Rugby head injuries have doubled in the past two years.
International health news
- Napping is good, as long as you don’t overdo it – new research has revealed that napping every afternoon for one hour can increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 46%.
- $442 billion USD are spent on dental disease every year – a recent paper reported the outstanding amount of money invested in curing dental diseases; these costs could be reduced significantly with improvement in oral health.
Health advice
- Pay attention if you sprain your ankle – many of us shrug and laugh off a “common” ankle injury, but it could change the way we walk and move for life.
- Don’t let high cholesterol get you down – screenings, tests, healthy diets, and an increased fiber intake can all help you control your high cholesterol.
Country health updates
- UK: Playing a little too rough – Brain injuries caused at rugby games have doubled in the past two years. Tackling the problem, excuse the pun, is urgent in order to avoid serious concussions.
- Dominican Republic: little girls turn into little boys at puberty – a rare genetic disease has been discovered showing that 1 in 90 girls in a village called Salinas turn into boys when they hit puberty.
- Nepal: safe for now, but epidemics might still happen – after April’s earthquake, Nepal could still fall victim to a cholera epidemic, although the UN and other charities have prepared well by providing clean water sources.
[Image: Pierre Selim]