The placebo effect has to be one of the strangest phenomenon known to science. It is a measurable effect that is produced by a placebo pill or treatment that has been designed not to have any effect.
The Power of the placebo
Health
The search for eternal youth
Recent reports in the press have highlighted the sad case of a 14 year old girl’s search for immortality and her fight to have her body frozen after her death. Her hope is that medicine will advance enough to allow her to be brought back to life, cancer free at some point in the future.
Ever since time immemorial humans have endeavored to extend our natural life span. In the middle ages, life expectancy was in the order of 40 years. By 1900 you could expect to live to around 59, and today average life expectancy has reached 80 years give or take. The oldest human that ever lived has reached 122 years and the annual rate of mortality amongst any given age bracket e.g. over 80’s continues to fal
Are you getting your 10-A-Day
We all are aware of the guidelines that we all need to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day for optimal health, but with the publication of some recent research, it appears that five a day may not be sufficient.
Brain scans offer hope for “locked in” patients
Severe brain trauma from accident or injury can lead to patients ending up in a persistent vegetative state in hospital. The lights may be on, but often it seems that no one is home.
Zapping the pounds away
Being on the large side, means I always take a keen interest in the latest diet fads and technologies to see if there is an easy way to shed some of the excess pounds. Of course, I could simply eat less and move more but that sounds very dull and not at all interesting, so I have been quite successful at ignoring that option and waiting for the ultimate diet to come along.