Ebola: Still the Scariest Virus Out There?

Ebola: Still the Scariest Virus Out There? - Simply uttering the word Ebola is enough to cause a person to cringe, shudder, twitch, or perhaps even recoil in horror. Rightly so. Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF), the result of an infection with one of the four identified sub-types of Ebola viruses known to affect humans, is gruesome. Ebola infection can result in a mortality rate as high as 90 percent of all infected individuals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The real horror, though, comes when you know that no one is sure where Ebola can be found (until there’s an outbreak, of course); there are no vaccines and no treatments; and we’re still uncertain about how people are infected in the first place.

Ebola hit the international stage without warning and with dumbfounding devastation. In 1976, outbreaks in Zaire and Sudan resulted in 318 and 284 cases, with 280 and 151 deaths, respectively. Since 1976, sporadic outbreaks have occurred, ranging from a single case to a massive 425 cases in Uganda in 2000. Since 1976, well over 2,000 cases have been identified, with over 1,000 deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), outbreaks have occurred in Uganda as recently as November 2012.

Ebola HF, named after a river where it was first recognized in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a disease that affects humans and non-human primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) that was first recognized in 1976. It’s a type of RNA virus known as Filoviridae. There are four sub-types of the virus that cause disease in humans: Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast, and Ebola-Bundibugyo. A fifth type, Ebola-Reston, can cause disease in primates, but has not affected humans in the past.

All confirmed cases of Ebola HF in humans have occurred in African countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Ivory Coast, the Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Uganda. The Ebola-Reston virus, dangerous to monkeys, was found in research laboratories in the United States, Italy, and the Philippines. While some researchers were also infected with this strain, they were asymptomatic.

The WHO thinks that the route of transmission is zoonotic, meaning the Ebola is spread from animal to human. Contact with infected primates, and interestingly enough, fruit bats and dead forest antelope or porcupines have been documented as ways the virus gets passed along to people. Once in a human host, transmission between humans can happen via blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids. Scarier still is the fact that burial ceremonies of dead Ebola patients, healthcare worker interaction with patients, and even semen passed up to seven weeks post-infection, can play all a role in transmission, too.

The incubation period—the time between infection and when a person has symptoms—is estimated to be between two and 21 days. Ebola HF is an acute-onset disease, meaning, it’ll happen fast, with immediate symptoms that can include joint pain, fever, chills, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, nausea, sore throat, and vomiting, according to the National Institutes of Health. As the disease progresses, the most severe symptoms—for which Ebola HF became infamous—begin to take their toll: bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, rectum, and internal bleeding may occur. Depression, swollen eyes and genitals, painful skin, a red, inflamed roof of the mouth, and a hemorrhagic rash (containing blood) over the entire body characterize the most devastating symptoms.

The prognosis is poor: Between 25 and 90 percent of all outbreak cases of Ebola HF die, usually from low blood pressure (aka shock), rather than blood loss, as might be expected. Early, non-specific symptoms can make Ebola HF difficult to diagnose, but lab tests can detect the disease within a few days of disease onset.

It is difficult to pin down preventative measures when the exact location and mode of transmission are unknown. For now, the best advice available, echoed by the CDC, WHO, and others, is to avoid endemic areas in times of outbreaks altogether. Since there’s no treatment for Ebola HF the most that can be done for a patient is what’s called “supported therapy,” which entails balancing fluids and electrolytes, blood pressure, oxygen, and monitoring for other infections.

A recent study in the journal Chemistry and Biology found potential for a treatment and cure, in a compound that can block viral RNA synthesis, among other things. The research showed that sometimes the scientists could prevent the Ebola virus (and others) from proliferating by using a compound known as CMLDBU3402. It will be important to see if anyone else can repeat these results and potentially develop treatment for Ebola and other deadly RNA viruses.

While Ebola HF is unlikely to cause the next zombie apocalypse, as long as no treatment is available this virus will remain a terrifying and almost mythical disease. ( takepart.com )

Why do you think that Ebola looms so large in people’s fears, even while viruses like malaria, dengue fever, and even the flu kill so many more people?--By Steve Purcell

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HIV-positive saliva not a "deadly weapon"

HIV-positive saliva not a "deadly weapon" -- An HIV-positive man who admitted to biting a police officer attempting to arrest him had his aggravated assault conviction overturned on Thursday by New York's top court, which ruled the man's saliva did not qualify as a deadly weapon.

The Court of Appeals, in throwing out the conviction of David Plunkett, ruled that body parts, saliva or anything that "comes with" a person cannot be considered deadly weapons under state law. In New York, aggravated assault requires the use of a "deadly weapon or dangerous instrument."

In 2006 the staff at a medical clinic in Ilion, about 70 miles east of Syracuse, called police to complain that Plunkett, a patient at the clinic, was causing a disturbance. Police said Plunkett, who had a history of mental illness, punched and bit one of the responding officers, according to court documents.

Herkimer County Court Judge Patrick Kirk in 2007 denied Plunkett's motion to dismiss the aggravated-assault charge, ruling that while Plunkett's teeth could not be considered a deadly weapon, his saliva could.

Plunkett pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 2010, the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, found that by pleading guilty, Plunkett had forfeited his right to appeal.

The Court of Appeals on Thursday disagreed, finding that Plunkett could not have been guilty of aggravated assault because he did not possess a deadly weapon.

"A defendant can admit facts, but cannot by his or her admission mint an offense for which the law does not already provide," Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman wrote in a unanimous decision.

Plunkett argued on appeal that under state law, only substances that are "readily capable of causing death or other serious physical injury" can be considered deadly weapons.

The court on Thursday declined to weigh in on whether HIV can be spread through biting.

A number of studies have found saliva does not contain sufficient concentrations of HIV to transmit the virus to other people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "contact with saliva alone has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV."

Scott Schoettes, the HIV Project director for national gay-rights group Lambda Legal, said Thursday's ruling is the first in the country to state explicitly that no body part or fluid can be considered a deadly weapon.

"It's an important step forward" for HIV-positive people, said Schoettes, who wrote a brief on behalf of Plunkett. A contrary ruling, he added, would "criminalize HIV."

Herkimer County Acting District Attorney Jeffrey Carpenter said that Plunkett had also attempted to defecate, urinate and bleed on the officers and "taunted them with the fact that he had HIV."

"No one was seeking to punish (Plunkett) because he has HIV," Carpenter said, "but because he intentionally tried to infect another human being with that disease."

