Do You Schedule Your Free Time? Don’t! Study Suggests It Could Make You Unhappy

Your social calendar might be sucking the joy out of activities that are supposed to be fun or relaxing, according to an upcoming paper co-written by a professor who studies time management. The paper argues that when a leisure activity is planned rather than spontaneous, we enjoy it less. That’s because we tend to mentally lump all our scheduled activities in the same bucket – whether it’s a dentist appointment or grabbing coffee with a friend. And that makes the pleasurable activities more of a chore. “It becomes a part…

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Pacemaker for heart, study suggests leadless variant better than transvenous one

Good news for heart patients. If you want to keep your heart healthy, you should opt for leadless pacemakers over the conventional transvenous variants. While you can you avoid heart attack and stroke risk by following a disciplined exercise and diet routine to keep ensure a healthy heart, you need to be careful with the pacemaker variant you choose after a heart attack. According to a new study, heart patients who opt for leadless pacemakers are likely to have lesser short-term and mid-term complications than those with transvenous pacemakers. Approximately a million pacemakers are annually implanted…

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Eating almonds could boost ‘healthy’ cholesterol levels, suggests new study

They make a great go-to snack and are packed with nutritious goodness, so it may come as little surprise that eating almonds on a regular basis could boost levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, dubbed the ‘good’ cholesterol, while improving the way it removes low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (or ‘bad’ cholesterol), according to a new study. The researchers looked at HDL cholesterol levels and function in 48 people who ate 48g almonds (around a handful) on a daily basis over six-weeks, and the HDL levels of the participants when they swapped their almonds…

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Dark chocolate enriched with olive oil is good for your heart, study suggests

Chocolate is so often demonised as being bad for your teeth and waistline but the fact is that, in moderation, it can have some pretty surprising health benefits– especially when it comes to your heart. A new Italian study has found that a daily serving of dark chocolate enriched with extra virgin olive oil boosted participants’ cardiovascular health and lowered the risk of potentially fatal problems later in life. Couple this with previous studies suggesting that the sweet treat can also reduce stress and even prevent diabetes, and chocolate is well on its way…

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Novel device detects bacteria and suggests apt antibiotic

An interdisciplinary team of engineers and pharmaceutical researchers at the University of Alberta has invented a device that can rapidly identify harmful bacteria and can determine whether it is resistant to antibiotics. The device could save precious hours in patient care and public health, and prevent the spread of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. The team’s findings can help in detecting bacteria and measure their susceptibility to antibiotics in small confined volumes. The device was designed to look for and trap different types of bacteria and find out which antibiotics are…

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Heart groups suggests people get up every now and then

People should get about 30 minutes of exercise each day to counteract the potentially harmful effects of being inactive for too long, according to a new statement from a leading U.S. heart group.   Research suggests inactivity may be linked to increased risk for diabetes, other blood sugar problems, heart disease, stroke and an earlier death, according to the statement from the American Heart Association. “Be conscious of how much time you’re spending sitting, and try to move more,” said Dr. Deborah Rohm Young, chair of the AHA committee that…

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