HEALTH BRIEFS: 1308

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE WEEK

CHEMOTHERAPY can damage healthy cells, triggering them to secrete a protein that sustains tumour growth and resistance to further treatment .

Researchers in the US made the "completely unexpected" finding public last week. The discovery was made while the researchers sought to explain why cancer cells were so resilient inside the body when they were easy to kill in a laboratory. - AFP Relaxnews

BIZARRE OF THE WEEK

A NEW app has been created by the makers of iPeriod to remind women to change their tampons.

The Apple app, called Tampon Timer, buzzes you with a subtle message "it's time for a change". It keeps track of how many times a day you change and lists symptoms of toxic shock syndrome, a dangerous condition caused by a toxin produced by certain types of Staphylococcus bacteria, which can be brought on after using a tampon for too long. - Source: www. glamour.com

NUTRITION BITE

A RECENT study of more than 7000 children in Adelaide, Australia, has shown that diet has a direct effect on the IQ of children.

Diet supplies nutrients needed for the development of brain tissue in the first two years. Researchers found that children who were breast-fed to six months and had a healthy diet including legumes, cheese, fruit and vegetables when they started with solids, had an IQ up to two points higher by the age of eight. - Source: Science Daily

IF THERE IS ONE THING TO DO FOR YOUR HEALTH

DO NOT drink too much iced tea. Urologists at Loyola University Medical Centre in Chicago warn that it contains high concentrations of oxalate, one of the key chemicals that can lead to kidney stones.

Stones can grow large enough to become lodged in the small tubes that drain urine from the kidney to the bladder.