Did you know that around 40 million squirrels a year get run over on US roads simply because they are so busy running back and forth, with no plan or strategy, with the sole aim of finding nuts? Which is why Andrew J Sherman, in his self-improvement book Road Rules, suggests that we need to ‘Be the Truck. Not the Squirrel.’ Unlike squirrels, trucks are big, powerful, and have a plan, road map, and destination in mind. They, unlike the squirrel, don’t get squashed. Yes, it sounds a bit extreme, even violent and aggressive. But once you get into the book, you’ll find that there is nothing at all aggressive about Andrew’s approach to life. In fact, the book simply uses road signs and rules as the way to navigate the road of life. Road... [Read more]

Here’s something you might not want to know. Most surgeons learn how to perform surgery on real live patients. Sure, they start off as students practicing on cadavers but mostly, they learn by performing actual surgical procedures under the guidance of senior surgeons. However, researchers are looking to technology to change this learning pattern and have created virtual patient simulators for residents to practice on before using a scalpel on real patients. Clinical trials are currently being held at the Stanford University School of Medicine to test the effectiveness of this virtual reality training. They are integrating data from patient’s pre-op CT scans into a virtual patient simulator. The simulator consists of a endoscopic camera... [Read more]

A group of public health graduate students from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) with the dubious title of ‘Team Diarrhea’ played an instrumental role in finding the sources the U.S.’s two most recent major salmonella outbreaks – in peanuts earlier this year and in jalapeño peppers (previously blamed on tomatoes) in 2008. It’s not a glamorous role. Looking the part of everyday telemarketers, the Team Diarrhea or Team D players work in a giant cubicle, asking people questions about their food poisoning symptoms. But it’s a role that is highly important. By rapidly discovering the source of a food poisoning outbreak, continued exposure can be minimized, thus saving people from severe illness, and possible death. You can... [Read more]

Word everywhere is that washing your hands is the key to staying healthy, especially when there are so many bugs and viruses floating around. Soap and water work great but sometimes you just feel the need to use something a little more potent  – like an alcohol based hand sanitizer. But there’s a lot of controversy surrounding hand sanitizer products. Some people worry about the effectiveness of them. Others are concerned about the chemicals put in them – chemicals such as the endocrine disruptor Triclosan. Easier, in some ways, to make your own. That way, you exactly what’s in it. DIY hand sanitizer recipe In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup each of pure aloe vera gel and grain alcohol with 5 drops of tea tree essential oil. To make... [Read more]

Fans of ‘The Biggest Loser’ reality series looking to lose weight will be pleased to hear that the doctor behind the program, Dr Robert Huizenga, has written a book “Where Did All The Fat Go” to guide them on their weight loss. But if you plan on following his action plan, be ready to sweat. Huizenga’s weight loss program focuses on large quantities of jogging daily and a strict balanced eating plan. According to him, the body has to work at 120%  7 days a week in order to lose the fat. To do this, anyone looking to lose weight needs to exercise at least 2 hours a day. There is no time to rest. As for the type of exercise, the book focuses primarily on walking and jogging as the two best ways to lose the fat. It’s a program that... [Read more]