Women who routinely wear high heels may feel pain when they don flats because regularly walking around with their heels elevated can significantly change leg muscle structure — causing the calf muscles to shorten and tendons to stiffen — according to a study published online today in The Journal of Experimental Biology.
For the
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A new report from the U.K.’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) concludes that, before 24 weeks, nerve endings in the brains of fetuses aren’t sufficiently developed to experience pain. The findings, based on a review of recent studies examining fetal development and capacity for pain, undermine the argument for a
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When given a small amount of sugar beforehand, babies are less likely to cry when receiving injections, according to new research published in the May 12 issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood. A team of researchers from Canada, Australia and Brazil reviewed 14 studies examining how a boost of sugar affected pain experienced by
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A new study from Canadian researchers contributes to evidence suggesting that Restless Leg Syndrome — the condition characterized by extreme discomfort in the legs when sitting or lying down — is hereditary. Researchers studied 671 people diagnosed with restless leg syndrome, and then asked their family members to participate in
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Peppers are having a big week. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Center for Human Nutrition say that preliminary findings from a small study suggest that the chemical that gives spicy peppers their kick, capsaicin, may not only make you sweat when digging in to a hot dish, but may actually prompt your body to
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People who are stressed are more likely to grind their teeth in their sleep—clenching, and working their jaws throughout the night, slowly wearing teeth smooth or even chipping them, and awakening with headaches and muscle tension. Yet, according to new research published last week in the journal, it’s not solely feeling stressed, but
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Administering a small magnetic pulse to the back of the head may be an effective, and drug-free, method for combating migraine pain, according to new research published online this week, and in the April issue of the journal Lancet Neurology. Previous research has suggested that this single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (sTMS)
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Acupuncture may be an effective way to treat depression during pregnancy, and to reduce the pain of menstrual cramps, according to new research into the health benefits of the ancient Chinese practice. One study, from researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, found that women confronting depression during pregnancy
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I don’t particularly enjoy running. On the other hand, I don’t particularly enjoy being overweight and out of shape either, so I do it — usually about three times a week, depending on my work schedule and willpower. But over the years I’ve developed chronic soreness in my knees and lower back, which I attribute at least in …
More than three quarters of patients who underwent sinus surgery to combat chronic sinusitis—or persistent sinus infection—reported a significant reduction in pain and improvement in quality of life, according to a new study published in this month’s issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. Researchers
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Despite the prevalence of anecdotal evidence suggesting the benefits of exercise in reducing period-related discomfort, a new study from researchers at Birmingham University in England indicates that how much you work out may not necessarily impact the severity of menstrual cramps. The study, first highlighted by the BBC and published in
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A new study published in the journal Pain suggests that sympathizing with others’ discomfort may be entail more than kind words, and that for some people, witnessing others in pain actually does light up parts of the brain associated with pain-processing. Researchers at the University of Birmingham in England recruited 108 college
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Between 1991 and 2004, deaths due to opioid overdose more than doubled in Ontario, an alarming trend that corresponds with an increase in prescriptions for oxycodone, a narcotic pain killer derived from extracts of opium. What’s more, the introduction of oxycontin—a long-acting form of oxycodone—in 2000, was associated with a
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