Artificial Sweeteners Could Make You Gain Weight

It is found that artificial sweeteners could make a person gain weight. The sweeteners confuse the body and the body is already programmed to associate sweet tastes with calories consumed. When we break that connection by eating or drinking something with little or no calories, our bodies become confused and want more food. Also, sugar substitutes don’t increase metabolism so fewer calories are burned. A larger appetite combined with a slower metabolism can cause a lot of weight gain.

New Study Says Antidepressants Don’t Work

A new study says that antidepressants are as effective as placebos when it comes to relieving a person’s depression. This was found by British researchers that went through data from 47 published and unpublished clinical trials of drugs, such as Prozac and Paxil. They found that drug companies were being selective in reporting the results of their studies and the drugs only showed significant mood improvements in the most severely depressed people. For most people, antidepressants are no more effective than taking a sugar pill.

It is suggested that antidepressants work because people expect them to and not because they change the chemistry of the brain. Studies have found that talk therapy and regular exercise are just as effective as the drugs in relieving mild depression.

Cell Phones Could Cause Infertility

It is found in a recent study that men who keep their mobile phones in their front pants pockets could be negatively affecting their fertility. The heat or electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phones could possibly be the cause. The men that are most likely to experience infertility are the ones who use Bluetooth or headsets to talk with their phones in their pocket.

Teenagers and Plastic Surgery

The rise continues with teenagers and preteens having plastic surgery to fix what they think are flaws. The United States has the highest number of plastic surgery patients per year with Brazil and Spain following next. At least 10 percent of the patients are minors under the age of 18.

Most surgeons refuse to operate on minors, even with the parent’s consent, but there are some surgeons that wouldn’t have a problem with it. Some parents even encourage plastic surgery on their children and give nose jobs or collagen injections as gifts.

New Vaccine for Cocaine Addicts

Scientists are currently working on a vaccine that could prevent cocaine addicts from getting a high from the drug. The vaccine contains inactivated cocaine molecules that are attached to pieces of the inactivated cholera virus. When the vaccine is injected into the body, it trains the body’s immune system to see the drug as an invader. If the vaccinated cocaine addict takes cocaine, antibodies surround and attack themselves to the cocaine molecules and prevent them from reaching the brain to create that sense of feeling high. For people that want to stop using cocaine and kick the habit, the vaccine could be very useful.

Study Says Unpopular Girls Tend to Gain More Weight

It is found that unpopular girls and girls that are low on the social ladder are more likely to gain weight during their adolescent years. Harvard University researchers did a study on 4,500 junior high and high school girls and found that the girls who felt like they weren’t well liked gained more weight than the more popular girls. The unpopular girls were 70 percent more likely to gain more than 11 excess pounds over a two year period.

Vegas Clinic Sickens Thousands of Hospitals

Almost 40,000 people learned this week that a visit to their local doctor may have made them sick. A Las Vegas clinic has been found to reuse syringes and vials of medication for almost four years. This situation may have led to the outbreak of hepatitis C and exposure to HIV. This discovery has led to the biggest public notification operation in U.S. history. It has caused demands for investigation and has caused lawyers to seek out patients at risk for infections. The surgical center and five affiliated clinics have had to be closed.

Thousands of patients are being advised to be tested for viruses. Six acute cases of hepatitis C have been confirmed

Sleeping is Essential to Learning

Research has shown that teenagers have internal body clocks and hormones that make it hard for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. and hard for them to wake up before 8 a.m. Most high schools start classes around 7:30a.m., so students have to wake up very early. A National Sleep Foundation survey found that up to 28 percent of high school students fall asleep during their first class. A few high schools have recognized this issue and moved their starting times to around 8:30 a.m. When they did this, test scores and attendance increased.

Celiac Disease Sweeping Across Italy

Celiac disease is currently on the rise in Italy. People who have the disease can’t digest gluten and the disease causes health problems, such as gastrointestinal distress and malnutrition. The disease is manageable if wheat or any other grain that includes glutens is avoided.

A big problem is that pastas, pizza, and bread are very popular in Italian diets and these products contain gluten. If it is not possible to cut out these kinds of foods, then a person with the disease has to eat as little of it as possible.

