The best cure for head lice? Ordinary conditioner removes head lice eggs 'as effectively as specialised products

• Head lice eggs are notoriously hard to remove as they are glued to the hairs
• They can even stay in place after treatment with lice-killing substances
• Conditioner as effective as specialised products because it acts as lubricant
• News comes as selfies are blamed for causing lice epidemic among teens

Ordinary hair conditioner removes head lice eggs as effectively as special products, new research suggests.

Eggs from head lice are notoriously difficult to remove because the female lice lay them directly onto strands of hair and cement them in place with a glue-like substance. They are so well attached to the hairs that they can stay in place even after hair has been treated with pediculicides - substances used to kill lice.

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Ordinary hair conditioner is as effective as special products at removing head lice eggs, new research shows

Now, new research, published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, suggests people who pay for these products are wasting their money as the eggs can be removed equally effectively using conditioner. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2568416/The-best-cure-head-lice-Ordinary-conditioner-removes-head-lice-eggs-effectively-special-products.html

How much hidden sugar is in YOUR diet? Study reveals that a bowl of tomato soup or natural yogurt has as much sugar as a bowl of Frosties

• Leading professor has compiled a list of everyday 'hidden sugar' offenders 
• These include flavoured water, yogurts, canned soup, ready meals and bread
• Graham MacGregor says food industry is adding more sugar to food
• Says many people fall for the 'low fat' trick - not realising food is packed with sugar instead to give it flavour

We are constantly told how much sugar there is in fizzy drinks and cakes. But what about the hidden sugar in so-called healthy foods? A leading professor has spoken out about the dangers of 'hidden sugar' in food. He also cautions against opting for low fat foods that are often full of sugar instead to give them flavour. 

Graham MacGregor, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine at Barts and The London Hospital, says the food industry is adding more and more sugar to food, which consumers are largely unaware of, as it is mostly hidden.

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Hidden enemy: A leading professor has warned that many of us have no idea how much sugar is hidden in certain foods. He has compared well-known sugary foods such as Coke, Frosties and popcorn with other that many of us consider to be quite healthy  Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2566833/How-hidden-sugar-YOUR-diet-Study-reveals-bowl-tomato-soup-natural-yoghurt-sugar-bowl-Frosties.html

Selfies are causing a HEAD LICE infestations among teens

• California-based head lice-treatment expert Mary McQuillan says recent uptick in teen lice cases is from selfies
• She claims teenagers are routinely putting their heads together for photos, sometimes daily, and this is the cause of the uptick
• Other doctors claim the photo craze wouldn't make much of a difference in the spread

In the rush to butt their heads together to capture a great group shot, teenagers may be inadvertently capturing something else - headlice! Health experts are claiming the selfie sensation is not just infesting social media but scalps as well, and has lead to an increase in lice among the younger generation.

Marcy McQuillan, a lice-treatment expert who runs two lice-treatment centers in California called Nitless Noggins, says she's seen a dramatic uptick in the incidence of lice among young people, and it's due, she maintains, to all that head bumping for selfie snaps. 'Head lice are spread through head-to-head contact,' she said.

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lLice-treatment experts claim that selfies are causing an uptick in lice infestations among the younger generation. However not everyone is convinced Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2567165/Everyone-smile-say-parasite-Health-advisors-claim-selfies-causing-head-lice-infestations-teens.html

So that's why sex is an anti-climax for many women: No, it's not always your man's fault.

For years a taboo subject, orgasm has also been one of the more elusive areas for scientists to research. Nonetheless, there have been tantalising revelations recently about just what goes on in the body and brain during orgasm.

Scientists are also discovering its health benefits: the resulting rush of blood to the head is better for the brain than doing a crossword, one U.S. researcher recently claimed. It's also thought to act as a stressbuster, reduce pain and ease depression, while one study even suggested the greater the frequency of orgasms, the longer you'll live.

Yet only a third of women say they regularly experience one, and one in ten reports never having had one at all. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2566964/So-thats-sex-anti-climax-women-No-not-mans-fault-From-Pill-bad-circulation-health-problem-blame.html

Why having more sex 'boosts your intelligence'

• Research on mice finds sex increases production of neurons
• Increased sexual activity floods the brain with oxygen, scientists say
• Previous studies have shown sex decreases stress and burns calories

Next time your other half says they’re not in the mood for a romantic interlude, try telling them that it could make them brainier.

Although it sounds like a clever ploy, psychologists say that making love can boost intelligence.

That’s in addition to previous research which shows that sex not only helps to decrease your stress levels but also burns up calories. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2567121/Why-having-sex-boosts-intelligence.html

Clean teeth can hold off arthritis: Scientists discover link between gum disease bacteria and early onset of the condition

• Link between gum disease bacterium and onset of rheumatoid arthritis
• Bacterium produces enzyme which reacts with residue of certain proteins
• Body recognises these proteins as intruders, leading to an immune attack

Brushing your teeth well could help prevent arthritis, scientists claim. Researchers found a link between the bacterium responsible for gum disease and earlier onset of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as faster progression and greater severity of the condition.

