Sex trumps sports as a sleeping aid

Kassel, Germany - Even though humans sleep away about one-third of their lives, sleep science is relatively new. But the latest results show that sex trumps sport as a sleeping aid.

These are just some of the results presented at the annual convention of the German Sleep Society (DGSM) in Kassel, central Germany, where 1,500 scientists recently gathered to discuss factors contributing to good and healthy sleep.

New breakthrough in treatment of Alzheimer's disease

New breakthrough in treatment of Alzheimer's diseaseHamburg, Germany - A new enzyme-blocking method is being termed a breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, according to a team of German researchers.

Targeted training can strengthen pelvic floor muscles

Hamburg - Muscle training is in, but hardly anyone talks about the muscles of the pelvic floor even though its the most worked muscle group in the human body for both women and men.

If the pelvic muscle group is strained or damaged there can be serious results. The three layers of muscles on the pelvic floor span between the pubic bone, tail bone and the seat bone and lie over one another in a lattice. They support the organs of the lower torso and stabilize the pelvis and close it off at the bottom.

Pharmacists issue advice on taking medicines

Berlin - The German Pharmacists' Association has issued a warning against taking medicines while lying down. Taking pills in a prone position can cause traces of medicine to stick to the food pipe's lining.

The association recommends taking pills or capsules in a sitting or standing position with at least 100 millilitres of water.

Insufficient fluid may cause painkillers, antibiotics or other drugs to damage the food pipe's mucous membrane.

Sulphur spring spas have pain- and inflammation-reducing benefits

Hamburg - Bursa in western Turkey, Monticelli outside the gates of Parma, Italy, and Digne-les-Bains in southern France have something in common.

They are the locations of sulphur springs, which promise vacationers a particularly healthy experience. Sulphur usually is employed today in the form of thermal baths. The beneficial, pain-killing and anti-inflammatory effects on the body are due to many factors.

Asthmatic children should carry an emergency plan

Asthmatic children should carry an emergency plan Heidenheim, Germany - Asthmatic children should always have an emergency plan with them containing instructions on what to do if they have an asthma attack, according to the Heidenheim-based German Pneumologists Association (BdP).

Head lice remedy should be repeated soon after first treatment

Head lice remedy should be repeated soon after first treatmentCologne, Germany - A treatment for head lice should always be repeated eight to 10 days after the initial attempt to get rid of the parasite, said Ulrich Fegeler of Germany's professional association of paediatricians in Cologne.

Older men often less fertile than younger men

Hamburg - More and more older men are trying to become fathers and discovering that it's not as easily achieved as it is in youth.

Usually the man's entire lifestyle comes into question when fertility is impaired, said Hermann Behre of the university centre for reproductive medicine and andrology in Halle, Germany.

Smoking can have a negative effect on men advancing in age. Poor diet and lack of exercise also play a role. In addition, men who are overweight have a tendency toward diabetes and a reduction in the male hormone, said Behre.

St. John's Wort can be "as good as Prozac"

St. John's Wort can be "as good as Prozac"Hamburg, Germany - St. John's Wort can be as good at lifting depression as pharmaceutical drugs such as Prozac, according to German researchers.

A review of research evidence concluded that the herbal extract was as effective as standard antidepressants, but had fewer side effects.

Varicose veins should be treated without delay

Varicose veins should be treated without delayBad Bertrich, Germany - Women in particular are bothered when red clusters of small veins appear near the surface of the skin on their thighs or in the hollow of their knees. Though the condition, known as spider veins, is not a medical problem, many people find it unsightly and visit a doctor.

Germany slaughters 1,400 farm birds against bird flu

Germany slaughters 1,400 farm birds against bird fluGoerlitz, Germany - Germany moved Friday against an outbreak of bird flu close to the Polish border, slaughtering 1,400 ducks and geese on a farm at Markersdorf near the city of Goerlitz.

One of the ducks had caught H5N1, the avian influenza virus which can be fatal to human beings. Germany had been considered free of the disease since an outbreak in December last year west of Berlin. (dpa)

Commitment to healthy eating a must after weight loss

Commitment to healthy eating a must after weight lossHamburg - Finally, you've lost the 15 kilograms you had hoped to lose, your body has emerged healthy and more agile and that dress that gathers at the waist fits you again.

Avoid alcohol during pregnancy to prevent disorders in newborns

Hamm, Germany  - Avoid alcohol during pregnancy to prevent disorders in newbornsPregnant women should completely avoid alcoholic drinks because even small amounts of alcohol can seriously damage the health of unborn children, according to the Hamm-based German Centre for Addiction Issues (DHS).

