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Bad Breath And Hairy Nipples: Embarrassing Beauty Problems Solved (PHOTOS)

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It’s perfectly acceptable to ask your friend or workmate about how they get their hair so shiny or what the colour of the dazzling lipstick they wear is. But there are some beauty questions that are a little harder to bring up.

Smelly feet, dandruff, hairy nipples -- most of the time when we suffer from these kinds of beauty problems, we keep them to ourselves and muddle through as best we can.

Well, it’s time to break the silence. We're tackling some of the most embarrassing beauty problems out there and are offering up some tips on how to kick them to the curb.

Foot Odour

Your hot date is coming to a conclusion at his place, and you slip off your shoes for a little snuggling on the couch. But -- egads! -- your feet smell and it’s seriously ruining the mood. How can you keep your toesies smelling sweet, especially when the temperature starts to climb?

For tips on how to combat foot odour and more, take a look at the slideshow. Full story continues below.

Tip: Wash your feet daily with antibacterial soap. Wear cotton socks, or sandals preferably, and don't wear the same pair of shoes for more than two days consecutively. Dust your feet using cornstarch or foot powder. Still not happy with your foot odour? One home remedy you could try: soak your feet every day for a week for 30 minutes in black tea -- the tannic acid may kill bacteria and help close your pores.

Bad Breath

You brush your teeth dutifully morning and night, but still you suspect you have "morning breath" all day and night -- and it's making you seriously paranoid. Believe it or not, your age could have something to do with it. The onset of menopause can cause a loss of estrogen, which can cause dry mouth (pregnancy can do it as well). A dry mouth is a breeding ground for germs, bacteria and bad breath (and that’s also why breath smells so bad the day after a booze binge).

Tip: First of all, ensure your oral health is up to par. Cavities, gum disease and gingivitis can cause bad breath, so brush and floss regularly and use an antibacterial rinse afterwards. Drink more water -- it will curtail dry mouth and prevent smelly oral bacteria. Stay away from garlic, onions and spicy foods and keep the alcohol consumption to a minimum. If things are still unpleasant in your mouth, see your doctor. Some health conditions can cause bad breath, like diabetes, chronic bronchitis, postnasal drip and acid reflux.

Hairy Nipples

Sure, we're okay with them on a man, but is it normal to have hairs sticking out of your nipples if you’re a woman? Of course it is -- it’s actually quite common, despite the fact you aren’t likely to see hairy nipples in the next sexy blockbuster. Humans have hair everywhere, except our fingernails and eyeballs.

Tip: Cut or tweeze the hairs if they bother you. And if you have a large amount of hair growing around your nipples, you might want to consult your doctor to ensure your hormones aren't out of whack.

Dark Underarm Skin

Summer is fast approaching, and it will soon be time to get into tank tops and strappy sundresses. But you want to stay under wraps, because you’ve got dark underarm skin. Why does it happen? Darker skin underarms can be caused by inflammation because of too much shaving, friction against rough material or a buildup of dead skin cells.

Tip: To lighten underarm skin, try exfoliating to get rid of dead skin cells. If that doesn’t work, you can try using a depilatory or laser treatment instead of shaving (though note that harsh chemicals can also cause skin darkening). A lotion with hydroquinone might lighten the area, but you should consult with a dermatologist first if you have sensitive skin.

Red Bumps in Bikini Area

So you shave your bikini area in anticipation of a pool party, but the next day, you notice angry red bumps where you shaved -- not a good look to go with your new swimsuit. You’ve got ingrown hairs, which happens when the sharpened end of the hair grows back down into the hair follicle and becomes inflamed.

Tip: People with curly hair are more likely to encounter this annoying beauty problem, but there are ways to deal with it. Using an electric razor or depilatory instead of shaving can work -- the ends of the hairs won’t be so sharp. If you really prefer shaving, do it in the direction that the hair grows, not against it. As well, be sure to exfoliate, cleanse and moisturize the skin you’re going to be shaving, which will also help prevent ingrown hairs.

Lipstick Feathering

When you’re in front of a mirror, your cherry red lipstick looks perfect. But after a few minutes of talking and smiling, you notice the product is creeping outside your lipline in tiny, unattractive ways. And this makes you feel about 90 years old. Lipstick feathers because it is bleeding into the fine lines that radiate from your mouth, which get more pronounced as you age.

Tip: Apply foundation over your entire lip, then use a neutral or colourless lip pencil to line your lips before applying lipstick.

Sneezing During Tweezing

Some women find that tweezing their eyebrows causes them to sneeze -- weird, right? But there is a logical explanation -- the facial nerves (one in particular called the trigeminal) extend from the eyebrow down to the tip of the nose, so that when you’re plucking, those nerves gets stimulated.

Tip: To keep from achoo-ing during your tweezing session, press your finger against your eyebrow as you tweeze, which can short-circuit the reaction.

Excess Facial Hair

You have always had a bit of unwanted facial hair above your lip, which waxing took care of quite nicely. But lately it seems like the hair is more plentiful and coarser than ever before -- what gives? As we age, our facial hair will naturally change too. And unfortunately, that often means hair is thicker and more plentiful as we hit 40 and beyond.

Tip: There are many ways to get rid of excess hair: plucking, waxing, depilatories, electrolysis. All have their pros and cons, but if you really want to see it gone for good, you could try laser hair removal. If things seem really bushy up there, see your doc. There is a disorder called hirsutism that can cause excess facial hair, caused by underlying medical conditions like poly-cystic ovaries (it's usually accompanied by other symptoms such as a deepening voice and cessation of menstruation).

Dandruff

It’s something that you never imagined happening to your cascading mane: those tell-tale white flakes of dandruff. And it itches too! Dry skin, oily skin and sensitivity to styling products can all lead to dandruff, as can skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.

Tip: There are a number of dandruff-preventing products on the market, and it will likely be a matter of trial and error to find one that works for you. If conventional shampoos don’t work, you can talk to your dermatologist for a prescription product. As well, ease up on the styling products and sun exposure, which can also keep dandruff under control.

Bacne

If worrying about the pimples on your face wasn’t enough, what about when it turns up on your back? Most of the time, body acne is caused by the same thing that causes facial acne: genetics. Your skin is prone to sebum production, which clogs pores and causes breakouts. So don’t feel guilty -- it’s not your fault!

