Tuesday, March 19

Month: May 2015

What Spinal Implants and Spider Venom Mean for Back Pain Sufferers
Lifestyle

What Spinal Implants and Spider Venom Mean for Back Pain Sufferers

Between medical conditions, sedentary jobs, and habits that more often include a Netflix marathon than a trip to the gym, back pain is one of the most commonly reported health problems in the United States. In fact, over 26 million Americans aged 20 to 64 say they live with back pain on a frequent basis. Now, doctors and researchers are finding new ways to treat back pain -- including a little known device and spider venom. A surgeon at the Toronto Western Hospital, Dr. Mohammed Shamji, says that an underused device could be the key to preventing and treating chronic back pain. The device, a neurostimulator, blocks pain signals as they're traveling to receptors in the brain. "We have other clinicians who are not necessarily aware that the technology could provide benefit for their patien...
Study Finds Sharp Spike in Reported Adult Acne Cases
Lifestyle

Study Finds Sharp Spike in Reported Adult Acne Cases

You've graduated from college, landed a great job in your field, with benefits -- no more waiting tables or brewing lattes for you -- and maybe even bought your own home. Congratulations! You're an adult now. If that's the case, however, how come your skin keeps breaking out? Isn't acne supposed to be a teenage thing that goes away once you trade in your textbooks for a 401K? According to a survey completed in the U.K. and reported by the Mirror, the number of women over the age of 35 seeking acne treatment has skyrocketed -- by about 214%. The website WhatClinic.com conducted the survey, asking nearly one hundred British skin clinics to report on trends in their patient demographics and treatment requests. “Acne can really impact confidence, no matter what age you are,” says WhatClini...
New Program Provides Free Solar Panel Installations to Low-Income Californian Homes
Business

New Program Provides Free Solar Panel Installations to Low-Income Californian Homes

California is naturally a great state for anyone with a green thumb and an eye toward alternative energy; not only is the state sunny enough year-round to support a solar energy system, but state lawmakers have dedicated plenty of legislation toward protecting homeowners who use wind and solar energy. Previously, alternative energy usage was restricted to the wealthier homeowners in California simply because, despite a 20% increase in solar energy usage over the past 15 years, it’s still expensive to have a complete system installed. The average rooftop solar installation in California costs about $15,000, the SF Gate reports, and an overwhelming majority (67%) of solar arrays installed in Californian homes in 2013 went to households where the total income was between $40,000 and $90,000...
Millennials Value Workplace Flexibility More Than Any Other Generation, And the Economy Is Behind It All
Business

Millennials Value Workplace Flexibility More Than Any Other Generation, And the Economy Is Behind It All

Millennials are now dominating the American workplace, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and they're also working more hours per week than employed Americans of any other generation. More importantly, it's becoming clear that these Millennial workers are actually changing the way businesses operate -- for the better. According to a recent survey by Ernst and Young's Global Generation Research, 47% of Millennials are working more hours per week than they worked just five years ago; only 38% of Gen X workers are working more, and only 28% of Baby Boomers are doing so. As TIME and Medical Daily both report, Millennials are struggling more to manage the responsibilities of work, family, and personal life; for this reason, they're placing a higher value on flexibility in the work...
Federal Agents Planning to Kill Thousands of Birds
World

Federal Agents Planning to Kill Thousands of Birds

Salmon are one of anglers' most sought-after catches. Not only are they delicious to eat, but they can also be quite a challenge to land. King salmon, the largest species in the Pacific salmon genus, have weighed in at up to 100 pounds in Alaska, for example. However, humans aren't the fish's biggest threat. Predatory seabirds have been having a devastating impact on salmon populations. Consequently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services is preparing a plan to hunt thousands of hungry double crested cormorants, to reduce the numbers of baby salmon being preyed upon. Biologists blame double crested cormorants, which are large black birds that have long necks, webbed feet, and hooked bills used to dive below water surfaces and catch small fish, for damaging salmon populati...
Bruce Jenner Sued for Wrongful Death Stemming From Malibu Car Crash
Lifestyle