He said he was concerned that Thursday's decision could endanger police, emergency medical workers and medical professionals, and that he would push for legislation that would make it a crime to intentionally spread a communicable disease.

Plunkett's attorney, Audrey Baron Dunning, denied that her client had tried to infect the officers and said the ruling "is in line with the medical and scientific communities." ( Reuters )

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Happiness is... hitting the gym: Exercise fans feel greater levels of excitement, say scientists

Happiness is... hitting the gym: Exercise fans feel greater levels of excitement, say scientists - If the person next to you appears more enthusiastic about life, it may be because they are more physically active, say scientists.

Such people report greater levels of excitement and enthusiasm than people who are less physically active, according to researchers in the U.S.

‘You don’t have to be the fittest person who is exercising every day to receive the feel-good benefits of exercise,’ said David Conroy, a professor at Penn State University.

Happy: Research has found that those people who are more physically active report greater levels of excitement and enthusiasm than those who do not exercise regularly

'It’s a matter of taking it one day at a time, of trying to get your activity in, and then there’s this feel-good reward afterwards.'

Some 190 students were asked to keep diaries of their exercise, sleep and mental states for the study published in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology.

Participants were instructed to record only those episodes of physical activity that occurred for at least 15 minutes and to note whether the physical activity was mild, moderate or vigorous.

Participants returned their diaries to the researchers at the end of each day for a total of eight days.

Professor Conroy added that ‘physical activity is so much more effective for treating depression rather than anxiety’, and ‘people dealing with anxious symptoms don’t need an increase in activation. If anything, they might want to bring it down some’.

Professor Conroy added that it often is hard for people to commit to an exercise program because they tend to set long-term rather than short-term goals.

'When people set New Year’s resolutions, they set them up to include the entire upcoming year, but that can be really overwhelming,” he said.

'Taking it one day at a time and savoring that feel-good effect at the end of the day might be one step to break it down and get those daily rewards for activity. Doing this could help people be a little more encouraged to stay active and keep up the program they started.' ( dailymail.co.uk )

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Top 10 Aging Myths

Top 10 Aging Myths - In our youth-obsessed society, most of us are on a constant quest to figure out what food, which exercises and which products can help us look younger longer as well as extend our lives. Here we debunk the 10 most widely believed aging myths. Read on to figure out what you have control over in terms of aging, as well as what works and what doesn't when it comes to battling time.

1. Losing weight is harder as you age

One aging and metabolism myth: While your metabolism may dip with each passing year, you can't necessarily blame any ensuing weight-loss difficulties on your age. If you aren't on a low-fat or low-calorie diet, for example, losing weight will be difficult. Similarly, low-sodium diets can make it easier to shed pounds because it increases water retention. Finally, gaining weight is one of the side effects often associated with meds prescribed to older adults, so once you've balanced out your diet, have a discussion with your doctor about what you can do to counteract any lingering unwanted pounds.

2. Excessive use of hair products causes hair loss

Piling on hair products can definitely make your hair brittle, gunky and unappealing for women to touch, but abusing products like gel, hairspray, mousse, and wax won't actually cause hair loss. The reason is that hair growth is dictated by your hair follicles and, given that hair products don't penetrate deeply into your scalp, they won't interfere with hair growth. For healthy-looking hair, however, we recommend using minimal amounts of any hair product to achieve your desired style.

3. Hair loss comes from your mother's side

Whether or not you're destined to lose your hair does come down to a matter of genetics. The belief, however, that the gene for hair loss comes from your mother's side of the family is false. So, while the opportunity to embrace baldness is a hereditary trait, you should examine both sides of your family tree in order to get an idea of what might be in store for your locks as you age.

4. Low-intensity exercise is better for people over 50

Although any form of physical activity is good for you and is certainly better than sitting in front of your television, it's not true that as you age you should engage in less-demanding activities. Many people erroneously believe this myth because they fear that high-intensity exercise will lead to injury. Not exercising, however, is actually more likely to damage your health as vigorous exercise is linked to improved cardiovascular conditioning and will help you prevent a heart attack and ward off diseases, like diabetes, associated with carrying around excess weight.

5. Diet supplements slow aging

Despite the fact that Americans spend billions of dollars annually on supplements marketed as fountains of youth in pill form, scientific evidence that any of these products actually slow down aging is severely lacking. In fact, independent research has consistently demonstrated no link between improved health and downing vitamins, enzymes and much more. Worse, in addition to being questionably effective, many of these products have not been proven safe for regular consumption. To ensure you're getting all the nutrients your body needs, improve the quality of the food you consume, rather than popping pills.

6. Muscle loss is inevitable

It's common to believe that once you hit 40, you can expect to begin noticeably losing muscle mass with each passing year. A Canadian study comparing active adults between the ages of 53 and 75 with sedentary adults of the same age found that the physically active group had muscle cells that functioned nearly as efficiently as those of 20-somethings. The take-home message here is that a sedentary lifestyle may be more to blame for the loss of muscle mass after 40 than the aging process itself.

7. There's no need for sunscreen in the winter

Even on cloudy days, UV radiation reaches the Earth's surface, meaning it can penetrate your skin, leading to premature aging. As such, there's more to worry about than summer skin care. In the battle to prevent skin cancer and the sun in general, it's therefore important to use an SPF 30 sunscreen on skin that is exposed to the elements every day, including those for which the forecast is rain.

8. Paler skin ages faster

To date, doctors and scientists have found no rock-solid evidence that paler skin ages at a faster rate than darker skin. The darker your skin, however, the more melanin you have to protect your cells from sun damage, which ages skin. Additionally, because it tends to be on the drier side, fairer skin is more likely to show fine lines and wrinkles. If your skin is very pale, your master plan for remaining youthful-looking should include using moisturizer and sunscreen religiously and donning a hat that shields your face when you're out in the sun.

9. Moisturizing products reverse the signs of aging

While scientists are definitely on the case, there are presently no topically applied products available on the market that actually allow your skin cells to time travel to the past. Rather, what the best moisturizers and serums do is increase your cell-turnover rate so that the upper layer of your epidermis looks fresher and, by extension, younger. Also, because moisturizers smooth and plump your skin, reducing dryness, fine lines on your face are less apparent to the naked eye. Furthermore, when sunscreen has been added to a moisturizer, it will help prevent future aging by blocking damaging UV rays.

