Hypnosis may help improve type of hair loss
People with a patchy form of hair loss called alopecia areata might be helped with hypnosis, a preliminary study suggests.
“Hypnotherapy may enhance the mental well-being of patients with alopecia areata and it may improve clinical outcome,” Dr. Ria Willemsen, of Free University in Brussels, and colleagues write in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease characterized by sudden, recurrent hair loss in round spots from the scalp or any part of the body that has hair. Psychological factors, such as stressful events and psychotrauma have also been reported to play a role in the onset of the condition, but few studies have looked at the efficacy of psychological treatments.
Waterborne infectious diseases could soon be consigned to history
Waterborne infectious diseases, which bring death and illness to millions of people around the world, could largely be consigned to history by 2015 if global health partnerships integrate their programmes, according to Alan Fenwick writing in Science.
Professor Fenwick, from Imperial College London, argues that up to seven neglected tropical diseases including river blindness could be brought under control, with infection by some eliminated entirely, if existing programmes increase their coverage.
In Africa some 500 million people need treatment to control diseases such as disfiguring elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis), river blindness (onchocerciasis), schistosomiasis, intestinal worms and the blinding eye infection trachoma.
Taller people are smarter: study
While researchers have long shown that tall people earn more than their shorter counterparts, it’s not only social discrimination that accounts for this inequality—tall people are just smarter than their height-challenged peers, a new study finds.
“As early as age three—before schooling has had a chance to play a role—and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests,” wrote Anne Case and Christina Paxson of Princeton University in a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
The findings were based primarily on two British studies that followed children born in 1958 and 1970, respectively, through adulthood and a U.S. study on height and occupational choice.
England facing obesity crisis
Nearly a third of men in England will be obese by 2010 if no measures are taken to tackle the problem, a government report warned on Friday.
A quarter of adults are already obese with the level nearly doubling among men since 1993 as the consumption of “energy dense” junk food rises and levels of physical activity fall.
Among children, the report added, the number of obese girls will overtake boys over the next four years if current trends continue.
Nutritional Needs Differ Between the Sexes
When it comes to optimal nutrition, men and women have different considerations. The distinctions are subtle, but they may affect a man’s health, reports the September issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. Here are some of the differences:
Fat. Monounsaturated fats are healthful for both men and women; olive oil is a good source. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are also good for both sexes. But a vegetable-based omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in canola and flaxseed oils, may be a problem for men. ALA is good for the heart, but some studies suggest it may increase the risk of prostate cancer. For men with heart risks, ALA may be a good choice - but men with more reason to worry about prostate cancer should get their omega-3s from fish and their vegetable fats from olive oil.
Gut Tissue is Major Reservoir Harboring AIDS
FINDINGS: UCLA researchers have found the human gut to be a major reservoir harboring the HIV virus - holding almost twice as much as a person’s blood. In addition, the virus stored in the gut does not decay or reduce over time, as is also the case with blood-related reservoirs. It is well-known that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and lymph nodes are principal reservoirs harboring the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The role of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) in this setting, however, had not been properly evaluated until now. Researchers from the Center for Prevention Research and the UCLA AIDS Institute at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, in collaboration with the AIDS Research Alliance in West Hollywood, Calif., collaborated on this research.
