Life Changes
Healing Through Storytelling: Lessons from The Odyssey
The journey of Odysseus in Homer's 'The Odyssey' offers profound insights into healing...
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- Written by: Troy Rohn, Boise State University
You have forgotten where you put your car keys, or you can’t seem to remember the name of your colleague you saw in the grocery store the other day. You fear the worst, that maybe these are signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
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- Written by: Matthew Solovey, Penn State
Experts say there are two bedtime habits that may help babies get more sleep and avoid gaining weight too quickly: earlier bedtimes and self-soothing.
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- Written by: Rob Jordan, Stanford University
A new study backs up concerns about exposure to the chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA, from food cans and jar lids.
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- Written by: Lisa Lewtan
When thinking about our health, most of us will only consider our weight and fitness level, but our lives are made up of so much more. When you understand what is actually going on in your life, you may develop clues as to why you eat and live the way you do.
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- Written by: Dimitra Blana, Keele University and Andrew Jackson, Newcastle University
Something as simple as picking up a cup of tea requires an awful lot of action from your body. Your arm muscles fire to move your arm towards the cup. Your finger muscles fire to open your hand then bend your fingers around the handle.
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- Written by: Krishna Ramanujan-Cornell
Chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition where normal exertion leads to debilitating fatigue that isn’t alleviated by rest, has long mystified scientists. There are no known triggers, and diagnosis requires lengthy tests.
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- Written by: ristina Sauerwein, Washington University in St. Louis
Moms who eat high-fat, high-sugar diets may be putting future generations at risk for metabolic problems, even when their offspring eat healthy diets, a new study with mice suggests.
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- Written by: Allison Hydzik, University of Pittsburgh
Potent doses of broccoli sprout extract activate a “detoxification” gene and may help prevent cancer recurrence in survivors of head and neck cancer, according to new research that confirms preliminary results released last year.
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- Written by: Bert Gambin, University at Buffalo
Young adults who are in high-quality relationships are in better physical and mental health, a new study shows.
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- Written by: Jane Gardner, University of Melbourne
Regular exercise in middle age is the best lifestyle change a person can make to prevent cognitive decline in their later years, a 20-year study finds.
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- Written by: Sergio Diez Alvarez, University of Newcastle
A few years ago I proudly lost almost 15% of my weight. However last week I stared with disbelief at my scale as I realised all my efforts were in vain and I had regained all of the previously lost weight.
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- Written by: Ralph Nader
For thousands of years humans have defended themselves from harm by others. But many have proceeded to regularly harm themselves. They have actively searched for substances to ingest, inhale, inject and apply which may give them some immediate relief but damage or destroy their lives over time.
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- Written by: Shervin Assari, University of Michigan
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more women are affected by depression than men. This pattern is seen in countries around the world, including the United States.
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- Written by: Peter Bongiorno
In this modern age, we tend to run from the sun due to what I believe to be understandable but overblown concerns about skin cancer. Since the time of the Greeks, heliotherapy (sun therapy) has been a valuable way to heal the body and balance the mind.
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- Written by: David A. Edwards, Vanderbilt University
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid narcotic about 100 times as potent as morphine, continues to be in the news, as deaths from fentanyl overdose continue to rise and even more potent nonpharmaceutical forms become available on the street.
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- Written by: Bernard Stewart, UNSW Australia
The World Health Organisation’s cancer arm made two announcements this week: one welcome and one not so welcome.
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- Written by: Nora Caron
A few years ago, I gave conferences in Montreal regarding the healing properties of natural spring water. I was fascinated by the reports of people drinking natural spring water and stating that many of their illnesses vanished or greatly improved just by drinking such water.
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- Written by: Mike Williams, Rice University
Recent research has revealed a biological pathway connecting emotional stress to diabetes, highlighting how low attention control can lead to increased anxiety and inflammation. This study sheds light on the crucial role of psychological factors in metabolic health, suggesting potential interventions like mindfulness therapy to mitigate risks associated with diabetes.
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- Written by: Carol Maher, University of South Australia
With an estimated 100,000 health and fitness apps available on the two leading smartphone platforms, iOS and Android, it seems there is an app for everything – from tracking your bowel movements, to practising your pimple-popping technique.
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- Written by: James Carney, Lancaster University
It’s easy to explain the appeal of drugs like heroin and cocaine, which directly stimulate the brain’s reward centres. What’s less easy to explain is the appeal of psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin that produce altered states of consciousness.
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- Written by: Roger Pickup, Lancaster University
A golden era of antibiotics shifted the leading causes of death away from infection to cancer and cardiovascular disease. At the moment, we can still treat most infections as only a few are resistant to what is currently the last line of antibiotics – the colistins.
