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Thursday, February 7, 2013
Pregnancy advice 'scaremongering'
3 January 2013 Last updated at 05:00 GMT 
Pregnancy is a huge, life-changing period in a woman's life and there is no shortage of advice about what is best for your unborn child. But in this week's Scrubbing Up, Linda Geddes, the author of Bumpology, argues this can sometimes be misleading and scaremongering.
Pregnancy is a huge, life-changing period in a woman's life and there is no shortage of advice about what is best for your unborn child. But in this week's Scrubbing Up, Linda Geddes, the author of Bumpology, argues this can sometimes be misleading and scaremongering.Expectant parents are bombarded with advice about what they should and shouldn't be doing.
Pregnant women mustn't eat too much as it may raise the baby's risk of obesity or diabetes, but they mustn't diet as that could have a similar effect.
Neither should they exercise for fear of triggering a miscarriage, or get too stressed out because that's bad for the baby too. And if they do get stressed, they can't drink alcohol or go for a spa treatment to relax.
You might start to think that staying at home would be the sensible thing to do, only this too is ridden with potential dangers for your unborn child: from ice-cream, to pet shampoo, to hair dye. Even lying down or your back can allegedly cut off your baby's blood supply.
When I fell pregnant three years ago, I felt paralysed and somewhat patronised by all the conflicting advice out there.
I was also obsessed with the little life that was growing inside me, and desperate for more information about what it was doing in there.
Could it taste the curry I was eating; hear the songs I was singing; or sense when I took a swim in the freezing outdoor swimming pool near my home?
So I began a quest to investigate the truth behind the old wives' tales, alarming newspaper headlines and government guidelines, and to probe deeper into the inner world of the developing child. So Bumpology was born.
Booze and breastfeedingSome of what I discovered while researching the book amused and amazed me: I learned that parents who already have a couple of boys are statistically more likely to go on having boys, though no-one really understands why; that the shape of a woman's bump provides no clues as to the gender of the baby within, but that women with severe morning sickness are slightly more likely to be carrying a girl; and that contrary to the received wisdom, babies actually can focus on objects further than 30cm away (even if they often under- or overshoot).
I also learned that much of the research underpinning medical advice on things like alcohol consumption - and even the health benefits of breastfeeding - is far from clear-cut and often aimed at the general population, rather than taking the individual into consideration.
In the case of alcohol, there's clear evidence that heavy drinking is harmful -- and even a daily glass of wine may increase the odds of a baby being born underweight, which carries additional risks to its health.
However, below this level, there is a massive grey zone where scientists simply don't yet have an answer to whether or not alcohol causes harm.
When it comes to breastfeeding, it's quite true that breast milk is best for babies, or at least better than formula milk in terms of protecting them against infections in the short term.
But when it comes to the much-touted long-term benefits of breastfeeding, such as protection against obesity, diabetes or allergy, the research is less convincing.
Certainly women who can't breastfeed for whatever reason, and who live in countries with a decent standard of health care, shouldn't waste too much time worrying that they are causing long-term damage to their baby's health.
'Overblown'However, what alarmed me the most was the realisation that much of what women are told about the risks of medical interventions during labour - things like induction, epidural anaesthesia and undergoing a c-section - are overblown.
At the same time, statistics about the odds of needing medical assistance or on complications like tearing during a vaginal birth are frequently not talked about.
I believe that access to this kind of information could have a big influence on women's expectations of labour and on some of the decisions they make when planning for the birth of their child.
I also think it could help women to come to terms with things if labour doesn't go according to plan and they need additional help getting their baby out.
Having a baby can be one of the greatest joys that life bestows. However, it is also hard work and new parents can do without the unnecessary guilt, anxiety and doubt that misleading pregnancy advice brings.
It is also a time of great wonder and through my research I have learned things about my own children that will never cease to amaze me. I believe it's time to push aside the scaremongering and allow parents the freedom to enjoy this precious period of their lives.
