VIDEO: WHO to decide if Zika is an emergency

On Monday, the World Health Organization will meet to discuss whether the Zika virus - which is spreading rapidly through Latin America - should be declared an international emergency. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

'Youngest' conjoined sisters separated

Doctors in Switzerland say they have separated eight-day-old conjoined sisters - believed to be the youngest ever to be successfully parted. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

Marathon mind: How brain training could smash world records

The limits of endurance are set not by the body but the brain. Overriding it could push us to dramatic new feats of athletic performance









via New Scientist - Health Read More Here..

The doctor who delivers India's girls for free

The doctor who delivers India's girls for nothing via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

VIDEO: App to help spot Parkinson's symptoms

Researchers in the UK hope that a phone app could help monitor the progress of patients with Parkinson's disease. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

What Keeps Couples Together For the Duration?

About 9 out of 10 of us in the United States will “marry” in various arrangements at least once. About 40% to 45% will not stay married. And with each subsequent remarriage, the risk of divorce elevates. In this article, I review the factors that bring us together, and not those that drive us apart.

Researchers have discovered common themes across cultures in regards to the most desirable traits that we search for in a mate. These include in rank order: kindness/understanding, exciting, intelligent, attractive, healthy, easy going, creative, wants children, and earning potential. There are minor gender and cultural variations across the above-qualities. Most of these traits are widely regarded by clinicians, such as myself, as prosocial, not asocial, or anti-social attributes.

In addition, there are a few theories that suggest index forces at work in the very earliest stages of mating. Here, I borrow Sternberg’s triangular paradigm. We are attracted to one another via sexual passion. The second powerful factor is commitment. Psychosocial intimacy is the third. It is my clinical view that commitment and intimacy are far more enduring than passion.

John Gottman and colleagues indicate that non-verbal communication between partners is absolutely critical. As a result of extensive research in their “Love Lab”, they identify that five positive exchanges for every one negative exchange is optimal in keeping a couple connected. Compatibility, shared power, and psychosocial development levels are also important factors. This is based on my clinical experience with couples.

Many couples are now waiting longer to commit to a longer-term relationship, and cohabitation is becoming a growing strategy. However, for those who subsequently marry, the likelihood of staying so, makes no difference.

In essence, an enduring relationship takes time, energy, and realistic expectations to make it work “until death does us part”. There are no short cuts!

References

Buss, DM. (1994). Mate Preferences in 37 cultures. In WJ Lanner and R Malpass (Eds). Psychology and Culture. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Buss, DM. (2003). The evolution of desire: Strategies of human mating. (2nd ed.). NY: Basic Books.

Gottman, JM. Gottman, JS, DeClaire, J. (2006). 10 lessons to transform your marriage. NY: Crown Publishers.

National Center Health Statistics. (2010). Cited in S. Jayson. “Living together first has little effect on marriage success”.

Sternberg RJ. (1999). Cupids arrow: The course of love through time. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Image via IzabelaGorz / Shutterstock.

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Brazil's race to find a Zika vaccine

The steps Brazil is taking to counter Zika via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

Proton cancer therapy 'proves effective'

Proton beam cancer therapy - at the centre of an NHS controversy two years ago - causes fewer side effects than conventional radiotherapy, research suggests. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

NHS to use drones to help chemical, bio and nuke response teams

The UK's Hazardous Area Response Teams are trained to treat patients during dangerous emergencies, and this year they'll have drones to help out









via New Scientist - Health Read More Here..

Exercise Has Its Limits for Losing Weight, Study Finds

Intense workout no more effective at burning calories than walking a couple of miles a day

Source: HealthDay via Exercise and Physical Fitness New Links: MedlinePlus RSS Feed Read More Here..

Sleepless Nights Might Raise Women's Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Insomnia can disrupt hormones, and may play a role in developing the blood sugar condition, expert says

Source: HealthDay
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Worldwide Boost in Breast-Feeding Could Save 800,000 Lives

Global economy would also benefit from more mothers nursing their babies, study contends

Source: HealthDay
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Higher Fiber Intake May Improve Lung Function

Best outcomes seen when eating more than 18 grams a day, study finds

Source: HealthDay
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Mental Disorders Increasing for Younger Smokers

Psychiatric problems showing up in those who took up the habit from the 1980s onward, researchers find

Source: HealthDay
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Immunity Genes for E.Coli Found

Scientists see DNA as key factor in why illness strikes randomly

Source: HealthDay
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Too Few Older Adults Tell Doctors About Memory Loss

Experts believe it's often a taboo subject due to fears of dementia

Source: HealthDay
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Zika Vaccine Efforts Get Boost from Prior Research

U.S. health officials say valuable lessons were learned during battles against other mosquito-borne viruses

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Immunization, Infections and Pregnancy, Viral Infections via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Exercise Has Its Limits for Losing Weight, Study Finds

Intense workout no more effective at burning calories than walking a couple of miles a day

Source: HealthDay
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Hepatitis C Reported at 19 Dialysis Clinics

