I am sure everyone who grew up listening to, “I yam what I yam and that’s all I yam,” would remember Popeye the sailor. For mothers, it was the “spinach advantage” as they could get the kids to eat spinach by telling them that they would possess superhuman strength just like Popeye.

It is amazing to note that all the spinach farmers from Crystal City honored Popeye by erecting his statue in the town, for saving the spinach industry from dying. The influence these cartoon characters have is simply unbelievable.

Scientists now are singing the same song as Popeye, that it is possible to get bulging biceps like Popeye, by eating his favorite food – spinach. They have recently found that this green leafy vegetable does boost the strength, because spinach contains phyteocdysteroids, a type of steroid that works on development of muscles.

Scientists used extracts of phyteocdysteroids on lab samples of muscles and were amazed to find that the muscle growth speeded up by almost 20%.

Even studies conducted on rats saw an increase in the strength of the rats in just one short month.
Researchers say that eating spinach, apart from being good for increasing muscle growth, is also very good for the eyes, teeth, gum problems and anemia. It has the potential to keep a lot of frequently occurring diseases at bay.

Looks like the creators of Popeye could look into the future too. There is a story that goes to say that they in fact wanted to make garlic as Popeye’s strength enhancer, when they were devising the original comic in 1919, but by 1932 he was eating spinach that gave him his superhuman powers. (more…)

Do you want to hear the good news first? There has been yet another breakthrough in the battle of the flab. Your fat cells or at least 10% of your fat cells die every year, irrespective of how your body behaved during the whole year, losing weight or gaining weight. This happens in individuals who are thin as well as those that are fat. That must make obese people happy. However, now comes the next bit of news.

Researchers have discovered that new fat cells take the place of the cells that die almost immediately. People eventually, end up having the same number of fat cells in the body all through the adulthood. When a person gains weight or loses weight, the fat in the cells dies and not the number of cells. That means that every person has a fixed number of fat cells in the body.

Researchers always knew that fat cells in humans die and are replaced, but they never know how long it took and they never expected it to be this fast.

This finding was revealed in the Nature journal. Researchers are perplexed with the number of questions this study raises, such as what determines the number of fat cells in a person’s body and if there is a way to reduce the number of cells by the time people reached adulthood. Another question is, if obesity can be treated by making these fat cells die faster than the new ones are born.

Obesity researchers say that this finding changes the way obesity is looked at. For now, although they have no answers to these questions, they are working on it, to reach the system that is waiting to be discovered.

Their study raises another most important question, why do some people who have always been thin, gain a lot of weight when they reach adulthood? (more…)

Tumors are the scariest diagnosis anyone can have and a brain tumor is the most dreaded forms of cancer than any other. It is not only because of the dangers of malignancy, but also because brain tumors can cause major damage due to the pressure they exert on the surrounding area along with the fact that it is the most complex surgery of all.

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth in the skull. There are several types of brain tumors, which are identified based on their characteristics.

To all those tumor sufferers in this world, researchers in the US have a glimmer of hope to share. They are targeting a deadly type of brain cancer by aiming at a common virus found to be active in people who have these tumors.

They hope to trick the human immune system and use it to attack the cancer. Researchers at the Duke University in North Carolina say that so far things are positive and this seems to be working.

They are performing a trial on sixteen people suffering from glioblastoma multiforme, which is the most common type of cancer affecting middle-aged people. The incidence rate is 30% of all the brain tumors and this is considered to be the most difficult tumor to treat.

These sixteen people on trial were given a vaccine to attack the virus and the results show a significant delay in the progression of the tumor in these people. This is the delay between the time the tumor was removed by the surgeon to the time it starts growing back. (more…)

Back pain is a huge problem for many people. Due to sitting at our desks or in front of the computers for long hours and following lazy lifestyles with no physical exercise, almost every one person in five, suffers from back pain at some point in their lives.

Researchers believe there is hope of getting rid of the chronic pain, in the form of spinal disc transplant.