Tip: Gently cleanse the skin, allow it to dry, then apply 10 per cent alpha hydroxy. Wear breathable, cotton clothing whenever you can. Don’t hang around in sweaty gym clothes that could irritate your bacne. And you might want to avoid fabric softener, which can leave a waxy buildup on clothes that can aggravate acne.


Vegas Doctor Vows To Cure Your Hangover In Just An Hour - But Will It Encourage Binge Drinking?

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Hangovers can be your very own version of hell. Waves of nausea, crippling dehydration and the nagging suspicion you might have to dash to the bathroom yet again.

We’ve tried the potions, pills and home remedies too (UK saviours seem to be bacon sandwiches and Alka Selzter), we’ve uttered the words “never again” but some of us keep going back there.

And one company has come up with an excellent reason for us to keep on doing that. Should you find yourself with a sore head in Las Vegas, help is at hand in the form of Hangover Heaven.

For introductory prices starting at just $90 (£56), you can hop on the company's bus (which handily stops at all the big hotels and casinos) where you’ll be administered with an IV containing anti-nausea and inflammatory medicines and vitamins. Within an hour you’ll be right as rain, so they say.

Starting this month, the company will launch a VIP service that will see “an actual doctor” attend your hotel room, should you be too wrecked to make your way downstairs to the bus stop.

All the medications and equipment are approved by the FDA – although the website does warn of the possibility of allergic reactions.

So it’s safe and it’s legal. But doesn’t this simply encourage binge drinking?

Huffington Post UK asked Hangover Heaven MD Jason Burke, who says he is the first hangover specialist in the United States.

Dr Burke said: “I contend that people are going to drink to the point they normally would. There is a certain level of inebriation that people like to attain when partying. After a few drinks, people really do not think about hangovers, but more about the level of their intoxication.

"Here in Las Vegas, people usually lose track of time and how much they have had to drink. That is the thing about alcohol, it removes sensibility and reason. People are here to vacation and forget their worries. The purpose of Hangover Heaven is to give people their day of vacation back, rather than languishing in their hotel room because they accidentally drank too much.

"People that I have treated have not ended up becoming binge drinkers. It generally has been the case that they lost track of how much they had to drink during the course of the night and ended up with a hangover.

"The situation that I know happens here frequently is: Somebody comes to Vegas from out of the country. They have been on a plane for 15 hours and are dehydrated when they hit Las Vegas. They get here at 2pm and have a number of drinks at the casino while gambling. They then continue the party at one of the numerous nightclubs here in town, dancing and partying. They turn in around 4am and have been drinking and partying for about 12 to 14 hours straight without drinking much water. They wake up at 11am and feel like they want to curl up and die. Why should they suffer all day?"

A bleary-eyed man named 'Alex' appears in a short film on the firm's website. He recounts having "at least 30 drinks" at his hotel before revealing he woke up with a dustbin next to his bed and a savage hangover.

Describing the treatment, he said: "It’s a cold tingly feeling. I feel great. You feel refreshed you feel crisp. You’re on the ball, you're not sluggish. I feel great.

"My hangover is absolutely gone. I have zero hangover. No more nausea, no headache. I feel refreshed. I’m ready to go back out."

A Hangover Heaven disclaimer states: “Drink in moderation. Alcohol overdose can kill you and Hangover Heaven cannot reverse death. Do not drink more than you should because you think Hangover Heaven can bring you back to life. It cannot. Our buses can work magic, but they cannot bring you back from the dead.”

But before you book that ticket, here are some sage words from our very own NHS: "Hangover cures are generally a myth. There are no cures for a hangover. There are tips for avoiding hangovers and for easing the symptoms if you have one. The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink. If you decide to drink, do it sensibly and within the recommended limits."

According to figures from the Office of National Statistics, in 2010 there were 8,790 alcohol-related deaths in the UK, 126 more than in 2009 (8,664).

2009 figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention list the number of alcoholic liver disease related deaths in the United States as 15,183. There were 24,518 alcohol-induced deaths excluding accidents and homicides.

From pickled herring and tripe soup to acidic plums - take a look at these unusual hangover cures from around the world.

We Think We Weigh Less Than We Actually Do

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By Christie Nicholson
(Click here for the original article and podcast)

In a world full of mirrors, what I’m about to tell you may be a surprise. But many overweight people do not know they’re obese. They underestimate their weight, according to a study in the journal Body Image.

Researchers documented the height, weight and body mass index of more than 3,500 Mexican undergraduate students. Then they questioned the students about their weights. The reported poundage differed significantly from reality, especially among males.

More than 33 percent of the males were overweight or obese but less than 17 percent characterized themselves as being in either category. And though more than 27 percent of the women were overweight or obese, only 21 percent believed they were. The heavier the student the more likely they were to underestimate their weight.

The study took place in Mexico because that country has the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world. But undergrads in the U.S. are even more likely to underestimate their weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers note that recognizing a weight problem early on is crucial for weight control as people age. Or you can wind up buying a bigger belt every year.

Is Niceness In Our Genes?

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Niceness may be predicted, in part, by our genes, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the State University Of New York at Buffalo and the University of California, Irvine found that actual niceness -- defined as feelings of social responsibility and charity -- corresponded with possessing a gene that produced a certain kind of receptor for oxytocin and vasopressin -- two hormones that are linked with sociability and niceness.

"We aren't saying we've found the niceness gene, but we have found a gene that makes a contribution," study researcher Michel Poulin, Ph.D., an associate psychology professor at the University at Buffalo, said in a statement.

For the study, published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers took saliva samples from 711 study participants, to see whether or not they had the receptor-producing genes for oxytocin and vasopressin. The study participants were surveyed about their world view -- whether the world is more good than bad, or vice versa. They were also surveyed about what they thought about civic duty (like whether you should always report a crime) and doing things for charity (like what your thoughts are on giving blood).

"Study participants who found the world threatening were less likely to help others -- unless they had versions of the receptor genes that are generally associated with niceness," Poulin explained the statement.

That's because these specific receptor genes likely help a person to still want to help others even if he or she feels threatened by the world, he added.

This isn't the first study to find a genetic component to virtuous attitudes and behavior. Last year, researchers from the University of Edinburgh published a study in the journal Biology Letters showing that for women especially, traits of selflessness seem to be genetic. That study included 1,000 pairs of twins (both identical and fraternal), the Daily Mail reported.

