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When summer arrives in the UK, it seems to appear suddenly. One day we can be wrapped up cosy winter woollies – the next we are panic buying fans and ice lollies. Any sudden and extreme change in temperature can be dangerous. Every year, people perish as a result of heat-related illness. Weather agencies increasingly release advance alerts of predicted severe weather, including high temperatures, to allow time to prepare for the change. Extreme temperatures aren’t just a threat to human health, though; they are also a problem for our pets. Human health alerts should also help us to prepare our pets and their environment for extreme we...... Read Full article on HadNews

In a shocking revelation, the American Cancer Society has found that 40% of cancer cases in the US can be linked to poor lifestyle choices and bad behavior. Smoking, in particular, is the main culprit, accounting for 20% of cancer cases and nearly 30% of cancer deaths. According to the ACS, making simple changes like quitting smoking or losing weight could prevent a significant number of cancer cases and deaths in American adults. In fact, they estimate that 4 in 10 cancer cases and almost half of cancer deaths in adults 30 and older could have been avoided with healthier choices. This eye-opening research serves as a stark reminder of the ...... Read Full article on HadNews

When trying to lose weight, it’s natural to want to see quick results. So when the number on the scales drops rapidly, it seems like we’re on the right track. But as with many things related to weight loss, there’s a flip side: rapid weight loss can result in a significant loss of muscle mass, as well as fat. So how you can tell if you’re losing too much muscle and what can you do to prevent it? Why does muscle mass matter? Muscle is an important factor in determining our metabolic rate: how much energy we burn at rest. This is determined by how much muscle and fat we have. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, meaning it bu...... Read Full article on HadNews

People living in states that enacted tighter abortion restrictions in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, which returned regulation of abortion access to state legislatures, are more likely to report elevated levels of mental distress. This is particularly true for people of lower socioeconomic means. These are the key takeaways of our July 2024 paper published in Science Advances. We mined two years’ worth of data from the National Household Pulse Survey and analyzed 21 survey waves, each with more than 60,000 respondents. We were able to trace how newly introduced gestational restrictions and abortion bans aff...... Read Full article on HadNews

It’s winter, so many of us will be bringing out, or buying, winter bedding. But how much of a difference does your bedding make to your thermal comfort? Can a particular textile help you sleep? Is it wool, or other natural fibres, such as cotton? How about polyester? With so much choice, it’s easy to be confused. Here’s what we found when we reviewed the evidence – not just for winter, but also for the summer ahead. The importance of bedding We rely on our bedding to maintain a comfortable temperature to help us sleep. And the right textiles can help regulate our body temperature and wick away moisture from sweat, promoting better ...... Read Full article on HadNews

The Science of Lifespan — and the Impact of Your Five Senses | Christi Gendron | TED In Christi Gendron's TED Talk, "The Science of Lifespan — and the Impact of Your Five Senses", she explores how our senses can influence our lifespan. Gendron explains that our experiences, from what we see, smell, hear, taste, and touch, can all have an impact on how long we live. By using our senses to make decisions, we are not only influencing our behavior but also our emotions and physical responses. Gendron delves into studies conducted on worms, flies, and mice, showing how exposure to certain environmental signals can affect their lifespan. She emph...... Read Full article on HadNews

When the term “social model of disability” was coined by British sociologist Mike Oliver in 1983, it helped form the basis of the disability rights movement. To mark the birth of that movement, as well as the 30th anniversary of the autistic rights movement, our new report reflects on why it is vital that autistic people are always at the centre of autism research. During the 1980s, the term “social model of disability” challenged how society largely regarded disability as a personal tragedy. Disablement was seen as something that belonged to individual disabled people, with heavily medicalised personal “impairments”. But Oliver ar...... Read Full article on HadNews

More than 29.5 million Americans ages 12 and up had alcohol use disorder – the medical term for the disease commonly known as alcoholism – in 2022, when the most recent national data was published. The condition is characterized by a pattern of heavy alcohol consumption with loss of control over drinking despite negative social, occupational or health consequences. Deaths from excessive alcohol use have sharply increased in recent years, to 178,000 in the United States in 2021, up from 138,000 five years earlier. The greatest increase occurred during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alcohol is responsible for more deaths tha...... Read Full article on HadNews

“Some scientists refer to the immune system as the seventh sense,” says Dr. Hao Jin, a neuroimmunologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). It’s a comparison that anyone who’s ever had a common cold can appreciate. Much like our traditional senses help us perceive and interact with our external world, our immune system — a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs — helps us sense and respond to threats in our internal environment. And, as we all know, it’s not always a pleasant experience. When bacteria or viruses invade our body, our immune system springs into action, releasing pro-inflammatory molecu...... Read Full article on HadNews

People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall health and getting good sleep is imperative. However, if exercise in the evening may disrupt our sleep, or make us feel the need to be more sedentary to recover, a key question emerges – what is the best way to balance our 24 hours to optimise our health? Our research attempted to answer this for risk factors for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. We found the optimal amount of sleep was 8.3 hours, while for light activity and moderate to vigorous activity, it was best to get 2.2 hours each. Finding the right b...... Read Full article on HadNews