10. Genes determine how fast you age

One of the biggest misconceptions about aging is that how fast and how well you age are largely determined by genetics. While what your parents gave you will affect tissue degeneration throughout your body, external factors exert a massive influence on the aging process. This news is good because it means you have more control than you may have thought over what you look like now and in the future. To reduce the impact of environmental factors associated with aging, limit unprotected sun exposure, eat a balanced diet, don't be a couch potato, and decrease your contact with pollutants. ( foxnews.com )

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Targeted intraoperative radiotherapy blasted my breast tumour

Targeted intraoperative radiotherapy blasted my breast tumour - Women with early stage breast cancer typically have the tumour removed, followed by six weeks of radiotherapy involving 30 trips to hospital.

Now, a new form of radiation has been developed which has to be done only once.

Petipa ‘Peppy’ Begueria, 51, practice manager for a GP clinic in Camden, North London, had the procedure. Here she tells THEA JOURDAN her story.

THE PATIENT

Fast track treatment: Peppy Bugueria had a one off treatment for breast cancer

Last May, I was putting on moisturiser after a shower when I felt this hard lump near my right armpit. It was the size of a marble and quite close to the skin. Working in a GP practice, I knew it could be breast cancer.

I saw my GP, who felt the lump and immediately faxed a referral letter over to University College Hospital (UCH). Just eight days later, I had an appointment at the hospital’s breast clinic, where a specialist did a mammogram, an ultrasound and a needle biopsy, removing some cells for examination.

Somehow I got through another week, and then the news that I’d been dreading came through: I had breast cancer.

My world fell apart. Thoughts like ‘How long have I got?’ flashed through my mind. It was a shock because I don’t smoke, am generally healthy, and there’s no history of breast cancer in my family. Thankfully, my husband Peter was by my side. He’s been my rock.

The doctor said my tumour was between Grade 1 and 2, so it was early stage and hadn’t spread. I would need to have a lumpectomy — an operation to remove the lump and a margin of surrounding tissue. I was very relieved that it wasn’t a mastectomy.

I was also told that I would need to have radiotherapy afterwards to make sure that all the cancer cells were killed. I knew that women usually have a six-week course, going to the hospital five times a week to have a small dose of radiation each time. It was not only time-consuming, but there could be side-effects, too, such as the breast becoming discoloured.

I work around doctors and like to read medical journals, and I’d read about the Targit trial at UCH, where doctors were testing a new technique using a single dose of radiation. They did it at the same time as the lumpectomy, so it was a one-stop op.

The trial has been going on for a decade, so it was pretty clear it was both safe and effective. The hospital agreed to put me forward — and luckily I fitted the criteria. I met Mr Jayant Vaidya, who was going to perform the procedure, and he explained it to me.

On the day of the operation, August 5, 2010, I was quite nervous but I just wanted to say goodbye to the cancer.

When I came round, I touched my breast. I didn’t feel sore at all and I didn’t need much pain relief. I had a small scar on the outside of my breast where the surgeon had removed the lump, and one under my armpit where they had taken some lymph nodes.

Mr Vaidya came in to tell me that the operation had gone very well and that the radiation dose had been given. I went home the next day, and two days later I was out at the cinema with Peter. Friends and family told me I looked radiant — not at all like a cancer patient.

Six months later, there has been no recurrence of the cancer and I am optimistic I have beaten it. I would recommend this treatment to any woman undergoing breast conservation surgery.

THE SURGEON

Mr Jayant Vaidya is an oncologist and consultant breast surgeon at the University College, Royal Free and Whittington hospitals in London. He says:

Every day in the UK, around 130 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. It is most likely to occur in women aged 50 and over, and risk factors include smoking, obesity and having a close relative who has had the disease.

When the cancer is caught at an early stage, lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy is often sufficient. The patient will have her operation and then have radiotherapy for five to six weeks. This vastly reduces the chances of the cancer recurring.

However, if the cancer is more advanced and has spread to the lymph nodes, we will usually carry out a mastectomy with chemotherapy or hormone treatment, as well as radiation treatment.

In standard radiation, high energy rays are beamed into the breast from outside. It is effective for early stage breast cancer, but it is inconvenient for the patient, who has to go into hospital each time for an appointment that can last 30 minutes.

Every day in the UK, around 130 women are diagnosed with breast cancer

Radiotherapy can also affect the shape and colour of the breast, and because the radiation passes through the body from outside, it can damage healthy tissue surrounding the target area.

In 1996, in collaboration with Professor Michael Baum and Professor Jeffrey Tobias, we developed a technique that we called Targeted Intraoperative Radiotherapy (Targit for short). Here, instead of firing the radiation through the body, we fire it from inside the breast, where the tumour was situated.

We treated the first patient in July 1998 and launched the trial in March 2000. By the time we reported the results in The Lancet in 2010, it had grown to include 28 therapy centres in nine countries (including five in the UK).

We have already published results that showed that women who had Targit had the same low recurrence rates as women who had the longer radiotherapy — around a 1 per cent chance of developing it in four years.

First, Peppy was given a general anaesthetic. I used X-rays to help me locate the lump and then carefully removed it along with a small margin of healthy tissue. It’s important not to remove too much or the breast loses its shape, but you do need to make sure you get all the cancer out.

I then had to remove several lymph nodes from under her arm for analysis later.

Next I took the Intrabeam device, which I helped to design, and placed it into the wound in the breast. It looks like a ball with a tube going through the middle, which connects to our radiotherapy machine, and a piece of solid gold in the centre.

We closed the tissue around device with a suture and turned on our machine. This fires negatively charged particles called electrons through the tube and right at the piece of gold in the ball. When the particles strike the gold, X-rays are emitted, targeting just the area around the ball, so no other nearby organs are affected.

The treatment lasts from 25 to 35 minutes. The electron beam was then switched off and the ball removed. Peppy recovered well and went home the same day. There was some mild discomfort but no worse than if she’d had the lumpectomy alone.

When the final results are published, it could well be that this treatment becomes the gold standard for patients with early stage breast cancer. If so, it will cost less than half that of a six-week course of radiotherapy, which costs the NHS £15m a year. ( dailymail.co.uk )

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Coffee tied to lower stroke risk in women

Coffee tied to lower stroke risk in women – Women who enjoy a daily dose of coffee may like this perk: It might lower their risk of stroke.

Women in a Swedish study who drank at least a cup of coffee every day had a 22 to 25 percent lower risk of stroke, compared to those who drank less coffee or none at all.

"Coffee drinkers should rejoice," said Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Coffee is often made out to be potentially bad for your heart. There really hasn't been any study that convincingly said coffee is bad."

