Hollywood’s Power Lunch Takes a Hit as Twin Strikes Linger
Since it opened last year, Mother Wolf, chef Evan Funke’s homage to Roman cooking, was one of the
2023-08-03 00:25
His 2024 Campaign Struggling, DeSantis Faces Donors Holding Back Cash
Ron DeSantis, under pressure to raise more money for his struggling presidential bid, is facing donors who are
2023-08-03 00:20
Italian town silenced historic bell to please tourists. Locals say they can't sleep without it
A historic Italian bell tower was recently silenced during the night, in response to protests from B&B owners whose guests complained about the noise—but some locals are now complaining that they can't sleep without the sound of the chimes.
2023-08-02 23:47
There’s a Scientific Reason Why Some People Love the Smell of Gasoline
If you find the pungent aroma of gas pleasant at the pump, you're not alone. Here's why fuel tickles your brain.
2023-08-02 22:47
What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and is thought to affect more than one in 20 menstruating women. Actor and stand-up comedian Bella Humphries suffers from PMDD, and told the BBC: “My period sometimes makes me want to take my life.” According to the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD), 34% of the people who have been diagnosed with the condition have attempted suicide. Humphries, 29, continued: “It’s secrecy and silence that will kill people, not the disease or the disorder.” According to the IAPMD, it takes on average 12 years to be diagnosed with the condition. Here’s everything you need to know about it… What is PMDD? PMDD is a severe form of PMS, and is characterised by debilitating physical and emotional symptoms that occur during the time between ovulation and when the period is due to begin. This is known as the luteal phase and lasts around two weeks – although the length can vary from person to person. In June 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) added PMDD to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, meaning it’s now recognised as a legitimate medical diagnosis. What are the symptoms? People with PMDD might experience a broad range of symptoms, and it’s different for everyone. “In PMDD, symptoms are extreme and can seriously impact quality of life, work and relationships. Many women report feeling suicidal,” said Dr Ghazala Aziz-Scott, a specialist in integrative women’s health and bioidentical hormone balancing for the Marion Gluck Clinic. “Symptoms can be cyclical and chronic – they include mood swings, anger, irritability, anger, anxiety, depression, anhedonia [the reduced ability to experience pleasure], fatigue, and brain fog. Physical symptoms include breast tenderness, headaches, bloating, food cravings, and insomnia.” Are there any treatments? Treatments can include “antidepressants, oral contraception and counselling”, said physician associate Simisola Ade. “A discussion with a doctor should be had to decide on what treatment is appropriate and how bad the PMDD symptoms are.” Aziz-Scott continued: “PMDD has a complex aetiology [causes] and it is vital to evaluate the root cause of the hormonal imbalance and if there are also any coexisting psychiatric conditions. “A healthy diet and good lifestyle can go a long way in supporting the body, B6 and magnesium supplementation are helpful and the use of natural progesterone in the second half of the cycle can be very beneficial.” What other things can people do to help? “Women who have PMDD need to be mindful and easy with themselves. Self-care is very important,” said Ade. “Also keeping a cycle diary is key, especially if you suspect you have PMDD, because some people aren’t aware that they have PMDD until they actually start tracking their symptoms and notice that they are cyclical. This can also help diagnosis and treatment be much quicker. “Talking to other people who have PMDD can be very beneficial too. There are international organisations that can help. Be open with your doctor and tailor treatments for yourself to ensure you put things in place when you are in that luteal phase. Getting to know your PMDD symptoms will help to make those symptoms more bearable.” Dr Adiele Hoffman, medical advisor at Flo Health agrees and said: “It’s very common to experience both emotional and physical discomfort in the days leading up to your period. However, these symptoms should not be so severe that they significantly impact your life, work, your family, or your other relationships. “But if they do, however, consistently affect your life, you should show these logs to a doctor. It can be very helpful for the doctor prescribing appropriate treatment. Most importantly, remember that no one should have to live with debilitating PMDD symptoms.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live JW Anderson is teaming up with a major tennis star for new collection N-Dubz cement comeback with first new album in 13 years Irregular sleep patterns linked to harmful gut bacteria, study suggests
2023-08-02 21:54
With two HGTV shows, Christina Hall finds success in going solo
Christina Hall never intended to be on TV but she found herself there in 2013 as the co-star of HGTV's “Flip or Flop” with then-husband Tarek El Moussa
2023-08-02 21:27
Italy announces special tourist trains and 'cruise' rail routes
FS Treni Turistici Italiani (Italian tourist trains) will offer services geared towards tourism, from vintage rides and fast tourist routes to "cruise trains" stopping at various destinations across a set period of time.