For the study, the researchers asked the study participants how likely they were to do things like pay more money to ensure access to universal medical care, ABC Science reported. The researchers found that female twins who are identical were the most likely to be generous in this circumstance.

"Having identical and non-identical twins allows you to understand whether there is a genetic factor at play," study researcher Gary Lewis told ABC Science. "Identical twins, which share 100 per cent of their genes, are more similar than non-identical twins, who share only 50 per cent. You can infer genetic influence because of that biological fact."

So if some people around you seem more generous, open and interested in helping, it could be -- at least in part -- a matter of the genes they were born with.

The Autism Breakdown

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Some questions and answers about autism.

Q: What causes autism?

A: That's what researches are trying to figure out with a host of studies. The causes are believed to be complicated, and not necessarily the same for each child.

Q: How much of autism can be linked to genetic causes?

A: Some experts say that in many cases autism results from both genetic flaws that load the gun and other factors that pull the trigger. So far, they have determined genetic problems account for about 20 percent of cases. That percentage could grow as they continue to find new genetic mechanisms.

Q: What other factors could be involved?

A: Some studies have suggested that obesity during pregnancy raises the risk for autism. Others found a link between autism and older fathers at the time of conception. Also being studied are other factors during pregnancy, including medications, as well as environmental pollutants.

Q: How many children have autism?

A: The latest government estimate is 1 in 88 U.S. children have an autism disorder. Those can range from mild cases in which some kids lose that diagnosis as they mature to severe cases in which children are uncommunicative and severely intellectually disabled.

Q: Why are we hearing so much about autism lately?

A: Several research studies have been published over the past week, and April is National Autism Awareness Month. The new research findings also followed closely the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on new U.S. autism estimates.

Need Wedding Decorations? Look No Further Than Alberta

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MEDICINE HAT, Alta. -- Spring brings showers, flowers, and dreams of the perfect wedding, complete with the perfect table settings, decorative bows, aisle runners and stationary holders.

But many couples heading for the altar might be surprised to learn that the founder of the global company that's supplying the decorations for their special day right down to personalized bride-and-groom figurines for their wedding cakes got his start in the business when he was still playing in the rough-and-tumble world of junior hockey.

Meet Rick Brink of Weddingstar, a company with 70 employees and warehouses in North America, Europe and Australia with its headquarters in an unlikely location just outside Medicine Hat, Alta.

Even people in Medicine Hat are surprised to find out it's home to a world headquarters of matrimonial supplies.

"There's people in Medicine Hat who don't know about us. They wonder what this big building is on the highway. They're surprised we're doing this here out on the Prairie," Brink said in a recent interview while sitting in his office.

Check out a curated selection of our favourite wedding objects from Etsy sellers. Story continues below.

Brink has never felt the need to move to a bigger centre because it's easy to ship products by courier from Medicine Hat.

Need flameless battery-operated tea lights for your reception? Weddingstar will ship them to you. Are you a professional wedding planner or a wedding supply store and need just the right basket for the flower girl to carry? Weddingstar develops up to 200 ideas into products every year, which it commissions factories to produce.

Weddingstar has even arranged a partnership this year for a line of products with celebrity wedding planner Preston Bailey. And the company prints its own magazine that is available at supermarkets and pharmacies across the country.

"Everything but the dress," Brink says of his business.

But back in the early 1980s, Brink, who was born in Medicine Hat and is the son of a police officer, was a hard-working hockey player for Medicine Hat Tigers as well as the University of Calgary Dinos. He later got a contract in Europe for Esbjerj, a team in Denmark, where he played for two years.

It was a world that conjures up images of the 1970s classic hockey movie "Slapshot." Just like Reggie Dunlop, the main character in the movie played by Paul Newman, Brink was player and coach of his Esbjerk team.

But like a couple of newlyweds, Brink had big dreams of a bright future, and while he was still playing in Europe he was on the lookout for possible business ventures. He was thinking he could make a quick buck by buying chocolate Christmas advent calendars in Denmark and reselling them in Canada, but while he was searching for suitable manufacturers, a teammate connected him with a company that made folding paper Santas and Easter bunnies, as well as paper bells.

Brink says he brought a container full of them back to Canada, but he was so green in business that he didn't even know he had to pay import duties. His second problem was that customers wanted the paper bells to be different colours because they thought they'd be good for weddings.

It wasn't long before Brink stopped selling Christmas and Easter decorations and switched completely to wedding supplies. He brought back something else from Europe the following year that also helped with his business — his wife, Helle, who was an accountant.

"All over the world brides want a personalized wedding. People want to see their names on things. They want their colours on things," Brink says about why people buy his products.

In the early days, Brink and his father cruised the back alleys of Medicine Hat for cardboard boxes that they could use for shipping. Those days, though, are far behind them.

Last month, Weddingstar announced that Preston Bailey would design an exclusive collection of wedding reception tabletop accessories. Bailey, based in New York, plans wedding decorations for celebrities and has a client list that ranges from Jennifer Hudson to Donald Trump. He's written bestselling books with titles like "Fantasy Weddings" and "Design for Entertaining."

A typical wedding he would plan costs well into the six-figures, Brink says. But Bailey, in a news release about the partnership, said the deal would help make personalized weddings more affordable.

"I am thrilled to be partnering with Weddingstar, a company I have long admired for their impressive selection of Quality wedding products and accessories," Bailey said.

"Every bride deserves to have her dream wedding, and we want to help."

Brink says the most unusual request Weddingstar has received has been from a nudist couple who requested a bride-and-groom cake topper where the figurines were, well, wearing neither a wedding dress nor a tuxedo. He says he had to turn them down, not because it was too freaky, but because he didn't think he'd be able to sell the minimum number he'd have to order from the factory.

Suze Orman's Tips On How To Ask For A Raise

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Here's the thing with us women: We tend to put ourselves ‘on sale' by not asking for what we really want. We think one thing, yet say another. You go in to ask for a raise with the fear that maybe they won't like you, and you care more about people liking you than getting paid what you're worth.

The Duggars' MASSIVE Grocery Bill

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Maintaining a house filled with 19 kids might seem like a nightmare, but according to Michelle Duggar of "19 Kids And Counting", that isn't the case -- it's all about planning and team work. "We all work together, it takes everyone helping," Michelle told the "Today" show's Savannah Guthrie, who visited the Duggar's Arkansas home this morning.