"If you are drinking coffee now, you may be doing some good and you are likely not doing harm," she added.

But Hayes and other doctors say the study shouldn't send non-coffee drinkers running to their local coffee shop. The study doesn't prove that coffee lowers stroke risk, only that coffee drinkers tend to have a lower stroke risk.

Worker sifts coffee beans Atlantic Commodities - A worker sifts coffee beans at a processing factory of the coffee trader Atlantic Commodities (Acom) in Bao Loc city, near Vietnam's southern commercial hub Ho Chi Minh city February 22, 2011. Vietnamese robusta coffee have risen around 6 percent in the past week to a new record high following gains in global market, prompting farmers to further hold back sales, traders said on Tuesday. Robusta beans rose to new all-time highs of between 44.5 million dong and 45 million dong ($2,132-$2,156) per tonne on the domestic market, from 42.2 million dong a week ago, which was itself a record

"These sorts of epidemiological studies are compelling but they don't prove cause," said Dr. David S. Seres, director of medical nutrition at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.

The findings were published online Thursday in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.

Scientists have been studying coffee for years, trying to determine its risks and benefits. The Swedish researchers led by Susanna Larsson at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm said previous studies on coffee consumption and strokes have had conflicting findings.

"There hasn't been a consistent message come out," of coffee studies, said Dr. Cathy Sila, a stroke neurologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

For the observational study, researchers followed 34,670 Swedish women, ages 49 to 83, for about 10 years. The women were asked how much coffee they drank at the start of the study. The researchers checked hospital records to find out how many of the women later had strokes.

There were a total of 1,680 strokes, including 205 in those who drank less than a cup or none.

Researchers adjusted for differences between the groups that affect stroke risk, such as smoking, weight, high blood pressure and diabetes, and still saw a lower stroke risk among coffee drinkers. Larsson said the benefit was seen whether the women drank a cup or several daily.

"You don't need to drink so much. One or two cups a day is enough," she said.

Larsson, who in another study found a link between coffee drinking in Finnish men who smoked and decreased stroke risk, said more research needs to be done to figure out why coffee may be cutting stroke risk. It could be reducing inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity, she said, or it could be the antioxidants in coffee.

Larsson and others point out that those who want to reduce their chances of a stroke should focus on the proven ways to lower risk: Don't smoke. Keep blood pressure in check. Maintain a healthy weight. ( Associated Press )

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Five Ways the Time Change May Affect Your Health

Five Ways the Time Change May Affect Your Health - The annual leap forward that will happen this Sunday (March 13) at 2 a.m. provides an opportunity for researchers to see what the time shift — and the sleep loss that may accompany it — may do to our health.

But while researchers have looked at a number of health trends surrounding the first day of daylight saving time -- including apparent upticks in accidents, heart attacks and suicides --­­ it’s unclear whether the adjusted clock setting is itself responsible for these health issues.

“It’s not really understood why some of these health problems that are published coincide with the time change,” said Russell Rosenberg, vice chairman of the National Sleep Foundation. “We don’t have studies that show the time change actually causes these problems.”

With that in mind, here are five health issues that studies have connected with the loss of an hour that day.

Traffic accidents

An increase in traffic accidents is perhaps the best studied health consequence of the time shift -— even if those studies have yielded conflicting results.

“Sleep loss puts people at much higher risk for motor vehicle accidents,” said Rosenberg.

A 1996 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed an 8 percent increase in motor vehicle accidents on the Monday following the time change. A 2001 study from Johns Hopkins and Stanford universities also showed an increase on the Monday following the change.

But those findings have not been universal – a Finnish study published last year did not find a similar increase there.

While the time shift may present a problem, it also may provide a benefit: The extra hour of evening daylight in the spring may help prevent pedestrian fatalities. A 2005 study from the University of Newcastle in England indicated this was the case.

At least one U.S. agency has taken the thought to heart. Last November, as the clock shifted back to daylight standard time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned drivers that, with nightfall occurring earlier in the evening, “adjusting to the new, low-light environment can take time, and that driving while distracted puts everyone — and especially pedestrians — at greater risk of death or injury.”

Workplace accidents

Workplace accidents may be another side effect of the sleep loss from the one-hour time change. They increase in frequency that Monday.

“Perhaps even more scary is the spike in injury severity,” said Christopher Barnes, an assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. “Instead of bruising a hand, maybe you crush a hand.”

A study Barnes led in 2009 looked at the severity of workplace accidents in miners on the Monday following the time change. The researchers found a 5.7 percent increase in injuries and a 67.6 percent increase in work days lost to injuries. Barnes said the results were likely to be similar in other workplaces with similar hazards.

Sleep loss determines the difference between the relatively common near-miss that happens in mining, and a true accident, said Barnes.

“We’re closer to disaster than we realize,” he said. “The margin for error is not very big.”

“If I were in that environment, one thing I would try to do is get to bed earlier that Saturday night, when the change actually happens,” Barnes said. Also, he suggested, “Try to schedule your most dangerous tasks for other days.”

Sleep loss

In a culture where we are constantly being told we need more sleep, the start of daylight saving time piles another hour per person onto the national sleep debt.

“We’re already a highly sleep-deprived society,” Rosenberg said. “We can ill afford to lose one more hour of sleep.”

Additionally, the shift in the period of daylight can present a challenge in catching up on sleep.

“It does take a little extra time to adjust to this time change, because you don’t have the morning light telling your brain it’s time to wake up,” he said.

Taking a nap on Sunday, Rosenberg said, might help make up some of the deficit.

Heart attacks

The connection between sleep and heart attacks gained attention following a 2008 Swedish study that showed an increase of about 5 percent in heart attacks on the three weekdays following the spring time shift.

As for the reasons, “no one really knows,” said Dr. Imre Janszky, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who conducted the study. “Sleep and disruption of chronobiological rhythms might be behind the observation.”

Heart attacks have been found to be highest on Mondays, so a shift in sleeping patterns may explain that as well, Janszky told MyHealthNewsDaily.

However, there have not been follow-up studies to solidify a connection between heart attacks and the change to daylight saving time.

For those worried about heart attacks, “gradual adaptation for [the time] shift might work,” Janszky said.

Suicide

Suicide is occasionally connected to the shift to daylight saving time, in part because of a recent study showing an increase in men (but not women) after the time change.

The 2008 Australian study found an increase in suicides among men following the start of daylight saving time -- an increase of roughly 0.44 per day.

