The long-term cancer risk of mobile phone use cannot be ruled out, experts have concluded. A major six-year research programme found a "hint" of a higher cancer risk. Join discussion...

he conception and birth of a child are emotional events that influence the dreams of most new mothers. In a surprisingly high number of cases, this influence reflects negative aspects of maternal responsibility, depicting the new infant in dreamed situations of danger and provoking anxiety in the mother that often spills over into wakefulness. Furthermore, these kinds of dreams are also accompanied by complex behaviors by new moms such as motor activity, speaking and expressing emotion, according to a study published in the September 1 issue of the journal SLEEP. The study, authored by Tore Nielsen, PhD, of the Sleep Research Centre at the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal in Montréal, Québec, Canada, focused on 273 women, who were divided into three groups: postpartum, pregnant, and null gravida. The subjects completed questionnaires about pregnancy and birth factors, personality and sleep, and participated in interviews concerning the prevalence of recent infant dreams and nightmares, associated behaviors, anxiety, depression and other psychopathologic factors. Join discussion...

In the not-too-distant-future, you'll be able to have your sagging breasts lifted on your lunch hour! Well, just about.... An Israeli company, MIM (Minimally Invasive Mastopexy) has developed a two-hole breast lift procedure to insert what amounts to a permanent push-up bra under your breasts. How clever and how considerate! Yup! If the human trials are successful, the huge anchor incisions on women's bodies, made for the "aesthetic" lifting of sagging breasts, may become a thing of the past. Breast lifts are currently among the most invasive cosmetic surgeries, involving the removal and new placement of breast tissue, lots of incisions, often removal and replacement of the nipple, and insertion of implants. These surgeries are painful afterwards and can involve weeks of recovery. Then there is that chance they will not be successful and you require a repeat surgery. Join discussion...

The belly: it’s the first spot to get paunchy and the last place to look sleek. A tight core is the one thing we all want (possibly even more than another new online community). Unfortunately, biology couldn’t care less about our six-pack fantasies, for the human body is built to treasure precious calories, and our midsections are especially talented at storing the excess ones. Couple our genetic predisposition to adiposity with the modern lifestyle of excessive calories and stress, and it’s no wonder a trim midsection eludes many of us! Join discussion...

Secondhand smoke isn't just a health threat to people. It can also hurt dogs and cats, veterinarians say. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 126 million Americans who don't smoke are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, vehicles, workplaces, and public places. This exposure causes thousands of lung cancer and heart disease deaths among nonsmokers every year, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency. Join discussion...

We’ve heard the expression “you are what you eat.” When it’s crunch time, we tend to engage in all sorts of unhealthy habits that further increase our stress levels. That pizza? Bad idea. If your anxiety is spiraling out of control, food should be your ally, not your enemy. So if you find yourself cranky, tired and even clinically depressed, try these 11 mood-boosting foods. Join discussion...

With antibiotics now over-prescribed for treatments of bacterial infections, and patients failing to complete their courses of treatment properly, many bacteria are able to pick up an entire array of antibiotic resistance genes easily by swapping genetic material with each other. MRSA – the multiple drug resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus - and newly emerging strains of the superbug Clostridium difficile have forced medical researchers to realise that an entirely different approach is required to combat these bacteria. “By using a virus that only attacks bacteria, called a phage – and some phages only attack specific types of bacteria – we can treat infections by targeting the exact strain of bacteria causing the disease”, says Ana Toribio from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK. “This is much more targeted than conventional antibiotic therapy”. Join discussion...

For many of us, the goal of life isn't ultimate wealth, a massive amount of stuff, or the perfect car. It's happiness, plain and simple. Some people may be created happier than others, with enjoyment of life programmed into their hardwiring. For others, getting to happiness isn't always that simple. You weren't programmed that way. But like any programming, yours can be changed. Rewrite your life program to include as many of the following tips as appeal to you, and the ultimate goal of happiness can be yours. If you've already achieved complete happiness, well done! Join discussion...

Light drinking helps heart health. But more than one drink a day for women and more than two daily drinks for men are harmful. That's the bottom line from a state-of-the-art review of drinking and health by University of Missouri cardiologist James H. O'Keefe, M.D., and colleagues. The researchers note that study after study shows health benefits for moderate drinking. These benefits appear to come not from the type of alcohol, but from the alcohol itself. Join discussion...

Thin sheets of polymer coated with living muscle could be used to test new drugs, repair damaged body parts, or even create life-like bio-machines, researchers say. The Harvard University team created the "muscular thin films" by attaching muscle cells to elastic polymer sheets. By laying down striped patterns of proteins on these polymers, they were able to make the muscle cells arrange themselves into muscle fibres, similar to those in animals. When shocked with electricity, the resulting hybrid material can be made to bend, roll up, or wriggle, at a rate that can easily be controlled. Join discussion...