Health officials blame lapses in infection control practices

Source: HealthDay
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More Women Killed by Someone They Know in States with High Gun Rates

Reducing firearms might cut killings by family members, researchers suggest
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Bedbugs Biting Back Against Insecticide

Researchers find a strong resistance to the most widely used pesticide group

Source: HealthDay
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Prenatal Antidepressant Use Not Linked to Infant Heart Defects: Study

Obesity, alcohol and illicit drugs are greater threats in pregnancy, researchers find

Source: HealthDay
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Wearable Electric Patch May Ease PTSD

Researchers found symptoms decreased in civilians who tried the device; vets are now being tested

Source: HealthDay
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WHO convenes emergency meeting on Zika virus

Emergency meeting called in light of observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations Related items from OnMedica New target in war against mosquito-borne diseases Dengue fever cases in returning travellers increase by 60% in one year Dengue fever and West Nile virus threat to the UK WHO responded 'too slowly' to Ebola warnings Three Britons infected with Zika virus

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Councils still limiting homecare visits to 15 minute

UNISON report finds three quarters of local authorities commission visits with these limits Related items from OnMedica Stop steady fall in adult social care funding, government urged Home-care support often ‘poor’ finds health watchdog New home care guide hopes to ease pressure on hospitals Integrated personal commissioning pilots revealed Home care visits should last at least 30 minutes

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UK 'world's worst' at breastfeeding

Rates of breastfeeding in the UK are the lowest in the world, an international study shows. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

Special LMC meeting to debate key GP issues tomorrow

Motions on funding constraints, increasing workload, and improving recruitment and retention are on the agenda Related items from OnMedica 400 more pharmacists to work in GP surgeries Collaboration key to coping with GP challenges Health Secretary gives doctors ultimatum on seven-day service Thousands of doctors picket in industrial action Make GP a more attractive career, agree MPs

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Local Strep B guidelines must be reviewed regularly, audit says

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ audit finds care in many trusts is out of step with national guidelines Related items from OnMedica Pregnant women will no longer to be screened for rubella susceptibility Screen pregnant women for group Strep B Doctors and midwives welcome clear alcohol advice VBAC clinically safe choice for most women

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Weekend emergency patients are significantly older and more disabled

A more dependent patient profile could help explain higher death toll for weekend admissions Related items from OnMedica Patients should 'ignore' hospital death rate measures Hospitals to be ranked according to ‘avoidable deaths’ Standardised mortality ratio should not be used as an indicator of avoidable deaths Fivefold increased risk of emergency admission for those with mental ill health NHS A&E performance dips even further

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VIDEO: Tracing the origins of the Zika virus

The Zika virus, which is said to be spreading "explosively", was forest discovered in a forest in Uganda. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

It may be impossible, but it's the law

The British government is passing laws that make no sense – while limiting the ability to challenge them









via New Scientist - Health Read More Here..

Women’s work

Stop suggesting that doctors who choose to reduce their hours, male or female, are somehow draining the system – be grateful we have them at all Related items from OnMedica Make GP a more attractive career, agree MPs CQC fee hike slammed by GPs and health providers GP surgery closures displace 200,000 patients Don’t ignore explosion in pressure on GPs as A&E problems mount Hospital finances in ‘parlous state’ as risk of NHS crisis rises

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On The Pulse - 29th January 2016

Betahistine is no better than placebo in Ménière’s disease

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Zika outbreak: The mosquito menace

Why the mosquito that spreads virus is flourishing via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

NHS to carry out hand transplants

Hand transplants are to be carried out on the NHS in England, with the "highly complex procedure" available from April, health officials say. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

Activists call for Zika abortions

A Brazilian group is to ask the country's supreme court to allow abortions for women with the Zika virus as it spreads to other countries. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

VIDEO: Zika: Killing the virus at source

Researchers are using new genetic technology to try to contain the spread of the Zika virus by mosquitoes. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

WHO to convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations

WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, will convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations.

The Committee will meet on Monday 1 February in Geneva to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. via WHO news Read More Here..

6 Reasons to Not Eat the Rainbow: These White Foods Are Super-Healthy Too!

Don't judge a vegetable by its color alone. Vibrant fruits and vegetables have standout appeal, but recommendations to "eat the rainbow" can exclude one underappreciated category: white fruits and vegetables. These boast a variety of flavors and noteworthy nutrition accolades, according to research published in Advances in Nutrition. The researchers pointed out that many nutrients—including several that Americans don't get enough of—and good-for-you phytochemicals that give fruits and veggies their health benefits are not always colorful.

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2015 Dietary Guidelines: A Plate Full of Politics

When the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released, they were met with mixed reactions. We're excited to share our advisor Dr. David Katz's response to the report:

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Key HIV drug 'is failing in Africa'

Strains of the HIV virus are becoming resistant to an antiretroviral drug commonly used to prevent and fight it, research suggests. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

4 million at risk of Zika infection as El Niño increases spread

The World Health Organization will decide whether to declare the outbreak a global health emergency  









via New Scientist - Health Read More Here..