Health and Wellness
How long should you keep your child’s cord blood stored?
The answer is indefinitely. Cord blood stem cells don’t have an expiry date and the chance of needing to use them increases with age. According to Frances Verter, the founder of the international independent site – Parents Guide to Cord Blood Banking it doesn’t make sense to invest in the up-front collection and processing fees and then…
Read MoreNew study lifts the lid on multi-tasking mothers
New study lifts the lid on multi-tasking mothers Turns out mums aren’t naturally good at multitasking – they have no choice but to get good at it! New research debunks the suggestion women are innately better at it than men, finding both men and women’s brains…
Read MoreCan cord blood battle breast cancer?
McMaster University researchers have found cord blood that has been stored through freezing for long periods of time has the potential to be used as a treatment for breast cancer. The research comes as McMaster health scientists seek additional medical opportunities for frozen, or cryopreserved, cord blood currently in storage around the world, since this…
Read MoreScience says happiness is contagious
A new study in Royal Society Open Science found that moods spread across friend groups like a “social contagion.” Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 middle and high school students in the USA over a period of six months to a year. As part of the check-ins, depression screenings were administered to identify any common thread among the moods, feelings, and levels of…
Read MoreWhy Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes
For expectant parents in Finland, their “bundle of joy” isn’t just the baby. Since 1938, new mothers and fathers have received a cardboard box, often used as the baby’s first crib filled with a small mattress, blankets, infant clothes, outerwear, toiletries, and more. The Finnish government supplies the boxes, saying the gift encourages good parenting…
Read MoreHaving a baby later in life can boost your brainpower
New research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found women who have a child after the age of 35 have better memories in middle age than those who complete their family earlier. The reason is believed to be the surge of hormones which flood the body in pregnancy, which affect the brain’s…
Read MoreDoes nagging your teenager daughter work?
The answer is a resounding yes, according to a study from the University of Essex. It showed that girls who have mothers who “nag” them were more likely to go to university, get better jobs and avoid teen pregnancy than those with mothers who were more relaxed. The study, led by researcher Ericka Rascon-Ramirez, followed…
Read More‘Baby brain’ really does exist, say scientists.
Baby brain, the pregnancy-induced fog which many women experience, may have a very real purpose. Researchers at the University of London found that pregnant women show increased activity in the area of the brain related to emotional skills. During pregnancy, women use the right side of their brain more than new mothers do,…
Read MoreGrandparents Who Babysit Live Longer
A new study published in Evolution and Human Behaviour, reported that grandparents who babysit their grandchildren live significantly longer lives. The study used data from the Berlin Aging Study and analysed 20 years worth of data from 500 seniors aged 70 and older. Grandparents who provided some form of care to their grandchildren had a 37…
Read MoreWill cord blood bring back memory?
Dementia patients have been offered hope that their memory could be repaired after scientists showed that cord blood restores brain function. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in the US discovered that cord blood contains an important protein which vanishes as humans get older. It is believed the protein encourages neuroplasticity in the brain,…
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