Life, Health and Enjoyment

Study Shows a Link Between Intense Feelings of Love and Reward Areas of the Brain The euphoric “high” that accompanies the passion-filled, early days of romantic love is a common pop music theme, but is it just a metaphor or is love really like a drug? When researchers examined the question, they found that intense feelings of romantic love affect the brain in the same way drugs like cocaine or powerful pain relievers do. “The reason people are so attracted to cocaine is that it activates the area of the brain that makes you feel good,” researcher Arthur Aron, PhD, tells WebMD. “The same reward area is activated when people are experiencing the intense desire of romantic love.” Intense Love = Less Pain Aron, who is a professor of psychology at State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook, has been researching the impact of love on the brain for three decades. Several years ago he and longtime pain researcher Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, began talking at a neuroscience...

A woman's body could reject the sperm of less suitable male partners.   Sperm is more likely to fail if the woman had not been exposed to that man's semen for at least three months.   The research could lead to improved treatments for infertility and miscarriages. The female body has a quality control system which needs convincing that his sperm is compatible," University of Adelaide professor Sarah Robertson  A woman's body may be unconsciously selective about sperm, allowing some men's to progress to pregnancy but killing off the chances of less suitable matches, an Australian researcher said Wednesday. University of Adelaide professor Sarah Robertson said her research suggested that sperm contains "signaling molecules" that activate immunity changes in a woman so her body accepts it. But some apparently healthy sperm failed to activate these changes, leading to the suggestion that the female system can be "choosy" abo...

In recent years, people have been whipsawed by conflicting studies about the risks posed by low levels of radiation given off by cell phones. Now, one of the largest and longest-running studies ever to look for a link between mobile phone use and brain tumors shows that cell phone use doesn't increase the risk of brain cancer and other kinds of central nervous system cancers. The study was conducted in Denmark, a country that's unique because it keeps extraordinary health records on its residents. It's published in the journal BMJ. Researchers used the country's detailed databases to find out if adults with cell phone contracts before 1995 got brain tumors more frequently that those who didn't subscribe to mobile services. Because the study stretches back decades, researchers say many of these subscribers were probably using early-generation cell phones that emitted more radiation than newer phones. Over an 18-year period, 10,729 cancers of the brain an...

Pregnant Women With High Blood Pressure May Be More Likely to Have Babies With Birth Defects Women who take blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors during the first trimester of their pregnancy may be no more likely to have babies with birth defects than women with hypertension who take other types of high blood pressure medication or no blood pressure drugs at all, according to a new study. Frequently prescribed ACE inhibitors include captopril, enalapril, lisinopril, and ramipril. These findings run counter to a 2006 study that showed women who took ACE inhibitors -- but not other blood-pressure-lowering drugs -- during the first trimester were at greater risk for having babies with heart malformations and other types of birth defects. The new study suggests that it may be the underlying high blood pressure that increases the risk of birth defects, regardless of treatment.   Women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy were at greater risk for all types of ...

Study: Vaccine Prevents About Half of Severe Infections  An experimental vaccine cut malaria infections in infants and toddlers by about half, a new study shows. "This is remarkable when you consider there has never been a successful vaccine against a human parasite nor obviously against malaria," study researcher Tsiri Agbenyega, principal investigator of the study at Agogo Presbyterian Hospital in Agogo, Ghana, says in a news briefing. The study is the largest test to date of the vaccine, called RTS,S, which has taken 20 years and more than $400 million to develop. Final results of the trial aren't expected until 2014, but if preliminary findings hold, experts say the vaccine will be a major advance against one of the world's leading infectious disease killers. “This is the first time anybody has been able to reach this point,” says Alberto Moreno, MD, an assistant professor of infectious disease at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Moren...

The power of the pepper is not only to make foods spicy . According to an article published in the journal Cancer Research, a substance contained in its formula, capsaicin, can be a weapon against prostate cancer. capsaicin, can be a weapon against prostate cancer. Chili peppers are the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The discovery is still new, but studies claim that capsaicin might be the basis for a remedy in the fight against cancer. The study was made with genetically engineered mice and human cells that had prostate cancer. They ingested a dose of pepper extract corresponding to three to eight peppers. What was noticed is that capsaicin increased the amount of some proteins involved in the elimination of cells, as well as reducing the number of cancer cells. When consumed, it binds with pain receptors in the mouth and throat that are responsible for sensing heat. Once activated by the capsaicinoids, these re...

What a way to prepare for the DOOMSDAY !!!! The widely advertised doomsday, which everyone is now expecting in 2012, frightens everyone, including those who stand too far from the traditional Christian lifestyle. A US porn studio said that it was going to relocate its production under the ground. The studio is making the move not to leave the survivors without adult films. Quentin Boyer of Pink Visual said in an interview with CBC Local that the production of the studio would be relocated to a bunker. The porn bunker of the studio is not going to be something like a conventional bomb shelter or a tiny underground room for a bunch of people. In addition to the state-of-the-art porn studio, the bunker will house bars and a large stage. If the end of the world eventually takes place, the visitors of the Pink Visual bunker will not be bored at all. "Our goal is nothing less than to survive the apocalypse to come in comfort and luxury, whether that catastrophe takes t...