The researchers suggested the clock shift leaves many without morning sunlight, which perhaps promotes winter depression, and that depression might lead to suicide.

However, a link between the start of daylight saving time and suicides is far from established.

A better-established finding is that spring is the peak time of the year for suicides.

Safeguarding your home

Each year around this time, many public health officials advise you to remember, while you're changing your clocks, to check your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries.

You should, but you may have noticed that a six-month check doesn’t really line up with daylight saving anymore. It will be 7½ months before you set your clock back an hour again, thanks to a 2007 law.

The smoke and carbon monoxide detector check at daylight saving is outdated, Amy Rowland, spokeswoman for the CDC Injury Center, told MyHealthNewsDaily. In fact, you should check your smoke detector monthly, Rowland said – that’s eight times before you “fall back” in November. ( LiveScience.com )

READ MORE - Five Ways the Time Change May Affect Your Health

Tired? Not interested in sex? Mister, you might be in andropause

Tired? Not interested in sex? Mister, you might be in andropause - Is male menopause a true medical condition or just a good punchline when you're fifty-something and not feeling quite yourself?

You know, "Oh, that male menopause must've kicked in."

Could your doctor really diagnose male menopause, or is it merely a phrase that Oprah or GQ use to hook you?

My middle-aged male editor wanted to know.

No punchlines here, my friend, er, boss.

There is such a thing as male menopause (though technically the name is all wrong -- but we'll get to that).

The hormonal change is real and so are a multitude of symptoms that can accompany it -- from a loss in libido or erectile dysfunction to fatigue or depression. And, yes, sometimes even night sweats.

Could your doctor really diagnose male menopause, or is it merely a phrase that Oprah or GQ use to hook you?

Every woman who lives long enough will experience menopause -- a (permanent) pause in her menstrual cycle that signals the end to the steady stream of the hormone estrogen her body makes. Hence the name menopause.

Normally, this happens between the ages of 45 and 50. And the dramatic drop in hormones can trigger all sorts of physical and psychological changes.

Conversely, the hormone faucet in men never turns off. But the flow of testosterone does begin to gradually decrease at a rate of about one per cent a year beginning at age 30.

And for some men, the result over the years can be simply unpleasant or potentially life-changing.

While some call it male menopause, doctors often call these age-related hormone changes in men "andropause" -- from the word androgen, a term to describe hormones such as testosterone.

How common is it?

It's unclear how many men develop andropause. A study of more than 3,000 European men published in the June 17 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine suggests the number is only perhaps two per cent of the population.

Anecdotally, some doctors say that number seems low. "It's certainly higher than that one study would suggest," said Dr. Lawrence Hakim, chairman of the Department of Urology at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Fla.

It may be a matter of definition, Hakim and others suggest.

Diagnosis is a challenge

There is no single way to test for andropause, explains Dr. Robert Tan, author of The Andropause Mystery and founder of the OPAL Medical Clinic, which specializes in men's health and aging.

A lab test is needed to figure out how much testosterone a man produces, plus a look at his overall health.

How low is low testosterone? It depends who you ask.

Studies have defined low testosterone in men as 250 nanograms per decilitre, while others cite 300. Men in their 20s and 30s typically have testosterone levels in the 600 range.

But a low number by itself is not enough.

"Every man is different," said Dr. Erik Castle, a urologist with the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

"You may have a 70-year-old who is healthy, never smoked, eats right, has low testosterone, but is fine. You have another, maybe he didn't live so cleanly and now is unhealthy and not feeling well."

For that guy, Castle says, you have to look closer, for erectile dysfunction, reduced sex drive, fewer morning erections. Doctors also often look for fatigue, problems walking long distances, bending or stooping.

And even if you have low testosterone and you're tired, your problem could be something else entirely -- diabetes, thyroid issues, a side-effect from medication or alcohol abuse.

Hormone therapy poses risks

Doctors once addressed andropause only when a man complained that his sex life was suffering, Mayo Clinic's Castle said.

"But over the last 10 years, the emerging evidence is that this may not just be a quality-of-life issue because they can't get erections," Castle said. "Now we think it could be a health issue as well."

He said men with truly low testosterone levels can have lower bone density, and may be at greater risk of diabetes or coronary artery disease.

Now men and their doctors can consider replenishing the testosterone if those health risks are in play.

And just as women must consider the risks of hormone therapy, so should men. Testosterone therapy could contribute to sleep apnea, put you at greater risk for heart disease, cause skin problems or stimulate the growth of existing prostate cancer.

Tan, the author who first published on the topic a decade ago, says he can't help but notice how the public awareness of andropause has grown.

"There has been more interest, scientific work and certainly more patients coming forth with symptoms and treated successfully."

Signs and symptoms

Some men have lower-than-normal testosterone without signs or symptoms. But others may experience:

Changes in sexual function: Can mean less desire, fewer spontaneous erections, erectile dysfunction

Changes in sleep patterns: For example, insomnia

Physical changes: More fat, less muscle bulk and strength, swollen or tender breasts, hair loss, less energy or hot flashes

Emotional changes: Feeling sad or depressed, difficulty concentrating or remembering things ( The Edmonton Journal )

READ MORE - Tired? Not interested in sex? Mister, you might be in andropause

Trust Your Body and Reconnect to Its Healing Power

Trust Your Body and Reconnect to Its Healing Power - Western medicine has proceeded on the assumption that the mind is intelligent but that the body isn't. In effect, the body is a machine made of meat. This machine needs fixing at times, and being deviously complicated, with billions of interconnected parts, it has innumerable ways to break down.

Medical research doesn't so much deny the body's intelligence as ignore it. The next new drug and surgical procedure is pursued independent of anything resembling the mind-body connection. The fact that millions of patients have objections to this approach is scientifically and commercially irrelevant.

In the face of this opposition, it's amazing how far mind-body medicine has gotten. How far the mind-body revolution can go is uncertain, but it seems clear that each of us as individuals must reconnect to the body's wisdom on our own -- on that point all of alternative medicine agrees.

How do you know if the connection was broken in the first place? Look at your basic attitudes and beliefs about your body. If you are connected to your body, the following beliefs would be present.