Michelle and her husband Jim Bob shared their methods to the madness on camera. They have nine bathrooms -- but sometimes still have to wait -- and only four bedrooms. Nine girls share one room; nine boys share another. The entire family uses one big closet. Like a business, they've also established a mail room.

Between laundry (there are 35 loads done each week) and dishes, housework is a never-ending cycle, Michelle says. But all of the kids, with the exception of baby Josie, have jobs. To divide chores, Michelle and Jim Bob split the children into teams with designated captains. Two teams of boys usually get put on dish duty.

What's most mind-boggling, though, is the Duggar grocery bill: $3,000 a month. In that time, the family goes through 5 dozen eggs and 48 boxes of cereal -- it's no wonder they use their garage as a pantry. To ensure that mealtime goes smoothly, Michelle says they plan ahead. For breakfast, they start preparing the night before. It's also helpful to finalize a menu prior to grocery shopping, she says. Then, when it's time to eat, everyone lines up and serves themselves buffet style.

And then ... it's time for a whole bunch of dishes.


NHS Blunder: Why There Are 20,000 ‘Pregnant’ Men In Britain

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According to official figures from the NHS, over 17,000 British men were admitted to hospital for obstetric appointments (a pregnancy-related service) and a further 20,000 have visited a midwife.

And these don’t include the other 8,000 ‘male mothers’ who penciled in a meeting with their gynaecologist…

These figures aren’t an April Fools Day joke or a series of medical miracles – but embarrassing examples of a long list of data blunders recorded by the NHS, available on HESonline.

Discovered by doctors from the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the mistakes have been highlighted and a letter has been written to the British Medical Journal.

It’s believed that such errors have been made by imputing details using the wrong medical code. For example - typing ‘560’ for a midwife appointment, instead of ‘460’ for a specialist eye doctor booking.

Doctors from the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust have warned that such typos could effect patients, as the system will assume the data is correct and therefore not commission the correct services.

The concerned doctors encouraged NHS data input employees to “examine the data being submitted by and about our services unintentional innovation”.

And it wasn’t just the men who were affected by the data blunders – over 3,000 children and teens were noted down as using geriatric services and over 1,000 adults had been seen by a paediatric doctor, a specialist in children’s medical services.

Although there isn't a wave of pregnant men in the UK, a British sex change man gave birth to a daughter in February and famous 'male mother' Thomas Beatie is ready for a hysterectomy after giving birth to three children.

Could This Simple Diet Shed The Pounds?

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Forget fad diets - the most effective way to lose weight is by simply eating less fat and taking more exercise, a study has found.

The "not rocket science" weight loss formula achieved results in a large proportion of 2,500 obese Americans.

Forty per cent managed to shed 5% or more of their weight, and 20% lost a tenth or more over a period of 12 months.

Before losing weight, all had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, meeting the clinical definition of obese.

Dr Jacinda Nicklas, from Harvard Medical School, who led the dieting study, said: "This is great news because studies have shown that even a 5% reduction in weight can lead to improved health."

The researchers analysed data from a total of 4,000 obese individuals who took part in a large health and nutrition survey.

Of these, 2,523 reported trying to lose weight.

Writing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the authors concluded: "Those who exercised more and ate less fat were significantly more likely to lose weight."

A correlation was also seen between joining a structured weight loss programme and successfully losing weight.

However, self-reported use of "popular diets, liquid diets, non-prescription weight loss pills and diet foods/products" was not associated with weight loss.

Co-author Dr Christina Wee, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, US, said: "It's very encouraging to find that most of the weight loss methods associated with success are accessible and inexpensive.

"There are lots of fad diets out there as well as expensive over-the-counter medications that have not necessarily been proven to be effective, and it is important that Americans discuss product claims with their doctor before trying such products."

Is The United States' High Spending For Cancer Care Really Worth It?

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* US patients live longer after diagnosis than in Europe -study
* Experts question validity of data
* Analysis fuels debate over U.S. healthcare spending
By Sharon Begley
NEW YORK, April 9 (Reuters) - With the United States spending more on healthcare than any other country - $2.5 trillion, or just over $8,000 per capita, in 2009 - the question has long been, is it worth it? At least for spending on cancer, a controversial new study answers with an emphatic "yes."
Cancer patients in the United States who were diagnosed from 1995 to 1999 lived an average 11.1 years after that, compared with 9.3 years for those in 10 countries in Europe, researchers led by health economist Tomas Philipson of the University of Chicago reported in an analysis published Monday in the journal Health Affairs.
Those extra years came at a price. By 1999 (the last year the researchers analyzed), the United States was spending an average of $70,000 per cancer case (up 49 percent since 1983), compared with $44,000 in Europe (up 16 percent). Using standard figures for an extra year of life, the researchers concluded that the value of the U.S. survival gains outweighed the cost by an average $61,000 per case. The greater spending on cancer care in the United States, they conclude, is therefore "worth it."
Experts shown an advance copy of the paper by Reuters argued that the tricky statistics of cancer outcomes tripped up the authors.
"This study is pure folly," said biostatistician Dr. Don Berry of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "It's completely misguided and it's dangerous. Not only are the authors' analyses flawed but their conclusions are also wrong."

'BEST HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD'
The question of how U.S. healthcare compares with healthcare systems in other wealthy countries has become highly politicized. The 2007 film "Sicko" by activist Michael Moore compared U.S. healthcare unfavorably with systems in Cuba, France and elsewhere. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner regularly claimed America has "the best healthcare system in the world."
Philipson is a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and at the Manhattan Institute, served in the administration of President George W. Bush and was a healthcare adviser to Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
For the new analysis, Philipson and his colleagues analyzed the survival of cancer patients diagnosed from 1983 to 1999 with any of 13 common cancers, including breast, prostate, colorectal, and leukemias.
Survival means how long a patient lived after being diagnosed. Philipson's team focused in particular on survival gains; that is, how long did patients diagnosed in later years live compared with those diagnosed earlier in the period? Such gains, they argued, show what progress countries made in treating cancer.
While that may seem straightforward, survival data is among the most problematic cancer statistics, Philipson's team acknowledges. In particular, they are plagued by something called lead-time bias.
If a tumor is diagnosed very early in its existence - if it has a long "lead time" - the patient may survive, say, two years if the tumor is very aggressive. If an identical tumor is found in that patient's identical twin later, the twin will survive, say, six months. But the twins die at the same age. The first survived longer with cancer due to lead-time bias, but did not have a longer lifetime.
Crediting medical care with "improving survival" is therefore misleading, cancer experts have long argued. Lead-time bias makes it seem patients live longer, but the only thing that is longer is the number of years they know they have cancer, not their lifespan.
The authors of the "worth it?" study nevertheless base their analysis on survival data. They argue that because U.S. cancer mortality rates fell faster than those in Europe, the survival gains must be real and not an artifact of lead-time bias.
Others call that approach fatally flawed. "Lead-time bias is an issue," said MD Anderson's Berry. "I can see no hint of logic in their statement that 'lead-time bias did not confound our results.'"

