Indoor potplants bring literal life to a sterile room and what’s even better – they’re proven natural air pollution filters. Studies by Nasa, no less, have shown that indoor plants improve air quality by helping reduce concentrations of toxins like benzene, formaldehyde and ammonia. Some plants are better at this than others though. These species are good options —
The effects of a stroke can be devastating and can result in early death or permanent disability. Furthermore, when someone does survive a stroke, it often puts an enormous burden on family members and/or carers. Moreover, stroke-related medical costs and disability put major strain on our healthcare system and the economy as a whole. So just how big is
A domestic worker has complained to the SA Human Rights Commission about hospital staff telling her employer she is HIV positive, the Times reported. “You are dying and pregnant… I know… the lab told me you are sick,” her boss reportedly yelled at her when she arrived at work after spending three days in the Steve
President Jacob Zuma’s call on the SABS to speed up the standardisation of traditional medicines has met with resistance from the South African Medical Association (Sama). Sama said on this was the task of the Medicines Control Council (MCC) – not the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS). Zuma said earlier in the day he would
South Africans weigh in as the third fattest nation on earth, according to food services company Compass Group Southern Africa. According to a survey by Glaxo SmithKline in 2010, 61% of the South African population are overweight or morbidly obese. This echoes a study done by the Medical Research Council in 2007 found that 56% of adult women
The World Health Organization says the number of people with tuberculosis has fallen for the first time. In a report issued, the WHO estimated 8.8 million people fell ill last year, dropping from a peak of about 9 million in 2005. Officials said fewer people are now dying from the disease, but that a third
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said private healthcare was a brutal system because it had commercialized an essential service. “How can we run such a brutal system… the government will not fold its arms when there is such rampant commercialisation in the healthcare sector,” he said at a general practitioners’ meeting in Durban. He said the use of
Vitamins are often taken by the people who need them least, a new study suggests. The study showed that people who take mineral supplements also to get more nutrients from their food than those who don’t take supplements. Indeed, in some cases, supplement users may be getting too much of a good thing by overloading
Get lean and toned by swapping these overrated fitness strategies for smarter alternatives. BY STEVE MAZZUCCHI. Unlike wine, cheese and Clive Owen, workout strategies don’t get better with age. That’s because each year, fitness researchers release thousands of studies that challenge conventional thinking – or at least shed light on ways to tweak it. We’ve identified nine stale fitness
Water is an essential nutrient for life and is considered the ideal drink to quench thirst and ensure hydration. But what should our total daily fluid intake be? In healthy adults, fluid intake is regulated by thirst. Water is an essential nutrient for life and is considered the ideal drink to quench thirst and ensure hydration. Ironically,