Keith Luk, from the University of Hong Kong has developed a technique of harvesting the shock-absorbing soft tissue discs and transplanting the spine from cadavers (dead human bodies) into patients.

Currently, for people who are worst affected, fusion of some vertebrae is the only solution to prevent pain. In fact, this is considered the “gold standard” solution. However, with this surgery, there is the problem of the adjacent vertebrae coming under much more burden or pressure. This may cause degeneration in other parts of the body. This surgery also allows for limited movement.

Researchers have been working on resolving the back pain problem for a long time now and the latest studies show that transplanting the discs and part of the vertebrae on both sides, works very well, and it also alleviates all the issues that are present with vertebrae fusion. Transplantation of discs works because the donor bone has the capability of forming a natural bond with the patient’s tissues.

According to researchers, the transplantation technique consists of removing the disc together with the cartilage and bone, then cleansing them in a saline solution, before freezing them in a cryopreservative solution. The extracted bit of frozen spine is allowed to thaw and then transplanted into the patient along with other growth promoters, such as stem cells, which are good for encouraging natural healing. (more…)

Predictions of a world without water, which only a short while ago seemed cannot really happen, are all turning into reality. All the talk about humans robbing the environment of its natural resources is becoming crystal clear as we see the changes taking place right in front of our eyes. It is disturbing to imagine the legacy we are leaving behind for our children, all because of abusing nature.

US grapples with water shortages and in a desperate bid to overcome the crisis, is turning to solutions that are hard to stomach for most people.

Los Angeles mayor recently announced his proposal of turning sewage water into drinking water. This move comes at a stage when California is on the verge of its worst water scarcity crisis in decades. Even in San Diego, the city council has plans of starting a sewage water recycling project. Florida is also planning a recycling system that would pump 23 million gallons a day of purified wastewater into the ground; the water will travel to a supply well and will be taken back as drinking water.

Currently waste water is being recycled by many cities, such as San Diego and Denver, for use in irrigation and industries. Other cities such as Florida and Tampa Bay area desalinate seawater, which is actually more expensive than recycling.

Cities considering the sewage water recycling projects have a long way to go. This endeavor called as “toilet to tap” by critics has received heavy resistance in the past due to the “yuck factor” it involves as well as the cost.

According to industry experts, the idea of recycling sewage water, using intense filtering mechanism and chemical treatments, can provide water that is much purer than the tap water people are drinking now. (more…)

Pteromerhanophobia, the word most of us may be unable to pronounce, in plain English means “fear of flying.”

Imagine if a person who has this phobia, has to board a plane and there is no way of reaching the therapist who can alleviate their fear, being in mid air amidst clouds.

In the modern world, every problem has millions of people coming up with solutions. One such solution has been found by doctors for problems ranging from the common phobias to the critical addictions.

If what doctors say can happen, this person with the fear of flying can simply strap on a virtual reality helmet and be in the therapist’s office, hearing the psychologist’s soothing voice instructing various coping strategies.

Once thought to be limited to a computer geek’s world, virtual reality (VR,) which means simulating environments on the computer; is being used more and more by scientists and doctors all over the world to treat several disorders, from fear of public speaking and flying to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers returning from war.

According to British Daily, The Times, latest research shows that virtual reality can also be used to treat addictions for drugs and drinks and also assist people in giving up smoking.

A clinical psychologist at King’s College London, Dr. Daniel Freeman who is currently investigating whether VR can be used to treat paranoia, said, “With virtual reality we can bring a version of the real world into the clinic. We can help people test out their fears and practice different ways of coping. They can take the confidence gained in VR into the real world.” (more…)

Of all the insects that attack man and even animals, mosquitoes, which represent only 6.4% of the overall insect population, are the most dangerous. They cause malaria, a disease that can be fatal if left untreated, and in many cases, this happens because of the inability to detect malaria in time.