DIFFERENCES IN SCREENING IN U.S. AND EUROPE
Even more problematic, said Berry, is a problem cancer experts have only recently recognized: overdiagnosis. Because cancer screening is much more widespread in the United States than in Europe, especially for breast and prostate cancer, "we find many more cancers than are found in Europe," he said. "These are cancers that tend to be slowly growing and many would never kill anyone."
Screening therefore turns thousands of healthy people into cancer patients, even though their tumor would never threaten their health or life. Counting these cases, of which there are more in the United States than Europe, artificially inflates survival time, experts said.
"As long as your calculation is based on survival gains, it is fundamentally misleading," said Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a healthcare expert at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice.
In the new analysis, the survival gains in the United States compared with Europe were greatest for prostate cancer, at more than triple the gains for breast cancer, the cancer with the second-greatest U.S. survival edge. "These are the two cancers where screening has raised the most serious issues about lead-time bias and overdiagnosis," said Welch.
For melanoma and colorectal and uterine cancer, survival gains over the period analyzed were greater in Europe than the United States.
The Philipson team acknowledges that survival data can be misleading. They justify their approach, however, by saying that because deaths from cancer as a percentage of a country's population fell faster in the United States than in 10 countries in Europe from 1982 to 2005, the higher U.S. survival "suggests that lead-time bias did not confound our results."
Some experts in cancer statistics were not convinced.
"Why do the authors use the wrong metric - survival - in the analysis and then argue that the right measure - mortality - provides corroborating evidence?" asked Welch. "As long as your calculation is based on survival gains, it is fundamentally misleading."
Other calculations cast doubt on the superiority of U.S. cancer care. For instance, breast cancer mortality fell 36 percent in the United Kingdom from 1990 to 2006, calculates MD Anderson's Berry, and fell 30 percent among whites in the United States. (The U.S. figure would be even lower, he said, if it included African-Americans, who generally have less access to health care.)
Cancer mortality in the United States is higher than in 11 countries reporting to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and lower than the rate in 14. Mortality is lower in Switzerland, Sweden, Japan and Finland, among others, but higher in Hungary, Slovenia, France and Britain, in the latest years for which OECD has data.
The reduction in cancer mortality in the United States since 2000 also puts it toward the middle of OECD countries. It is less than in Israel, Japan, Switzerland and some others, for instance, but better than in Britain, Estonia and Poland.

THE VALUE OF MORE SPENDING
The researchers acknowledge that it is not possible to conclude that improved survival comes from higher spending on cancer care. It might also come from more widespread cancer screening which, experts say, detects more and more "pseudo-disease" - that is, a tumor so nonaggressive it would never have threatened the person's health or life. That alone would make the survival data look better.
The Philipson paper was supported in part by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, whose cancer drugs include Yervoy. A drug for advanced melanoma, it costs $120,000 for a full course of treatment. Clinical trials showed that Yervoy produces a near-miraculous cure for some patients, with a median increase in survival of 3.6 months.
U.S. spending on cancer care has continued to increase, reaching $72 billion in 2004, the last year for which data is available.
The new study did not examine the cost-effectiveness of that care. "In the last decade, spending in the U.S. has increased more than in Europe," said Philipson. "I would be extremely surprised if the survival gains haven't continued. But it is a much more open question whether that additional spending has been accompanied by an increase in longevity."
In the last decade, a number of very expensive cancer drugs were introduced into the United States, including Dendreon Corp's Provenge for prostate cancer ($93,000 per treatment) and Bristol and Eli Lilly and Co's Erbitux ($100,000 per year). Their analysis, say Philipson's team, "does not imply that all treatments are cost-effective."
Worse, many are not medically effective. Last week, the American Society of Clinical Oncology released a list of five cancer tests and therapies that do not help patients live longer or suffer less - even apart from how much they cost.

VALUING OF A YEAR OF LIFE
Healthcare economists focused on a different aspect of the new study, namely, how much each additional year of life is worth. Philipson's team assumes a value of $150,000 to $360,000.
"Are American taxpayers willing to pay $150,000 in added taxes to purchase an added life year for some poor person?" asked health economist Uwe Reinhardt of Princeton University. "Does the urge to cut government spending on Medicare and Medicaid suggest Congress is willing to purchase added life years for anyone who cannot purchase it with his or her own money at a price of $150,000 per year?"
Other studies in the journal raise questions about the value of some aspects of cancer care. One finds that the use of a prostate-cancer treatment called "intensity modulated radiation therapy" has soared since 2001, including for men with low-risk forms of the disease. Since IMRT costs $15,000 to $20,000 more than other therapies despite a lack of evidence that it improves outcomes, that raises "concerns about overtreatment, as well as considerable health care costs," write University of Michigan researchers.
Another study finds that urologists who perform biopsies themselves, rather than refer patients to another physician, are more likely to perform prostate biopsies on men who are unlikely to have prostate cancer. "These findings suggest that doctors' own financial interests are driving decisions to perform biopsies which are of little to no benefit to patients," Health Affairs said in a statement. (Reporting By Sharon Begley and Kate Kelland; editing by Matthew Lewis)

Dental X-Rays 'Brain Tumour Risk'

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Frequent dental X-rays may significantly increase the risk of non-malignant brain tumours, say researchers.

Over a lifetime, having dental X-rays can double or triple the chances of developing meningioma tumours, a study has found. The tumours grow in the outer membrane covering the brain.

In one case, involving X-rays on children, a five-fold increase in risk was seen.

However, the likelihood of developing a brain tumour at all is very small. Meningiomas, which account for about one in five primary brain tumours, affect two or three in every 100,000 people in the UK each year.

The tumours are slow growing, often causing no symptoms, and usually benign.