2023-08-02 19:57
IndiGo Profit Beats Forecast as Fuel Cost Drops, Demand Jumps
IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, reported a bigger-than-expected net profit for the first quarter through June as travel demand
2023-08-02 19:27
Russian Drones Hits Danube Port Key to Ukraine Grain Exports
Russian drones struck a Ukrainian port on the Danube River, driving global wheat and corn prices higher as
2023-08-02 17:47
Irregular sleep patterns linked to harmful gut bacteria, study suggests
Irregular sleep patterns may be linked to harmful bacteria in your gut, new research suggests. The study is the first to find multiple associations between social jet lag – the shift in internal body clock when sleeping patterns change between workdays and free days – and diet quality, diet habits, inflammation and gut microbiome (bacteria) composition. According to the findings, even a 90-minute difference in the midpoint of sleep – half-way between sleep time and wake-up time – can encourage microbiome that has negative associations with health. Previous research has suggested that working shifts disrupts the body clock and can increase risk of weight gain, heart problems and diabetes. This is the first study to show that even small differences in sleep timings across the week seems to be linked to differences in gut bacterial species Dr Wendy Hall King’s College London However, according to researchers from King’s College London there is less awareness that the body’s biological rhythms can be affected by smaller inconsistencies in sleeping patterns. This is due to people working regular hours waking early with an alarm clock on workdays compared to waking naturally on non-workdays. Senior author Dr Wendy Hall from King’s College London, said: “We know that major disruptions in sleep, such as shift work, can have a profound impact on your health. “This is the first study to show that even small differences in sleep timings across the week seems to be linked to differences in gut bacterial species. “Some of these associations were linked to dietary differences but our data also indicates that other, as yet unknown, factors may be involved. “We need intervention trials to find out whether improving sleep time consistency can lead to beneficial changes in the gut microbiome and related health outcomes.” First author Kate Bermingham, from King’s College London and senior nutrition scientist at ZOE, said: “Sleep is a key pillar of health, and this research is particularly timely given the growing interest in circadian rhythms and the gut microbiome. “Even a 90-minute difference in the mid-point of sleep can encourage microbiota species which have unfavourable associations with your health.” Researchers suggest the composition of the microbes in the gut may negatively or positively affect health by producing toxins or beneficial products. Specific species of microbes can correspond to an individual’s risk of long-term health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The microbiome is influenced by what food someone eats, which makes the diversity of the gut adjustable. Researchers assessed a group of 934 people from the ZOE Predict study, the largest ongoing nutritional study of its kind. They looked at blood, stool and gut microbiome samples, as well as glucose measurements in people whose sleep was irregular compared to those who had a routine sleep schedule. Unlike past research, the group consisted of mainly lean and healthy individuals with most of them getting more than seven hours sleep throughout the week. The study, published in The European Journal of Nutrition, found that just a 90-minute difference in the timing of the midpoint of sleep is associated with differences in what the gut microbiome is made up of. According to the findings, having social jet lag was associated with lower overall diet quality, higher intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, and lower intakes of fruits and nuts. This may directly influence the abundance of specific microbiota in the gut, researchers say. Three out of the six microbiota species more abundant in the social jet lag group have what researchers describe as unfavourable associations with health. They are linked with poor diet quality, indicators of obesity and cardiometabolic health, like heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, and markers in your blood related to higher levels of inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Previous research has found social jet lag is associated with weight gain, chronic illness and mental fatigue. Dr Sarah Berry from King’s College London and chief scientist at ZOE added: “Maintaining regular sleep patterns, so when we go to bed and when we wake each day, is an easily adjustable lifestyle behaviour we can all do, that may impact your health via your gut microbiome for the better.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live N-Dubz cement comeback with first new album in 13 years Babies as young as four months have taste in fine art, study shows ADHD symptoms in children can be transformed with brain stimulation therapy
2023-08-02 17:28
Hugo Boss Guidance Upgrade Leaves Investors Wanting More
Hugo Boss AG raised its sales and profit guidance again for 2023 after second-quarter sales growth beat estimates
2023-08-02 16:46
Babies as young as four months have taste in fine art, study shows
Our taste in fine art can develop from a very early age, researchers have said, after they found babies as young as four months can demonstrate artistic preferences. When shown landscapes by the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, psychologists at the University of Sussex found both babies and adults mostly favoured the same paintings, with Green Corn Stalks (1888) proving to be the most popular. The team at the university’s Sussex Baby Lab also uncovered that infants liked paintings that had more edges – such as those featuring leaves or branches – and curved lines. In their findings, published in the Journal of Vision, the researchers said aspects of artistic preferences may be hardwired from an early age. Our study also appears to have identified features of adult aesthetics that can be traced back to sensory biases in infancy Philip McAdams Philip McAdams, a doctoral researcher at the University of Sussex and lead author on the paper, said: “It was fascinating to find that babies respond to the basic building blocks of the paintings, such as edges and colours, and that these properties could explain large amounts of why babies look at, and adults like, particular artworks. “Our study also appears to have identified features of adult aesthetics that can be traced back to sensory biases in infancy. “Our findings show that babies’ visual systems and visual preferences are more sophisticated than commonly thought.” For the study, which was in collaboration with children’s sensory brand, Etta Loves, the researchers recruited 25 babies, aged four to eight months, and 25 adults. The babies sat on their parent’s lap while 40 pairs of images, featuring landscape paintings by Van Gogh, were shown on a tablet. Adults were also shown the same paintings and asked which image in the pair they found to be more pleasant. Recordings showed babies looked longer at the Van Gogh landscapes that adults also rated as most pleasant. These paintings featured high colour and lightness contrasts as well as lots of the colour green. The most preferred Van Gogh painting was Green Corn Stalks whilst the least preferred was Olive Grove (1889). But researchers also found small differences in the artistic tastes between adults and babies. For example, they found that infants preferred paintings that contained the most edges and curved lines, which the adults did not seem to favour. Professor Anna Franklin, head of the Sussex Colour Group and founder of the Sussex Baby Lab, and lead author on the paper, said: “We’ve been amazed by how much the young babies responded to the art. “Although newborn babies’ vision is very blurry, our findings demonstrate that by four months old, babies can see well enough to look longer at some paintings than others, and can pay attention to many of the artistic details.”
2023-08-02 16:16