Medindia Health News

Dangerous Disorder Orthorexia Triggered by Perfect Diet Obsession
Deficiency of Magnesium
Study Says Flu Vaccine Linked to Narcolepsy in Under 30s
Radiation Therapy Increases Risk for Heart Disease in Breast Cancer Patients
Depression may Diminish Benefits of Healthy Behaviors: Study
Man Dies from Novel Disease
Aarskog-Scott syndrome
DRC Medical Programme Launched
Scientists Develop Functional Ovaries in Lab
Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory
France: Contraceptive Pills Kill 20
Red Equal Sign All Over Facebook, Twitter
New Strategy to Effectively Treat, Prevent Osteoarthritis Discovered
Protein-rich Breakfast Reduces Unhealthy Snacking
Link Between Low Doses of Vitamin D and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Identified
Former English Glamour Model Underwent 300 Cosmetic Surgeries to Look Like a Barbie Doll
Brain Development in Babies Hampered by Parental Fights at Home
Men Prefer Dark Haired Women for a Girlfriend or Wife
Sexually Abused or Neglected Adolescent Girls Face Higher Risk of Becoming Teenage Moms
Holi Festival Enables Abandoned Indian Widows to Break Taboos
Android Application Developed to Monitor Stress
Facebook Lifts Up Your Spirits, Says Study
Reducing Working Hours for Medical Interns Has Increased Medical Errors
Skin Allergies Might be Caused by Temporary Tattoos

Dangerous Disorder Orthorexia Triggered by Perfect Diet Obsession

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Physicians have identified a new disorder which they call Orthorexia where a person becomes obsessed with the 'perfect diet,' the cleanliness of food and eating on a highly regulated regime. Recent studies were unable to determine who can fall into the orthorexic trap, but it seems women are a high-risk group, Fox News reported. Orthorexics can be under pressure to stay fit and young while experiencing life stress on an intense, long-lasting level. ...

Deficiency of Magnesium

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Lack of magnesium in the human body affects the central nervous system, more so when it is combined with a lack of calcium as both the minerals work together. Drs. DH and DE Liebscher - in a paper published in American College of Nutrition suggest some simple investigations to be conducted to check magnesium levels and to increase the threshold of problems related to low blood magnesium. As a start - magnesium supplements and ...

Study Says Flu Vaccine Linked to Narcolepsy in Under 30s

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Swine flu vaccine is associated with an increased risk of sleeping disorder narcolepsy among under 30s, shows Swedish study. Risk of narcolepsy was three times higher among those under the age of 20 who were given the Pandemrix vaccine compared with those who were not inoculated, and twice as high in those aged 21 to 30 years, the Medical Products Agency said. The risk declined gradually with age and was non-existent by the age of 40. In ...

Radiation Therapy Increases Risk for Heart Disease in Breast Cancer Patients

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Radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer can cause heart disease in the long run. The risk of heart disease depends on the dose of radiation and the presence of pre-existing cardiac risk factors, according to a recent study. Radiotherapy is effective in reducing recurrences of breast cancer. However, the radiation has been associated with increased incidence of heart disease, which may also result in death in some cases. A study published in the ...

Depression may Diminish Benefits of Healthy Behaviors: Study

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Depression may inhibit the anti-inflammatory effects linked with fitness and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, suggests study conducted by researchers at Duke Medicine. The finding - based on measurements of the cardio-metabolic risk marker C-reactive protein (CRP) - points to another potential danger of depression. "Our findings suggest depression not only directly affects an individual's mental and physical health; it might also diminish ...

Man Dies from Novel Disease

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A 73-year-old man from UAE died in Germany from infection of a novel disease coronavirus, says the World Health Organization. WHO said in its latest disease outbreak update that the man was transferred from a hospital in Abu Dhabi to Munich March 19. Germany's Robert Koch Institute informed WHO of the new confirmed case. WHO also said that the British patient in the family cluster reported on Feb 11 with travel history to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia ...

Aarskog-Scott syndrome

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Aarskog syndrome is a genetic disorder that mainly affects males. It affects the development of many parts of the body.

DRC Medical Programme Launched

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In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Britain is to launch a 179 million five-year healthcare programme, announces Foreign Secretary William Hague. The 179 million ( (Dollar) 271 million, 211 million euros) fund will provide essential healthcare in an effort to bring peace, Hague said during a visit to the conflict-riven east of the country. "As we have travelled around the area, I have been struck not only by the human cost of these crimes but also ...

Scientists Develop Functional Ovaries in Lab

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Functional ovaries that showed sustained release of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone have been developed by scientists. The proof-of-concept study suggests the possibility of engineering artificial ovaries in the lab to provide a more natural option for hormone replacement therapy for women. "A bioartificial ovary has the potential to secrete hormones in a natural way based on the body's needs, rather than the patient taking a specific ...

Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory

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Mindfulness can reduce mind wandering, improves working memory and reading ability capacity, say researchers. "What surprised me the most was actually the clarity of the results," said Michael Mrazek, graduate student researcher in psychology and the lead and corresponding author of the study. "Even with a rigorous design and effective training program, it wouldn't be unusual to find mixed results. But we found reduced mind-wandering in every way ...

France: Contraceptive Pills Kill 20

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In France, the use of contraceptive pills cause 2,500 accidents and 20 deaths every year, say sources. This is the finding of the National Agency for the Safety of Drugs and Health Products (ANSM), reports Xinhua. ANSM's undated study estimated that the contraceptive pills are tied to blood clots, and 1,751 accidents as well as 14 of 20 deaths were caused by the third and fourth generation pills. The other six deaths were blamed on ...