Scientists in the US looked at the self-reported dental histories of 1,433 patients diagnosed with meningioma tumours. They were compared with a "control group" of 1,350 matched individuals who were free of the disease.

The tumour patients were consistently more likely to have been exposed to dental X-rays.

One of the most common procedures is the "bitewing" X-ray which uses an X-ray film clenched between the teeth in a tab of plastic or cardboard.

Bitewing X-rays check for decay between the teeth and can also expose bone loss caused by severe gum disease.

Over a lifetime, patients with meningioma were between 1.4 and 1.9 times more likely than controls to have undergone bitewing X-rays on a yearly or more frequent basis.

An increased risk of meningioma was also linked to "panorex", or "panoramic" X-rays which provide a broad view of the jaws, teeth and nasal area. They reveal problems such as impacted teeth, cysts, infections and bone abnormalities.

People who had panorex X-rays when they were younger than 10 years old had an almost five-fold greater chance of developing meningioma.

Having the X-rays once a year or more often was associated with a 2.7 to three times increase in risk, depending on age.

The findings appear in an early online edition of the journal Cancer, published by the American Cancer Society.

Dr Elizabeth Claus, from Yale University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote: "Our findings suggest that dental X-rays, particularly when obtained frequently and at a young age, may be associated with an increased risk of intracranial meningioma, at least for the dosing received by our study participants."

The scientists noted that radiation doses from dental X-rays today are lower than they were in the past.

The patients taking part in the study were diagnosed at between 20 and 79 years of age. Some of them would therefore have been exposed to higher radiation doses earlier in their lives.

Ionising radiation, such as X-rays, is known to be the most important risk factor for meningioma brain tumours.

However, most research on meningioma and ionising radiation has focused on high exposure levels from atomic bombs or cancer treatments.

Previous studies had hinted at an increased risk from dental X-rays, but were limited by small numbers of patients who may have received high radiation doses, said the researchers.

British cancer expert Dr Paul Pharoah, from Cambridge University, said the study was "carefully designed and well conducted".

He added: "The authors report that dental X-rays are associated with a small relative increase in risk of disease of approximately 50% or 1.5-fold. This finding is statistically significant.

"However, as the disease is rare, the increase in absolute risk is tiny - the lifetime risk increasing from 15 in every 10,000 people to 22 in 10,000.

"People who have had dental X-rays do not need to worry about the health risks of those X-rays. Nevertheless, dental X-rays should only be used when there is a clear clinical need in order to prevent unnecessary exposure to ionising radiation."

Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, said: "X-rays are a vital tool in dentistry and reveal problems in the teeth and surrounding bone that simply cannot be observed by the naked eye, and often before patients experience any pain or discomfort. The earlier dental problems are identified, the easier they are to treat.

"Regulations governing the use of X-rays in the UK are considerably more stringent than in the US. Dentists in the UK are only permitted to take X-rays where these are absolutely necessary. This means that fewer X-rays are taken in dental practice and modern equipment has reduced exposure to radiation to extremely low levels.

"Dentists are also required to undertake regular training in the use of X-rays to ensure they are up to date with the latest techniques in deciding how, and when, these are required. This maximises safety for patients, while retaining an essential tool in the diagnosis of dental disease."

Responding to the study, a Department of Health spokesman said: "Patient safety is a priority and the UK has stringent safeguards in place covering the use of dental X-rays. All X-ray exposures must be clinically justified.

"Radiation protection is a mandatory topic for continuing professional education for dentists and must be undertaken to maintain registration with the General Dental Council."

Want A Blissful Night's Sleep? Time to Dream:ON

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A psychologist plans to sweeten people's dreams using their smartphones.

Professor Richard Wiseman expects thousands of people to take part in an experiment in manipulating dreams.

Participants will download a specially designed iPhone app that turns their phone in to a dream factory. Placed on the bed, the phone can detect when a sleeper is not moving, which signifies the onset of dreaming.

It then plays a carefully crafted "soundscape" designed to evoke pleasant scenes such as walking in woods, or lying on a beach.

The idea is that this will influence dreaming, causing dreamers to conjure up situations and experiences inspired by the sounds they are hearing.

At the end of the dream the app sounds a gentle alarm to wake the dreamer, who submits a brief description of the dream to a "dream catcher" database.

Prof Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire, who is best known for his work on the paranormal, said: "Getting a good night's sleep and having pleasant dreams boosts people's productivity, and is essential for their psychological and physical well being. Despite this, we know very little about how to influence dreams. This experiment aims to change that."

As many as 10,000 people are expected to take part in the mass-participation study, launched at the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Prof Wiseman teamed up with app developers YUZA, which created the "Dream:ON" software. Participants will be encouraged to share their dreams via Facebook and Twitter.

A national survey conducted for the experiment found that 21% of respondents had trouble sleeping and 15% suffered from unpleasant dreams.

Prof Wiseman said depressed people dreamed far more than others, and often had negative dreams. "Perhaps improving their dreams might help them," he added.

The "Dream:ON" app can be downloaded for free from iTunes or via the project site, http://dreamonapp.com.
Throughout history, dreams have been associated with creative thinking.

Here are some examples of creative dreams:

  • Chemist Friedrich August Kekule dreamed about a snake grabbing its own tail, which led him to discover the circular structure of the benzene molecule.
  • Elias Howe, inventor of the sewing machine, dreamed about a tribe who danced around him carrying spears with holes near their tips.
  • Mary Shelley found the inspiration for her Frankenstein story in a dream about scientists creating life.
  • Paul McCartney awoke to find the tune for the Beatles hit Yesterday fully formed in his head.
  • Jack Nicklaus invented a new golf swing after dreaming that he was holding his golf club in a completely different position.

8 Foods With More Sugar Than A Twinkie

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In February, McDonald's oatmeal was "outed" for having more sugar than a Snickers bar, despite being marketed as a "healthier" breakfast option than some of the fast-food chain's more well-known fare.

In 2009, the American Heart Association recommended that women eat or drink no more than 20 grams of sugar a day, and men no more than 36 grams. That means one Snickers bar, at 30 grams of sugar, would be about all the sugar the average man should eat in an entire day. For women, that equivalent to about one Twinkie, which will set you back 18 grams.

Eating much more than that has been linked not only to obesity, but to high blood pressure, and elevated levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood.

