Researchers are constantly looking at how we see each other and how we treat each other. And new research has shown that although racism may not be voiced on television, it still comes through, albeit nonverbally.

In a study done by Tuft’s University researchers and published this past week in the journal Science, researchers tell us about how facial expressions or subtle body language can successfully bring across the feelings towards someone else. They are so effective that even young people can pick up on them.

In order to do their research, the investigators chose 10-second clips from 11 popular prime-time television shows that had both white and African-American main characters, including Scrubs, House, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, CSI Miami, Heroes, and Bones.

By cropping out either a black or white character, those who were viewing the clips could only see the reactions of the actors around that character. The white viewers were then asked how the other characters felt about the missing character.

Judges, who had not previously watched the shows, rated the extent to which the unseen characters were treated positively and liked by the other characters. Compared with black characters, white characters elicited significantly more favorable nonverbal responses.

The researchers pointed out

They found that characters on the shows exhibited more negative nonverbal behavior toward black characters than to white characters of the same status. Exposure to “pro-white” (vs. “pro-black”) nonverbal bias also increased viewers’ race bias, as assessed with reaction-time and self-report measures.

This isn’t really new news, if you think about it. It’s very possible that much of what someone says and does can be different from what they really believe.

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Image: ZumaPress.com

Post from: Healthbolt

Poppycock, rubbish, and every other non-offending word from me. This is not necessary – a visit from Santa has no more of a chance of increasing illness than the video link-ups with Santa that the hospital is planning – with immunosuppressed children being the exception. The administrators said that each child will be receiving a personalized video greeting from the man himself.

It’s understandable that we want to keep our children safe. The spread of a virus like H1N1 is scary because of the severity of effects it can have on some children. But so many children look forward to Christmas and Santa that this is the one thing that could make their stay in hospital even bearable. They know, when they see Santa, that all is as well as it can be for them at that time.

Santa knows how to wash his hands. His gloves can be changed frequently. He doesn’t even have to touch the children; he can come into the room and laugh his jolly laugh.

This isn’t a Grinch-like move. As someone pointed out to me a few days ago, the Grinch really did know what the true meaning of Christmas was and it wasn’t the commercial aspect of it. But having Santa not visit the hospital isn’t feeding into the commercial aspect; it’s feeding into a child’s hopes and dream. C’mon CHEO, let your patients dream.

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Image: MorgueFile.com

Source: CBC News

Post from: Healthbolt

Baby boomers and older people may remember the pull tabs on drink cans. We used to pick up the edge of the tab, a circle usually, pull up and the tab would pull off. Most people would throw them away and then drink out of the can, but some people would push the tab into the can or it some how ended up in there. The result was some people would end up swallowing the tab and choke on it. To counter this, the tab system was changed and the tab is no longer immediately removable.

The problem is though, sometimes the tab comes off anyway, deliberately or not, and choking is still happening. And, while choking on foreign objects is usually a problem reserved for babies and toddlers, this is happening to older children and teens.

Interestingly, these tabs are not easily noticeable on x-rays. According to a study just presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, of 19 cases where the tab was swallowed, only four were identified by x-ray.

So, be careful when swigging back those drinks.

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Image: PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Healthbolt

Actually, if you really read the study, it’s not the faithfulness that was the issue, it was how much the woman was exposed to the father’s semen. You know how I caution people to read studies carefully and not take news at face value? Here is yet another case. The news that came out of this study shows you how headlines can blow things out of proportion.

These “news” sources published exactly the same thing, which means they were using a press release:

• Faithful mothers have healthier babies (PhysOrg.com)
• Faithful mothers have healthier babies (Science News)
• Faithful Mothers Have Healthier Babies (Medical News Today)

On the other hand, the real information is here:

Duration of sexual relationship and its effect on preeclampsia and small for gestational age perinatal outcome. (PubMed)

Do you see the difference in the titles? Nowhere does it say fidelity or faithfulness – it says duration of sexual relationship. There’s a HUGE difference between the two. There are several reasons why a woman may not be exposed to the father’s semen after pregnancy. I can think of a few right off the top of my head:

• Father is away on deployment or other work-related issues right after conception
• Mother is away on work-related issues
• Mother (or father) doesn’t want to have sex
• Couple breaks up
• Father is unable to have sexual relation for some reason after conception
• Baby was conceived through methods other than sexual relations

Ok, here’s the real story:

Researchers followed 2507 women who were pregnant for the first time and were carrying only one child (meaning no twins or more). The women were asked about how long they had been with the father of the child, because the shorter the relationship, the less the woman was exposed to his semen.

The goal of the study was to see if women who had shorter sexual relationships with the biological father of the child had a higher risk of having a condition called pre-eclampsia – high blood pressure due to pregnancy – and/or smaller babies.

Briefly, what the researchers found was this was true. Women in longer sexual relationships had a lower risk of developing pre-eclampsia than women in shorter relationships.

There were 1,462 uncomplicated pregnancies within the group of mothers. Among the rest, 131 did develop pre-eclampsia and 263 had babies small for gestational age.