Rising sea levels in the coming centuries is perhaps one of the most catastrophic consequences of rising temperatures. Massive economic costs, social consequences and forced migrations could result from global warming. But how frightening of times are we facing? Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute are part of a team that has calculated the long-term outlook for rising sea levels in relation to the emission of greenhouse gases and pollution of the atmosphere using climate models. The graph shows how sea levels will change for four different pathways for human development and greenhouse gas pollution. The green, yellow and orange lines correspond to scenarios where it takes 10, 30, or 70 years before emissions are stabilized. The red line can be considered to represent business as usual where greenhouse gas emissions are increasing over time. (Credit: Aslak Grinsted) The results have been published in the scientific journal Global and Planetary Change. "Based on the c...

The next time you reach for your cell phone, consider this: A new study found that 92% of cell phones in the U.K. have bacteria on them - including E. coli -- because people aren't washing their hands after going to the bathroom. The E. coli came from fecal bacteria, which can survive on hands and surfaces for hours. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London looked at cell phones in 12 cities in the U.K. They took 390 samples from cell phones and hands, which were then analyzed for germs. People were also asked about their hand hygiene. Phone Filth and Other Facts The study found: 92% of phones had bacteria on them. 82% of hands had bacteria on them. 16% of hands and 16% of phones had E. coli bacteria, which is found in feces. However, 95% of people said they washed their hands with soap where possible, which suggests we have a tendency to lie about our hygiene habits. "We're pretty ...

All humans yawn. So do most vertebrate animals. Surely it serves some useful function. But what that might be has puzzled scientists throughout the ages. Now a series of experiments suggests a surprising reason for yawning. It cools the brain, says Andrew C. Gallup, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University. "We have collected data on rats, parakeets, and humans. All the data supports the brain-cooling hypothesis," Gallup tells WebMD. Here's the basic idea: When you start to yawn, powerful stretching of the jaw increases blood flow in the neck, face, and head. The deep intake of breath during a yawn forces downward flow of spinal fluid and blood from the brain. Cool air breathed into the mouth cools these fluids. "Together these processes may act like a radiator, removing [too hot] blood from the brain while introducing cooler blood from the lungs and extremities, thereby cooling [brain] surfaces," Gallup says. To answer s...

There are new concerns about an increased risk for learning problems in very young children exposed to general anesthesia during surgical procedures. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found a twofold increase in learning disabilities in children who had more than one exposure to general anesthesia with surgery before age 2. The study is published in the November issue of Pediatrics. The FDA requested and funded the study. Last spring, an FDA panel met to review the research examining the effect of early exposure to anesthesia on the developing brain. Following the meeting, FDA director of anesthesia and analgesia products Bob Rappaport, MD, wrote that additional studies are needed. He noted that "at present, there is not enough information to draw any firm conclusions" about the long-term impact of early exposure to general anesthesia on the brain. The new study adds to the evidence linking repeated exposure to general anesthesia very early i...

Who Will Be The Next Steve Jobs? Computers have to grow beyond their functions of mirroring the brain. Only a brilliant mind can see how that change is coming. Apple is at a crossroads: At the left is failure by assimilation, and at the right, is a hill so steep, few could climb it. The leader who famously quoted Wayne Gretzky as saying “I don't skate where the puck is; I skate where it’s going to be” is gone. But in his now-famous Stanford graduation address, Steve Jobs left his Rosetta stone for Apple in an anecdote about learning calligraphy and how it shaped the creation of the first Macintosh, the machine that single-handedly revolutionized print-based media. It’s all about creativity. We’re at a point now that other companies have clued into the use of typography, interface and industrial design, forcing Apple back into competing in nuts-and-bolt things like message notifications. So, creativity for Apple can’t just be about putting swashed lettering on their boxes....

Feeding a baby on only breast milk and for up to 6 months after birth can reduce their risk of developing asthma-related symptoms in early childhood, according to new research. The study, which is published online July 21, 2011 in the European Respiratory Journal, looked at the impact of the duration of breastfeeding and the introduction of alternative liquids or solids in addition to breast milk. The researchers, from the Generation R Study, Erasmus Medical Center in The Netherlands, used questionnaires to gather data from over 5,000 children. They ascertained in the first 12 months after birth whether the children had ever been breastfed, when breastfeeding was stopped, and whether any other milk or solids were introduced. Further questionnaires were completed when the children were aged 1, 2, 3 and 4 years to check whether they had any asthma-related symptoms. The results showed that children who had never been breastfed had an increased risk of wheezing, shortness of br...

Do you know why you feel so euphoric when you’re in love? Why you feel happiness when you’re with your love? Do you know what happens in your body and how you can influence this all? Well I’ll try to tell you something about this. I’ll tell you something about at least six hormones that are involved with love. You probably know them, at least the names. So let’s talk about adrenaline, dopamine, fenylethylamine, endorphin and oxytocin. Dopamine Did you know that when you’re in love, dopamine gives you the same feeling as when you would use cocaine? Every time you see your love, you get a shot of dopamine and it’s addictive. Everyone who has been in love knows they wanted to see the one they were in love with again and again and again. But when you’re in a relationship for a longer period, let’s say about two years; your body doesn’t produce that much dopamine anymore. The feeling of being in love slowly changed in loving him or her. When you eat healthy, you’ll probably ...

In Sub-Saharan Africa, women who are empowered to make household decisions tend to have sex less often. This is according to a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined the relationships between married women's autonomy and the time since most recent sexual intercourse and found that women's position in their household may influence sexual activity. "A very consistent pattern was observed across all six countries we surveyed -- as the number of decisions in which a women had the final say increased, the mean and median time since most recent sex also increased by three- to 100-fold ," said Michelle Hindin, PhD, MHS, lead author of the study and an associate professor at the Bloomberg School's Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health. "The more decisions a woman reported making on her own, as compared to joint decision making, the less likely she was to have sex and the longer it wa...