You probably wouldn't go around eating more than one Snickers, or even a Snickers every day, but it is still easy to overdo it when it comes to sweets -- and fast, too, considering all the places, like that morning oatmeal, that sugar is hiding. Here are eight foods with more sugar than a Twinkie to watch out for.

For more on diet and nutrition, click here.

WATCH: Is This The World's Most Annoying (Yet Successful) Alarm Clock?

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In an ideal world, we wouldn't need alarm clocks. We'd all get the perfect amount of rest every night and wake up, feeling completely rested, of our own accord. But in reality, 43 percent of Americans report rarely or never getting a good night's sleep, and we wake up groggy and cranky to blaring alarms day after day.

Whether you are a snooze button addict, or perpetually sleeping through your alarm, new-fangled alarm clocks aim to get your butt out of bed the minute the clock strikes rise-and-shine time.

The latest, the Ramos Clock, might be "the world's most exasperating alarm clock", according to the AP. The only way to stop its incessant ringing -- which sounds like angry pounding of a hotel's concierge bell -- is to get out of bed and type in a code on the clock's wireless "Defuse Panel", which you might store in the kitchen, bathroom or somewhere else outside the bedroom. Unplugging it won't do the trick either, as Ramos has an internal battery with hours of juice.

"I wanted to make something that would essentially force me to get out of bed when I wanted to get out of bed the night before," Ramos creator Paul Sammut told the AP. "Now I wake up before it goes off. I subconsciously fear it and know I have to get up."

Sammut has raised over $150,000 via Kickstarter to fund the production of his clock, which should be available later this year.

Watch the video above for more on this innovative alarm clock from 'Good Morning America'. Then check out some other techy alarm clocks here and more annoying ones that work here.. Tell us in the comments: What do you use as an alarm clock?

For more on sleep, click here.


Engineers Enter Fight Against AIDS In Africa

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JOHANNESBURG -- Getting AIDS test results from labs to remote villages once took weeks in Mozambique, with the information sent by courier along the impoverished country's terrible roads. The delay could mean death.

Now, communications engineers have adapted office printers and cell-phone technology to wirelessly and immediately relay test results. Britain's Sequoia Technology Group and Telit Wireless said Tuesday the printers are being rolled out elsewhere in Africa after initial success in Mozambique, where the project has been running for a year.

Phillip Collins of Telit said in an interview that his company's technology is more often used for monitoring electricity meters than saving lives. It took on the printer project at the Clinton Foundation's request.

Tim Clayton of Sequoia said he has visited Mozambican clinics where printers have been installed, and learned about the push to ensure AIDS does not kill children.

"It's pretty significant impact when you see it firsthand," Clayton said in an interview.

It's another innovative use of cell-phone technology, which Collins called the "single most common means of long-range technology being used today" around the world. In Africa, cell-phone technology is used to transfer money from customer to vendor, and wildlife researchers have put no-frills cell phones in weatherproof cases on collars around elephants' necks to track the animals' movements.

Mary Pat Kieffer, a Mozambique-based expert with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, said babies in remote villages were dying before doctors could get test results and start treatment. Kieffer was not involved in the printer project, but has seen it at work and said in an interview it has helped "in closing the loop" on a lifesaving circle.

The advanced technology needed to check for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in newborns is available at four laboratories in Mozambique, said Dr. Ilesh Jani, director of Mozambique's National Institute of Health.

Blood drawn from babies believed to have been exposed to HIV can be drawn and stored dry on filter paper. Kieffer said health workers have created networks to pick up samples and deliver them to the labs, a first step that itself was once a source of delay.

Kieffer added that since she began working in Africa a decade ago, the number of labs has increased, as has their capacity – a matter of equipment and staff.

"When you get a positive result, it's very urgent, you have to do something quickly," Kieffer said.

HIV-positive babies who are quickly put on treatment are much more likely to survive, health workers say. In the first six months alone that the program was up an running in Mozambique, 20,000 results were relayed to the printers.

Labs processing thousands of tests lack the staff to call clinics or send results by cell-phone message. Results stacked up until they could be sent in batches by courier.

Clayton said the technological fix is fairly simple. Engineers removed the guts from standard printers and replaced them with cell-phone technology. A computer at the lab can relay results from multiple tests simultaneously to clinics using GPRS technology. Printers can be left on so results can be streamed. If the power fails, the results are stored until it comes back.

At the clinics, "the only thing you have to do is to tear off the paper from the printer and hand it to the doctor," the National Institute of Health's Jani said.

GPRS is reliable, and cheaper than sending a cell-phone text message, Clayton said.

Clayton said the trickiest component was creating a system, set up in Britain, to link lab computers to clinic printers. Now that the system is up and running, it will be easy to replicate elsewhere, Clayton said. Plans are in place to use the printers in Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Mozambique still struggles with a shortage of health workers and medicine, Jani said. He praised the printer project, but cautioned: "No technology is a magic bullet."

Fish Oil Benefits Questioned For Heart Attack And Stroke Survivors

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By Amanda Gardner

Fish oil supplements, which contain omega-3 fatty acids believed to promote heart health, may not benefit people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, according to a new review of previously published studies.

The review, which appears this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, covers 14 clinical trials that included more than 20,000 people with a history of cardiovascular disease. After pooling and re-analyzing the trial data, the researchers found no differences in the risk of new cardiac events or heart-related death in people taking fish oil supplements versus placebo.


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"There is no evidence that omega-3 supplementation is effective for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease," says lead author Seung-Kwon Myung, M.D., a researcher in the department of family medicine at Seoul National University, in South Korea.

Fish oil capsules contain two omega-3 fatty acids also found in fatty fish, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Doctors and researchers have been interested in the potential cardiovascular affects of these fatty acids since the 1970s, when studies first called attention to the low rates of heart disease in cultures with a fish-heavy diet.

Early clinical trials suggested that omega-3s might have properties that fight inflammation, blood clotting, and the hardening and narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis), but these benefits have never been confirmed conclusively. Studies, including those in people with existing heart disease, have produced mixed results.

The new review, known as a meta-analysis, is the first of its kind since 2009. In contrast to that earlier review, which found that fish oil supplements reduced heart-related death risk by 13 percent compared to placebo, Myung and his colleagues found no association between fish oil use and the risk of sudden cardiac death, heart attack (both fatal and nonfatal), heart-related chest pain, heart failure, or stroke.

