Chewing gum relieve anxiety and reduce stress

A new finding by an Australian scientists suggest, chewing gum may reduce stress and anxiety. The study was led by Andrew Scholey, a professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at Swinburne University in Melbourne. The study found that gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety, increased alertness and reduced Stress.

Relieved Anxiety: When chewing gum, participants reported lower levels of anxiety.
Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in moderate stress.

Increased Alertness: Participants experienced greater levels of alertness when they chewed gum.
Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.

Reduced Stress: Stress levels were lower in participants who chewed gum.

The study found also that gum chewers showed a level of increase in their performance on multi-task activities. I usually dont chew gum at all, but with these findings I think I am going to change my mind and adapt the habit.

Source – Eurekalert

The first of its kind operation shoulder constructed from elbow

Doctors in the U.K preformed the first of its kind surgery where they used muscles and tissue from a patient’s unaffected elbow to create a new shoulder after it was amputated after a cancer at Leeds General Hospital in England.

Tom Lemm, 15, from Pontefract, lost his left arm after suffering from cancer “a tumor” at the top of the limb. Tom’s surgeons said that they removed the whole arm and shoulder, and then used the elbow joint and tissue from the arm to reconstruct a shoulder joint. Professor Kay told the BBC: “The most awful thing for an upper limb reconstructive surgeon to do is to remove an arm – it’s a dreadful thing to do.

“But by using the bits that would be discarded, you can pluck a little bit of comfort.”
He said Tom’s new shoulder will be able to support an artificial limb. “This will be a tremendous advantage.” BBC

Tom told the sun’s newspaper “I was very upset at losing my arm but then the prof told me what he planned to do.

“I hope the fact it has worked for me gives others hope.”

Electronic human exoskeleton gives paralyzed people their life back

Radi Kaiof, a 41 year old male from Israel paralyzed for around 20 years now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum. This revolutionary invention by a Amit Goffer, gave Radi his life back and made his dream come true.

‘I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it’s like,’ said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.”

‘Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below.’

The new device is called “ReWalk”, and its a human electronic exoskeleton consist of motorized leg support, body sensors and back pack containing a computerized control box and chargeable batteries. But users need crutches to help with balance.

ReWalk will be in the market in 2010, and according to the company, it will cost around 20,000$.

Source – Yahoo News

Drugs found in drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans

After around five months of intensive research, the Associated Press investigation shows that a vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans. According to the research, people take their medication, then the body absorbs some of that medicine, the rest goes to the toilet. Some of the water is cleaned again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. “We recognize it is a growing concern and we’re taking it very seriously,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The full study was published by the AP on the USToday’s website.

Having these over-the-counter  drugs in drinking water, worry many doctors and scientists around the United States of long-term consequences to human health.

Source – UStoday

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