The rate of new HIV infections in South Africa, which has one of the world’s largest case loads with nearly one in 10 infected, is growing faster than prevention efforts, the deputy president said. “The rate of new infections continues to outpace our prevention efforts, and thus prevention programmes will be prioritised in the new national strategic
Coffee has been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer by helping to kill off damaged cells that could otherwise turn into tumours, according to a US study. The findings indicate that moderate caffeine drinking, or perhaps even applying coffee to the skin, could be useful in warding off non-melanoma cancer, the most commonly diagnosed of all skin
Boozy lunches, suspiciously long bathroom breaks, another day “off sick”. Most drug abusers are employed – and some jobs carry a heavier risk than others. “Substance abuse in the South African workforce is on the rise,” says Ronelle Sartor, executive officer at the South African Association for Social Workers in Private Practice (SAASWIPP). The common
A team of researchers from the University of Valladolid (Spain) has analysed 40 brands of beer, discovering that dark beer has more free iron than pale and non-alcoholic beers. Iron is essential to the human diet, but also helps oxidise the organic compounds that give these beverages stability and flavour. According to the analysis carried out
Constant bitterness can make a person ill, according to Concordia University researchers who have examined the relationship between failure, bitterness and quality of life. “Persistent bitterness may result in global feelings of anger and hostility that, when strong enough, could affect a person’s physical health,” says Carsten Wrosch, a professor in the Concordia University Department of Psychology and a
You can’t survive without sleep! You need sleep as much as you need food. Many people neglect the importance of having enough sleep without knowing that humans can actually survive longer without food than without sleep. With water alone, an average person could survive a month to two without food (that also varies from an
“Microwave ovens will kill you!” Or so they say… If you’ve ever surfed the internet for information on health and nutrition, there’s little doubt you’ve come across scare stories about microwave ovens. Online natural health “experts” claim that microwaves will “zap” your food, deplete it of important nutrients and alter its molecular structure in dangerous