This finding is far from the final word on the subject, however. The "jury is still out," says JoAnn E. Manson, M.D., director of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.

In an editorial accompanying the review, Manson and a coauthor point out that most of the trials Myung looked at included fewer than 500 participants and lasted less than two years, and some used relatively low doses of EPA and DHA. All of those factors could have skewed the analysis, Manson says.

In addition, heart patients in the more recent trials -- including those published since 2009 -- tended to be taking prescription medications such as cholesterol-lowering statins, which could have disguised the benefits of fish oil, says Manson, who is conducting a large-scale trial on vitamin D and omega-3s for the prevention of both heart disease and cancer.

"I don't think [these results] mean that omega-3 fatty acids won't be shown to have a role, especially in primary prevention, in populations that are not taking multiple medications," Manson adds.

Until the benefits of fish oil supplements can be confirmed or ruled out, heart patients and others trying to maintain a healthy heart should get their omega-3s directly from fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, Myung says. He recommends "at least two servings of fish per week" -- but not supplements -- to his own patients.

Manson agrees. "I think the evidence is strong enough to recommend at least two servings per week of fish, preferably the darker, fatty fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids," she says.

Flickr photo by Jonas N.

Dental Therapists Worldwide Offer Safe Care, Study Finds

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A new report by a group that funds training and promotion of dental therapists says the midlevel practitioners worldwide offer safe, competent care in locations with rare access to dentists.

The report released Tuesday by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation details a review of more than 1,100 reports on dental therapists in 54 countries, including the United States.

In the U.S., only Alaska and Minnesota allow dental therapists to perform such work as extracting teeth and filling cavities. Foundation officials say more than a dozen other states are exploring the idea.

Opponents of dental therapists include the American Dental Association, which says irreversible procedures should be done only by licensed dentists.

The ADA says the new report appears to be an "advocacy document intended to support a predetermined conclusion."

New Technology Maps Childhood Obesity And Its Possible Causes

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By Katherine Harmon
(Click here for the original article)

The obesity epidemic has already reached the youngest demographic: About 17 percent of U.S. children and teens are obese, and about one in three are overweight. These numbers, reflected in many other countries, have risen steadily in recent decades. And researchers are racing to find the most powerful drivers behind these scary figures, as children who carry the extra pounds into adulthood increase their risks for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases.

The most basic cause—no surprise, has to do with too much unhealthful food and not enough physical activity. Looking more closely at the roots of childhood obesity across different populations yields a complex and nuanced puzzle. Lifestyle and environmental factors that lead to obesity differ for a high schooler in the Bronx versus one in rural Alabama.

Many researchers have turned to geographic information systems (GIS) as powerful analysis tools to map this massive health problem and its possible causes. A special report, published online April 10 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, presents six new studies in this growing subfield, some with surprising results that could have implications for health, education and urban planning policy.

“To fully understand the multifaceted nature of childhood obesity, a geographic perspective should be considered,” Celeste Torio, of the Department of Health and Human Service’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, wrote in an essay published online in the same issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “Many of the contributing factors to childhood obesity (particularly social, policy and environmental determinants) have place-to-place variation.”

Here’s one example. Where do you think children ages 12 to 16 years get most of their daily physical activity? Sports? Gym class? At home? The answer turns out to be largely dependent on where they live. In a study led by Daniel Rainham, of the Environmental Science Program at Dalhousie University, researchers tracked 380 adolescents for a week, using both accelerometers and GPS. They found that teens who lived in rural areas did, in fact, get most of their recommended one-hour daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at school. However, kids who lived in suburban and urban environments logged most of their active time getting from place to place. And both groups got a fair amount ( 10 to 25 percent) at home.

Rainham and his colleagues also found that girls were getting more physical activity than boys, and that urban teens seemed to be getting the most overall. “Policy makers should be aware that active transportation is an important source of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for urban youth,” they wrote. And likewise, they contend, education policies should recognize that school-day activities continue to be an important source of exercise for rural teens.

In addition to differences in physical activity, urban and rural adolescents also seem to pick different food options—even when faced with the same smattering of fast food restaurants. Researchers have continued to debate about whether proximity of fast food leads to greater levels of consumption and poorer health outcomes. But another new study, led by Lorna Fraser, of the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham in England, suggests that the culpability of a fast food burger and fries for that extra weight might depend largely on on where teens live.

The researchers measured the number of fast food establishments within one kilometer of the study participants’ homes along with each 13 to 15 year old’s obesity status and reports from caretakers about how often the teens ate at fast food joints.

Those subjects who ate more fast food meals were, predictably, more likely to be obese. Interestingly, a larger number of fast food restaurants in an urban area did not lead to increased consumption (in fact, it seemed to make teens less likely to eat there), but the trend reversed in more rural environments. The results suggest that “public health interventions that place restrictions on the location of fast food outlets may not uniformly decrease consumption,” the researchers noted.

Additional studies like these should help policy makers zero in on the most effective ways to combat childhood and teen obesity at a more fine-grained scale, allowing GIS modeling to analyze “complex reality by breaking it down into layers of information,” she wrote in her essay.

The improved spatial resolution will not provide all of the answers about how to fight childhood obesity. “GIS is not a panacea,” Stephen Matthews, of the Pennsylvania State University, noted in an essay published online in the same issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “The role of place and how children interact with place is just one part of the obesity puzzle.” But she hopes that further study of the spatial environment will help provide new insights into battling childhood obesity.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Should parents put their overweight children on diets? Hear from experts and place your vote in our debate.

Skin Care Facts: Survey Shows How Canadians Care And Feel About Their Skin (PHOTOS)

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We've been told beauty is skin deep, but based on a new survey (the NIVEA Skin-dex Survey) conducted by Leger Marketing, many Canadians can get pretty caught up in primping and prepping their epidermis.

The study, which asked 1,500 Canadians about their skin care habits, routines and perceptions, found that, yes, our skin is likely our most important accessory -- and we know it. It also reveals a lot about how we, as Canadians, take care of our skin -- and, subsequently, feel in it.

According to the research, Canadians use an average of only 2.5 skin care products on a daily basis, and women, not so shockingly, use more than men (3.4 products for women compared to only 1.5 for men). It also showed, despite our love of all things snow and winter, 82 per cent of Canadians consider spring/summer the best seasons for their skin.

How do your beauty habits compare to those of other Canadians? Take a quick flick through the below slideshow.

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