VIDEO: Doctors to repair Malala's skull
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Damage To The Hippocampus Following Binge Drinking Indicated By A Brain Protein Called Vimentin
Chronische trinken ist bekannt, dass nachteilige Gesundheitseffekte wie Herz- und Leber-Probleme, kognitive Beeinträchtigungen und Hirnschäden haben. Alkoholexzesse erhöhen das Risiko der Entwicklung von Demenz und/oder Hirnschäden insbesondere ist bekannt, doch ist wenig bekannt über eine genaue Schwellenwert für die schädlichen Wirkungen des Alkohols...
Vegetarians 'cut heart risk by 32%'
30 January 2013 Last updated at 17:01 GMT By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News 
Ditching meat and fish in favour of a vegetarian diet can have a dramatic effect on the health of your heart, research suggests.
Ditching meat and fish in favour of a vegetarian diet can have a dramatic effect on the health of your heart, research suggests.A study of 44,500 people in England and Scotland showed vegetarians were 32% less likely to die or need hospital treatment as a result of heart disease.
Differences in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body weight are thought to be behind the health boost.
The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Heart disease is a major blight in Western countries. It kills 94,000 people in the UK each year - more than any other disease, and 2.6 million people live with the condition.
The heart's own blood supply becomes blocked up by fatty deposits in the arteries that nourish the heart muscle. It can cause angina or even lead to a heart attack if the blood vessels become completely blocked.
Scientists at the University of Oxford analysed data from 15,100 vegetarians and 29,400 people who ate meat and fish.
Over the course of 11 years, 169 people in the study died from heart disease and 1,066 needed hospital treatment - and they were more likely to have been meat and fish eaters than vegetarians.
Continue reading the main storyChoosing the veggie option on the menu is not a shortcut to a healthy heart”End Quote Tracy Parker British Heart Foundation Dr Francesca Crowe said: "The main message is that diet is an important determinant of heart health, I'm not advocating that everyone eats a vegetarian diet.
"The diets are quite different. Vegetarians probably have a lower intake of saturated fat so it makes senses there is a lower risk of heart disease."
The results showed the vegetarians had lower blood pressure, lower levels of "bad" cholesterol and were more likely to have a healthy weight.
Tracy Parker, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "This research reminds us that we should try to eat a balanced and varied diet - whether this includes meat or not.
"But remember, choosing the veggie option on the menu is not a shortcut to a healthy heart. After all, there are still plenty of foods suitable for vegetarians that are high in saturated fat and salt.
"If you're thinking of switching to a vegetarian diet, make sure you plan your meals carefully so that you replace any lost vitamins and minerals, such as iron, that you would normally get from meat."
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Erfolgreiche mentale Gesundheit Konzept für Teenage Alkoholprävention
AppId is over the quota
Gezielte psychologische Interventionen zur Jugendliche Gefahr, emotionale und Verhaltensstörungen Probleme deutlich reduzieren ihr Trinkverhalten und, die von ihren Mitschülern, nach den Ergebnissen aus einer großen randomised controlled Trial veröffentlicht in JAMA Psychiatrie...
Gezielte psychologische Interventionen zur Jugendliche Gefahr, emotionale und Verhaltensstörungen Probleme deutlich reduzieren ihr Trinkverhalten und, die von ihren Mitschülern, nach den Ergebnissen aus einer großen randomised controlled Trial veröffentlicht in JAMA Psychiatrie...
In Rat Model, Social Isolation Leads To Greater Vulnerability To Addiction
Ratten, die sozial isoliert, während einer kritischen Zeit der Adoleszenz sind sind anfälliger für Abhängigkeit von Amphetaminen und Alkohol, fanden Forscher an der University of Texas at Austin. Amphetamin sucht ist auch schwieriger, die sozial isolierten Ratten auszulöschen...
VIDEO: Soft drink sugar tax call
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VIDEO: 'Plastic surgeons are like car salesmen'
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The condition that mixes sensations
30 January 2013 Last updated at 00:44 GMT By Smitha Mundasad BBC News James Wannerton says one of his girlfriends tasted of melted wine-gum sweetsAs a young man James's girlfriends were flavoured of rhubarb and melted wine gums.
As a child, James's synaesthesia helped him remember the names of kings and queens 
One of James's girlfriends tasted of rhubarb
And his schoolmates had a strong essence of sliced potatoes and strawberry jam.
