HEALTH & MEDICINE

As the New Year starts to roll, people came out of 2011 with full bellies during the holidays and a New Year’s resolution in mind. Whether a person is just wary of getting their blood sugar too high, cutting back on sweets, or they made it their resolution to reduce sugary treats, everyone can benefit from cutting back on sugar as the new year kicks off.

As cases of the avian flu virus seems to worsen in southern China bordering Hong Kong, citizens and visitors are again urged to take precautionary measures against the spread of the disease.

With Carla Bruni, an Italian-French singer-songwriter, actress, former model and the current First Lady of France, being criticized by accomplished dermatologist Dr. Ben Behnam for looking “over botoxed,” the question now begging to be asked is, “Is having Botox or too much of it bad for one’s health?”

Doctors from the Mayo Clinic in the United States plan to sequence the full genetic code of thousands of people that could lead to personalized health care.

Green Cedar Dairy Products Inc., a private company based in Dearborn, Michigan, has recalled two of its products due to the fact that it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes which may cause listeriosis.

The New Year is just around the corner and in preparation for it people have been busy planning where they will be, who they’ll spend their time with, and what will they be drinking. With the answer commonly being in a public place, with friends, and beer, welcoming the New Year might not go over so well, especially when heavy drinking is involved.

Shift work has become rampant not only among developing countries, but developed countries alike with the United States having around 15 million shift workers. Being charmed by either a large salary or the promise of no traffic and a sense of solitude that night brings, people flock to jobs that offer shift work. But many dangers reside with this type of schedule of work and one newly discovered of which is unhealthy eating.

Pepe’s Pastizzis, who has been hand-making pastries and selling their finished frozen products to shops and supermarkets in Australia for 36 years now, have had three varieties of their products recalled by the Quality Patisserie Foods Pty. Ltd. due to an undeclared allergen – milk.

Great news for coffee lovers, research suggests that your daily dose of caffeine could help reduce the risk of developing endometrial cancer by as much as 25 percent.

For mothers, whether they are first-time or already down the line, taking care and nurturing their child comes first. This is because it's natural for them to have a link with their child. However, having a link to one's child and having bonding attachment are two separate things that most moms must contend with.

Food allergies can strike anyone, at any age, and anywhere when it is triggered. And since it can be fatal, properly identifying if a person has one is critical. However, new findings are stirring up clinicians as diagnosing people through some basic tests alone aren’t enough to identify these food allergies.

Religion and medicine, for some, somehow do not mix. Viewing it only as a matter of faith, some shrug off spiritual belief aside and focus on what is concrete. But having a religion and a belief in God offers more than just hope and a sense of faith, it brings with it, unexpectedly, health benefits.

The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) charged that 400 workers may have been exposed to asbestos for about one year in the $50-million redevelopment of the Museum of Contemporary Arts building in Sydney.

Feeling a little bloated from your Christmas dinner? Then you should eat more sugary sweets to battle those overeating pangs.

Children's absenteeism may be far more problematic than missing out on class as new research finds it may be linked to their mental health.

Could you soon learn new skills while you sleep? According to American scientists people can use dreaming as a tool to learn.

With jingles being sung around the world, "Santa Claus is coming to town," scientists and experts find it to be a miracle as to how old St. Nick can do it. Even if it's just a one-time event, what he does every year is quite a feat. So with everything happening during Christmas, is Santa Claus really ok?

Wine drinking is often associated with luxury and riches, as opposed to beer and other forms of spirit drinking that is linked to the middle class. With each to his or her own lifestyles, does drinking wine and other spirits have any difference when it comes to health benefits?

Bioengineers and biologists from the University of California San Diego have created neon signs made from millions of bacteria that light up in unison.

Police officers are the day to day unsung heroes of the world; going about the wee hours of the night and making things better and safer for everyone. However, aside from the occupational hazard that comes with crime fighting, thanks to the long and shifting hours of work it seems like sleeping disorders are now considered another occupational hazard.

When people think about the Mediterranean, two things come to mind: a great place to go to, and great food. Though only some have the opportunity to go to the region, a lot of people know about their cuisine and how it is said to prolong life.

A new study finds that limiting food intake can activate genes linked to longevity and brain function, which could lead to new treatments to extend life, improve memory and reduce risk of dementia.

The stressful life of today has got some people’s blood either boiling or their blood pressure shooting to the roof. However, new research might change things as those who have hypertension may need to dial it down to save their life.

A new study has bolstered the medical use of maggots in cleaning wounds by removing dead and unhealthy tissues.

Spring time will soon come and plant life will start to bloom once more. And as sure and as pleasant as that sounds, there is also the one thing that rouses every spring - ticks. Spreading everywhere, from animals, pets, to humans, ticks can be a minor nuisance. However, a good percentage of these ticks can transmit a disease that can cause major trouble.

Majority of Australians will have as their New Year's resolution to keep fit. Expected to cash in from this personal promise are gyms, fitness centres and personal trainers.

oybeans, widely grown and eaten around the world, are commonly used to make essentials like tofu, soy sauce, and soy milk. As good a reputation that they already have, new research findings suggest that the humble soybean can do more than just sate appetites - it can also help treat cancer.

Knee pains are one of the most debilitating punishment people can take on their joints. Plaguing both sexes, but more so for women, it is to be expected as one reaches middle age. With such crippling pain, a new 12-year study done may offer insights as to how much this really affects women.

Cancer has become a normal occurrence in the world nowadays. And as unfortunate as it is, cancer can occur in different parts of the body. However, one in four cancers being diagnosed around the world involves the lung, and is still one the contributors when it comes to the most common cancer-related cause of death among Americans.