, and besides the importance for them personally of staying healthy, it’s also the best thing for the business. Studies have shown that healthy workers lead to a stronger workforce. A Centers for Disease Control study even found that the average obese man misses 66 percent more workdays a year than a healthy man. Yet, wellness programs are tough to get right. Some wellness programs lead to resentment, while others alienate employees when the results are tied to health insurance benefits and costs. Read more>>
Elderly adults who regularly exercise are less likely to suffer a disability -- and if they do, they tend to recover faster, a new clinical trial finds. Researchers found that when they got sedentary older adults into an exercise routine, it curbed their risk of suffering a disabling injury or illness. And those who did develop a physical disability were one-third more likely to recover from it, compared to seniors who remained sedentary. Read here>>
Doctors use brain stimulation to treat epilepsy, depression, pain, and other conditions, but it’s not exactly clear how it works or even which areas to target. New research suggests stimulating a single region of the brain can activate other regions and even alter global brain dynamics. The study found that some regions have the ability to steer the brain into a variety of states very easily when stimulated, while other regions have less of an effect Read details>>
Smoothies are all the rage. They've quickly become a full-blown, worldwide health trend. Billed as the healthy solution for your crazy, on-the-go, fast food lifestyle (while keeping your crazy, on-the-go, fast food lifestyle), green smoothies are seemingly everywhere. Health claims floating around mainstream smoothies are not only misleading, but they can also be dangerous. Often consisting of 70 per cent sugar, and made with low-quality, high sugar fruits and fruit juices, these smoothies can contain upwards of 60 grams of sugar. Fortunately, not all smoothies are unhealthy or dangerous -- in fact, green smoothies, when made with the correct vegetable to fruit ratio, along with healthy fats
Whether you are an All-American or a pickup game ringer, anyone can suffer an injury. Here are the ailments you need to know about>>
If you’ve always been a normal weight without having to try too hard, you may consider yourself lucky. But the mirror and the scale only tell part of the story: You can look great in a bikini or have a body-mass index (BMI) in the normal range, but if you don’t take care of yourself, you could be just as unhealthy as an obese person. This phenomena—sometimes known as skinny-fat, or “normal-weight obesity” - Read details here>>