The Healing Powers of Magnets

A recent study has found that magnets have the ability to increase blood flow and reduce inflammation. Researchers at the University of Virginia used powerful magnets on the paws of injured rats and measured the blood flow to the area. They found that the magnetic field caused by the magnets opened tiny blood vessels and increased the oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissues. Swelling was also reduced by 50 percent.

If the same results are found in humans, then doctors have the possibility of using magnets as another option for treating conditions, such as sprains and bruises.

Pills that Kills Addiction

There is an amino acid supplement called N-acetyl cysteine that works by easing compulsive gambling and might cure other addictive behaviors. The pill works by normalizing the levels of glutamate, which is a chemical that could be out of balance in specific areas of an addict’s brain. Sixteen out of 27 gamblers say that they had very few urges after taking doses of NAC for 8 week at the University Of Minnesota School Of Medicine. Almost everybody that continued to take the compound stopped gambling and most people that stopped taking it went back to their gambling habit.

How to Get Over the Weight Loss Plateau

After a while of exercising and dieting the body often hits a plateau where it seems like the pounds have stopped dropping. A plateau happens when your body wants to hang on to your current weight for fear of future starvation. It is possible to get over the plateau by increasing the intensity of your workout. More intense workouts signal your body to release extra fat stores for energy.

It is good to try a new exercise or activity so that you work new muscles that you haven’t worked yet. It is also a good idea to check your calorie intake to make sure that you are not eating too many calories. With these couple of simple tricks it is possible to get over the plateau more quickly and easily.

Fruit Peels Help Prevent Cancer

When you peel a fruit it is best not to throw out the peel. It is found that a compound in lemon, orange, and grapefruit peels can help decrease the risk of cancer. Scientists have found a compound in tangerine peels called salvestrol Q40 that kills an enzyme that supports the growth of cancer cells.

Smaller Fruits Better Than Bigger Fruits

It is found that smaller fruits are more nutritious than bigger fruits. As fruits grow larger, their amount of vitamins, minerals, and other compounds decrease. The amount of taste and aroma decreases too. The loss happens in both organic and non-organically grown fruits.

The Good and Bad of Fish

Eating fish can be both good and bad for you. Fish contains omega-3, which is good for your health but it also contains mercury. Mercury in the bloodstream can increase the risk of heart disease and impair memory. It is advised to only eat up to 12 ounces per week of fish and other foods that have mercury in them.

Natural Remedies for Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry Eye Syndrome is one of the most common reasons that people to go an ophthalmologist. The condition causes stinging red eyes, blurred vision, and sensitivity to light. There are natural treatments available that can give long-term help.

A person can help symptoms of dry eye syndrome by eating more Omega-3s. Omega-3s are fatty acids that would reduce inflammation. It is advised to eat about 2,350 mg of this weekly.

Make sure you get enough sleep. During sleep a thin layer of mucous, oil, and water coats the eye and provides moisture and protection. Getting enough sleep gives the eye enough time to replenish the film.

An ophthalmologist can insert punctual plugs. The plugs are sesame seed-sized and are placed into the tear drainage ducts to keep tears from escaping and retain moisture.

New Options For Diabetic Patients

Two different companies named Bentley and Nastech are testing nasal insulin sprays for people who have diabetes. It is found that insulin is absorbed quicker and more efficiently when it is inhaled than when it is injected. There are also chemists that are developing a breath test to monitor sugar levels for diabetics.

Hot Chile Peppers Used as Pain Killers

A new study finds that capsaicin, which is a compound found in red Chile peppers that makes them taste hot, is an effective pain reliever. It is found that capsaicin neutralizes a pain neurotransmitter in nerve fibers.

Cutting Carbs Helps Eye Sight

It is found that a person could prevent their eye sight from getting worse as they get older by cutting out refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice, and other food with a high glycemic index. It is best to also cut back on soda and sugary foods and eat more whole wheat versions of pasta, bread, and rice

Hypnosis Used for Post-Surgery Pain

It is found that 15 minutes of hypnotherapy can reduce the amount of anesthesia that is needed during surgery and also reduces the amount of pain, nausea, and fatigue that comes after the surgery. Doctors at New York City’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine gave 200 women preoperative hypnosis and found that they were out of surgery 11 minutes earlier than average.