Yoga May Help the Side Effects of Cancer Treatment
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 dysfu
Should you treat your aching back with a crack?
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 analys
Vitamins and the Failure of Free-Market Health
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 vi
Don't drink eight glasses of water a day - do this instead.
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>>
Today's Kids Spend Too Much Time Staring At Screens
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>>
Double leg amputee ‘making strides’ with St. Michael’s Health Centre rehabilitation program
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>>
It's Happening: Scientists Can Now Reverse DNA Ageing in Mice
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>>
All About Wellness: 5 Steps That Will Make Your Company More Productive
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 e
Exercise speeds seniors' recovery from disability
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>>
A zap to the right spot might ‘reset’ your brain
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>>