He chose his companions not based on their personality or looks, but because of how their names tickled his taste buds.
James Wannerton has synaesthesia - a condition in which the senses mix together so that sensations we normally consider separate start to intermingle.
Studies from the University of Edinburgh suggest 4% of the UK population could be affected by this blurring of the senses.
Researchers there and at the University of Sussex believe this phenomenon could be advantageous, particularly when it comes to remembering things.Dr Julia Simner, at Edinburgh University, and Professor Jamie Ward, at the University of Sussex, are looking at whether savants - people with extraordinary abilities - use synaesthesia to help accomplish their mind-boggling feats.
One well-known savant, Daniel Tammet, set the European record for reciting the greatest number of decimal places of pi in 2004.
He has written much about how, for him, numbers have associated colours.
"We believe one of the keys to savants' extraordinary abilities is synaesthesia, giving them advantages in their memory recall," says Dr Simner.
Set menuIn James's case, his synaesthesia certainly helped him at school.
As now, every time he heard a sound as a young boy, he had an immediate and involuntary taste on his tongue.
Hearing the name Anne Boleyn, gave him a strong taste of pear drops, making some history lessons a treat.
In fact most monarchs in British history came with a specific taste, which meant he could reel them off with ease.
As a child, James's synaesthesia helped him remember the names of kings and queens His word-taste associations also help him remember every turn on the way to work.
"My route is like a set menu. It begins with a jam sandwich and it ends with a Rolo sweet," he says.
And he can't imagine what it would be like to attempt to recall things without their associated taste, though he is quick to say he wouldn't place his memory in the realm of the savants.
He was once offered the chance to temporarily disable these sensory experiences , but chose not to take it.
"It would be like someone asking you if you wanted to switch off your sight for 20 minutes," he says.
As president of the UK Synaesthesia Association he meets many people with these types of abilities.
Synaesthesia can come in many forms as the different senses mix and melt together.
Mirror-touchThe most common type is grapheme-colour synaesthesia where people perceive words, letters and numbers as distinct colours.
A more recently described type is mirror-touch synaesthesia - in which tactile sensations are experienced when a synaesthete sees others being touched.
And Mr Wannerton's relatively rare form is known as word-taste or lexical gustatory synaesthesia.
There are many theories about why this condition exists.
Some people believe it is due to the cross-wiring of certain areas in the brain usually unconnected.
Others suggest everyone is born with these cross-connections and in most people these links melt away, but in synaesthetes they remain strong.
Dr Simner says: "We now know for a fact the brains of people with synaesthesia are different to other people in two ways.
"Brains of synaesthetes have extra clusters of connectivity and there are differences in the grey matter of the brain - an extra thickness is seen in certain areas."
Prof Jamie Ward has studied Mr Wannerton's brain in detail using brain scanning techniques.
When we've asked James to think about words which have good and less palatable tastes to him, we see many parts of the brain lighting up, including areas associated with taste, emotional processing and mental imagery, he says.
But there is still a long way to go in understanding synaesthesia, particularly in identifying genes responsible for the condition, researchers say.
The tendency to have synaesthesia runs in families, though relatives will often have different types of it.
And research as early as 1963 suggests synaesthesia can be induced by drugs such as LSD - opening up the possibility the condition may be in part due to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.
There have even been some cases where synaesthesia occurs after an injury to the brain.
One of James's girlfriends tasted of rhubarb But most synaesthetes, like James, feel they have always had it.
As a child it really didn't bother him.
"It felt as natural as breathing," he says.
But there are times in his adult life that the constant bombardment on his palate can be a nuisance.
These days if he has to work with someone with an overpowering first name, he chooses to refer to them by their middle names, or just re-christens them with an new one.
And talking to people in a crowded room can taste a bit like putting lots of strange things into a food processor at once, he says.
And some people think it is all in his head, he says.
Prof Ward says: "It is in the head. It is how it got into the head that is the question. Is it rooted in the head in terms of how the brain is structured and wired?"
But most of the time James does not mention his synaesthesia.
"So what if I taste sounds or the women in the supermarket tastes like an apricot?
