Is ‘man flu’ a real thing? Here’s what we know
(Jamie Ducharme/ Time) — If you’ve ever noticed that men seem to whine about being sick far more than women do, you’re not alone. There’s even a word for the male tendency to exaggerate their suffering: “man flu.”
But are men really exaggerating, or might their experience of being sick actually feel worse than it does for women? Dr. Kyle …
Huntington’s breakthrough may stop disease
(James Gallagher/ BBC News) — The defect that causes the neurodegenerative disease Huntington’s has been corrected in patients for the first time, the BBC has learned. An experimental drug, injected into spinal fluid, safely lowered levels of toxic proteins in the brain.
The research team, at University College London, …
Yes, your daily stress can haunt your dreams
(Tereza Pultarova/ Live Science) — After a stressful day, you may hope to find some solace in sleep. But a new study from the United Kingdom suggests that stressful experiences from your day can make their way into your dreams.
The findings, published Nov. 30 in the journal Motivation and Emotion, suggest that, even in your sleep, …
Simple new tool could help doctors spot dementia
(Angela Mulholland/ CTV News) — Canadian researchers say they may soon be able to easily identify adults who are on the path to Alzheimer’s disease, using a tool that works in a similar way to a pediatrician’s growth charts.
The tool, called the QuoCo (a play on the term “cognitive quotient”), allows doctors to test the memory or …
Canadians get half their daily calories from ultra-processed foods
(Marilisa Racco/ Global News) — A new report commissioned by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada and conducted by the Université de Montréal, has revealed that 48.3 per cent of Canadians’ daily caloric intake comes from ultra-processed foods. It also notes that children aged nine to 13 are the largest consumers of these …
Working out on polluted streets bears minimal benefit for older people
(Meera Senthilingam/ CNN) — Going for a long walk on polluted, traffic-laden streets in an attempt to get fit has negligible benefits on your health, a new study has found.
UK researchers explored the benefits of walking in people over the age of 60 and compared the impact on their health when they walked along polluted urban streets …
Sexual harassment toxic to mental, physical health
(Dennis Thompson/ HealthDay) — From the hills of Hollywood to the halls of Congress, it’s now clear that sexual harassment in the workplace has long been a fact of life for working women.
But while the media highlights high-profile firings — NBC anchor Matt Lauer and NPR showman Garrison Keillor among the latest — little attention …
Psychotherapy: Quebec to invest $35 million in mental health
(Charlie Fidelman/ Montreal Gazette) — Quebec is investing $35 million in mental health to launch the first public psychotherapy program, the provincial health department announced Sunday.
In Quebec, as in other provinces, psychotherapy services are not part of publicly insured health-care services although psychotherapy …
Testosterone could explain why asthma is more common in women than men
(Nicola Davis/ The Guardian) — The puzzle of why asthma is about twice as common in women as men may have been solved, according to researchers who say it might partly be down to testosterone.