1. You respect and trust your body. In a state of disconnection, the body is seen as inert, subject to constant threats, and capable of betraying you by falling sick at any moment.
2. You rely on inner healing and know how to help it when needed. In a state of disconnection, you are baffled and alarmed when something goes wrong and feel that only doctors know what to do.
3. You see the body as a balanced organism living in a balanced ecology. In a state of disconnection the body is seen as totally isolated, with hostile germs attacking it at random.
4. You listen for signals of imbalance before they turn into symptoms of disease. In a state of disconnection, the body is ignored unless it cries out with pain or a sudden breakdown of function.
5. You realize that emotions, stress, depression, anger, and anxiety aren't just psychological but have physical consequences. Every event in the mind matches a corresponding event in the body. In a state of disconnection, the mind operates independently of the body; neither speaks to the other.

Changing your old, worn out beliefs is a personal project. You don't have to renounce mainstream medicine or deny yourself any treatment necessary as various problems arise. Alternative medicine, in my view, isn't the enemy of mainstream medicine, nor is it simply an adjunct. Instead, it's the practical side of a new way of life, one based on a vision of wholeness. "Wholeness" has become rather empty from overuse, but it means that you are a totality, not the sum of countless moving parts.

Wholeness has already won a notable victory without fighting any battles, simply by a change of beliefs. That victory came in the so-called "new old age." In the past, old age was feared, and rightly so, because seniors lost their value to society and were put on the shelf, both mentally and physically.

When attitudes shifted, thanks to better health and longer life spans, old age shifted with it. People began to expect the opposite of previous generations. They expected old age to be as vigorous, alert, and useful as any other time of life. Quietly, the body cooperated with this new vision.

I consider this a victory for wholeness because a segment of life that had been cut off and detached has been reconnected with the entire human life cycle. Old age is no longer a useless leftover. But that's only the beginning. Nobody knows how much more potential the body contains that is yet untapped. It would seem reasonable to expect more rather than less, however.

Once you begin to trust the body and listen to it, an intimate relationship gets established on the basis of loving regard rather than anxious mistrust. Medical school will probably never teach a course on that (with the possible exception of the psychiatry department), but it could be the most valuable medical breakthrough for coming generations. ( lifestyle.yahoo.com )

READ MORE - Trust Your Body and Reconnect to Its Healing Power

Mothers-to-be will be taught to hypnotise themselves before giving birth in NHS trial

Mothers-to-be will be taught to hypnotise themselves before giving birth in NHS trial - Expectant mothers will be taught to hypnotise themselves before giving birth as an alternative to painkillers.

They will learn to put themselves in a trance-like state during labour in the hope that they will not need costly drug treatments such as epidurals, laughing gas or morphine.

More than 800 first-time mothers will take part in the 18-month NHS trial study on the effectiveness of hypnobirthing.

Tests: Over 800 first-time mothers will take part in the study to see if so-called 'hynobirthing' could be used as an alternative to painkillers

Teaching women to control their pain might also reduce the need for supervision from midwives, which would help ease the pressure on overstretched maternity wards.

In some hospitals as many as 60 per cent of mothers have epidurals – anaesthetics injected into their spine – while many others are given injections of diamorphine, a form of morphine, pethidine or inhale laughing gas.

The drugs are expensive and there have been claims they could be harmful to mother and baby.

Epidurals have been found to increase the length of childbirth, making it more likely that a woman will need a caesarean.

It has been suggested that having an epidural may hinder a mother’s ability to breastfeed – although this has never been substantiated – and there are also fears it is linked to post-natal depression.

Natural childbirth advocates also say the drowsiness brought on by painkillers prevent a woman fully appreciating the joy of childbirth.

The trial is being led by Professor Soo Downe, a specialist in midwifery at Central Lancashire University, and will run at hospitals in Blackburn and Burnley.

Professor Downe said: ‘There is good evidence that hypnosis works well in other areas of health management.

‘The idea is to give women the capacity to manage their labour themselves. If the results are promising we will do further trials.

‘The intention would then be to provide free hypnobirthing training on the NHS.’ Hypnobirthing has become increasingly popular and Britain has around 250 qualified therapists.

Courses tend to last several hours and teach women to put themselves into a state of deep relaxation.

Words such as ‘pain’ and ‘contraction’ are replaced in training manuals with neutral terms such as ‘pressure’ and ‘tightening’.

The sessions, which can cost up to £800 on a one-to-one basis, also teach women massage techniques which enable them to stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.

Critics claim such methods work for only one in four women. There are also concerns that if mothers are left to cope on their own during labour their babies may be at risk.

Maureen Treadwell, a co-founder of the Birth Trauma Association, said: ‘It is nonsense to say childbirth is a natural event so you don’t need drugs.

‘Death is also a natural event but nobody would suggest you don’t need drugs to ease the pain.’ ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Mothers-to-be will be taught to hypnotise themselves before giving birth in NHS trial

Lilly osteoporosis drug regrows jaw bone

Lilly osteoporosis drug regrows jaw bone - Eli Lilly and Co’s osteoporisis drug Forteo can regrow bone in jaws damaged by severe bone-destroying conditions called osteonecrosis and periodontitis, doctors reported on Saturday.

The research, reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Toronto, suggests that the drug may spur growth in a damaged jaw, the researchers said.

Forteo, known generically as teriparatide, cuts in half the risk of bone fractures in patients with thinning bones by stimulating the growth of new bone. But it is seldom given for more than two years out of fear that long-term exposure might lead to osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

The first of two reports, also published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed people whose severe periodontitis was damaging the tissue around the teeth developed nearly 10 times more bone with Forteo compared to those who received daily placebo injections.

“There was a significant gain in the bone around the teeth as measured by X-rays,” Dr. Laurie McCauley of the University of Michigan said in a telephone interview. “This relatively short dosing period of six weeks resulted in improvements that were sustained, and things actually improved over 12 months.”

The 40 volunteers were also treated with periodontal surgery as part of the test, which was financed by Lilly.

Periodontitis is a major cause of tooth loss, affecting more than one in five US adults.

“We were very pleased with these results and we’re looking at other approaches,” McCauley said.

“One is trying to administer the drug locally. We’re also looking at the use of teriparatide in conjunction with dental implant therapy. There are situations where patients need to augment their bone to be able to have an implant. We think this could be a promising avenue for that.”

Side-effects

The other study, reported in a letter in the Journal, involved just one patient, an 88-year-old women whose jaw began to erode after a tooth was removed, a condition known as osteonecrosis. Conventional treatment did not help. The pain, which she had been experiencing for a year, persisted.

Doctors said the problem may have been her 10-year use of alendronate, commonly known as the Merck osteoporosis drug Fosamax, following a hip fracture. While Forteo spurs the growth of new bone, Fosamax slows the normal absorption of exiting bone.

