Learning from your shortcomings
IT IS the beginning of a new year and many persons are kicking themselves for not achieving the goals they set at the beginning of last year. Many new year resolutions were made in 2005 and more will be made at the beginning of 2006...

Old but not cold - Hot summer nights raise elderly's blood pressure
NEW YORK (Reuters): WHILE DAYTIME blood pressure (BP) tends to be lower during the hot days of summer than during cold weather, elderly patients treated with anti-hypertensive drugs have higher BP at night when weather is hot, a study shows.

Counselling helps sex after prostate cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters): EVEN A few counselling sessions on sex after prostate cancer can help improve a couple's sex life, at least in the short term, research hints. Researchers found...

Few rewards from coaching women during childbirth
WASHINGTON (Reuters): PREGNANT WOMEN coached through their first delivery do not fare much better than those who just do what feels natural, according to a study released on Friday.

Researchers claim nicotine substitutes may harm foetus
NEW YORK (Reuters): THE USE of nicotine substitutes (nicotine gum, patches or inhalers) during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy appears to slightly increase the risk of birth defects, according to a large study of pregnant women and their offspring.

Study links obesity to kidney failure
WASHINGTON (Reuters): RESEARCHERS HAVE found yet another reason for people to watch their weight: kidney failure. A University of California at San Francisco study released yesterday found a strong relationship between obesity and end-stage renal disease.

Save your ears: Limit iPod use
NEW YORK (Reuters): THE EVER-POPULAR earbuds used with many iPods and other MP3 players may be more stylish than the bigger and bulkier earmuff-type headphones, but they may also be more damaging to one's hearing, according to a Northwestern professor...

Alcohol cuts diabetes risk in older women
NEW YORK (Reuters): DRINKING MODERATE amounts of alcohol appears to protect older women from developing type 2 or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, Dutch researchers report.