HEALTH & WELLBEING

The "Bikini Bridge" is said to be the latest "thinspo" or thinsporation/thinspiration (pictures of really thin women that girls with anorexia or bulimia use as their goals to become thin) craze among the weight obsessed after the 2013 "thigh gap" trend. But, is it really the newest fad for body conscious individuals? Or, is it a mere hoax?

Caretakers who are also avid royal watchers, watch out. This could be your chance to closely mingle with Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as their firstborn Prince George. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been reportedly scouting for a new nanny when they visit Australia and New Zealand.

As the record-breaking heat wave continues to scorch Western Australia, health authorities have warned possible cases of sicknesses and deaths among young and elderly Australians. The extreme heat alerted doctors, nurses and paramedics to prepare for any kind of emergency.

T memory stem cells have been discovered as possible long-term viral HIV reservoirs that can be used as potential targets of advanced treatments. Experts found that these infected cells prevent antiviral therapy effectiveness even for several years of treatment..

Fitness guru Ashy Bines has slammed the Dieticians Association of Australia for saying that her eponymous Ashy Bines Bikini Body Challenge is the third worst dietary plan in Australia. The former Miss Hawaiian Tropic Australia finalist was confused why the DAA even included her fitness challenge in their survey of diets.

A major new study in Australia suggests IVF babies are twice likely to suffer from serious birth complications than babies conceived naturally. Scientists analysed 17 years of data and arrived at the conclusion that traditional IVF or the direct injection of sperm into a woman's egg cells has a high risk of complications.

A new drug ‘meow-meow’ is making controversial waves online after news of a crime due to its use went breaking last month. It involved a 19-year-old Brit teen who stabbed his mum to death and eventually slicing off his own sex organ.

New vaccine developed by Finnish company FIT Biotech might be the solution to effectively treat HIV for good. It is designed to lower the viral load of current HIV patient, stop progression of AIDS or even make it too low to be detected.

Health experts have advice men not to wear very tight underwear because a warm environment in the groin area could affect the sperm negatively. Hence, some males prefer the looser boxer shorts over figure-hugging brief.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH Diet was ranked by the U.S. News and World Report as the 2014 Best Overall Diet among 32 popular diets including Weight Watchers and the Jenny Craig Diet, which are endorsed by Hollywood stars like Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Hudson and Jessica Simpson. The DASH Diet was also considered the Best Overall Diet from 2011 to 2013.

A woman in Canada who fell off a horse and hit her head has woken up with a Scottish accent. The Canadian mum to 2 children is currently writing a book describing how her foreign accent from a freak accident changed her life completely. Sharon Campbell-Rayment, the 50-year-old mum who manages a horse-riding school in Ontario, has never been to Scotland since she fell from her horse in 2008.

State health officials from California in the U.S. have debunked claims raised by an Internet video posted on YouTube which pointed out dangerously high radiation levels in the sands of Pacifica State Beach. The author of the video linked the radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

A new study published in the journal Paediatric Obesity has stated that babies spoon fed by their parents or caretakers are more likely to become obese or overweight as they grow older.

Even with the major setback in the quest for functional cure against HIV/AIDS, world-renowned AIDS researcher Dr Robert Gallo sees effective cure versus the deadly disease possible - going realistic is the only way to achieve such goal.

The abortion rate in New Zealand has declined to a 20-year low since fewer Kiwi women, especially teenagers, opted for the procedure. The drop in New Zealand's abortion rate has been attributed to the wider use of contraceptives, better sex education and lessons from real-life experiences on reality TV.

H1N1 and HIV have joined forces in 2014 pandemic convergence infecting lives without any guaranteed cure. The outbreak has been declared in Canada as H1N1 is continuously spreading, making HIV patients vulnerable. Here are six facts you should be aware of why both are related to each other.

Fruits and vegetables are at their nutritional best in their raw state but, the idea of maintaining a constant diet of uncooked food would be less than appealing. There are many people who are happy to follow a raw food diet, often claiming that it makes them feel more energetic and ‘alive’. They believe that cooking and processing not only damage the nutritional quality of food, but also reduce its health-giving properties. It is true that the nutritional content of fruit and vegetables is red...

A measles outbreak has been issued in Victoria after an infected man came into contact with thousands of people during Boxing Day at a shopping centre in Melbourne. Similarly, the New Zealand Ministry of Health has confirmed ten cases of affected people, all of whom have attended a hip-hop competition in NSW.

Cameron Diaz is one naughty woman. The "There is Something About Mary" actress has now turned author and written a book titled "The Body Book." The 41-year-old has written an entire chapter on ...guess what..women's pubic hair! Diaz questions why there has been a need to go bald down there and says women should rather remain "fully dressed."

HIV relapsed on two Boston patients motivate scientists to look for better treatment methods and ways to create a functional cure against the virus. The unfortunate event revealed several important factors on how to stop HIV/AIDS for good.

A man has claimed on Reddit that he has two genitals

Smoking pregnant women in New Zealand are offered $300 vouchers to quit the habit. The South Auckland government imposed the voucher scheme to protect unborn babies from tobacco damage.

Due to more Australian women having the perception that their private parts have abnormal appearance, labiaplasties have increased by 5-fold in the country Down Under since 2001.

In most countries, a fireworks display marks the celebration of New Year's Eve, but 40 per cent of New Zealanders want fireworks banned. The Fire Service is happy with the attitude of Kiwis since many people use fireworks in a dangerous manner. Meanwhile, New Year revelers are warned of fake Ecstasy drugs rumoured to be in circulation.

About 3.6 million Australian workers are most likely exposed to carcinogens or cancer-causing agents in mining, agriculture and transport industries. Australian researchers have found that 40 per cent of workers are at risk of cancer with 37 per cent of men exposed to higher risk than 7.9 per cent of women.

A professor from Iowa State University's Department of Biomedical Services who faked an AIDS cure research resigned from his post. The professor admits faking the cure to get part of $19 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health.

The problem of obesity in the UK is getting worse with misguided parents continuing to raise overweight children who are allowed to help themselves to sweets and junk food without getting any form of exercise.

HIV research and development achieved several discoveries in 2013 - from drug therapy to unconventional and risky methods to eliminate the virus. Some of them found new things about HIV and plans to put them into trial. Here are some of notable anti-HIV results for this year to know what we can expect for 2014.

It's like waking up to a traveller's nightmare. Christchurch local Debbie Roome slept at an Auckland motel and woke up with more than 300 bites from bed bugs.