Researchers from Harvard, UC San Diego and UC Irvine report that they’ve found a way to regenerate crucial nerve connections following an injury to the spinal cord — at least in mice.
Until now there’s never been a good way to treat paralysis. Once an axon — the long thread-like fiber of a nerve cell — has been damaged, the …
Imagine you’d spent your whole life in therapy. Daphne Merkin, writing in yesterday’s New York Times Magazine, paints a fascinating view of exactly that life. Merkin saw her first shrink as a kid, and then spent the next 45-odd years visiting a series of psychoanalysts, building intense but one-sided relationships over and over again, …
Summer vacation is over, and Wellness will be publishing as usual again starting this week. Welcome back!
Time.com’s Wellness blog is going on a two-week hiatus. Check back with us when we’re back online on Monday, Aug. 9. Thanks for reading!
An undercover investigation conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that take-home genetic test kits yield inconsistent results and provide little useful guidance for health decisions. This past May Walgreens pharmacy halted plans to sell over-the-counter genetic test kits after the U.S. Food and Drug
…
In the quest for a fitness regime that can just fold into your regular routine, “toning” sneakers may seem like an excellent fit — just don a pair of the curved-sole shoes and while “you go about your busy day” you can “burn more calories, tone muscles and more.” In fact, some of the manufacturers of such fitness footwear even point to
…
A new study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice adds to research suggesting that, when it comes to measuring children’s medicine, a “spoonful” is seldom the right dose. The findings highlighted by the BBC are based on an analysis of teaspoons taken from 25 households in Greece, as well as an experiment in which
…
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced today that Nestlé will withdraw unsubstantiated advertising claims about the health benefits of a boxed drink for children. In the first case to challenge marketing claims made about probiotics — also known as “friendly bacteria” — the FTC questioned the validity of Nestlé ads which
…
A potential new obesity drug appears effective at helping patients lose weight, according to a report released today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but concerns remain about side effects — which could include depression, anxiety, impact on heart rate and risks for pregnant women. The document was released in advance of a
…
According to a new study published in the July 13 issue of the journal Neurology, Alzheimer’s patients with larger heads may experience a slower progression of cognitive decline symptoms, possibly because they have more of what researchers call “brain reserve” — or the ability to adjust to changes within the brain. The theory is based
…
A study published in the prestigious journal Science earlier this month suggesting that genes may hold a key for living to be 100 or older has since come under criticism from experts in the field of genetics. The study, led by Paola Sebastiani and Dr. Thomas Perls at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine,
…
A document released today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concludes that, as critics have claimed since 2006, the hugely popular diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitizone) increases the risk for heart attack. The 765-page briefing document released today in anticipation of an advisory panel meeting on July 13-14 to determine
…
For psychologists conducting relationship studies, it can sometimes be tricky getting a straight answer. If you ask a participant how happy he is in a relationship, sometimes he may be in denial, just not want to open up to you (ostensibly a complete stranger holding a clipboard), or may simply not truly know himself. So, to circumvent
…