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Q. What is the reason for yawning? And why is it considered infectious? Why do the ears appear to have become deaf during yawn? A. First two questions are certainly difficult because even the experts do not have convincing explanations. Explanation of the third question, however, is quite simple. The process of hearing commences with the vibration of the eardrums. In order to allow the eardrums to vibrate freely it is essential that there is equal air pressure on both the sides of the eardrums. So Nature has arranged for as much air pressure on the inner side of the eardrums as the air pressure prevailing on the outer side to keep the eardrums neutral. When a person yawns, the internal muscles of the ears contract increasing the pressure from the inner side which in turn pushes the eardrums somewhat outward. Now in the outward dilated condition of the eardrums the sound waves are not able to vibrate the eardrums and so the sound is not heard till the eardrums come back in their origi...

Hand-washing is a simple and effective way to help prevent diseases, such as colds, flu, and food poisoning. When to wash your hands Washing hands: Often, especially during cold and flu ( influenza ) season, can reduce your risk of catching or spreading a cold or the flu. Before and after preparing or serving food reduces your risk of catching or spreading bacteria that cause food poisoning. Be especially careful to wash before and after preparing poultry, raw eggs, meat, or seafood. After going to the bathroom or changing diapers reduces your risk of catching or spreading infectious diseases such as salmonella or hepatitis A . Wash your hands after: Touching bare human body parts other than clean hands and clean, exposed parts of your arms. Using the bathroom. Coughing, sneezing, or using a handkerchief or disposable tissue. Eating, drinking, or using tobacco (for example, smoking). Handling soiled kitchen utensils or equipment. Handlin...

Being fit and healthy isn’t just about six-pack abs or buns of steel. It means losing fat and staying lean, not losing weight and staying thin. The safest path towards physical fitness is through your metabolism. Boost your metabolic rate or the amount of energy spent in a given time so the next time you sit in front of the television, you are burning 100 calories, instead of just one. With a simple tweak in your lifestyle, you can improve your health significantly and obtain the body you’ve always wanted. 1. Meal Time Management When you sleep, your metabolism slows down too. It will only resume its normal rate after your next meal. If you skip breakfast, your body burns only a few calories so you still have enough energy to survive until your next meal. On the other hand, eating a solid 350-calorie breakfast revs up your metabolic rate instantly and maintains that pace throughout the day. Load up your breakfast with high-fiber carbohydrates, such as whole grain cereals, egg whi...

Myth: A high-fiber diet will prevent colon cancer Not even if you eat a pine tree, cones and all. Research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed that no matter how much fiber study subjects ate--from 10 grams a day to 27--it did nothing to reduce their risk of recurrence of precancerous polyps. "The fiber hypothesis dates from an old epidemiological study," says James E. Allison, M.D., a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. "It was presumed that the shorter intestinal transit time accompanying a high-fiber diet decreased a person's exposure to potential carcinogens." Reality check: Despite the myth, keep eating a high-fiber diet (it can help lower cholesterol and prevent diabetes), but don't count on it to cancer-proof your colon. For that, you need folic acid. Studies have shown that this B vitamin significantly lowers a man's risk of colon cancer, with research from Louisiana State Univers...

Plant-Based Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise New Drug Seems Effective Against Aggressive Prostate Cancer South Korea Begins Year-Round Bird Flu Monitoring Deep Brain Stimulation Eases Depression: Study Study Challenges Stereotypes About Obese Workers Asian Nations Need to Act Against Drug-Resistant TB: WHO Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: Plant-Based Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise A plant-based cancer vaccine that kick-starts the immune system and can be tailored to target specific tumor types shows promise, according to U.S. researchers who tested the vaccine on 16 people with incurable follicular B-cell lymphoma. More than 70 percent of the patients developed an immune response and none of them showed any significant side effects, Agence France-Presse reported. The study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . "The idea is to marshal the body's own immune system to fight cancer,...