Salt provides foundation for European spas

Hamburg  - The name of some European spas - Bad Salzdetfurth, Bad Salzungen oder Bad Salzuflen - indicate that salt is an important part of the spa's programme.

Visitors to those European spas and others immerse themselves in healing, briny water containing a minimum of 1.45 per cent salt. The salt springs on which the spas are built are found nearly everywhere in Germany. They are especially common on the northern border of

Saxony, Brandenburg, Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

New TB vaccine offers hope for AIDS patients, German researchers say

New TB vaccine offers hope for AIDS patients, German researchers sayHamburg  - An early tuberculosis vaccine dating back to the 1920s has been vastly improved thanks to genetic engineering technology, according to a team of German researchers.

Immune drug fights cancer, German researchers claim

Hamburg, Germany - A drug which encourages the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells has left some patients free of the disease in a new trial, according to a team of German scientists.

The study, published in the journal Science, showed low doses of the drug Blinatumomab were effective in treating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The medication works by interacting with T cells, a white blood cell, which then destroy the cancerous cells.

Study shows German men are accident prone

Berlin - Young German men have a higher than average chance of experiencing an accident, according to a new study.

Of 1,000 German men aged between 15 and 24 years, 111 will be involved in an accident every year.

Men between 25 and 34 were less likely to have an accident with 86 from 1000 hurting themselves annually.

The national average for all Germans, male and female, is about 65 people from every 1000, according to the German Insurance Association in Berlin.

Heated car seats reduce fertility, German researchers warn

Hamburg, Germany - Heated car seats reduce fertility in men, according to German researchers.

The researchers at the University of Giessen have discovered that just one hour of sitting in a heated car seat can cause a testicular temperature spike of up to 39.7 Celsius (or 103 Fahrenheit).

That is four or five degrees Celsius higher than the optimum temperature for healthy sperm production, which is around two degrees below the body's core temperature of 
37 C (99 F), according to the findings reported in New Scientist magazine.

Alcohol and drug addictions a risk factor for senior citizens

Cologne, Germany - Elderly people have a higher risk of becoming addicted to alcohol or medicine and this can often go unnoticed by people in their surroundings.

"In a situation like that, the confusion experienced by an old person can often be mistaken for a sign of old age even though it may mean they're addicted to tablets," explains Martin Haupt, deputy president of the German Society of Geropsychiatry and Psychotherapy.

Family members should inform themselves about how many sleeping pills and sedatives the elderly person is taking.

Banned sports "doping" drug improves memory functions

Hamburg - A drug used to increase blood production in both medical treatments and athletic doping scandals seems also to improve memory among users, according to German researchers.

New research published in the open access journal BMC Biology shows that the memory enhancing effects of erythropoietin (EPO) are not related to its effects on blood production but due to direct influences on neurons in the brain, a news release stated.

Stuttering best approached with affirmative action

Hamburg - Joachim Haas' school years were a nightmare because of a speech impediment which led to him being ridiculed by his classmates.

"I was afraid. I experienced real panic at times," recalls Haas, 29, who is from Giessen in western Germany.

There are many people like Haas who stutter, an illness that repeatedly interrupts the flow of speech.

British politician Winston Churchill and US actress Marilyn Monroe stuttered.

Identifying the signs of hearing loss

Berlin - When a radio is apparently too loud or several people are talking simultaneously, it often becomes difficult for an elderly person to follow a conversation.

However, it's not age that causes deafness but the fact that our hearing has been exposed to damaging noises over the course of years such as loud music.

Usually, the people who are directly affected, recognise too late they are losing their sense of hearing.

Study says gel lessens mammogram pain

Hamburg - The pain that many women experience when having a mammogram can be reduced by a locally applied anaesthetic gel, a study has shown.

Women who apply gel with the effective ingredient Lidocain on their breasts one hour before the mammogram experience significantly less pain, according to a German magazine for doctors published in Neu-Isenburg. By contrast, pain medication administered orally to women prior to their mammograms had no noticeable effect. The magazine reported on a study published in a journal for radiologists.

Diabetics should undergo regular cancer screenings

Diabetics should undergo regular cancer screenings Wiesbaden, Germany - Doctors recommend diabetics undergo regular cancer screenings because not only are they at greater risk of developing kidney and circulatory disease, they also are at greater risk of developing tumours.

Swift treatment of neurodermatitis helps prevent asthma

Swift treatment of neurodermatitis helps prevent asthma Heidenheim, Germany - Children with neurodermatitis or childhood eczema are twice as likely to contract asthma later in life than healthy children.

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