“It’s an uncommon but awful adverse event” with Fosamax, coauthor Dr. Ego Seeman of the University of Melbourne in Australia said in a telephone interview.

After eight weeks of Forteo injections, the woman’s pain disappeared and CT scans showed that bone cells had rebuilt that portion of the jaw.

“It was complete repair and she was suffering horribly,” Seeman said.

Osteonecrosis often comes from radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Periodontal disease, cancer, chemotherapy, glucocorticoid therapy, or trauma can also cause it.

Recently, however, high-dose intravenous bisphosphonates have been identified as a risk factor for osteonecrosis of the jaw among oncology patients.

Seeman said Forteo might be a candidate for counteracting the problem. But Grey cautioned that such cases are so rare, it may be difficult to do a proper test to prove the treatment is effective. ( arabnews.com )

READ MORE - Lilly osteoporosis drug regrows jaw bone

Smoking tied to miscarriage risk

Smoking tied to miscarriage risk – A new study may offer women one more reason to kick the smoking habit before becoming pregnant: a potentially reduced risk of early miscarriage.

In a study of nearly 1,300 Japanese women with a past pregnancy, researchers found that those who smoked heavily early in pregnancy were more than twice as likely as non-smokers to suffer a miscarriage in the first trimester.

There are many reasons for women to quit smoking before becoming pregnant. The habit has been linked to increased risks of stillbirth, preterm delivery and low birthweight.

But studies so far have come to conflicting conclusions as to whether smoking might contribute to miscarriage risk.

These latest findings, reported in the journal Human Reproduction, support a connection.

For the study, researchers led by Dr. Sachiko Baba of Osaka University reviewed the records of 430 women who'd suffered a first-trimester miscarriage. They compared each woman with two others the same age who had given birth that same year.

Overall, the researchers found, women who smoked heavily during pregnancy -- at least 20 cigarettes per day -- were more than twice as likely as the non-smokers to have a miscarriage.

Seven percent (32) of the 430 women who suffered a miscarriage smoked that amount, versus four percent (36) of the 860 women who delivered a baby.

Previous research has led to estimates that up to eight percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage between six and eight weeks after the woman's last period, but after 10 weeks that rate drops to two percent.

Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester and experts believe that the majority of those are caused by random genetic abnormalities that cannot be prevented. However, certain lifestyle habits have been linked to a relatively increased risk of miscarriage -- including heavy drinking, drug use and, in some studies, smoking.

The current findings do not prove that smoking, itself, was the reason for the increased miscarriage risk seen in the study group. But the researchers were able to account for several other factors, including the women's reported drinking habits and histories of past miscarriages. And the smoking-miscarriage link remained.

Baba's team also found that women who worked during the first trimester were 65 percent more likely to have a miscarriage than those who did not work outside the home.

Of women who suffered a miscarriage, one-third said they'd worked outside the home, compared with 19 percent of those who gave birth.

It's not clear what to make of that finding, according to the researchers. One problem is that they lacked any employment information on a large portion of the study group - 35 percent.

More importantly, they could not divide the women into job types.

Some studies, Baba's team notes, have linked certain jobs with high physical demands or chemical exposures to miscarriage risk. One recent study, for instance, found that women exposed to anesthesia fumes in veterinary centers had a higher-than-average miscarriage risk.

However, the researchers write, they know of no studies outside of Japan that have linked employment, as a whole, to an increased miscarriage risk.

More research is needed, they say, to explain the finding.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, there is no proof that working during pregnancy raises a woman's miscarriage risk. ( Reuters Health )

READ MORE - Smoking tied to miscarriage risk

Could your blood type hold the key to happiness?

Could your blood type hold the key to happiness?. Could your blood type really hold the key to happiness?

According to the Japanese your blood group reveals so much about your personality that it is now being used routinely by dating agencies as a guide to compatibility.

The theory has found a following in America where dieters eat according to their blood type and apparently lose weight as a result. Naturopathic physician Dr Peter D'Adamo believes different foods have different effects depending on your blood type.

So if you are blood type A you should be largely vegetarian, follow a high carbohydrate low fat diet, engage in gentle exercise and meditate to deal with stress.

His book Eat Right 4 Your Type is a best seller and recently singer Martine McCutcheon, admitted that she had tried it and has never felt better.

The star, who had been dogged by illness, followed the diet and began selecting foods according to her blood type, and the results said Martine, were 'spectacular.'

In the UK unless you are a donor you probably don't know what your blood group is, but in Japan everyone knows their blood type and they want to know yours.

This preoccupation with blood types is engrained in Japanese popular culture and people use it to identify matches in jobs, friendships and love.

Products are marketed to cater to the different blood types, including condoms, which are sold with a note inside warning that participants should disclose their blood type, to see whether they are compatible, before engaging in sex.

There are two conflicting views on how best to choose your ideal partner. Some are of the belief that the most successful relationships are forged between couples who have the same blood type, but others say that 'opposites attract' and love can be equally good for mixed blood type couplings.

But is this all just mumbo jumbo or is there scientific proof to support the Japanese theory?

Blood groups were first discovered at the end of the last century as a result of research into why some blood transfusions failed.

The debate began in Japan in the late 1920s when German doctors used blood type to support distorted theories that the European race was racially superior.

In 1927, Japanese lecturer Furukawa Takeji published the first of a series of articles entitled 'The Study of Temperament Through Blood Type' in a journal of psychological research.

His thesis was a combination of scientific concepts and methods of character analysis. Furukawa's theory quickly gained acceptance among the general public as one of the wonders of modern science.

Popular interest in the connection between blood types and personality re-emerged in 1971 when journalist Nomi Mashahiko wrote 'What Blood Types Reveal About Compatibility'. The book is now in its 240th print run.

British psychotherapist John Rowan, is sceptical about the Japanese claims, 'There are lots of different personalities, and to try and reduce the number to three or four doesn't seem like a good idea,' he said.

Adding: 'I think it is a mistake to think that a person has just one personality. They have different personalities for different situations.

'For example, imagine that you are talking to your five-year-old child and in the next situation talking to the bank manager. You will switch into a different personality with a different set of procedures.

'What you do find is that these systems do work for some people and not others but to apply it to everyone is over optimistic.'

In the late 90s blood types were used for the basis of a diet book by Dr D'Adamo. In it he states that following a blood type diet can help you to stay healthy, live longer and achieve your ideal weight.