Bruce Jenner Sued for Wrongful Death Stemming From Malibu Car Crash

Olympic gold medalist and reality star Bruce Jenner is now facing a lawsuit for wrongful death and negligence stemming from a February car crash that killed one woman and injured five others. Reuters reported that the two stepchildren of Kimberly Howe, 69, who died in the Feb. 7 car crash on the Malibu stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, filed the lawsuit against Jenner. The lawsuit claims that Jenner, 65, driving his Cadillac Escalade and towing an off-road vehicle, struck Howe's car from behind, sending her vehicle into oncoming traffic, where she collided head-on with a Hummer. Jenner had "violated the rules of the road" and was "negligent, careless and reckless" in causing the accident, states the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on May 1. The suit als...
Utah Experiences Baby Boom While CDC Report Reveals Decreasing National Birth Rate
Lifestyle

Utah Experiences Baby Boom While CDC Report Reveals Decreasing National Birth Rate

Each year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases reports containing a variety of statistics. Among these statistics is the country's birth rate, which is at an all-time low, according to the CDC's most recent report. Published early this month in the academic journal Pediatrics, this year's birth rate metrics have sparked concern across the nation. By itself, the numbers do seem alarming, but when examined as a whole rather just a piece of the puzzle, they make more sense. The trend of attended college and focusing on one's career means fewer babies being born each year. Originally published by the CDC in January, the statistics revealed that a mere 3.9 million babies were born in 2013, a decrease of roughly 20,000 from figures recorded in 2012. Birth rates h...
Wisconsin Legislature Votes To Revoke All State Funding for Public Parks; Fees Increase for Campers
Local

Wisconsin Legislature Votes To Revoke All State Funding for Public Parks; Fees Increase for Campers

The Wisconsin Legislature's budget committee recently voted in favor of raising fees for state parks even higher than what Gov. Scott Walker had originally proposed, with Republican lawmakers overpowering Democrats in the 12-4 vote. Gov. Walker originally proposed a budget plan for the state which would have put an end to funding public parks with taxpayer dollars, requiring the parks to subsist entirely on individual fees and corporate sponsorships, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette. Walker's proposal would have raised annual entrance fees for state parks by $3 and camping fees for forest camping sites by $2, to make up for the lack of government funding. Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee member Sen. Toward Marklein, R-Spring Green, took Walker's plan one step further with a revi...
Great White Shark Among Tourists Heading to New Jersey This Summer
Local

Great White Shark Among Tourists Heading to New Jersey This Summer

With summer weather arriving in New Jersey, officials in Atlantic City and along the Jersey Shore are making a pitch for re-centering the area as a major tourist spot. Mayor Don Guardian said last week that the city will host Jerry Seinfeld, Madonna, Bob Dylan, Boyz II Men, Ricky Martin, Wanda Sykes and other high-profile celebrities this summer, and that at least 84 headliner concerts have been planned. There might be one not-so-small interference with tourists’ inclination to enjoy the beach and splash around in the water, however: a 16-foot, 3,456-pound great white shark named Mary Lee spotted just 10 miles off the Jersey Coast. “Cape May might be just the ticket after a long swim,” read a post on the shark’s Twitter account (since being tagged by scientists off Cape Cod in September ...
Michigan Couple Almost Makes Worst Decision of Their Lives, Nearly Throw Away $2 Million Lottery Ticket
Lifestyle

Michigan Couple Almost Makes Worst Decision of Their Lives, Nearly Throw Away $2 Million Lottery Ticket

Nearly making the single worst decision in the history of their lives, a couple in Michigan almost threw away a $2 million lottery ticket. The couple purchased the winning lottery ticket for $20, and were about to throw it away, thinking it a loser, but a friend wanted to check it. That's when they discovered that the ticket was a $2 million winner. "I didn't know the ticket was a winner, and our friend wanted to look it over," the husband, who wished to remain anonymous, said. "When he told us the ticket was a $2 million winner, we were shocked." The couple then had to decide how they would receive their winnings, in either a structured settlement annuity or as a lottery lump sum payment. Though which is the more profitable choice is dependent on such situations as the current maximum...