"It's not that that interests me. It's where it's leading to.
"The study of synaesthesia is leading to a far greater understanding of how each individual sees the world around them and we each do see it in very different ways."
Hospital thieves targeted amputee
30 January 2013 Last updated at 13:45 GMT 
The prosecution claim two men stole from RVH patients after entering their wards through A&E A double amputee was among patients targeted by thieves during a night-time raid on a Belfast hospital, the city's High Court has been told.
The prosecution claim two men stole from RVH patients after entering their wards through A&E A double amputee was among patients targeted by thieves during a night-time raid on a Belfast hospital, the city's High Court has been told.The intruders, who entered the wards at Royal Victoria Hospital last October, also stole from a pensioner and a man under sedation, prosecutors said.
The details were disclosed as Gerard Madden, one of two men accused of the burglary applied for bail.
The 21-year-old, from Aspen Park in Dunmurry, denies the charges.
At a previous court hearing it was revealed that patients' mobile phones, a handbag, a watch and headphones were stolen in the early hours of 15 October.
PregnantOne elderly patient was said to have been wakened from her sleep by a man standing beside her bed, drinking from a bottle.
She challenged him after discovering her phone was missing, the court was told at the time.
CCTV footage forms part of the case against both accused - that they allegedly left the Accident and Emergency department and wandered through the hospital without permission.
On Wednesday, Mr Madden made a second bail application in a bid to help his pregnant partner.
Mr Justice Burgess, who heard the original application, recalled that the alleged offences involved victims waking up to discover the intrusions.
A prosecuting barrister added: "One was sedated, one was in their early seventies, and one was a double amputee."
Defence counsel Michael Ward urged the judge to release his client due to the length of time the case is taking to get to trial.
'Sense of responsibility'He said the accused wanted to support his partner as she prepares to give birth to their child.
Claiming Mr Madden has obtained a sense of responsibility, the barrister added: "He feels he has been punished sufficiently and makes no bones about the fact that he has a case to answer.
"He really is someone who seems to have turned a corner. He wants to be there for his partner during the final weeks of her pregnancy."
However, Mr Justice Burgess again ruled that bail should be refused.
He confirmed: "At this stage I see no grounds for changing my original decision."
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Wenn Jugendliche haben ist das erste Getränk von ihren besten Freunden beeinflusst.
Die Chancen stehen, dass das einzige, was, das Sie über Ihre ersten Swig Alkohol zu erinnern, ist, wie schlecht das Zeug schmeckte. Was Sie nicht wissen ist die Person, die Sie das erste Getränk gaben und wenn Sie hatte es sagt viel über Ihre Veranlagung zu trinken, später im Leben...
Unique Insight Into The Often Misunderstood World Of Addiction
AppId is over the quota
Menschen, die über viele Jahre Kokain nehmen, ohne süchtig eine Gehirnstruktur haben, die erheblich von den Personen ist, die Kokain-Abhängigkeit entwickelt, haben die Forscher entdeckt...
Menschen, die über viele Jahre Kokain nehmen, ohne süchtig eine Gehirnstruktur haben, die erheblich von den Personen ist, die Kokain-Abhängigkeit entwickelt, haben die Forscher entdeckt...
Angetrieben von FDA Advisory Panel Schmerzmittel Grenzen
Neue Einschränkungen sollten auf weit verbreitete narkotische Schmerzmittel, weil eine alarmierende Zunahme der sucht und Überdosierung Tod, ein FDA Drug Safety und Risk Management Advisory Committee (The Panel) empfohlen angewendet werden...
Gene Interactions Discovered That Make Death From Cocaine Abuse 8 Times More Likely
Wissenschaftler identifizierten genetischen Umstände unter denen gemeinsame Mutationen auf zwei Gene in Anwesenheit von Kokain zu produzieren ein fast Achtfache erhöhtes Risiko des Todes durch die Droge missbrauchen interagieren. Eine geschätzte in drei weißen verstorbenen Exposition Kokain ist Träger von die Kokainmissbrauch besonders tödlichen machen...
