Guests: Prof Tim Noakes

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Guest: Prof. Margaret Stanley - Professor of Epithelial Biology at the University of Cambridge

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Since 1900, trends have changed dramatically with the increase of technology and modern medical practices. For instance, in 1900 almost all U.S. births occurred outside a hospital. But by 1940, more than half of births were taking place in hospitals. The trend continued exponentially and by 1969 only 1% of births occurred outside a hospital.

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Since 1900, trends have changed dramatically with the increase of technology and modern medical practices. For instance, in 1900 almost all U.S. births occurred outside a hospital. But by 1940, more than half of births were taking place in hospitals. The trend continued exponentially and by 1969 only 1% of births occurred outside a hospital.

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Sleep paralysis is a feeling of being conscious but unable to move. It occurs when a person passes between stages of wakefulness and sleep. During these transitions, you may be unable to move or speak for a few seconds up to a few minutes. Some people may also feel pressure or a sense of choking. Sleep paralysis may accompany other sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is an overpowering need to sleep caused by a problem with the brain's ability to regulate sleep.

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A piece on Upworthy.com last month featured a Baltimore school that’s replaced the classic sit-in-your-seat-and-suffer detention with a more progressive and effective form: one where kids learn to meditate.

Far from the classic method of hoping that kids will spontaneously reevaluate their own behavior through punishment, teaching kids to focus on their breath and on the present moment may have a lot more value in the long run. But as one reader pointed out, teaching mediation outside of detention by infusing it into the school day as a matter of course is even better, and may help kids avoid the things that land them in detention in the first place. The research on mediation and the developing brain (i.e., kids) is not quite as robust as it is in adults, but it’s starting to take off.

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The very smallest type of veins are on the surface, these veins drain into slightly larger veins, called reticular veins, which lie deeper within the skin. Faulty reticular veins often act as "feeding" veins to the smaller superficial spider veins. The most prominent reticular vein is the lateral vein of the thigh. This vein is often involved in causing spider veins of the outside thigh. Treating the smaller veins on the surface, without addressing this important vein, leads to poor treatment results.

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HIVST empowers people to know their status, and the huge potential offered by this new tool to improve access to patient-centred testing should be grabbed with both hands. At present, HIVST can act as a screening tool to minimize the time people need to spend at healthcare services, or be done in the privacy of one’s own home with people referring themselves to care if they test HIV-positive. The finalization of South Africa’s next National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB, and STIs (2017-2022) should set high ambitions for the introduction and availability of self-tests over the next five years.

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Total hip replacements are most often done to provide relief for severe arthritic conditions. The surgery is also performed for other problems like hip fractures. Most total hip replacement patients are over 55 years of age, however the surgery is sometimes performed on younger patients. Patients who are candidates for total hip replacement surgery generally have severe pain that impedes work and everyday activities and pain that cannot be managed by anti-inflammatory medications, canes or walkers

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Dental cavities can be prevented by a low level of fluoride constantly maintained in the oral cavity. Fluoride can be obtained from fluoridated drinking water, salt, milk, mouth rinse or toothpaste, as well as from professionally-applied fluorides. Long-term exposure to an optimal level of fluoride results in fewer cavities in both children and adults. Daily oral care should include brushing and flossing to prevent problems from developing. Regular visits with the dental team are also very important as they can assist you in learning techniques to maintain good oral health.

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