Back in 2006, The New York Times reported a study showing that monkeys who ate one third less calories than normal could extend their lifespan. The result of this study was recently reinforced by a newer study. “For age-related deaths caused by illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer,…
Boston University School of Medicine researchers (BUSM) have observed in a study of pregnant women that consumption of at least seven servings per day of fruits and vegetables moderately reduced the risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). The BUSM study appears online in the journal Public…
I remember as a young child hearing the word “middle age” and thinking OLD. Gray hair, false teeth, coke-bottle eyeglasses, canes…you name it. And now that I’m at “that age” I see things quite differently. It is certainly not what I expected… and I’m relieved. Read more… And now…
In class last week, Sherry (not her real name) shared how she was torn at a family function about whether to eat a piece of cake. She tried telling herself, “I’m allowed to have this cake if I want it.” “Who’s giving you the permission?” I asked. She thought…
Research carried out by Imperial College London has found that when a mother feels stressed during pregnancy it can increase the baby’s heart rate. Also, although normally the placenta protects the baby from stress and anxiety, if the mother is very stressed the placenta’s protection is not as effective…
Analysis of the longest running ICSI programme in the United States has found reassuring evidence that babies born from frozen embryos fertilised via ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) do just as well as those born from frozen embryos fertilised via standard IVF treatment. The researchers also compared babies born as…
A history of miscarriage and abortions increases a woman’s chances of giving birth too early, research has shown. The same study revealed that premature delivery was also more likely after any complication early in the pregnancy, or in previous pregnancies. Researchers believe the findings will help doctors identify women…
Product review: Globe Trotter luggage The photo you see above is of my beloved Globe Trotter Cetenary roll aboard. I took it with me on this last trip to Hong Kong and London, much to the chagrin of MD, who hates this piece of luggage with a passion. MD…
I am happy to be able to announce to my readers that the National Institutes of Health are finally paying attention to vitamin D!.
Both black and white women with symptoms of depressive mood prior to becoming pregnant have increased risk for preterm birth; but black women have twice the risk as white women, researchers report in the Journal of Women’s Health. “The black-white disparity in preterm birth may be in part a…