If you are a fan of dark chocolate, we have great news for you. A team of researchers from Loma Linda University has found some proof that the sweet food is great for stressed people. This type of chocolate seems to be a real mood lifter, and its components can also reduce the levels of stress. Moreover, it has many other benefits that are great for our health.

The more cacao, the better

We all know that dark chocolate is a lot better than milk chocolate in terms of how healthy it is. Now, researchers have decided to investigate and find out what benefits this treat brings. This is how they discovered it is ideal for stressed people. It can also reduce inflammation and boost one’s memory. Dark chocolate also keeps you healthy, as it improves your immune system as well.

However, not all versions of the treat have the same beneficial effects. If you want the full recipe, you’d better choose chocolate with a high concentration of cacao – more precisely, over 70 percent. Also, the assortments with sugar from organic cane are a lot better.

Dark chocolate doesn’t only lift the mood

Researchers have been exploring the benefits of dark chocolate for a long period of time. Until now, they associated a higher quantity of sugar with a better mood. Now, it turns out that more cacao also has a beneficial neurological effect. This doesn’t only improve our mood, but also our memory skills and our cognitive capacities.

Researchers observed the effect of cacao on immune and nerve cells. It activated immune cells, and made it easier for nerve cells to form connections. Therefore, after consuming dark chocolate, you will see your learning and memory skills will greatly improve.

The study on dark chocolate is far from being over, as scientists are planning to continue the research. Now, they want to see how different concentrations of cacao can influence the neurological activity of the body.

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Soldiers often suffer the most terrible wounds, as they can lose important parts of their bodies. It’s really common for a veteran who has been through combat to lose his limbs or other important organs. After a man has lost his genitals during an attack with an improvised explosive device, a team of reconstructive surgeons from Johns Hopkins University performed the first penis transplant in the world.

The penis transplant came from a dead donor

The surgeons at Johns Hopkins University are well-known for performing some of the most unique transplants. For instance, this team was the first to restore a bilateral arm. Now, they were determined to fix a man’s penis and scrotum after he lost his genitalia during war. The surgeons hope this transplant will restore both his sexual and urinary functions.

On March 26^th, the anonymous veteran underwent the penis transplant that brought together two urological surgeons and nine plastic surgeons. This procedure wouldn’t have been possible without the deceased person who donated the organs. The surgeons used the penis, a part of abdominal tissue, and the scrotum, leaving the testicles behind.

Just like any other transplant, the procedure came with many risks

So far, the recovery has gone well. Researchers have kept the man under close supervision, and he is about to leave the hospital sometime this week. He had to spend so much time to receive medical attention because the penis transplant hasn’t been an easy one.

A penis transplant can be a reconstructive procedure, meaning that the surgeons could have taken pieces of tissues from other parts of the man’s body. However, they needed a donated organ if they wanted to give the man the possibility to have erections in the future. Of course, this raises the risk of infection and rejection.

This is why all patients who undergo transplants need to stay in hospital and take an immunosuppressive treatment. This minimizes the risk of tissue rejection, and helps the new organ achieve its desired function a lot more quickly.

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A young girl from Sarasota, Florida almost lost her life after playing in her grandparents’ pool. The girl almost fell victim to dry drowning, an odd phenomenon that can happen hours after going swimming. Lacey Grace, the girl’s mother, wanted to make the story public in hope people will find out this can happen and can stay safe.

The girl almost fell victim to dry drowning

On April 14^th, the little girl called Elianna was at her grandparents’ house. She and other kids were having fun in the pool. They were playing with some noodles, and the little girl put the object in her mouth right when someone else blew it from the opposite end. This got some water into the little girl’s nose and mouth.

Immediately after the incident, she vomited but was fine soon afterwards. Her mother thought everything was alright, so no one was alarmed anymore. After a few days, the girl caught a fever that lasted for two days, so her family went to see a doctor. During the examination, Elianna’s heart rate suddenly dropped, and her skin started changing color.

Elianna’s mother wants everyone to know what dry drowning is

Fortunately, doctors could intervene immediately and saved Elianna’s life. They were still puzzled as to what caused this sudden phenomenon, but they suspected it was dry drowning. This happens whenever water gets into a person’s lungs through the mouth or nose and it gets stuck there.

Dry drowning should be treated immediately, as it can lead to serious complications. The victims can suffer brain damage if they stop breathing, or they might even die. This is why Grace wanted everybody to know what dry drowning is, and how it can be treated.

If you go swimming and happen to inhale some water, go see a doctor immediately. You never know if some of it gets stuck into your lungs. By intervening just in time, you avoid suffering any symptoms and increase your chances of survival.

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A 28-year-old woman who experienced severe pain and discomfort whenever she stood up discovered she was suffering from an odd condition. This condition is known as nephroptosis, or floating kidney. In other words, her right kidney fell down when she changed positions. The strange illness is more common among women and people with few body fat.