After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years to address men’s violence towards women. This includes up to $5,000 to support those escaping violent relationships. However, to reduce and prevent gender-based and intimate partner violence we also need to address the root causes and contributors. These include alcohol and other drugs, trauma and mental health issues. Why is this crucial? The World Health Organization estimates 30% of women globally have experienced intimate partner violence, gender-based violence or both. In Aust...... Read Full article on HadNews

Myopia, or the need for corrected vision to focus or see objects at a distance, has become a lot more common in recent decades. Some even consider myopia, also known as nearsightedness, an epidemic. Optometry researchers estimate that about half of the global population will need corrective lenses to offset myopia by 2050 if current rates continue – up from 23% in 2000 and less than 10% in some countries. The associated health care costs are huge. In the United States alone, spending on corrective lenses, eye tests and related expenses may be as high as US$7.2 billion a year. What explains the rapid growth in myopia? I’m a vision ...... Read Full article on HadNews

Eventually, most adults reach a point where we realize we are out of touch with those much younger than us. Perhaps it is a pop culture reference that sparks the realization. For me, this moment happened when I was in my late 20s and working with adolescents in school settings to help them quit smoking. When other drugs would occasionally come up, I didn’t understand some of the slang terms they used for these drugs. Many people may have that feeling now when the topic of cannabis comes up – especially in its different and newer forms. As a professor of psychology, I focus my research on substance use in adolescents and young adults....... Read Full article on HadNews

Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight. But what do we actually know about them? This month, The Conversation’s experts explore their rise, impact and potential consequences. We’ve heard a lot about the impacts of Ozempic recently, from rapid weight loss and lowered blood pressure, to persistent vomiting and “Ozempic face”. Now we’re seeing a rise in stories about “Ozempic babies”, where women who use drugs like Ozempic (semaglutide) report unexpected pregnancies. But does semaglutide (also sold as Wegovy) improve fertility? And if so, how? Here’s what we know so far. Remind me,...... Read Full article on HadNews

The man who killed six people and injured countless others at a Bondi shopping centre on Saturday, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, reportedly had “mental health issues”, police explained soon after the tragic event, while ruling out terrorism. Cauchi had reportedly been diagnosed with a mental illness at age 17 years and had received treatment in the public and private sector. But Queensland Police said Cauchi’s mental health had declined in recent years. No matter the circumstances, such acts of violence must be condemned. If mental health issues contribute to such acts, they need to be understood and prevented. Read more...... Read Full article on HadNews

Can you remember a time when you felt stressed leading up to a big life event and then afterwards felt like a weight had been lifted? This process – the ramping up of the stress response and then feeling this settle back down – shows completion of the “stress cycle”. Some stress in daily life is unavoidable. But remaining stressed is unhealthy. Chronic stress increases chronic health conditions, including heart disease and stroke and diabetes. It can also lead to burnout or depression. Exercise, cognitive, creative, social and self-soothing activities help us process stress in healthier ways and complete the stress cycle. ...... Read Full article on HadNews

Celebrity hotel heiress Paris Hilton is backing California lawmakers’ push to increase the transparency of residential teen therapeutic centers by requiring these programs to report the use of restraints or seclusion rooms in disciplining minors. “We shouldn’t be placing youth in facilities without knowing what these children will be subjected to,” Hilton testified Monday to the Senate Human Services Committee in Sacramento. “The Accountability in Children’s Treatment Act is a simple transparency measure that would make a lasting impact and show the world what truly happens behind closed doors.” Hilton, 43, has become a h...... Read Full article on HadNews

The man who killed six people and injured countless others at a Bondi shopping centre on Saturday, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, reportedly had “mental health issues”, police explained soon after the tragic event, while ruling out terrorism. Cauchi had reportedly been diagnosed with a mental illness at age 17 years and had received treatment in the public and private sector. But Queensland Police said Cauchi’s mental health had declined in recent years. No matter the circumstances, such acts of violence must be condemned. If mental health issues contribute to such acts, they need to be understood and prevented. Read more...... Read Full article on HadNews

Billions of people around the world dutifully brush their teeth with toothpaste every day, but some are starting to question this status quo. These contrarians see sense in brushing but aren’t sure whether the paste is really necessary. And it’s not just laypersons wondering out loud about this apparent blasphemy — critiques are coming from dentists themselves. “While toothpaste manufacturers claim that you need toothpaste to brush your teeth, it’s not true. Toothpaste is not necessary to make your teeth clean or healthy,” writes Dr. Todd Bertman of New York’s Advanced Dental Arts. “Brushing our teeth with...... Read Full article on HadNews

About 1 in every 3 women, and 1 in 4 men, will experience domestic violence over their lifetime. Since domestic violence can escalate to the point of serious injury or murder, survivors must take action to increase their safety – potentially even fleeing their homes. Of the total homicides that occurred in the U.S. in 2020, 34% of women and 6% of men were murdered by their intimate partners. Research has clearly shown the connection between domestic violence and homelessness. For example, a California study found that domestic violence survivors were four times more likely to experience housing instability compared with those who had...... Read Full article on HadNews