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It’s no secret that fast food isn’t healthy, but could the wrapper that holds your greasy sandwich together also pose a threat to your health?

Zika Virus is spreading: Here's Everything You Need To Know About The Mosquito Borne Illness

With Zika virus spreading rapidly through the Americas, mosquito bites need to be avoided especially by pregnant women.

Indian children died after 'eating lychees on empty stomach'

US and Indian scientists say a mystery illness that killed more than 100 children a year in northern India was caused by eating lychees on an empty stomach.

New Research Has Confirmed That Obesity Can Lead To Changes In Your DNA And Increasing Risk Of Diabetes For Offspring

Epigenetics is the study of how our behaviors and experiences can actually change our DNA, allowing us to pass on new traits to future generations.

Researchers Have Developed An Adhesive Transparent Ibuprofen Patch That Soothes Chronic Pain

Ibuprofen is the go-to medicine for many people looking to relieve pain. For some of these people, however, swallowing the little orange pills is a dreaded task. Working in collaboration with Medherant, a bioadhesives company, researchers from the University of Warwick (UW) sought to remedy this issue. So they created an ibuprofen-releasing patch capable of delivering a concentrated dose directly through the skin.

Abdominal Pain Can Be A Sign Of These Conditions...

Stomach pain is a word used loosely to describe abdominal pain by many people outside the medical field. In strict terms, it refers only to pain coming from the stomach, as against the abdomen.

Another commonly used word to describe 

pain is stomach ache or belly pain. We shall use all the above to mean abdominal pain.

Exclusive Q & A: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Trump's Proposed Vaccine Commission

Environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an outspoken vaccine critic, said today that he was asked by President-elect Donald Trump to chair a “vaccine safety and scientific integrity” commission. (A Trump spokesperson, however, later said that "no decision have been made at this time" about such a commission.)

Baby Born 9 Weeks After His Mom is Declared 'Clinically Dead'

If the right to end an unborn child’s life is a mother’s choice, what happens when she is no longer able to make this decision? Thus was the case for a 23-week pregnant woman whose life was abruptly ended by a brain hemorrhage in October. At the request of her family, however, doctors managed to keep the woman alive on life support just long enough to save her baby.

Doctor Develops Vaccine Against Common Cold

A doctor has recently registered a patent for a vaccination against common cold-a condition which doctors around the world have long thought couldn’t have a medicinal cure.

She rubs Aloe Vera on her face for 7 days and the results are amazing!

Aloe vera has been used for centuries for its medicinal and healing properties. It’s a thick, short-stemmeds leaves, and it is widely used in many beauty products. The
 tissue in the leaves is the gel that is used in these products. It contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants that work wonders for the skin.

Yoga Keeps Cholesterol in Check

Excess cholesterol in the blood is a dangerous condition which can even cause coronary heart disease. Therefore, it is essential to keep cholesterol in check. Yoga for cholesterol can help in keeping bad cholesterol levels in check.

Studies Show Health Benefits of Cucumber

Consuming fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long been associated with a reduced risk of many adverse health conditions.

Many studies have suggested that consumption of plant foods like cucumber decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and mortality while promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy, and overall lower weight.

Scientists Develop eye drops that can melt away cataracts

Scientists in California have discovered that the naturally occurring steroid lanosterol is able to melt away cataracts and prevent them from returning when administered to patients via eye drops. If approved for human use, the compound would be available as a non-invasive treatment for individuals with moderate forms of cataracts.

Everything You Need To Know About Urine And 18 Strange Facts

What Color Should Urine Be?

Urine is a biological necessity and it has surprising facts surrounding its history. 
Pee was used as mouthwash by the Ancient Romans in 1 A.D., who actually purchased bottled Portuguese urine to expel bacteria from their mouths. This is just one of the many  “18 Surprising Facts About Your Own Pee” video produced by BuzzFeed, which goes on to say they weren’t that off thousands of years ago, because ammonia found in stale urine will actually whiten your teeth.

The video lines up seven empty glasses and fills almost all of them to give viewers an idea of how much the average person pees, which is 6.3 cups a day. What’s in all of that pee? Last year, a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, revealed it contains 3,079 different compounds that are streamed together from the kidneys, which clean out and filter the human body from waste.

The world record for longest consecutive peeing sessions is 508 seconds, which is almost eight-and-a-half minutes, while it takes the typical person only 20 seconds to finish their flow. The longest distance a person has ever peed was by Joey Wallace of Arizona who reached his stream 14 feet and one inch.

Urine is a nitrogen source and it was once used as an ingredient in gunpowder. Pee is yellow because of bile, but other colors are possible depending on what you ate. Rhubarb will give you pink pee, while foods containing high levels of vitamin B, such as liver or mackerel will give you yellow pee. Supplements will give you brown pee and consuming beets will put a reddish tinge into your pee.

Some believe ingesting urine will cure ailments as severe as cancer and as minute as colds. Urine therapy is the act of drinking or topically applying urine. Most pee drinkers include runners, some practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine, J.D. Salinger, Sarah Miles, Pat Boone, Ke$ha, and Elvis’s mom, according to BuzzFeed.

