We always here hear, even from medical professionals, that, reading in dim light damage your eyes; you need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and shaving your legs make the hair grow back faster. A group of researchers delved on scientific bases to prove these common beliefs but it turned out there were none.
Here are the seven common “medical myths”:
- Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
The majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage, but it may make you squint, blink more and have trouble focusing, the researchers said.
- Shaving makes hair grow back faster or coarser
It has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair regrowth, studies say. But stubble lacks the finer taper of unshaven hair, giving the impression of coarseness.
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An alarming news published in Philippine Daily Inquirer based on a research by Asian Development Bank should make us rethink of conserving water.
The Philippines’ water resources are fast deteriorating with rapid urbanization, with only about 33 percent of river systems still suitable as a supply source and up to 58 percent of groundwater now contaminated. Water availability in the Philippines could be “unsatisfactory” in eight of its 19 major river basins and in most major cities before 2025.
Urbanization has been pointed out as the major cause of this arising problem. Poor environmental management, extensive forest denudation, poor maintenance of sanitary landfills, crowding in urban areas, etc, are few of the effects of urbanization that have subsequently affected the availability of clean water in the Philippines, especially in large cities Cebu and Metro Manila.
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Stem cells have been considered as promising breakthrough as cancer treatments. Potential sources such as skin cells, bone marrow cells, etc., have been widely researched. It seems that there is addition to these sources as researchers from a biotechnology firm in Arizona discovered the endometrial regenerative cells.
Ethical issues have been raised regarding this new form of medical treatment.
Stem cells come from two main sources: embryos or adult tissues. Embryonic stem cells can give rise to virtually any cell type in the body, but they are controversial because conventional procedures for obtaining them involve the destruction of an embryo. Adult stem cells, such as those found in bone marrow, do not pose the same ethical concerns, but they have limited powers and collecting them can require invasive procedures.
While the new technique of reverting skin cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state promises to overcome the ethical dilemmas, this approach could come with safety concerns that make the cells too risky for use in humans. The technique for converting the skin cells involves using viruses to insert several genes, one of which is known to cause cancer.
Menstrual stem cells could turn out to be a happy medium between embryonic and adult stem cells, providing an ethically acceptable alternative that is readily accessible and appears to give rise to most of the major tissue types in the body.MSNBC
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There is already an alarming case of capillariasis in a village in Zamboanga, called Moyo, where everyone is afflicted with the intestinal parasite infestation. Seventy villagers have already died and blamed for their own death. These people have been warned about eating freshwater fish and shrimps as they may harbor this parasite.
Facts about Capillariasis:
Mode of Transmission:
The disease can be acquired through consumption of infected raw or improperly cooked small freshwater fish.
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The American Institute for Cancer Research has released these eight guidelines for avoiding cancer. The last six are eating related:
- Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight
- Be physically active as part of everyday life
- Limit consumption of “energy-dense foods,” foods that are high in calories, fat and sugar. Avoid sugary drinks.
- Eat mostly foods of plant origin, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans
- Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat
- Limit alcoholic drinks to one per day for women, two per day for men
- Limit consumption of salt. Avoid moldy grains or legumes
- Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone, without dietary supplement.
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It was only few months ago when iPhones were released in the market. This new gadget has been a subject of recent controversies even at its less than a year in the market. It has been a subject of recent hacking and piracy and now Apple is facing yet another controversy. An environmental group alleged iPhone to contain reproductive toxin.
A series of tests was done with the iPhone and it revealed chemicals that included “phthalates” in the vinyl plastic earphone wiring at levels that are prohibited in young children’s toys.
Phthalates, or phthalate esters, are a group of chemical compounds that are mainly used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility). Wikipedia.org
According to researches, high level of exposure can cause cancer and occupational exposure may lead to adult infertility. Demasculinization may also result in a fetus exposed in utero to these toxins.
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