The philosophy behind the diet began with D'Adamo's father, also a naturopathic physician, who had worked in various European spas and noticed that some of his patients did well on vegetarian and low fat diets, while others in fact got worse.

He began blood-typing his patients and discovered that type O patients thrived on meat and protein-heavy diets and aerobic workouts, while type As did better if they ate soya proteins, combined with more gentle activities such as yoga and t'ai chi.

According to the scenario set out in the book, O groups were the first to evolve about 50,000 years ago, when humans were hunter-gatherers and were eating a fairly carnivorous diet. Nowadays Os are found everywhere, but they are especially common among Africans and American Indians.

Next to appear were the As, whose diet was more vegetarian. Today many Japanese and western Europeans are As.

Then came Bs - now most common among eastern Europeans, east Indians, northern Chinese and Koreans, who began as cattle herders and are now highly tolerant of dairy products.

The most recent arrivals are the ABs - the 'modern diet blood group', who can tolerate a wide range of food types.

Dietician Renee Chawla, has similar reservations about the blood type diet: 'Our message is that food should be fun. It is important to have a varied healthy diet,' she said.

Adding: 'Being a vegetarian is a choice either because of ethical reasons, the individual doesn't like meat, or for health reasons.

'It just doesn't work along the lines that if you are this type you must eat this type of food. People are all different and respond to foods in different ways.' ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Could your blood type hold the key to happiness?

Path to obesity may begin before age 2

Path to obesity may begin before age 2. Doctors may need to address weight problems in infants. You have to admit, chubby babies are oh-so-cute. But many plump infants grow up to be obese teens, which puts them at higher risk for all kinds of health issues, including type-2 diabetes, and high cholesterol and blood pressure, a new study suggests.

The study researchers say their findings suggest the "tipping point" in obesityMichelle Obama just kicked off a national campaign to fight the problem. often occurs before a child reaches age 2 and sometimes as early as three months. The results come amid increased recognition that childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. First lady

In fact, about 37 percent of American children are overweight, and about 16 percent of children ages 2 to 19 are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I really think this should be a wake-up call for doctors," said lead researcher Dr. John Harrington, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters and an assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School. "Too often, doctors wait until medical complications arise before they begin treatment. What this study suggests is that prevention of obesity should begin far, far earlier."

Harrington and colleagues examined medical records from 111 children who were considered overweight, as their body mass index (BMI) was above that of 85 percent of the general population (of their age and gender). BMI is calculated with a person's height and weight and is considered an indicator of body fatness. A child or teen whose BMI is at or above the 95th percentile is considered obese.

They found that participants had started gaining weight in infancy at an average rate of .08 excess BMI units per month, or just under 1 BMI point per year. On average, this progression toward obesity began when the children were three months old. And more than 50 percent of the children became overweight at or before they turned 2, while 90 percent did before reaching age 5.

The take-home message:

"Getting parents and children to change habits that have already taken hold is a monumental challenge fraught with roadblocks and disappointments," Harrington said. "This study indicates that we may need to discuss inappropriate weight gain early in infancy to affect meaningful changes in the current trend of obesity."

The research is detailed this month in the journal Clinical Pediatrics ( LiveScience.com )

READ MORE - Path to obesity may begin before age 2

Myths about Women's Bodies

5 Myths about Women's Bodies. Historically research has focused on men. As one example, women are under-represented in major clinical trials for cancers that affect both sexes, a new study found. Researchers say several factors could be responsible, from childcare issues to reluctance by researchers to expose women of childbearing age to trial drugs and treatments.

In other areas where research into women's medical problems is lacking, the issue is not just about sexism. Women's hormone fluctuations are, well, complicated and can confound basic findings. But in recent years, women have been getting increased attention.

Still, much misinformation about the female body circulates in mainstream consciousness.

Credit: Dreamstime

Myth: A women can't get pregnant during her period.

While a woman is unlikely to conceive during menstruation, "nothing, when it comes to pregnancy, is impossible," said Aaron Carroll of Indiana University and co-author of "Don't Swallow Your Gum: Myths, Half-truths and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health" (St. Martin's Griffin, 2009).

Once inside a woman, sperm can wait for an egg for up to a week. Ovulation can occur soon after, or even during, the bleeding phase of a woman's menstrual cycle, giving patient sperm the chance to get lucky. The timing method of birth control doesn't work well, Carroll said, agreeing that couples who practice it are often called: parents.

Myth: Menopause causes sex drive to nosedive.

The Change is not necessarily one that happens in the bedroom. A comprehensive survey of sexual habits in the United States, completed by Edward Laumann and colleagues in 1994, found that roughly half of women in their fifties have sex several times a month.

While hot flashes and other discomforts may make a women temporarily not in the mood, there is not a direct link between menopause and sexual desire, Vreeman said. So if you are entering the Big M, there is no reason to say good-bye to the Big O.

Credit: stockxpert

Myth: Antibiotics make birth control pills unreliable.

"Many physicians even believe this," Carroll said. Alone, birth control pills fail about one percent of the time. And that failure rate is unchanged when taken with the vast majority of antibiotics, Carroll said.

A possible exception is rifampin, the antibiotic prescribed for tuberculosis. Rifampin does lower pregnancy-protecting hormone levels induced by birth control pills, but whether the effect is large enough to increase pregnancy risk is unclear. Carroll thinks rifampin research spurred the antibiotic/birth control rumor. "Sometimes people say things and they just take off," he said.

Myth: Women and men need equal sleep.

Tossing and turning not only causes women more psychological distress, it also raises their insulin and inflammation levels -- risk factors for compromised health, found a 2008 study of 210 people led by Edward Suarez at Duke University.

A study of more than 6,000 participants, led by researchers at the University of Warwick in 2007, found that women who slept five or less hours a night were twice as likely to suffer from hypertension than women who slept for seven or more hours. Among men, there was no such relationship. Sleeping Beauty may be better off waking up on her own watch.

Myth: A doctor can tell if a woman is a virgin.

Even when using 10-fold magnification, doctors can not accurately sort virgins from the sexually-active, several studies have reported. It is not as simple as looking for a hole in the hymen because, well, there is always a hole in the hymen.

"Some people think the hymen seals off the vagina [until virginity is lost], but that is just not true," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman of Indiana University and Carroll's co-author of "Don't Swallow Your Gum." In the rare cases when it is sealed, period blood builds in the uterus and causes severe medical problems, she said. ( livescience.com )

READ MORE - Myths about Women's Bodies