Medicine & Health

Health news: Liquorice soothes the symptoms of eczema, a vaccine to quit smoking and hypnosis to beat cancer pain

In our round-up of health news this week, sweets that soothe eczema symptoms, an anti-smoking vaccine and how hypnosis can ease cancer pain.

Alzheimer's risk 'could be increased by surgery'

Patients who undergo major hospital operations could be at greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, scientists believe.

Eight cancer signs identified by scientists

Eight key signs of cancer which offer the clearest indication of the disease have been identified by scientists.

Experimental Treatments for Cocaine Addiction May Prevent Relapse

ScienceDaily — Doctors have used the drug disulfiram to help patients stay sober for several decades. It interferes with the body's ability to metabolize alcohol, giving a fierce hangover to someone who consumes even a small amount of alcohol.

Moms Who Don't Breastfeed More Likely to Develop Type 2 Diabetes, Study Finds

ScienceDaily — Mothers who did not breastfeed their children have significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes later in life than moms who breastfed, report University of Pittsburgh researchers in a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

Fluoride in Water Prevents Adult Tooth Loss, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily — Children drinking water with added fluoride helps dental health in adulthood decades later, a new study finds.

Smoking increases depressive symptoms in teens

Montreal – While some teenagers may puff on cigarettes to 'self-medicate' against the blues, scientists at the University of Toronto and the University of Montreal have found that smoking may actually increase depressive symptoms in some adolescents. Published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the findings are part of the long-term Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) study based at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre.

Black rice is the new cancer-fighting superfood, claim scientists

Black rice - revered in ancient China but overlooked in the West - could be the greatest 'superfoods', scientists revealed today.

Study Links Gene to Serious Eye Disease

Researchers identify robust association between the two

Vitamin A increases the presence of the HIV virus in breast milk

Vitamin A and beta-carotene supplements are unsafe for HIV-positive women who breastfeed because they may boost the excretion of HIV in breast milk---thereby increasing the chances of transmitting the infection to the child, a pair of new studies suggest.

Transplant patients could grow their own livers as scientists turn skin into organ cells

Scientists have created liver cells from slivers of skin. The technique could one day be used to grow organs that are perfect matches to the patient

Aspirin during pregnancy could prevent pre-eclampsia in thousands of women, says NHS

Taking aspirin in pregnancy could save thousands of women from developing a condition that can threaten the lives of both mother and baby, say new NHS guidelines.

Health diagnosis made simpler

Arizona State University researchers have demonstrated a way to dramatically simplify testing patients for infectious diseases and unhealthy protein levels.

Bursting Bubbles Could Inject Drugs Right into Cells

Bubbles popping – the same phenomenon that crumbles kidney stones and rusts ship propeller blades – might hold the key to successfully injecting drugs directly into individual cells without harming them.

Drinking Water Proven to Help Weight Loss

Adding science to years of anecdotal claims, scientists find that dieters who drink two cups of water before meals lose more weight.