The woman felt a ball rolling down inside her

The woman said the discomfort started about six years ago, when she suddenly experienced severe pain in the abdominal area. Also, whenever she moved or stood up, she felt as if a ball had been moving inside her and dropping down. It turns out something was really dropping down inside of her, as her right kidney fell from its place.

These symptoms had been less acute during her pregnancy. She underwent a series of tests, where nothing seemed wrong at first. Since the symptoms remained acute, the doctors decided to run a few other tests. This is how they finally noticed she was suffering from floating kidney, meaning that her right kidney was falling two inches below its normal position.

The floating kidney was treated through a complex procedure

The floating kidney condition needed immediate treatment, so she had to undergo a special procedure. Through this procedure, called nephropexy, doctors brought the kidney back to its place and tied it to the body so it won’t fall again. Now, she claims she is healthy and has got rid of the pain.

Floating kidney is really common among women, and especially among those who are really thin. This usually happens because there’s not enough fat in the body to support the organs. However, this doesn’t mean men are spared from the condition. In some cases, floating kidney exhibits no symptoms until the condition gets severe enough.

Researchers performed a case study on this woman, and published the study in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

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A French man who suffered from a serious disease was the first in the world to receive two face transplants. This happened after his first face transplant failed, and he had to have it removed. His body had started rejecting this new face, so he needed to undergo a second procedure and receive a new transplant.

The first face transplant didn’t work

Jerome Hamon was suffering from neurofibromatosis type 1. This means his face was disfigured so, in 2010, he received his first transplant. For five years, everything has gone smoothly but, then, he caught a severe cold and had to take antibiotics. However, the combination between these antibiotics and the medication he was taking for the transplant wasn’t a happy one.

Hamon had to take immunosuppressives to prevent his body from rejecting the transplant. This can be a delicate situation, since they are not compatible with all drugs. As a result, the last antibiotics he took prevented them from working. His body started rejecting his face, so he had to undergo two face transplants.

The medicine combination he took caused his body to reject his face

He first noticed this was happening only in 2016. This new face had started undergoing necrosis, so it had to be removed immediately. The procedure took place one year later and, for two months, waited for the perfect face for him. Afterwards, he finally found a suitable donor, so he became the first man to undergo two face transplants in a lifetime.

The second procedure was more than necessary. This transplanted face helped Hamon eat, speak, see, and act like a normal person. He could communicate by slightly turning his face and, sometimes, he could write. Hamon is currently recovering from the second transplant. Everything is going well, but he still cannot move. His new face first has to settle on his head and align with his eyes and mouth.

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An English man claims to have experienced some odd side effects after taking the well-known painkiller Pregabalin. From a declared heterosexual, he noticed how he was slowly starting to crave male attention. He ended up breaking up with his girlfriend and becoming attracted to men instead.

The man was prescribed Pregabalin after an accident

Scott Purdy, aged 23, suffered an accident during a go-karting event. He broke his foot, so he needed to take some medicine to treat his pain. At first, his doctor prescribed him codeine, and he kept taking this drug until January. Then, he started experiencing some unpleasant side effects, so the doctor decided to change the medicine. Therefore, he prescribed him Pregabalin instead.

Pregabalin is a common painkiller, and it usually treats pain that is related to the nervous system. It is also a common medication for epilepsy or for anxiety. However, it doesn’t come without side effects. People who take Pregabalin might notice a sudden loss of libido, as well as mood swings.

He started being attracted to men after taking the drug

Since Purdy started taking this drug, he noticed a change. He gradually became less attracted to his girlfriend, and found himself wanting to be noticed by men. This came as odd, since he considered himself a dedicated heterosexual, despite some curiosity episodes when he was younger.

In the end, he decided he couldn’t go on with the relationship, and broke up with his girlfriend. He told her he started being attracted to men, and the woman understood the situation. This change occurred soon after he started taking Pregabalin, so he immediately blamed it on the meds.

Now, Purdy is really comfortable with his sexuality, and is even going to see a man he met online. He decided to share his story so that other people would know of the effects of Pregabalin. This way, they can decide if they still want to take the drug or find another alternative with fewer side effects.

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Be careful before eating chopped romaine lettuce, as you might get infected with E. coli. The source of infection seems to be Yuma, Arizona, but it quickly spread around the country. At the moment, CDC discovered cases all across 11 states, and has warned everybody to pay attention where they get their lettuce from.

Romaine lettuce was the source of infection

CDC is keeping a close eye in the E. coli infection and, worryingly enough, is noticing how the numbers keep adding up. After consuming chopped romaine lettuce, 35 people have currently contracted the infection. Not all cases are serious, but 22 of these people ended up in the hospital after consuming the lettuce.

However, the life of three of them might be in danger. The infection triggered hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is an extremely serious condition. This is a type of kidney failure and can easily result in the death of the patient. Fortunately, there were no victims so far.

CDC identified the source of infection as romaine lettuce coming from Yuma, Arizona. Therefore, it advised people to avoid consuming the vegetable if it comes from questionable sources. However, the organization couldn’t find the exact source of the infection. This means they couldn’t tell who was the grower or producer of lettuce that propagated the bacteria.

