About| News | Archive | Contact | Medicine 101
TVO


Health News

Week of December 18


Cancer patients who treat their disease with shark cartilage capsules are wasting their money, according to a Danish study. Seventeen women with advanced breast cancer were given high doses of shark cartilage for three months, but the disease progressed in all but one of the women. Shark cartilage has been sold as an alternative cancer therapy since the early 1990's, after the publication of a book titled "Sharks Don't Get Cancer."

 

 

If your work day involves a lot of computer use, here's some advice: place your monitor 15 degrees below your line of sight. Australian researchers had people put their computer screens in different positions, from 65 degrees below the line of sight to 30 degrees above. Then they monitored back, neck and eye strain. What they found was that what's easiest for the eyes may be uncomfortable for the back and neck, and vice versa. The 15 degrees below line of sight position was determined to be the best compromise.
If you're an apple-shaped woman, meaning you tend to put weight on around your middle, you might want to try relaxation techniques to help you lose weight. Research out of the University of California says our ability to handle stress may actually shape our bodies and affect our risk of disease. In times of stress, the body releases cortisol, a fight-or-flight hormone that plays a role in where extra pounds are deposited. Apple-shaped women not only secrete more cortisol, they also describe themselves as feeling more stressed-out than their pear-shaped sisters.

 

 

 


 
 
 

© TVOntario, 2003

Disclaimer

  
 
This website contains general information on the stories featured on Your Health. Although it’s our goal to provide comprehensive information on health and medical issues, please be advised that we cannot provide individual medical advice on specific health problems.
  


© TVOntario, 2000