Cyber Sex Linked to Depression

A new study found a link between cyber sex and depression. The question is do men search for cyber sex because they're depressed or does the search leave them feeling depressed?

Over a quarter of those who seek cyber sex online are depressed.

Researchers surveyed 1,325 American and Australian men, and found the average surfer of online sex and swing sites is well-educated, and spends over 12 hours a week searching for cyber-love.

But their hobby doesn't necessarily make them happy. "We found that 27 percent of (regular cyber sex visitors) were moderate to severely depressed on the standard depression scales," study co-author Marcus Squirrell explained. Read more

Heavy Water: The Elixir of Youth?

Is heavy water the elixir of youth that Ponce de Leon was searching for? New Scientist seems to think it may be.

In a back room of New Scientist's offices in London, I sit down at a table with the Russian biochemist Mikhail Shchepinov. In front of us are two teaspoons and a brown glass bottle. Shchepinov opens the bottle, pours out a teaspoon of clear liquid and drinks it down. He smiles. It's my turn.

I put a spoonful of the liquid in my mouth and swallow. It tastes slightly sweet, which is a surprise. I was expecting it to be exactly like water since that, in fact, is what it is - heavy water to be precise, chemical formula D₂O. The D stands for deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen with an atomic mass of 2 instead of 1. Deuterium is what puts the heavy in heavy water. An ice cube made out of it would sink in normal water.

My sip of heavy water is the culmination of a long journey trying to get to the bottom of a remarkable claim that Shchepinov first made around 18 months ago. He believes he has discovered an elixir of youth, a way to drink (or more likely eat) your way to a longer life. You may think that makes Shchepinov sound like a snake-oil salesman. I thought so too, but the more I found out about his idea, the more it began to make sense. Read more

Boost Brain Power : Eat Chocolate, Drink Wine and Tea can

Eating chocolate and drinking wine and tea can improve your memory, according to a new study.

Researchers discovered that wine has the most pronounced effect in boosting people's memory, followed by chocolate and tea.

And those who regularly consume all three in modest amounts were found to perform best when asked to carry out a series of brain tests. Read more

Antidepressants May Damage More Sex Lives Than ThoughtS

Antidepressants have long been known to have negative sexual side effects, but new research shows that they are far more common than previously thought and may continue after the patient goes off the drug.

Sexual "numbness." Lack of libido. Arousal that stalls.

Such sexual symptoms have long been known side effects of the popular Prozac class of antidepressants, but a growing body of research suggests that they are far more common than previously thought, perhaps affecting half or more of patients.

And a handful of recent medical and psychological journal articles document a small number of cases in which sexual problems remain even after a patient goes off the drugs. Read more

Nuts May Help Manage Metabolic Syndrome

Adding nuts to your diet may help manage metabolic syndrome, a set of metabolic abnormalities that includes abdominal obesity and high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood glucose levels, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The study used the Mediterranean diet, but adding nuts to diets that are otherwise helpful would likely have the same effect.

A traditional Mediterranean diet with an additional daily serving of mixed nuts appears to be useful for managing some metabolic abnormalities in older adults at high risk for heart disease, according to a report in the December 8/22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

The metabolic syndrome is a set of metabolic abnormalities that includes abdominal obesity and high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood glucose levels, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, according to background information in the article. Read more

Acupuncture Beats Aspirin for Chronic Headache

A review of studies involving nearly 4,000 patients shows that acupuncture beats aspirin for chronic headaches.

Acupuncture works better than drugs like aspirin to reduce the severity and frequency of chronic headaches, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

A review of studies involving nearly 4,000 patients with migraine, tension headache and other forms of chronic headache showed that that 62 percent of the acupuncture patients reported headache relief compared to 45 percent of people taking medications, the team at Duke University found. Read more

Norwegian Study: Breast Cancer Rates Soar after Mammograms

Here's another reminder that almost all medical procedures carry some risk: In four Norwegian countries, breast cancer rates increased significantly after women there began undergoing mammography every two years. The women who chose to pass up bi-annual mammograms had 22% less breast cancer.

A report just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine (Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[21]:2302-2303) reaches a startling conclusion. Breast cancer rates increased significantly in four Norwegian counties after women there began getting mammograms every two years. In fact, according to background information in the study, the start of screening mammography programs throughout Europe has been associated with increased incidence of breast cancer. Read more

5 Ways to Avoid Flus and Colds

Shine lists five steps you can can help protect yourself and your family from flus and colds.

... There are few steps that you can take to protect yourself and your family from what seems to be the inevitable flu. The guardian of the health of our body is the immune system. While intangible and challenging to identify, the immune system has very specific signs and symptoms.

For a moment, put aside the traditional considerations for assessing your child’s health. Instead, I’d like you to consider some new approaches and angles that will provide you with insight into the likelihood that your child will stay healthy or get sick this winter season. Read more