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: John Toon, Georgia Tech
Getting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week may be challenging for some older adults, but researchers say that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t work at it.
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- Written by: Becky Chambers
WBV (whole body vibration) is famous for promoting bone growth. Extensive research over the last forty years has shown that WBV safely promotes and increases bone density, more so than conventional exercise, which has long been understood to be important for healthy bone development.
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- Written by: Kathryn Lagrue, Imperial College London
The extent to which our personalities determine aspects of our lives and health has increasingly been the subject of research over the last few years. There was the suggestion, for example, that being a morning person or a night owl might reveal a lot about our personality...
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- Written by: Zaneta Thayer, University of Colorado Denver
Think about the last time you left the house. Did strangers on the street acknowledge your presence with a smile or avert their glance? Chances are that the answer depended on your age, gender and, of course, your race.
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- Written by: Gerry Everding, Washington University
A new study shows that your personality in your 20s can predict your lifespan. In addition, your close friends can probably recognize the relevant personality traits better than you can.
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- Written by: Penn State
Giving employees more control over their work schedules may help curb sleep deficiency, according to health researchers.
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- Written by: Nathan Hurst, Univ. of Missouri
Separation from iPhones can cause users serious psychological and physiological effects, including poor performance on cognitive tests, according to new research.
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- Written by: Shilo Rea, Carnegie Mellon University
In an effort to understand autism spectrum disorder (ASD), researchers have zeroed in on synchronization between different parts of the brain. Some of the findings have suggested a lack of synchronization (connectivity), while other studies have found the exact opposite: over synchronization.
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- Written by: Ekaterina Pesheva, Johns Hopkins University
Income, race, and ethnic origin have far more impact on a child’s risk for asthma than whether or not they live in an urban neighborhood, research shows.
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- Written by: Terry Davidson and Camille Sample, American University
Do you eat only when you’re actually hungry? Many of us eat even when our bodies don’t need food. Just the thought of food entices us to eat. We think about food when we see other people eating, when we pass a favorite fast-food restaurant, when we see a scrumptious snack near the check-out at a convenience store.
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- Written by: Jackson Fyfe, Victoria University and Jon Bartlett, Victoria University
Carbohydrate-rich diets are often recommended as part of exercise regimes to promote recovery and maximise performance. But recent research suggesting such foods may not help exercise recovery and their potential link with metabolic diseases are raising questions about whether this advice is still appropriate.
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- Written by: Michael Kennedy, University of Toronto
How quickly your body breaks down nicotine may determine if a pill or a patch will be the most effective way to quit smoking. “In this new trial, we’ve shown that it is possible to optimize quit rates for smokers, while minimizing side effects, by selecting treatment based on whether people break down nicotine slowly or normally
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- Written by: Ellen Davis, Texas A&M University
Broccoli is frequently touted as a food that can help prevent cancer, but a compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables also may treat it.
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- Written by: Victoria Indivero, Penn State
A diet containing a moderate amount of fat and one avocado may help lower “bad” cholesterol. This, in turn, could reduce the risk of heart disease, say researchers.
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- Written by: Vincent Ho, University of Western Sydney
We’ve all experienced the abdominal cramps and the urge to get to a toilet – quickly! When the stomach and intestinal tract become inflamed, our bodies respond with the sudden onset of diarrhoea, associated nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramping and pain.
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- Written by: Benjamin Burke, University of Hull
Scorpion venom has been gaining interest as a source of new drugs. It contains a mixture of biological chemicals called peptides, some of which are known to trigger cell death by forming pores in biological membranes. Cell death can be useful if we are able to target, say, tumour cells to auto-destruct.
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- Written by: Doug Marsh
Experts have been studying the eye from many different angles for over a couple of centuries, yet the researchers seem no closer to understanding how vision really works than when the quest first started. At least nineteen theories have been postulated about the cause of myopia. Opinions also vary widely on how to treat myopia...
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- Written by: Gloria Gilbere
Enzymes are essential for proper functioning of our body. They are found in all living plant and animal matter. Their primary job is to maintain balanced body functions, digest food, and aid in the repair of tissue. What types of enzymes do you need? Choosing the...
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- Written by: Harrison Wein, Ph. D.
Researchers gained new insight into how an immune cell involved in several autoimmune disorders is regulated. Among their discoveries was a potential link with salt consumption....
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- Written by: Mary Pat Palmer
Obesity and weight loss has become an obsession, such as with anorexia, bulimia, constant dieting and bingeing, when the issue of weight is clearly out of perspective. While weight control is a feminist issue, it is also a health issue. Obesity can endanger the internal organs through ...
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- Written by: Xu Xiangcai
Qigong, as an art of healing and health preservation, is thought to have originated as early as four thousand years ago in the Tang Yao times as a form of dancing. Qigong, through mind, breathing, and posture regulation, aids in the prevention and treatment of diseases and preserves and lengthens life. Qigong cultivates intrinsic energy (genuine Qi) which is found naturally within all people.