The U.S. army field manual lists urine as a “do not consume” even under survival conditions. That didn’t stop former baseball player Moisés Alou, who claimed peeing on his hands before he stepped up to bat toughened them so was able to bat gloveless, while the opposite is true and pee actually softens the hands.

Urine is actually sterile, which is why some people used it to clean wounds, but urine is only sterile in the bladder and can become easily contaminated. In fact, it’s only a myth that you should pee on jellyfish stings. Instead, it can actually set off the remaining stinging cells.

Recently, the “P-Mate” was invented, which allows women to hover their urethra over the funnel-like device, which directs the pee away from their body much like a penis does. Not being able to pee in public is a problem that many women face, and while it’s illegal in many places, most men do it all the time. Holding it in can be life-threatening. A 28-year-old California woman died from holding it in for a radio contest. She was found dead inside her home from “water intoxication” after trying to drink as much water as she could and then refraining from relieving herself in the bathroom. The winner of the “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” content promised the winner a new Nintendo Wii in 2007.

6 Signs You May Have A Fibroid Tumor Within Your Uterus

The day a woman gets her period marks the beginning of her reproductive years up until menopause. Many women will begin to undergo age-related changes in their body, like uterine fibroids, which are often asymptomatic non-cancerous tumors that grow within the wall of the uterus. The size, number, and location of the fibroids could determine the extent of complications a woman may face.

So, who's at risk for fibroids?

The majority of women will have uterine fibroids:  70 to 80 percent of women will have uterine fibroids before the age of 50, though there are differences in expectation about when they may turn up.

Dr. Wendy Chang, a reproductive endocrinologist and OB GYN at the Southern California Reproductive Center in California, says fibroids are largely seen during the reproductive years (20s to 50s), and often shrink during menopause.

However, "fibroids have not been observed in prepubertal girls, but have been seen in adolescents", she told Medical Daily .

Fibroid risk includes early onset of menstruation, with prevalence for fibroids increasing with age, specifically during each decade of life before menopause. In addition, Chang explains, race also influences susceptibility, with black women two to three times more likely than white women to get the benign tumors.

Types Of Fibroids

Fibroid symptoms only occur in a minority of women, and what type they get can vary by individual. There are three types of fibroids that can turn up within the uterus, including the submucosal (the inner part of the uterus), subserosal (protruding out of the uterus onto the bladder), and intramural (in the wall of the uterus). There are other fibroids, known as pedunculated, which develop a stem (a slender base that supports the tumor.

It's not clear what causes fibroids, but there are several factors that may influence their formation. Therefore, no one knows what causes them to grow or shrink. However, it is known they're under hormonal control, both estrogen and progesterone. They tend to grow rapidly during pregnancy, when hormone levels are high, but they shrink when anti-hormone medication is used. Fibroids stop growing or shrinking once a woman reaches menopause.

Fibroids aren't as scary as they sound, but it's important to be aware of these 6 common symptoms.

A "Tiny" Bladder
The urge to pee very frequently could be a sign fibroids are growing on the outside of the uterus, protruding out into the abdomen. Women who tend to get up in the middle of the night to urinate, tend to urinate small amounts, or have difficulty initiating urination, could have fibroids.

According to Chang, this is due to the fibroids pressing into its neighbor, the bladder, which results in pressure, urgency at low bladder volumes, frequency or other bladder symptoms.  

Constipation
There are fibroids that grow anteriorly — at the front of the uterus — that they push against the rectum. can interfere with bodily secretions.

Moreover, Chang notes: "Large fibroids that grow posteriorly (to the back), can press into the rectum and can sometimes impact bowley movement quality or frequency".
The pressure on the bowel can lead to constipation or bloating, or both.

Abdominal Fullness
Fibroids can lead to noticeable swelling in the lower abdomen, which could make a women appear pregnant. This may be due to the size of some fibroids that could appear physically obvious in the abdominal cavity. Women who do experience abdominal fullness should seek immediate medical attention.

Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
A heavy period is the most common symptom of fibroids for women.  

"Fibroids, especially those that distort or grow into the uterine lining, often contribute to heavier menses", said Chang.

Those lodged in the wall of the uterus can cause heavy bleeding, leading to heavier periods. Moreover, fibroids may change the shape of the uterus. For women who report heavy menses, Chang suggests getting an ultrasound to reveal if fibroids is the causation of excessive menstrual bleeding.

Fibroids can also lead to longer periods, but it's not known why.

Lower Back Pain
If fibroids are large enough, they may cause enough pressure to create muscular or spinal pain. A small fibroid within the uterine wall is less likely to cause back pain.

"Rarely, fibroids may compress or exert mass effect near the sacral nerves," said Chang.

However, she warns this is very rare, not common at all, and other causes of low back pain should be ruled out.

Painful Sex
Pressure on the uterus, whether inside or out, or growths in or around the cervix can lead to pain. It is little controversial whether women with fibroids in any location are more likely to experience painful sex, compared to those without, according to Chang.

Among women with fibroids and painful sex, "anterior or fundal (at the top) fibroids are the more likely to be associated" she said.

If you experience any of these symptoms, it doesn't mean you have fibroids. They could also be an sign of various health conditions. It's best to talk to your doctor to get an abdominal or pelvic exam, an ultrasound or an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.



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