Be POZitive!

Where there is a will, there is always a way! From pushing trolleys in Green Market Square to waitering in Caprice, a well-known Cape Town establishment, Chris Achola has not only turned into a Black entrepreneur, but he has become an inspirational mentor to the society. Read more >>

Stroke - act fast and save a life

World Stroke Day takes place on the 29th October and The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA (HSFSA) is calling for immediate action by all South Africans to be aware and act fast when it comes to stroke. Stroke is the third biggest cause of death in our country and is a leading cause of adult disability. Read more >>

Dental health affects control of diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that affects every part of the body, and for people with unstable blood glucose levels there is a higher risk than normal for developing serious complications from poor oral hygiene. In a study by dLife, the world's largest diabetes community, and SoundView Research, Inc., 66% of active diabetes managers had not changed their oral care habits since being diagnosed and over half have not been advised by their dentist to take extra care to brush, floss, or rinse daily. Read more >>

Pneumonia, the 'silent' killer

Approximately two million children die from pneumonia each year, accounting for almost 1 out of 5 children under-5 deaths worldwide. We can already prevent pneumonia through vaccines, better nutrition and reducing risk factors. This year will mark the world's second World Pneumonia Day on 12 November 2010. Read more >>

Are you a Mo Man?

Movember is about bringing back the moustache for a serious cause and encourages Mo Bros to register under the South African domain page at Movember.com and start 1 Movember with a clean-shaven face. Read more >>

Grapevine Interactive donates technology to assist rape survivors

In collaboration with Cape-Town-based NGO, Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust, Grapevine Interactive has developed and is hosting a mobile internet site to assist both rape survivors and their caregivers. Read more >>

Month of diabetes support at Woolworths

Woolworths has announced that it will be supporting World Diabetes Day, November 14 2010, with a month of activities aimed at raising awareness of this disease and the important role nutrition plays in helping to control it. The retailer has joined forces with Diabetes South Africa in an effort to address the growing need. Read more >>

'Off the shelf' new livers from stem cells, glimmer of hope

[Dr Ananya Mandal, MD] A researcher team has successfully produced a small-scale version of a human liver in the laboratory using stem cells. This could be a boon for patients waiting for liver transplants although it will take years to perfect the procedure say researchers. Read more >>

Mechanism of rogue cell killer discovered

A team of Melbourne and London researchers have shown how a protein called perforin punches holes in, and kills, rogue cells in our bodies. Their discovery of the mechanism of this assassin is published today in the science journal Nature. Read more >>

Red light for green tea

Study finds green tea does not protect against breast cancer. Read more >>

How brain's complex fibre tracks mature as we grow up

The brain's inner network becomes increasingly more efficient as humans mature. Now, for the first time without invasive measures, a joint study from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL), in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, has verified these gains with a powerful new computer program. Read more >>

Research suggests lowering cholesterol can reduce benign prostatic hyperplasia

A cholesterol-lowering drug reduced the enlarged prostates of hamsters to the same extent as a drug commonly used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues in the October issue of the Journal of Urology. Together, the drugs worked even better. Read more >>

Alzheimer's risk raised 157% with smoking: Study

[Dr Ananya Mandal, MD] A Kaiser Permanente study reported this Monday that heavy smoking in midlife more than doubles the odds of developing Alzheimer's disease. This study is one of the first of its kind to examine the long-term consequences of heavy smoking on Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia explained the study's principal investigator, Rachel Whitmer, a research scientist with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. The research is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Read more >>

Learning about nutrition with Kellogg's Corn Flakes

If most of us were honest we would admit that we don't know all that we should know about nutrition. In fact, the knowledge that we do have we have learnt from various forms of media, doctors, as well as family and friends who are in the know. However a large majority of South Africans are still not educated and knowledgeable when it comes to nutrition which ultimately affects their general health. Read more >>

Childhood allergies and asthma linked to development in the womb

A child's chances of developing allergies or wheezing is related to how he or she grew at vital stages in the womb, according to scientists from the University of Southampton. Read more >>

Pregnant? Eating peanuts may give your baby an allergy

Consumption of peanut during pregnancy may increase risk of allergy in infants: Study. Read more >>

Today is World Psoriasis Day

World Psoriasis Day, 29 October 2010, is an annual day specially dedicated to people with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis. Read more >>

Even most vulnerable infants can transition to breast-feeding: Study

Paediatric researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia describe a successful program in which nurses helped mothers attain high rates of breast-feeding in very sick babies - newborns with complex birth defects requiring surgery and intensive care. Read more >>

Safety tips to reduce risk of lead exposure

With more than 2700 children having elevated blood lead levels in 2009, the US Department of Health reminds parents to test young children for lead exposure. Read more >>

Breast cancer prevalence on the rise

For many years, the notion was that breast cancer was something that predominantly affected white middle-aged well-to-do women from the developed world - and for a time this was correct. However, the face of breast cancer is changing with the rate of prevalence having increased sevenfold over the past decade. Read more >>

Researchers publish effects of doctor-designed formula against breast cancer

Researchers at Indiana University and Methodist Research Institute have published the dramatic effects of a natural formula against breast cancer. The impressive results are found in the most recent publication of Integrative Cancer Therapies. Lead investigator Dr. Daniel Sliva says, "The formula we studied inhibits growth of highly metastatic human breast cancer cells, and suppresses metastatic potential of these cells." Read more >>

COHSASA & PharmAccess Foundation enter joint venture to improve patient care in disadvantaged areas - Cohsasa

Healthcare improvement organizations join forces to implement safety and quality standards of care in facilities in resource-poor countries. Read more >>