Browse News Briefs

Ancient Maya Marketplace Found
Category: Archaeology
An ancient marketplace once stood in Chunchucmil, a pre-Columbian Maya city that was located in the Yucatán Peninsula, a new study says. The research sheds light on the ancient Maya economy and challenges prevailing theories that food was taxed and dispersed by Maya rulers during the culture's Classic era, which lasted from about A.D. 300 to 900, rather than traded in markets, experts said.
Read Full...

Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms
Category: Ancient Civilizations

Atlantis! Lemuria! Shamballha! Shangri-La! The very names conjure up images of sunken cities or forgotten lands hidden in the impenetrable jungle or amongst mountain peaks somewhere beyond the edges of civilization.
Read Full...

Morgellons Disease Has Science-Fictional Effects
Category: Mysteries
Morgellons is characterized by red, blue or black filaments that emerge from skin lesions. The sufferer also feels itching and crawling sensations below the skin.
Morgellons was first named by Mary Leitao, a Pittsburg biologist who took the name from a centuries-old medical paper describing what may be a related illness.
Read Full...

Many seek opt-out from NHS database
Category: Health
An estimated 200,000 people have requested or downloaded documents allowing them to be excluded from a new national NHS database of patient records, a campaign group has said.
Read Full...

Allergy to medicines 'is killing thousands'
Category: Health
Nearly 3,000 patients have died in the past three years as a result of taking medicines intended to help them, official figures show.
Thousands more have been hospitalised after suffering harmful side-effects or serious allergic reactions to prescription drugs and other medications.
Read Full...

Gordon Brown U-turn on end to 24-hour drinking
Category: Health
Gordon Brown is set to keep controversial 24-hour drinking laws despite announcing during his first weeks in office that he was personally reviewing their impact, The Times has learnt. The move to allow pubs and clubs to stay open later into the night has been widely blamed for contributing to a surge in binge drinking and alcohol-fuelled violence across England and Wales.
Read Full...

The carve-up of the NHS
Category: Health
The health service was created in 1948 to provide universal care across the UK.
But as the NHS approaches its 60th anniversary, it is becoming increasingly clear the four devolved administrations have begun to pursue their own agendas.
Is there still such a thing as the "national" health service?
ENGLAND
The approach to the NHS can be summed up in one phrase - the market.
Read Full...

Acupuncturists Show Students How to Stay Awake by Stimulating Pressure Points
Category: Alternative Health
Simple techniques inspired by traditional Chinese medicine may help students stay awake during class. Researchers report that college students were more alert if they massaged or tapped areas on the back of the neck, the hands and legs -- areas that acupuncturists believe can stimulate the release of endorphins.
Read Full...

Drug reactions 'kill thousands'
Category: Health
Almost 3,000 people have died in the past three years after suffering serious side-effects or allergies to their medicines, say official figures.
More than 13,000 others in the same period had an "adverse drug reaction", but survived with hospital treatment.
Read Full...

Wonder drug for smokers linked to seven deaths in Britain
Category: Health
A new anti-smoking 'wonder drug' taken by nearly a quarter of a million Britons is feared to be linked to the deaths of seven people.
 
Their cases are included in a dossier featuring more than 1,300 people who have used the drug Champix and have reported possible side effects, ranging from headaches, nausea and vomiting to heart disorders and suicidal thoughts.
Read Full...

Cosmetic surgery demand 'soaring'
Category: Health
The popularity of cosmetic surgery is continuing to soar in the UK, latest figures show.
Market analyst Mintel predicts that in 2008 Britons will spend more than £1bn on cosmetic surgery.
In the last year 577,000 cosmetic treatments were carried out in the UK, compared with 300,000 in 2005.
Read Full...

Vitamin B12 Prevents Alzheimer's, Depression
Category: Health
Mental problems are on the rise, but they may be preventable by high dose supplementation of vitamin B12, says Joseph G. Hattersley in an article recently published in Nexus Magazine.
Read Full...