Lifestyle

Patients with pre-cancerous skin spots may have more luck with light therapy than with standard freezing therapy, according to a new study. Actinic keratoses are rough, scaly spots that often form on the faces and scalps of fair-complexioned people who have been exposed to a lot of sun. Since they can lead to cancer, removing them quickly and permanently is important. Cryotherapy is the current standard for treatment. In this process, liquid nitrogen is used to freeze spots and remove them before they can become a problem. An alternative is light therapy, also known as photodynamic therapy, which uses a liquid medication that becomes activated and kills the lesion's cells when a doctor shines a special light on the spot. In the new study published in JAMA Dermatology in August, research...

A recent study confirms what many recovering addicts already know to be true. The drug recovery process often causes people to gain significant amounts of weight. According to the University of Florida study published in July 2014, "Cessation of drug use often coincides with increased food consumption and weight gain in recovering addicts." Many experts believe that this is largely because rehab programs don't pay much attention to nutrition. "The main focus [of drug recovery programs] was just, 'get them off their substance,' and the rest will take care of itself," explained eating disorder and addiction medicine specialist Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross. Some recovery programs even encourage recovering addicts to eat sugary, and/or fatty foods, touting sugar as a "harmless" replacement for d...

Could treating or reducing the symptoms of ADHD be as simple as encouraging children to get more exercise? New research suggests this may be the case. A study published Tuesday in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology showed that children who engaged in 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity before morning classes showed a marked improvement in their symptoms. The research was conducted by the Michigan State University kinesiology department, in conjunction with the University of Vermont. For the study, 200 Vermont schoolchildren, about half of whom have a high risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), participated in the study. The at-risk group was identified based on parent and teacher assessments of typical ADHD symptoms. The children were divided into two tes...

They say that salmon is one of the healthiest things you can eat. They're packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and they're a leaner option than other meats, right? That all depends on where the salmon came from. According to The Telegraph, an analysis of the fat content of smoked salmon proved pretty surprising. The salmon -- which were farmed in Scotland -- had more fat than pizza. Salmon is typically advertised as lean, oily, and healthy; however, not all salmon are created equal. Fish that came from the Scotland farms were found to be three times more fatty than wild salmon. Why? Some people call farmed salmon the "couch potato" of fish, since they do not swim as much as wild salmon do; this makes the farmed version fattier -- just as with people who are couch potatoes. Here's the compa...

It isn't exactly surprising anymore when studies are released showing that the most common household items tend to carry the most bacteria -- but new research conducted by medical experts at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, WA shows that the type of bacteria carried on these items is more worrisome than the amount of bacteria. This research, published in JAMA Pediatrics on September 8, shows that the strain MRSA (Staphylococcus aureus), which happens to be resistant to most antibiotics, is very prevalent on common household items. In the past, this bacterial strain seemed to be "caught" by patients who were already in hospital environments; now, however, the latest research shows that this bacteria is often found in homes with children and/or pets. The items mos...

Apple claims that the recent celebrity photo leak scandal that affected over 100 celebrities was not the result of a security breach in its systems. Rather, they say, it was a targeted attack on celebrity usernames, passwords and security questions. After being notified of reports of an iCloud breach, Apple spent over 40 hours investigating its systems involved with the attack that led to the leak of compromising photos of celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian and Kate Upton. The photos were stolen early last week and posted to the web forum 4chan. Users offered to exchange the photos for paypal and bitcoin payments. Soon after the photos were leaked, they began to circulate on Twitter, as well. Several Twitter account holders have already faced su...

If you've had any experience sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen for eight hours a day, you know that the effects it has on your body are not very good. Slouching, headaches, lower back pain, carpal tunnel, etc. But did you know prolonged periods of sitting have also been associated with higher cholesterol levels and greater waist circumference, which can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic disease? Fortunately, a new study shows that there's a very simple way to combat these negative effects: taking a walk. That's right. According to researchers at Indiana University, just a 5-minute stroll for every one hour of sitting could reduce the damage to leg arteries and reduce the risk for heart disease. Researchers looked at 11 healthy men between the ages of 20 and ...

Anyone who has been paying attention to news regarding energy efficiency in the past decade has probably noted a recent lag in discussions pertaining to energy conservation; as one reporter notes, the everyday discussion about energy tends to be less exciting than a discussion about solar power or wind power. Perhaps the fact that eco-friendly products are so easy to find these days is another reason why interest in everyday energy-efficient products appears to be decreasing; it isn't hard to find energy-efficient light bulbs at any hardware store, or a coffeeshop that has ditched Styrofoam sleeves in favor of tree-friendly recycled cardboard sleeves. Quite simply, the opportunity to be energy efficient is everywhere, and it's lost much of its novelty. But as one Baltimore conservation ...

A cool summer treat that can help your skin look younger sounds like a dream come true, but when you find out it's a frozen collagen meat popsicle, does that still sound appealing? Tokyo eatery Zenyaren has begun serving a line of frozen collagen meat pops, and they are all the rage in Japan. Chefs prepare traditional skewers of chicken, known as yakitori, but then slowly freeze them in collagen blocks so they keep their freshly barbecued taste. The resulting treat can be licked or crunched, just like a popsicle. Collagen is the most prevalent protein in the human body, and is responsible for our skin's strength and elasticity. But as we age, collagen production slows down, and the preexisting collagen is absorbed into the skin, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles, and sagging sk...

The Facebook Diet is the new fad weight loss routine that's taking New York city by storm. Instead of deleting or untagging themselves from unflattering photos, people are heading to the gym, using the pictures as motivation to work out, get healthier, and lose weight. “Sometimes looking in the mirror just isn't enough,” says Lisa young, an expert in health and nutrition. “You’re seeing what you look like and not hearing it from somebody else.” Part of the reason why Facebook pictures have provided dieters with such great motivation is because of the constant comparing people do with their friends and followers. “It’s a measuring stick for people socially to say, ‘How do I stack up with my friends?’ " says Kevin Audley, a life coach. It's no secret that social media has an affe...