HEALTH & WELLBEING

There is a better way of improving brain power and it does not involve wracking your mind completing crosswords puzzles. It is also more enjoyable too, said Rutgers University neuroscientist Professor Barry Komisaruk.

Brazilian scientists have developed an HIV vaccine and planned to test it on monkeys by late 2013. The early stage of the newly developed vaccine aimed to maintain the low viral level of an infected person rather than eliminate it.

A national health survey revealed millions of Australians may already have diabetes and heart disease but don't know about it. The Australian Bureau of Statistics have uncovered the shocking results of blood and urine samples taken from 11,000 people.

American actor Michael Douglas was once quoted as blaming his throat cancer on oral sex. While his publicist has retracted the statement, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) has its own battle to wage against oral sex for its adverse impact on dental hygiene. Peter Alldritt, chairman of the ADA's Oral Health Committee, warned Aussies on Monday that they could lose their teeth by the age of 30 if they are afflicted with oral cancer.

It looks like bad news for smokers. In addition to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's tax on smoking, smokers may now need a license to smoke. The call for more restrictions on smoking comes amid research suggesting a strong link between smoking and cancer.

Health and legal experts said smokers in Australia will have to carry a smart-card licence before they can buy cigarettes so authorities can monitor their behaviour better and direct messages encouraging them to quit to them.

In Jackman’s own words, he wanted a monstrous body for Wolverine. And so he did by gymming for hours on end, and following what is called the Fasting Diet...

Imagine living in a hospital for 45 years as a patient. This is the story of Paulo Henrique Machado who has spent almost all his life in a hospital. He had infantile paralysis when he was a baby due to polio. He has been living in a hospital in Brazil, Sao Paulo's Clinicas, for 45 years because he needs to be hooked up to an artificial respirator every day for 24 hours.

It seems the most studied and tested vitamin these days is vitamin D. Never mind that it is considered by many to not be a true vitamin. Some consider it more of a prohormone, which is an interglandular hormone precursor.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration required on Thursday the manufacturer of Tylenol and other popular painkillers to warn consumers of the risk of the medication's side effects, including skin blistering and sloughing off the body.

A dog will do his best to love you so unconditionally that it just breaks your heart. He will curl up in bed with you, lay at your feet when you’re feeling low, roll over and tell you how much fun he has when you’re around. Friends, partners, neighbors, colleagues will come and go but dogs, they are for life. For as long as they’re alive they will spend every moment making you feel cherished. Dogs love you like you’re the best person in the world! They’re always happy to see you. They’re cute...

Organic foods have been around for a while now. Some of us are even used to having them every day now. But can you really differentiate organic foods from non organic ones? Can you pick which one is which if two oranges are placed right in front of you, both delicious looking and beautiful in colour? Both full of Vitamin C, both with a good amount of fiber, both free of cholesterol, so which one do you choose and how? Get the facts right before you go grocery shopping the next time.

It’s no secret that an overabundance of many OTC drugs can actually cause headaches – termed rebound headaches. And the latest victims are children as young as seven!

Redbook, Time, W, Vogue and Elle – did whip up their fair share of controversies by putting the most intimate moments of moms and bubs on the covers, and inside pages – the breastfeeding celebrities. Here’s a sneak-peek into what got published and the story behind it.

A man has attempted to sell one of his kidneys online via auction site Trade Me for $250,000 to keep up with the high cost of living in New Zealand.

A new WHO study has found that only one of five countries were fully implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, 32 years after it was adopted. Plus celebrities who were famously quoted about breastfeeding.

A 13.47-pound baby girl was born in Germany and she now holds the title of ‘heaviest baby born.’ Though the Prince of Cambridge weighed in close to 8lbs, he was still bigger than his father Prince William or his grandfather, Prince Charles in terms of birth weight.

UAlberta researchers find Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder delays brain development throughout childhood and adolescence

In real life, several actresses have come forward to expose their fears, anxieties and unfulfilled expectations that haunt their lives. Hollywood has changed our lives through motion pictures that transform our lives. The film industry also has some talented and caring individuals who speak out about topics like depression so that it improves the life of others.

A toddler watched in fear as the heart of his young brother stopped after choking on a sandwich. The incident happened inside the home of a childcare worker in Auckland. Jack was eating a sandwich when he choked. The bite he took apparently went down the wrong way, causing a block in his airway. Cameron, Jack’s father, said Jack heart stopped because he couldn’t breathe. He asked media publications not to publish their last name.

As per the nutrition expert, Dr David Ludwig the director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children's Hospital, sugar in fruits is healthy and does not leave a negative impact on your health. On the contrary in the recent Journal of the American Medical association he cited that eating fruits decreases your body weight and the risk of obesity.

Major or minor, ignoring your beauty rituals is a complete no-no. A woman’s beauty is the celebration of who she really is. And you don’t have to be a beauty expert to give yourself that special edge and look beautiful. Simply by following a few basic practices, you can keep that glow on! Everyday chores take so much out of the body that women often tend to overlook important things. That is now about to change. Just stick to these beauty basics and you are bound to be showered with compliments...

We love beer. We all love beer. We love it so much that often we wonder what else can be done with it apart from just drinking it. Well, good news then! There's much more to beer than meets the eye. There are so many cool ways to use beer. Undeniably, researchers have showed that drinking beer in moderation has huge health benefits. But now, it is time to give way to the mighty drink and make it an even larger part of our lives.

It was one plane ride you would not want to be caught in - that was Qantas Flight 48 from Santiago, Chile, which landed in Sydney, Australia on Thursday afternoon.

August 1 to 7 is the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)’s Breastfeeding week. Here are the new research-backed findings on breastfeeding plus celebrities who are staunch advocates to the point of happily posing with their intimate nursing moments.

Face it, all men want them and all women want to look like them – especially after having kids. So how do these celebrity moms rock it with their babies?

Young Australian men are more likely to die earlier and hospitalised with an injury than women. According to the Australian Institution of Health and Welfare, research shows the solution to improve the health and lifespan of an Aussie man is a simple one: get married.

HIV/AIDS cure research received additional $1.4M funding to accelerate the eradication of world's most deadly epidemic of the era. The Foundation for AIDS Research announced a new round of grants through its amfAR Research Consortium on HIV Eradication.

The number of women who undergo labiaplasty to change the appearance of their vagina is on the rise in New Zealand. Labiaplasty is a plastic surgery procedure to alter the folds of the skin surrounding the vagina's vulva. According to medical history, there are two main reasons why women want to have vagina surgery. One is entirely for medical purposes in which a woman has a congenital condition like intersex and the tearing and stretching of the labia due to childbirth or accident. The othe...