+Numbers | April 8, 2011

10%

Percentage of all cancers in men that can be attributed to alcohol; for women the figure is 3%, according to a new study involving nearly 364,000 European adults. The more alcohol people drank, the greater the risk, particularly for cancers of the esophagus, liver, bowels and breast. But previous studies have also shown that moderate drinking — about one glass a day for women and two for men — is associated with heart health and longer life. [via BBC]

+Heart Disease | February 23, 2011

Cheers! More Evidence that Moderate Drinking Is Good for Your Health

By Meredith Melnick
Paper Boat Creative via Getty Images

Knocking back a drink after work may help keep your heart healthy, according to two meta-analyses from scientists at the University of Calgary. Overdoing it, however, can be dangerous to health, increasing the risk of heart disease, cancer and depression.

+Body & Mind | December 13, 2010

Be Honest. Does this Study Make My Butt Look Big?

By Maia Szalavitz
courtesy John C. McLaghlan/BMJ

Are you sitting down? A British researcher has proposed a new form of reflexology — one based on the notion that the sensations of the body are mapped onto the buttocks, just as they are in the brain, where they can more easily be manipulated for therapeutic purposes.

+Doctors & Nurses | December 10, 2010

IKEA Pencils: The Latest in Surgical Technology

By Meredith Melnick
Courtesy of BMJ

IKEA-hacking — the practice of modifying and re-purposing merchandise from the Swedish housewares giant — is practically a tradition at this point, with a blogging community that verges on a subculture.  But who knew that surgeons were getting in on the action? 

+Parenting | July 16, 2010

Is childhood obesity a symptom of neglect?

By Tiffany O'Callaghan

The issue of whether parents whose children are obese should be charged with neglect has fueled debate and generated controversial court cases, but, according to an article published this week in BMJ, so far there is little research analyzing negligence and obesity — and particularly whether obese children who are put into foster care fare [...]

+Uncategorized | July 7, 2010

In medicine, rudeness may hurt more than feelings

By Tiffany O'Callaghan

Like all professions, medicine has its fair share of office politics — which can generate sniping, griping, eye-rolling and even the occasional temper tantrum. Yet, in a medical setting, can day-to-day rudeness do more than cause hurt feelings and wounded pride? Applying findings from several studies analyzing the cognitive impact of negative interactions, Rhona Flin, [...]

+Public Health | June 9, 2010

WHO: Pharma ties didn’t impact swine flu decisions

By Tiffany O'Callaghan

In response to an investigation published last week in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) which pointed to affiliations between World Health Organization (WHO) advisers and pharmaceutical companies manufacturing H1N1 flu vaccines, WHO inspector general Margaret Chan said that industry ties had no impact on the global health agency’s decision to elevate the swine flu outbreak [...]