The latest breakthrough is going to change that and doctors will only need less than a minute to detect malaria. A new technique has been developed; that researchers say is going to be much cheaper and faster than other Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT,) also known as “dip sticks,” currently being used by doctors all over the world to detect malaria.

Although, the currently used rapid diagnostic tests help in diagnosing malaria by checking for malarial parasites in the blood, the results are not always correct and can sometimes be misleading. If there are not sufficient parasites in the blood to show up as positive, the test may come out as negative.

Malaria is a blood disorder caused by the bite of an infected mosquito. It is very common throughout the world, and in the United States, the risk is more for people who travel to tropical and subtropical countries, where malaria is prevalent.

Malaria can be caused by any of the one-celled parasites, called Plasmodium. This parasite is spread to people by the female Anopheles mosquito and feeds on human blood. The parasite grows in the liver of a person for some days and then enters their bloodstream, invading the red blood cells. There are four types of these parasites, but only Plasmodium falciparum is dangerous and about 2% of people who are infected die, possibly due to delayed detection. (more…)

Nothing can beat the delectable aroma of a steaming cup of coffee that tingles the olfactory senses and leaves people craving for more. The only thing that makes them refrain from consuming more is the fear that too much caffeine may not be good for health.

Earlier, it was felt that coffee was only good as a mood enhancer and as an instant pep-up, but might increase the risk of major diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease and perhaps even cause cancer.

There is good news for all the coffee lovers. You do not have to stop with that one cup anymore.

Latest research reveals that a few cups of coffee, apart from not creating health problems, may prove to be helpful for the body.

Is coffee the next health food? Possibly!

A recent study revealed that 2 to 3 cups of caffeinated drinks, including coffee, can cut the risk of dying from heart disease by at least 31%. Another study showed that coffee can lower the risk of colon cancer. (more…)

Ecstasy may be the cure for millions of people who suffer from post-traumatic disorders. No! We are not talking about the elevation of mind here. If only it were that simple!

According to Maariv Daily, doctors at the Beer-Yakov psychiatric hospital, south of Tel Aviv, have just begun new tests using the drug Ecstasy as a treatment for conflict-linked post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD.)

Ecstasy or MDMA (3-4-methylenedioxymethampheta-mine) is a synthetic drug that was classified as a stimulant and made illegal in 1985, and was given the same status as that of narcotic drugs such as cocaine, heroin and LSD, as it was found to be one of the most dangerous drugs.

This is a drug that is made from a synthetic chemical derived from the oil of the sassafras tree. It was first introduced to the world in 1914 and at that time was used as an appetite suppressant. Later it gained in popularity and was available at all street corners and was used as a psychotherapeutic tool.

In spite of it being officially banned, it is still widely available and used at places such as raves, concerts, hip hop parties and other gatherings, by both the young and old, as it produces a hallucinogenic effect that takes people in to their dream world. (more…)

Hate that morning alarm buzzing in your ears? Think your job stinks? Be sure you will love your job after reading this.

A business card is always shown the respect it deserves and is a reflection of professionalism. What if the business card reads “Armpit Sniffers?”

This job entails sniffing armpits of people of all sizes, who stand in a line with their arms in the air. These people work as testers for deodorant manufacturing companies.

The cosmetic industry goes to great lengths to make sure people smell good after using their product and towards this end employs hundreds of armpit sniffers. The effectiveness of both antiperspirants and deodorants is still tested in the old fashioned way, using the power of the human nose. Men and women are tested in simulated hot room conditions, in order to understand the science of sweating.

Deodorant companies totally rely on these people to test their products and thanks to the work of these brave sniffers; consumers can come up smelling good. They protect us from the front lines in the battle with sweat and odor, as they sniff and probe thousands of armpits each year. A single sniffer is said to sniff around 60 armpits an hour and they take three sniffs per pit to assess the intensity of the body odor, all the while using their clipboards to note down offensive odors on a scale of 1 to 10. (more…)