The bacterium produces an enzyme which reacts with the residue of certain proteins. The body recognises these proteins as intruders, leading to an immune attack, the researchers from the University of Louisville’s School of Dentistry in Kentucky said.

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Brushing your teeth well could help prevent arthritis, scientists claim. Researchers found a link between the bacterium responsible for gum disease and earlier onset of rheumatoid arthritis Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2566343/Clean-teeth-hold-arthritis-Scientists-discover-link-gum-disease-bacteria-early-onset-condition.html

Children who watch three hours of TV a day could be left 'educationally stunted and prone to bullying

• Study found that after two hours of viewing, every extra hour of TV has the potential to harm a child's development, both physically and socially
• They have poorer vocabulary, maths skills and attention span
• Too much TV also leaves them physically weaker, researchers warn
• But up to 2 hours 52 minutes doesn't appear to do any harm, they say

Toddlers who watch three hours of TV a day may end up educationally stunted, physically weak and prone to bullying, a study has revealed. Researchers have found that after two hours of viewing, every extra hour of TV has the potential to harm a child's development, both physically and socially. This includes poorer vocabulary, maths skills and attention in class, victimisation by classmates and poor physical prowess at nursery. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2559336/Children-watch-three-hours-TV-day-left-educationally-stunted-prone-bullying.html

Arguing with your partner is bad for your HEART

• People who think their partner is often unsupportive are more likely to develop heart disease 
• Being unsupportive is actually more damaging to the arteries than overall marriage quality, say researchers

Arguing with a partner isn't just upsetting - it's also bad for your heart. People who think their partner is unsupportive are more likely to develop heart disease, a study has found. 

Scientists at the University of Utah found people who say their spouse is sometimes supportive but also sometimes upsetting have higher levels of artery calcification.

This suggests their arteries are diseased and they are at greater risk of premature death. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2553850/Arguing-partner-bad-HEART-Couples-war-thicker-arteries.html

Epidurals can make labour last two hours LONGER than without pain relief

• It was already known that the second stage of labour can take longer after an epidural - but new research suggests it extends it even further 
• Without an epidural, most first time mothers deliver within 3 hours 20 mins
• With an epidural, it can take up to 5 hours 40 minutes, say researchers 
• In the UK, this stage of labour is not allowed continue for more than three hours - so doctors start to consider intervening after two hours

It is known that having an epidural increases the time it takes for a woman to deliver her baby.

But new research suggests it may prolong the birth for longer than originally believed.

U.S. researchers found some women who are given an epidural during labour take more than two hours longer to deliver their child than women who don’t get the pain relief.

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Having an epidural can increase the amount of time it takes a woman to push out her baby by up to two hours

‘The effect of epidural can be longer than we think and as long as the baby looks good and the women are making progress, we don't necessarily have to intervene [and perform a Caesarean section] based on the passage of time,’ lead author Dr Yvonne Cheng, from the University of California, San Francisco, said. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2553880/Epidurals-make-labour-two-hours-LONGER-without-pain-relief.html

Pill that can help to reduce the misery of shingles pain by 30%

• Trials of experimental drug EMA401 found it cut pain levels for half sufferers
• Pain relief was experienced after just four weeks of taking two pills a day
• Shingles is caused by reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox 
• It affects 190,000 Britons each year, most of them aged over 50

A new treatment could bring hope to thousands of shingles sufferers with long-term pain. Trials of the experimental drug EMA401 found it cut pain levels by at least 30 per cent for more than half of sufferers - some of whom had been in agony for years. Pain relief was experienced after just four weeks of taking two pills a day, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.

A bout of shingles puts you at higher risk of having a stroke or heart attack years later, a study shows

British researchers behind the study hope the breakthrough will benefit patients with post-shingles pain, and many more with other intractable pain conditions. Because the drug works in a different way to conventional painkillers, it may be able to treat chronic nerve pain from diabetes, HIV, nerve injury and cancer chemotherapy. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2551956/Pill-help-reduce-misery-shingles-pain-30-New-treatment-bring-relief-thousands-sufferers-just-four-weeks.html

First British women to have £1,000 'no-frills' IVF: Budget procedure inspired by Alka-Seltzer to be available within weeks

A ‘no-frills’ IVF treatment costing under £1,000 should be available to British women within weeks. The budget procedure, which was developed last year, economises on expensive drugs and incubators. Instead, it uses a cheap test-tube set and a chemical reaction inspired by Alka-Seltzer hangover tablets. Despite its low-tech approach, a pilot study showed the treatment to be at least as effective as the conventional equivalent, which costs up to £15,000.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2549095/First-British-women-1-000-no-frills-IVF-Budget-procedure-inspired-Alka-Seltzer-available-weeks.html