Quick Study: Fibromyalgia:

Tai chi may help improve quality of life THE QUESTION Might the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia be relieved by tai chi, the mind-body exercise of Chinese origin that combines gentle, graceful, continuous movements with deep breathing and relaxation techniques? THIS STUDY involved 66 people, mostly women, who averaged 50 years old and who had had fibromyalgia for 11 years, on average. They were randomly assigned to participate in a one-hour tai chi class twice a week…

Rather than creating ‘death panels,’ new law adds to end-of-life options

About this time last year, voters and politicians were consumed by the rumor, fanned by health-care overhaul opponents, that the legislation would include “death panels” of government bureaucrats who could “pull the plug on Grandma” if she needed costly care. The outcry led legislators to scrap a provision of the House bill that would have paid for voluntary consultations between physicians and Medicare beneficiaries about end-of-life care: living wills, hospice benefits and the like. Since the furor died down, end-of-life care has been mostly out of the spotlight. …

Hawking book explains creation of universe minus God

Why stop with just arguing about God? Describing the creator as “not necessary” in his latest book is just another day at the office for that whimsical scamp Stephen Hawking, better known as “one of the foremost theoretical physicists of this century” in the words of the Oxford Dictionary of Scientists. In his latest book, The Grand Design , out Sept. 7, Hawking and his co-author, Caltech physicist Leonard Mlodinow, also lay down their views on intelligent design (bad), string theory (good) and philosophy (”dead”). “We’re not saying there is no God, we’re saying there is no need for God to explain the universe,” says Mlodinow. “The views in the book are scientific ones.” The scientific views in the…

Creation came ‘from nothing,’ not God: Stephen Hawking

LONDON (AP) — Did creation need a creator? British physicist and mathematician Stephen Hawking says no, arguing in his new book that there need not be a God behind the creation of the universe. The concept is explored in The Grand Design , excerpts of which were printed in the British newspaper The Times on Thursday. The book, written with fellow physicist Leonard Mlodinow, is scheduled to be published by Bantam Press on Sept. 9. FAITH & REASON: Hawking alters position on God in new book The Grand Design , which the publishers call Hawking’s first major work in nearly a decade, challenges Isaac Newton’s theory God must have been involved in creation because …

‘Disturbing trend’ for kids in sports: ER visits for concussions soar

CHICAGO (AP) — Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting the intensity of kids’ sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries. The findings in a study of national data don’t necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise. However, many children aren’t taken for medical treatment, so the numbers are likely only a snapshot of a much bigger problem, doctors say. “It definitely is a disturbing trend,” said lead author Dr. Lisa Bakhos, an…

Michelle Obama’s ‘cleanse’: Would it work for you?

In an interview in September’s Ladies’ Home Journal, first lady Michelle Obama mentions that she occasionally takes part in a cleanse. She meant, according to her press office, that she eats as much fruit and vegetables as possible and cuts out fats and oils, dairy, meat, caffeine, sugar and starch for a short period of time. Doing so, she told the magazine, helps “clean out my palate.” Such a cleanse isn’t something I considered for my Me Minus 10 weight-loss project, but I wondered whether it could be beneficial to others. Temporarily restricting one’s food can be a useful way to kick off…

Go For Swimming For Your Health and Welfare

If you are hunting for an activity which is beneficial as well enjoyable to perform, then swimming is the ideal choice. Swimming is one of the widely performed and universal forms of exercise. Regardless of gender and age, people can engage themselves in swimming. It is also an economic mode of leisureliness as individuals can easily perform swimming without having to spend any large amount of cash on it. There are many commercial establishments like clubs and resorts, which allow …

Bridging the water divide: It’s not only about taste

For months now, my husband and I have been fighting about water. Drinking water, that is. He thinks it’s time to ditch our monthly bottle delivery service, because of both the expense and green guilt over all that plastic. I concede these points but continue to play my trump card: concerns about the quality of local tap water and any potential impact on our family’s health. The horrific headlines about dangerous lead levels in the District’s water supply from earlier in the decade are still too fresh in my mind; it also doesn’t help that lately, filling a glass from our faucet or drawing a bath smells like we’re draining a swimming…

Baby born with syphilis every hour in China

Every hour a baby is born in China with syphilis, as the world’s fastest-growing epidemic of the disease is fueled by men with new money from the nation’s booming economy, researchers say. The easy-to-cure bacterial infection, which was nearly wiped out in China five decades ago, is now the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in its largest city, Shanghai. Prostitutes along with gay and bisexual men, many of whom are married with families, are driving the epidemic, according to a commentary published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine . The increase reflects the country’s staggering economic growth, providing both businessmen and …

Documentary ‘Babies’ touches hearts, makes mothers’ day

Flowers, greeting cards and candy. Those tend to be the big-three gift options on Mother’s Day. A few might even splurge on a family brunch. But Focus Features is hoping those paying homage to Mom this weekend will turn to a less-traditional way to show their devotion: taking her to watch four little lives blossom on the big screen. MORE: Nine facts about ‘Babies’ Babies , whose trailer has been causing outbreaks of goo-goo nirvana since last fall, opens Friday. The unique documentary follows a quartet of infants — three girls and a…

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