Antidepressant heart risk confirmed
30 January 2013 Last updated at 07:51 GMT 
A heart trace or ECG can show up rhythm disturbances Some but not all antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs pose a very small but serious heart risk, say researchers.
A heart trace or ECG can show up rhythm disturbances Some but not all antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs pose a very small but serious heart risk, say researchers. Citalopram and escitalopram, which fall into this drug group, can trigger a heart rhythm disturbance, a new study in the British Medical Journal shows.
UK and US regulators have already warned doctors to be extra careful about which patients they prescribe these medicines to.
And they have lowered the maximum recommended dose.
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says people with pre-existing heart conditions should have a heart trace before going on these drugs, to check for a rhythm disturbance known as long QT interval.
Continue reading the main storyPeople taking these drugs shouldn't be alarmed and shouldn't stop taking their medication without speaking to their doctor”End Quote June Davison of the British Heart Foundation Experts reassure that complications are very rare and that in most cases the benefits for the patient taking the drug will outweigh the risks.Long QT
QT interval is measured with an electrocardiogram (ECG) and varies with the heart rate - it gets longer when the heart beats slower and is shorter when the heart beats faster.
Some variation is normal, but if it gets too long it can upset the timing of heartbeat with potentially dire consequences - dizziness, faints and, rarely, sudden death.
To assess how common a problem long QT linked to SSRI use might be, US researchers decided to look at the medical records of more than 38,00 patients from New England.
Most of these patients had been prescribed an SSRI antidepressant, and some were patients who had been prescribed methadone. The researchers included the methadone patients for comparison because this drug (used for pain relief and to wean addicts off heroin) is known to prolong QT interval.
All of the patients had recently had an ECG.
Both citalopram and escitalopram, as well as methadone, was linked with a small but significantly longer QT interval.
This effect increased at higher doses.
Risks vs benefitsBut the researchers say that while longer QT interval is a risk factor for abnormal heart rhythms, these abnormal rhythms are still extremely rare, and the actual increase in QT observed was modest - so for the vast majority of patients, the potential benefits in treating depression or anxiety would far exceed the risk.
June Davison of the British Heart Foundation said: "Having a long QT interval can potentially increase the risk of a serious abnormal heart rhythm. However, as these abnormal rhythms are very rare, the potential benefits in treating depression would exceed the risk for most patients.
"People taking these drugs shouldn't be alarmed and shouldn't stop taking their medication without speaking to their doctor. If you've got any concerns, speak to your GP or pharmacist."
A spokesman for the MHRA said: "The potential risks associated are well known and restrictions have been placed on the level of dosage for particular groups of patients.
"This report acknowledges that the benefits of this medicine outweighs the risks but it is important that these factors are carefully considered by healthcare professionals for patients with pre-existing health conditions such as certain heart conditions."
Helen Williams, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: "Patients should be reassured that the effects on QT noted by the study researchers were small and the risk of any adverse outcome associated with these changes is very low.
"The study results may however assist clinicians distinguish between different antidepressants drugs when prescribing - choosing a lower risk agent for patients where there is an established increased risk of arrhythmias."
Alcohol's Effects On Normal Sleep Reviewed
Schlaf wird unterstützt durch die natürlichen Zyklen der Aktivität im Gehirn und besteht aus zwei grundlegenden Zustände: REM-Schlaf (REM) Schlaf und non-REM-Schlaf (NREM) Schlaf. In der Regel beginnen die Menschen den Schlaf mit NREM-Schlaf, gefolgt von einem sehr kurzen Zeitraum der REM-Schlaf-Zyklus, dann weiter mit mehr NREM-Schlaf und REM-Schlaf mehr, dieser 90-Minuten-Zyklus weiter durch die Nacht...
Monday, February 4, 2013
VIDEO: Soft drink sugar tax call
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Can walking while working make you live longer?
30 January 2013 Last updated at 01:07 GMT 
Bombarded with adverts promising a longer, healthier life, BBC News Los Angeles correspondent Peter Bowes goes in search of eternal youth. 
A normal day in the office for Levine 
Bowes burnt 300 calories in the writing of this feature
Bombarded with adverts promising a longer, healthier life, BBC News Los Angeles correspondent Peter Bowes goes in search of eternal youth. Could walking while we work significantly improve our chances of living to a ripe old age? I hope so. As I write, I am walking at 1mph on a treadmill desk.
