Life Changes
Healing Through Storytelling: Lessons from The Odyssey
The journey of Odysseus in Homer's 'The Odyssey' offers profound insights into healing...
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- Written by: Claire Roberts, University of Adelaide
Sexual inequality begins in the womb, but not in the way you might think. In a study of more than 574,000 births in South Australia between 1981 and 2011, we found boys are more likely to be born preterm and the risk is greater for boys the earlier the birth.
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- Written by: Sara G. Rasmussen; Brian S. Schwartz, Johns Hopkins University, and Joan A. Casey, University of California, San Francisco
The fracking industry has been an energy success story: Natural gas prices have decreased as fracking has skyrocketed, and natural gas now produces more electricity than coal does, which has resulted in improved air quality.
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- Written by: Andy Henion, Michigan State University
Older adults enjoy using Facebook, email, instant messaging, and other forms of social media—and doing so may even reduce loneliness and improve health.
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- Written by: Peter Rüegg, ETH Zurich
It is a hotly debated, highly researched subject: which fats are good for us and which aren’t?
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- Written by: Sheila Mulrooney Eldred, Ensia
As an emergency room physician in Washington, D.C., it didn’t take long for Leana Wen to notice a pattern
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- Written by: Layne Cameron, Michigan State University
The hormone melatonin appears to suppress the growth of breast cancer tumors, say researchers.
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- Written by: Anthony Booker, University of Westminster
The use of food supplements and herbal medicinal products by the public, including athletes, is common practice – but it is not well regulated.
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- Written by: Stephanie Desmon,Johns Hopkins University
Neighbors with the most exposure to natural gas fracking are nearly twice as likely to suffer from some combination of migraine headaches, chronic nasal and sinus symptoms, and severe fatigue.
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- Written by: Beth Darnall, Ph.D.
About 100 million Americans—one in three people—suffer from ongoing pain that impacts their daily lives. Chronic pain has fueled a pain treatment crisis resulting in the overprescribing of risky opioids. The tragic deaths of celebrities such as Prince have brought the issue to public awareness in a way that statistics can't.
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- Written by: Penelope Bryant, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
The rise in antibiotic use among infants raises concerns about antibiotic resistance and its implications for child health. With two-thirds of children receiving antibiotics by age one, understanding when they are necessary and the potential risks involved is crucial for parents and caregivers. This article explores the benefits and drawbacks of antibiotics in young children.
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- Written by: Jacob Heller, SUNY Old Westbury
Just over 50 years ago, a highly contagious but seemingly harmless virus swept through the United States, infecting as many as 12.5 million people. In both adults and children, the virus presented as a mild illness, but caused birth defects in some babies born to women who were infected while pregnant.
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- Written by: Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM, ROHP
It’s easier than you think to experience the beauty and healing properties of lavender by growing and using your own fresh lavender for use in food, body care, bathing, and other purposes. It can easily be done indoors in pots or outside in your garden.
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- Written by: Jasleena Grewal, YES! Magazine
Foraging, or wandering in search of food and plants, isn’t relegated to remote forests and idyllic fields. Edible and usable weeds are abundant in urban environments too.
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- Written by: John Speakman, University of Aberdeen
For people in northern countries enjoying summer sun, I hate to put a dampener on things but winter’s coming. The cold months can seem to go on forever, yet scientists are uncovering a new reason to be grateful for them.
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- Written by: H. Peter Soyer and Katie Lee, The University of Queensland
As we age, the smooth skin of childhood gives way to all sorts of mysterious lumps and bumps. In a high-UV environment like Australia, we need to be very alert to the possibility of skin cancers. But most of the skin lumps we develop will be benign. Here are some of the most common, and how to tell them apart.
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- Written by: Alisson Clark, University of Florida
Researchers are testing a non-invasive way to determine if treatments for Parkinson’s slow or stop the progression of the disease.
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- Written by: Monique Andersson, Stellenbosch University
People who have both hepatitis B and HIV may have a greater chance of developing liver cancer at a young age, according to our new study.
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- Written by: Caroline Wood, University of Sheffield and Wayne Martindale, Sheffield Hallam University
We all know the score: current trends predict there will be 9.7 billion mouths to feed by 2050. Producing enough food without using more land, exacerbating climate change or putting more pressure on water, soil and energy reserves will be challenging.
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- Written by: Neale Cohen, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
It is well recognised that increasing rates of type 2 diabetes are mainly driven by obesity and lifestyle factors. But that’s not the whole story. Genetics and epigenetics – changes in gene expression – also play an important role.
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- Written by: Kristina Sauerwein, Washington University in St. Louis
Commonly touted as “good cholesterol” for helping reduce risk of stroke and heart attack, both high and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol may increase a risk of premature death, a new study suggests.
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- Written by: Akhilesh Reddy, University of Cambridge
From vitamin C and echinacea to warm clothes and antibacterial soap, there’s no shortage of ideas about how to prevent and manage colds and flu. Unfortunately, many of these are not based on solid scientific evidence.