The researchers found that women who were in the shorter relationships did have a higher rate of pre-eclampsia, but this wasn’t found absolutely for babies of small gestational age.

Interestingly, at the 20 week ultrasound, doctors did find a problem with the uterine artery, the blood vessel that provides blood to the uterus, in 58 women and more of those women were the ones in the shorter relationship group.

So – now that you know what the study really said, what do you think?

Post from: Healthbolt

Sadly, that isn’t always the case though, as a teenager in the United Kingdom and her teachers discovered over two years ago. In January 2007, a 16-year-old girl went to make a plaster of paris model of her hands. To do so, she placed her hands in the bucket of plaster. What she – and apparently her teachers – didn’t know was that large amounts of this plaster get very hot, up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius). Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit and body temperature is 98.7 degrees.

The plaster set around the girls hands and fingers so her teachers could not get it off. She suffered severe burns to her fingers, said news reports, and had to have all but two amputated after 12 surgeries.

The news came out this week because a court in the U.K. awarded the girl 19,000 pounds, which is a little over 30,000 U.S. dollars.

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Source

Photo: PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Healthbolt

Health officials in Los Angeles are targeting young woman with a program that offers STD Results Via Text. The progam that started earlier this week provides home delivery of STD testing kits and a text message to alert them when the results are ready online.

A man is suing a Chicago restaurant that he claims provided an undercooked salmon salad that resulted in him having a  9-foot-tapeworm growing inside him.  The Scientific American article that highlights this case asks Are Urban Tapeworms on the rise?

Chastity Bono (daughter of Sonny and Cher) is transitioning from woman to man.

An anti-abortion blogger, who wrote in detail about being pregnant with a sick baby, is outed as a hoax.

Post from: Healthbolt

Treadmills and other home gym equipment is great for keeping adults fit but are a definite danger to children.

In fact, the Australian Office of Fair Trading has become so concerned the increase in reports of treadmill injuries to children that they issued a public education campaign in 2008.

Called  Treadmills and Kids Don’t Mix, this campaign highlights the dangers of treadmills for children, especially how a treadmill’s moving belt can cause friction injuries and entrap fingers, hands, hair, and clothing.

The campaign made the following safety tips for treadmill owners and users… 

If you can, use your treadmill in the room away from young children.

If this is not possible:

–use safety barriers (like a playpen) to keep children away from the treadmill

–do not use your treadmill when young children are around

Always keep your treadmill unplugged when not in use.

Store your treadmill well away from children’s reach.Always supervise older children if they are using a treadmill.

When you buy a new treadmill choose one with protective covers and a safety stop switch.

Keeping children away from the treadmill altogether, however, might be the best line of defence.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

Someone with obstructive sleep apnoea experiences recurrent choking when their throat closes during sleep, making it a potentially life-threatening disorder. Because of this, many people who suffer from this disorder end up wearing uncomfortable and cumbersome CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) apparatus during the night.

Now some researchers in Australia have found that having a banana smoothie nightcap might just help keep the throat open and therefore reduce this risk of choking.

The study, conducted by a New South Wales University, has come out with preliminary results that indicate that phospholipids (fatty acids) in bananas stay active in the mouth for six hours after ingestion. Already a known fact that phospholipids in other sources work to keep the throat open, this new study has huge implications for those with sleep apnoea.

Not sure what the dentists will make of it as the banana smoothie should be taken after you’ve brushed your teeth for full effect.

But I guess if you’re weighing up good teeth vs breathing, the breathing will win every time.

It’s still early days on for this study and the result are only preliminary so don’t be thinking of throwing away the CPAP machine yet.

(image from sxc.hu)

Post from: Healthbolt

This is the time of the year when there are increased levels of pesticides, such as atrazine (which is banned in Europe but still permitted in the US) and nitrates, in surface water across the United States. Based on the evidence this study has uncovered, the researchers suspect there is a strong correlation between the seasonal increase in pesticides in the surface water and numbers of babies born with birth defects.

As Dr Winchester, lead author, says “… if our suspicions are right and pesticides are contributing to birth defect risk, we can reverse or modify the factors that are causing these lifelong and often very serious medical problems.”

(photo image – Sxc.hu/Jenny Rollo)

Post from: Healthbolt

It was like the blood had been drained out of it.

In fact, I had to look twice to make sure I was at the right blog.

I wonder if everyone feels like that when they have a facelift?

But like any good facelift, what’s underneath stays the same.

Healthbolt is still going to supply the interesting, the intriguing, the entertaining, the bizarre, and sometimes down right gross in the world of health and wellness.

So what do you think about Healthbolt’s new look, and more importantly, Healthbolt’s new digs at BlissTree?

Personally, I think you’re going to love it. The BlissTree portal from b5Media has everything about health at your fingertips. Anytime you come and visit Healthbolt, you’ll also have the opportunity to also visit with some of the greatest health and lifestyle bloggers around. All you have to do is wander around the navigation bar at the top blog.

My suggestion – click on Home. It’s a great place to start.

Post from: Healthbolt