HealthDay News New research suggests that mindfulness meditation can help relieve pain and improve memory by regulating a brain wave known as the alpha rhythm, which “turns down the volume” on distractions. In a small study, researchers found that those participants using meditation were better able to modulate the waves — when they were told...

Source: HealthDay News Music lessons may help keep the brain healthy as people grow older, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Centre divided 70 healthy adults, ages 60 to 83, into three groups based on their amount of musical experience: no musical training, one to nine years of music lessons,...

Source: Time.com Dieters are a focused bunch: they calculate calories, sugar and fat content and conscientiously ask for salad dressing on the side. Right? Not exactly. According to a new study, dieters actually tend to make snap judgments about the healthfulness of food based solely on its label, instead of its ingredients. “Over time, dieters...

Source: Yahoo Contributor Network Like most things to do with the upcoming British royal wedding, the speculation that bride-to-be Kate Middleton may be a proponent of the Dukan Diet has catapulted it to the forefront of the media’s attention. The buzz started in earnest this past week when Middleton’s mother, Carole, reportedly admitted that she...

Source: HealthDay News Losing weight can help reduce your risk of cancer if you are overweight or obese, but not all diet plans are effective in lowering that risk, an expert said. Diets that help protect against cancer are those that encourage long-term changes in eating habits and also provide a variety of options from...

Source: HealthDay News An “organic” label on foods is enough to make people believe the food items are healthier and tastier, new research suggests. The study included 144 volunteers who were asked to compare what they believed were conventionally and organically produced chocolate sandwich cookies, plain yogurt and potato chips. All of the products were...

Source: HealthDay News In a small preliminary study, the ancient art of yoga appeared to halve the number of episodes of a potentially dangerous irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation. Three sessions of yoga a week also improved quality of life, lowering levels of the anxiety and depression which often plagues patients with this condition,...

Source: HealthDay News Laughter and music not only lift the mood, they might also drop blood pressure among middle-aged adults, a new study suggests. Japanese researchers divided 79 adults, aged 40 to 74, into three groups, studying the effects of one-hour music sessions every two weeks on one group, laughter sessions on another group, and...

Source: HealthDay News Having a bad, short-term or poorly paid job can harm your mental health as much as having no job, according to a new study. Researchers analysed data from more than 7,000 people of working age in Australia and were not surprised to find that those who were unemployed had poorer mental health...

Source: HealthDay News Women who consume fish regularly — and the abundance of omega-3 fatty acids found in that meal choice — have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), new research suggests. This latest evidence of a protective link between fish oil and eye health mirrors past research that has found the...

Source: HealthDay News Sleep tight, but not right after looking at something bright. That is the message of a new survey that suggests many Americans might be losing valuable shut-eye because they spend the hour before bedtime in front of the electronic glow of a television, cell phone or computer. The survey does not prove...

Source: AP Spine surgeon Anders Cohen puts a lot of stock in patients’ expecta- tions of pain relief. He prefers to operate only on those who “grab you by the collar and say, ‘I can’t take it anymore’.” New brain research proves doctors like Cohen are onto something: Pessimism can override the effectiveness of even...