Life often confronts us with situations that demand a quick, clear decision. Many of these decisions can be irrational, influenced by information that has nothing to do with the decision itself, even though we are of course capable of making logical decisions of our own free will. Modern science compares the brain to a "hybrid […]
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The harm of smoking doesn't stop at the smoker. It is well known that smokers harm the people around them with their smoke, known as second-hand smoke. But a new study shows the danger doesn't go away completely if the smoker goes outside for a cigarette or a hookah (shisha). The danger lasts after the […]
Read moreSelected thoughts from an interview with Dr Nathaniel Branden, author of The Psychology of Romantic Love. We live in an age in which feelings are fading frighteningly, and most people lack honesty and passion. This shows clearly in their relationships with their partners, and so they deprive themselves and their partners of real, passionate love. […]
Read moreRecent studies show that stress doesn't only cause weight gain: it also affects what kind of food you crave and where fat is stored in the body. It isn't just calories, the type of food and the energy we use that drive weight gain: our state of mind also plays an important role. Psychological stress […]
Read moreThe new US president has started laying the foundations for solving a growing problem in his country: the health care system. He began by reaching out to interest groups and putting the idea to the public, using the same internet techniques as in his election campaign, with a website to collect public suggestions. As a […]
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Picture someone playing on a games console, sweating and tense, pressing the buttons angrily and ignoring everything around them. It's a common scene among gamers, and this long tension causes pain the player doesn't notice until the game is over: sores, inflammation and painful swelling. Nintendo's Wii can cause severe shoulder joint pain, so common […]
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A new study from the University of South Carolina confirms that physical activity can lower the risk of breast cancer. The study looked at 14,000 women aged 20 to 80 and their exercise habits between 1970 and 2001. It found that women who exercised regularly were three times less likely to die of breast cancer […]
Read moreThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that the psoriasis drug Raptiva (efalizumab) can cause a severe, possibly fatal brain infection. The agency has confirmed three cases, and a possible fourth, of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in patients treated with Raptiva. Three of these patients have died. All four had taken the drug […]
Read moreIn New York, a six-week yoga course is being held especially for women with breast and ovarian cancer, to help them think positively and feel at ease with their bodies. Each session lasts an hour and a quarter, twice a week, in the evening (5:30 to 6:45 pm) so working women can attend, and the […]
Read moreThat is one of the main lessons of a new study of people with peripheral artery disease, who find movement and even light exercise difficult and painful. The study found that not exercising makes the condition worse. In peripheral artery disease, blocked arteries stop enough blood reaching the leg muscles, which causes pain when walking. […]
Read moreStudies show that women who are regularly around smokers have more difficulty getting pregnant than those who aren't. The researchers say the findings give women another reason to fight smoking. Studies have shown that women who smoke have more pregnancy complications and their babies more health problems, but there has been less research on passive […]
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Spanish researchers have found anti-cancer chemicals in extra-virgin olive oil that may help explain the link between lower rates of breast cancer and diets rich in olive oil around the Mediterranean. Extra-virgin olive oil, made by pressing olives without heat or chemical treatment, contains substances not found in refined olive oil. The researchers separated the […]
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