Red Equal Sign All Over Facebook, Twitter

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Are you wondering what does the red equal-sign on Facebook and Twitter stand for - it is a symbol being spread by the Human Rights Campaign, an organization in support of gay marriage that is running a particularly successful social media initiative as the US Supreme Court discusses the issue over the next two days. In a Facebook, the HRC asked gay marriage supporters to "paint the town red," wearing red in their wardrobe as well on their Facebook pages. ...

New Strategy to Effectively Treat, Prevent Osteoarthritis Discovered

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Adding lubricin, a protein that our bodies naturally produce may reduce the risk of osteoarthritis, finds study published in iProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences/i. The discoveries were made in part by studying the knees of mice, which genetically lack lubricin, causing an aggressive arthritis in spite of high levels of hyaluronic acid in the synovial fluid. A lack of lubricin, resulting in higher friction, leads to cartilage cell death - even ...

Protein-rich Breakfast Reduces Unhealthy Snacking

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Breakfast rich in protein was found to improve appetite control and prevents unhealthy snacking on high-fat or high-sugar foods in the evening, say researchers. Leidy is the first to examine the impact of breakfast consumption on daily appetite and evening snacking in young people who habitually skip breakfast. In her study, 20 overweight or obese adolescent females ages 18-20 either skipped breakfast, consumed a high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs ...

Link Between Low Doses of Vitamin D and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Identified

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Experts have discovered an association between vitamin D insufficiency and health outcomes such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia in mothers-to-be and low birth weight in newborns. The findings of the study have been published on bmj.com. Vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with a number of adverse health outcomes and has been recognised as a public health concern. Plus, observational data has suggested a link between low vitamin D and increased ...

Former English Glamour Model Underwent 300 Cosmetic Surgeries to Look Like a Barbie Doll

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Her deepest desire to look like a Barbie doll led Alicia Douvall to undergo more than 300 cosmetic surgeries. She is said to be 'the most surgically enhanced woman', even beating American Cindy Jackson. Alicia Douvall, has now been diagnosed with body dysmorphia, which is a form of mental illness linked to extreme anxiety where the victim is dissatisfied about the way they look. She has coughed up more than (Dollar) 1.4million on breast enhancement procedures, ...

Brain Development in Babies Hampered by Parental Fights at Home

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A new study has pointed out that even as babies, arguments between parents can affect emotional development in childhood and can also change the way babies process the tone of voice. Babies can respond to an angry tome of voice even when they are asleep. Babies' brains are vulnerable to the experiences in childhood and research has pointed out that extreme stress can negatively impact the brain and hamper development of the child. "Even during sleep, ...

Men Prefer Dark Haired Women for a Girlfriend or Wife

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A recent study has pointed out that men do have their preferences regarding the color of the hair while making a decision to marry. A study of 1000 men showed that 54% of them preferred a brunette for a wife, 16% would choose a lady with light colored hair and 30% were not so sure what they preferred. The research showed that men prefer their future girl friend or wife to have dark hair, as they view them as more sensible than those with blonde hair. ...

Sexually Abused or Neglected Adolescent Girls Face Higher Risk of Becoming Teenage Moms

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Abused or neglected teenage girls become teenage mothers at nearly five times the national rate of teen motherhood, a new US study reveals. A new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study, published in the eFirst pages of the journal iPediatrics/i, shows that teen childbirth rates are more than 20 percent for abused and neglected teens. This compares to the national teen childbirth rate of approximately 4 percent. The finding holds true ...

Holi Festival Enables Abandoned Indian Widows to Break Taboos

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For the first time abandoned Indian widows have broken taboos and are taking part in Holi, the exuberant annual Hindu festival of colours, said a charity working to end the stigma surrounding the women. Banished by families after their husbands' deaths for supposedly bringing bad luck, desperately poor widows have for centuries travelled to the northern city of Vrindavan, where the Hindu god Krishna is said to have grown up, to pray and wait to die. But ...

Android Application Developed to Monitor Stress

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Researchers from Cambridge University have developed a smart phone application to detect the user's stress levels. The Android Remote Sensing App (AIRS) calculates the stress levels based on daily activities of the user. It monitors the location, weather conditions, noise levels, crowd nearby the user, calendar events, mails, calls and other communications. The application also monitors the emotional state by tracking the language used in communications. ...

Facebook Lifts Up Your Spirits, Says Study

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Here is good news for Facebook users. A recent study has revealed that using Facebook improves self -esteem and self-confidence, contradicting the negative beliefs of its use. Jeff Hancock, professor of communication and computer and information science at Cornell University analyzed the influence of Facebook on 88 undergraduate participants. In the first experiment, students were asked to give a small speech and then were asked to spend some time on ...

Reducing Working Hours for Medical Interns Has Increased Medical Errors

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The Accreditation Council for Graduate and Medical Education had attempted to improve the work efficiency of medical interns by reducing their work shift hours to 16 hours. This initiative seems to be a wrong move as two trials have reported negative effects of decreased shift hours. The studies published in the JAMA Internal Medicine clearly shows that changed work schedule did not significantly improve the sleep hours. Moreover, serious medical errors made by ...

Skin Allergies Might be Caused by Temporary Tattoos

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Temporary tattoos may cause long term side effects, warns FDA. Getting temporary tattoos allows one to enjoy the fun for few weeks and the dyes are placed only the surface of the skin. Temporary tattoos are made from henna, a reddish-brown pigment extracted from the flowering plant, Lawsonia inermis, which grows in parts of Africa and Asia. This dye has been used for centuries in cosmetics and in coloring the hair. In recent times, this original henna ...