People around the world have been using water therapy, or hydrotherapy, for centuries. The temperature of the water they use may have different benefits for health. Most studies into the health benefits of cold and hot water have used water immersion therapy. During water immersion therapy, a person immerses their body, or a part of...
Year: <span>2020</span>
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Be wary of online probiotic health-benefit claims
Most websites that provide information on probiotics are unreliable and claims of benefits against disease are often based on mice experiments The public should be wary of searching for probiotic information online as most webpages originate from unreliable sources and the health-benefit claims are often not supported by robust scientific evidence. A new study, published...
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Beauty sleep could be real, say body clock biologists
by University of Manchester Biologists from The University of Manchester have explained for the first time why having a good night’s sleep really could prepare us for the rigors of the day ahead. The study in mice, published in Nature Cell Biology, shows how the body clock mechanism boosts our ability to maintain our bodies...
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Impaired driving—even once the high wears off
by McLean Hospital A study by McLean Hospital’s Mary Kathryn Dahlgren, Ph.D., Staci Gruber, Ph.D., and their team from McLean’s Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core and the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program, has found that recreational cannabis use affects driving ability even when users are not intoxicated by marijuana. Published in the Drug...
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Tips to prevent acne caused by workouts
Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor) Those hitting the gym on account of their New Year’s resolutions are likely reaping the benefits, including improved overall health and mood. However, gymgoers may also find that their skin is breaking out more than usual, putting a damper on that post-workout glow. According to dermatologists from the American...
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What to know about white blood cells
White blood cells circulate around the blood and help the immune system fight off infections. Stem cells in the bone marrow are responsible for producing white blood cells. The bone marrow then stores an estimated 80–90% of white blood cells. When an infection or inflammatory condition occurs, the body releases white blood cells to help...
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What to do if bleach gets on the skin
Bleach is a common household product that many people use for cleaning and disinfecting. It can kill most types of viruses, bacteria, molds, mildew, and algae. Bleach also whitens or lightens the color of certain materials. Household bleach tends to contain 3–8% sodium hypochlorite. It is not usually toxic to the skin itself, but it...
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What is the autonomic nervous system?
The autonomic nervous system is a complex network of cells that controls the body’s internal state. It regulates and supports many different internal processes, often outside of a person’s conscious awareness. This article will explain the autonomic nervous system, or ANS, how it works, and the disorders that can affect its functioning. Anatomy The ANS...
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The healing process of a tongue piercing
A tongue piercing creates a wound in one of the most bacteria-filled parts of the body: the mouth. It is difficult to keep a tongue piercing clean, which further increases the risk of infection, especially during the healing process. There have been few studies into how common tongue piercing infections are, but the warm, moist...
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Why you need more vitamin D in the winter
by Margherita T. Cantorna, The Conversation Winter is upon us and so is the risk of vitamin D deficiency and infections. Vitamin D, which is made in our skin following sunlight exposure and also found in oily fish (mackerel, tuna and sardines), mushrooms and fortified dairy and nondairy substitutes, is essential for good health. Humans need...