Eleven states are currently victims of the outbreak

From Arizona, the E. coli bacteria migrated to Pennsylvania, Idaho, New Jersey, Washington, Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut, and Missouri. The most affected state is Pennsylvania, with three reported cases of infection. Then, the next one on the list is Idaho, with eight cases, followed closely by New Jersey, with seven.

If you have eaten romaine lettuce recently, the first signs of infection should appear three or four days later. These symptoms should include vomiting, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain. The infection can go away by itself, but some cases can become really severe and might need some serious treatment. However, it’s better to go see a doctor as soon as you spot the first symptoms.

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A 24-year-old woman from Melbourne, Australia spent three months in jail after tricking her relatives and friends into giving her donations for a fake illness. The woman pretended she had cancer and she needed a huge sum of money for an overseas treatment. Then, she spent this money on her hedonistic lifestyle full of parties, alcohol, and drugs.

Dickenson used a fake illness claim to gather money for a party lifestyle

Hanna Dickenson told her family and friends, as well as her doctor, that she was suffering from cancer. She pretended she only had six weeks left to live, and asked them for money to fund some overseas treatments. At first, she went to her parents, who gave her money for this fake illness.

This money wasn’t enough for the so-called treatments, so she then turned to her friends as well. A couple even used mortgage money, as they wanted to help Dickenson and actually thought she was dying. Overall, she gathered $42,000 from their family and friends to treat her fake illness.

However, her scam didn’t end here. The woman also convinced a long-time family friend, who had also survived cancer, to contribute to her fundraising. Soon after he finished his cancer treatment, Bill Sandbrook gave Dickenson $11,000.

She received three months in jail and a year of community correction

The woman used all this money to fund her own lifestyle full of international travels, parties, drugs, and alcohol. However, people soon found out the truth. One of the people she had scammed viewed her Facebook profile, and saw dozens of photos from parties and trips.

As a result, her case was brought in front of the Melbourne Magistrates Court, where she received three months of imprisonment and 12 months of community correction order. People also compared her to a health blogger, Belle Gibson, who pretended to be a survivor of brain cancer.

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It’s well-known that engaging in physical activity can be a real killer of depression of anxiety. However, it seems exercise is actually doing more than that. According to a new study developed by researchers from the University of Michigan, being physically active can actually improve the feelings of happiness, well-being, and contentment.

Physical activity is essential for happiness

Researchers have decided to explore the link between happiness and physical activity, and found some correlations. It turns out your happiness depends on how often and how much you exercise. To reach this conclusion, they performed a bigger study on 23 other individual researches related to happiness.

From these 23 studies, 8 showed a clear intervention, while the 15 others were merely observational. While looking at the observational ones, researchers found a clear connection between physical activity and a better mental state among those who practiced it. Weiyun Chen, one of the authors of the study, explained the connection.

“Our findings suggest the physical activity frequency and volume are essential factors in the relationship between physical activity and happiness.”

Even a little bit of exercise counts

Therefore, what we need to do if we want to be happy is to start exercising. Even if it sounds like a tiring activity for some, it has a huge impact both on our physical and our mental health. Also, what is even more important is the fact that anything counts. You don’t have to start big from the beginning, as even a little bit of exercise will produce visible results.

The study revealed the happiness threshold lies in the presence or absence of physical activity. There was no difference in terms of state of mind between people who exercised over 300 minutes per week and those who exercised less. However, those who spent even a little of their time being active scored a lot higher than the sedentary ones.

The study was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.

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One of the most adored food groups are carbohydrates, that everyone appears to love despite their unpleasant capacity to make us fat. This is why many people try to avoid eating carbs when going on a diet. However, a new study challenges this knowledge, and suggests that eating some pasta, as well as other healthy foods, will actually help you lose weight.

Does pasta help us lose weight?

Our love for carbs is unending, which convinced scientists to study this food group more thoroughly. They started from suggesting there is a sixth taste that makes us love these foods so much, and ended up finding out pasta might be healthy.

They put up a study after taking a close look at 30 control trials on 2,488 people. They looked at the body weight and BMI of these participants, and then studied the impact of consuming the popular Italian dish. All these people had to eat 3.3 servings of the dish per week, while giving up other carbs.

In fact, the diet they followed was low glycemic. Carbohydrates increase one’s blood sugar at quick rates. However, pasta is one of those carbs that are low glycemic. This means consuming the food will increase the blood sugar more slowly.

The Italian dish is healthy when combined with low glycemic foods

When researchers looked at the results, they saw pasta didn’t cause any weight gain. In fact, the participants might have shed some extra pounds. Therefore, this food might be successfully included in a healthy diet without contributing to any weight gain.

However, people need to pay attention. This food was beneficial for the body when it was consumed with other low glycemic foods. Now, researchers want to see if pasta has the same effect if it’s included in other diets. However, giving up carbs completely is not a durable solution. Eating smart, on the other hand, is a different thing.

The study has been published in the journal BMJ Open.

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