Many experts believe that there is convincing evidence that sitting all day is killing us. A number of scientific studies have focused on an increasingly sedentary lifestyle as a key reason why people suffer age-related diseases.
"The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that prolonged sitting is shortening our lives and also our quality of life," says Dr James Levine, director of obesity solutions at the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University.
Levine, an endocrinologist, says our computer and gadget-driven society shoulders much of the blame.
"The health consequences of prolonged sitting... include not only obesity but also hypertension, hyperlipidemia - high cholesterol if you like - cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, poor or low mood, a predisposition to diabetes," he says.
Peter Bowes tries out a treadmill designed to be used in the officePutting it bluntly, the overall impact is "early death".
Faced with such a litany of negative consequences, Levine has tested and promoted the concept of a treadmill desk as a way of countering the effects of modern day living.
A number of companies are now manufacturing desks with a modified treadmill base attached to a counter level work surface. The belt is designed to go at a low speed - up to 4mph - with most users opting for 1-2mph.
A normal day in the office for Levine The average person will burn about 100 calories for every mile that they walk.
Google, Microsoft and Evernote, and the hotel chains Hyatt and Marriott, are among the companies using treadmill desks.
"The interesting thing is that they are putting them in common areas, so that people can use them for an hour then go back to their normal location," says Peter Schenk, president of the exercise equipment company LifeSpan.
Some companies have a check-out system, while other users prefer to have their own dedicated desk, for the entire day.
"We've also had installations in a number of homes where people work and they find themselves very sedentary throughout the day," adds Schenk.
The balance to be struck is between physical benefit and work productivity.
Continue reading the main story In one company people are encouraged to stand when they take a phone call. Another has a no internal email day, so people have to leave their desks to deliver messages within the organisation.
After jumping on one of the treadmills myself, I found that typing on a computer takes some getting used to, but after a few hours it's second nature. Writing is not so easy.Teresa Barnes, from Memphis, says she averages 30 to 40 miles (48 to 64 km) per week on her treadmill desk.
"You're seriously multi-tasking," she says. "Every time I walk on this I consider it a gift for me."
Barnes runs a non-profit foundation and spends many hours a week on the telephone.
"We do a lot of conference calls and usually in the beginning of a call I tell them I'm turning my treadmill desk on, and they laugh.
"They get a real kick out if it, sometimes at the end of the phone call I'll tell them how far I've walked," she adds.
Software developer Brian Slick has been using a treadmill desk for over a year and has written a blog about his experience.
"I'm not really good about regular exercise such as going to the gym. I needed some way to get exercise while doing work so I don't have to set aside time for it."
Walking up to five hours a day, Slick says he had reduced his waist by 5cm and lost 35lbs (16kgs).
Bowes burnt 300 calories in the writing of this feature However, he says, the experience "has not all been roses." He has suffered from pain on the bottom of his feet due to inflammation.
"I probably ramped up too quickly and my body didn't adjust all that well. I should have consulted a doctor before starting and worked out some kind of an easing in process," he says.
"But the net result has still been worth it."
Amy Wunsch, a physical therapist, from Newhall in California, says the device is a "fantastic" solution for people suffering the physical issues associated with sitting for extended periods of time.
They include muscle imbalance, flexibility issues and lower back weakness.
But she has a cautionary warning for new users, who may be tempted to shrug over a laptop while walking.
"Make sure that your computer screen is at eye level. The body follows the head, so if your head comes forward the rest of your body is going to slouch forward to go with it. What we want is a really tall posture."
She also warns that walking for a prolonged period of time can lead to overuse injuries."It can lead to repetitive strain - especially in the foot and ankle. So if someone's foot and ankle isn't working quite properly that would really exacerbate any injury that could occur there," she says.
But Wunsch's overall assessment is positive. "It's about time," she says.
"We've been in a world that computers and technology have taken over. We have just come and gone with it and made our bodies fit into the electronics instead of making the electronics fit us."
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VIDEO: New hope for Tourette's patients
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