HEALTH & WELLBEING

The National Heart Foundation of Australia is concerned that heart disease rates could start to rise again after a new report showed that Australians have become heavier, less active and are eating fewer vegetables over the last decade.

The federal government’s anti-smoking policy appears to be paying off as a new study showed that Aussies love for cigarette sticks have been declining considerably since 1995, an encouraging trend that is observable in all age brackets.

The furor over the remarks by Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) leader Jim Wallace that the gay lifestyle is more dangerous than smoking refuses to die.

Cultivated and used medicinally for thousands of years all around the world, ginger root is a powerful medicinal herb that offers a variety of unique health benefits.

Though all 50 U.S. states recognize the natural human right of individuals to refuse otherwise compulsory vaccinations on the basis of religious, philosophical, or medical reasons -- some states recognize all three reasons as valid -- 95 percent of American parents still go along with the federal government's recommended vaccine schedule for their children with no questions asked.

McDonald's Corp., the world-known burger giant chain, has informed that it plans to open vegetarian-only restaurants in India in 2013. According to McDonald's Corp.'s statement, religious pilgrims to two of India's sacred spirituals sites will be able to eat at purely vegetarian McDonald's in Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple, and the town of Katra as well. News sounds like an oxymoron!

Suggestions from the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) that a gay lifestyle is more hazardous than smoking caused Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Thursday to pull out from addressing the lobby's national conference in October.

A new molecule with anti-cancer and anti-metastatic properties has been discovered by teams from CNRS, CEA, the Institut Curie and Inserm(1), in collaboration with Australian and British researchers.

If your dinner date chooses unhealthily from a restaurant menu, you are less likely to stick to healthy options, according to University of Birmingham research published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Most couples who seek reproductive assistance are sub-fertile, rather than sterile, and may conceive naturally. But for this to be optimised, they need to accurately time intercourse on the fertile days of the menstrual cycle.

While the pharmaceutical industry is busy trying to conjure up new drugs to tackle the antibiotic-resistant "superbug" epidemic, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation explains how simple vitamin B3, also known as nicotinamide (NAM), taken in high doses may effectively thwart staph and other potentially life-threatening infections without the need for drugs.

In a Central Sweden laboratory, mankind’s answer to life-stealing cancer is being subjected to a serious study. The potential cancer-stopper, “adenovirus serotype 5,” is a common virus. One of the scienstists working on it describes it as “an assassin who kills all the bad guys.” Is Science finally somewhere close to putting a stop to cancer?

Additive triclosan affects fish and mice at a cellular level

Scientists at the University of Glasgow are working to harness the regenerative power of stem cells to improve orthopaedic implant surgery.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital reports success using a targeted educational approach to teach young patients to remain motionless during MRI scans, making the process safer.

Laser-powered bionic eyes? Seriously? Restore sight to the completely blind? Can this headline be correct?

Most Americans have "hot meals" two out of every three sit downs per day, and usually that food itself has already been cooked, maybe at very high temperatures, and then processed, and finally loaded with preservatives and artificial ingredients. Even organic food which is cooked at over 118 degrees will most likely kill the nutrients, but there are some exceptions. (http://www.essortment.com/health-nutrition-steam-broccoli-48355.html)

Several decades ago, the Dupont logo had the following text attached: "Better living through chemistry." Since then, many of us have come to realize we are living worse in a toxic environment that includes chemically polluted air, water, food, so called "medicine," and now even clothing.

Queensland wants to ban tanning salon use in the state by the end of 2014. Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg cited the increased health risks to cancer as justification for the state legislation that pushes for the prohibition on solariums.

Most of us have taken antibiotics to get rid of a nasty cold that turned into a secondary bacterial infection, or as a preventative measure after a surgery or some other injury.

On August 27, PuckerButt Pepper Company, a manufacturer and distributor of all natural chili pepper products and seeds, announced the debut of the world's hottest pepper: Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper.

General obesity is an epidemic. But it's possible to experience belly fat without being generally obese with fat enlarged torso, arms, and legs that demand waddling while walking. Your arms, upper torso, face, and legs can appear normal with an extended belly and expanded waistline.

Many robotic designs take nature as their muse: sticking to walls like geckos, swimming through water like tuna, sprinting across terrain like cheetahs. Such designs borrow properties from nature, using engineered materials and hardware to mimic animals' behavior.

The Sydney Morning Herald recently published an opinion piece by Patrick Parkinson titled 'About time we all cared more about marriage', in which he argued that allowing same-sex couples to marry will diminish the institution of marriage.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has given its nod for the wider circulation of abortion pill RU486, effectively nudging the country to the circle of 46 nations worldwide that allow the controversial drug’s commercial availability.

If you've forgotten your first-aid kit at home, here are some simple ways to find relief almost anywhere with common foods.

While the industry and government work out the problems associated with additives and bags, why not make your own, safe version?

In the fight against chronic illness, researchers have potentially discovered a new all-natural weapon that can help keep your blood pressure down: Apple peel extracts.

There are plenty of good reasons why, in a world increasingly filled with processed - and over-processed - foods, that eating organic not only makes the most sense for your body, but for the planet as well.