Health Videos

You might not be far wrong: Tread carefully! According to this video, treadmills were created in 1818 by English engineer Sir William Cubitt, as a way to discipline prisoners while also providing useful labor during Britain’s economic difficulties following the Napoleonic Wars. How this labor was useful: prisoners stepped on 24 spokes of a large…

Here’s what’s actually going on when your discernible skin responses change/stop: Resistance is utile Or rather, it’s actually tolerance. Tolerance vs resistance: your skin can become acclimated to the irritation and side effects of an ingredient without becoming resistant to its biological effects, so reduced dryness, peeling, or sensitivity with a topical retinoid doesn’t mean…

We all know about having a regular sleep schedule in a cool dark room and clean bedding and, shockingly, not taking stimulants before bedtime. Hopefully we all know alcohol is bad, too. So, what else? Sweet dreams Dr. Michael Breus, sleep specialist, advises: *Here we remember that Dr. Breus is a PhD (specifically: a sleep…

Can you do it? Sit-to-stand, but… …with one leg! How to do it: sit on a normal-height, sturdy chair, lift one foot, keep your hands out of the way, stand up, then lower yourself back down slowly over at least four seconds; repeat on the other leg and compare the two sides. What the test…

If your attention span could be better, here’s how to fix it: Stay with us here… A 2016 study tracked how long people stayed focused on a single computer application before switching to another. Participants averaged 40 seconds on one task, compared with 75 seconds five years earlier. This doesn’t necessarily mean attention spans are…

It doesn’t even take extra effort: A change of tempo “Tempo lifting”, such as using the same exercise, weight, and repetitions with a deliberately controlled lowering phase and pause in the deepest position, can provide greater opportunities to improve mobility than doing repetitions more quickly. This is because mobility-focused warm-ups and drills often move you…

Here’s how things have been progressing: The days of Anthrax et al. are (mostly) over Biosecurity experts are becoming increasingly concerned about dangerous laboratory leaks, particularly those involving pathogens engineered* to cause pandemics. Things like Anthrax are thus no longer their primary concern. A controversial subfield involves engineering enhanced potential pandemic pathogens (ePPPs), typically variants…

Dr. Amy Konvalin explains what’s going on in there: There are two sides to this Neck-related headaches are a common thing: tension, restricted movement, or irritation in your neck can refer pain upwards into your head. This can be particularly noticeable when you wake up with a headache after sleeping in a position that doesn’t…

Dr. Andrea Suarez, dermatologist, explains the best way to tackle it: A menu of options Per Dr. Suarez, keloid scars can be substantially improved through a combination of treatments, but there isn’t a single best treatment, and it makes a difference where it is. The most go-to options are: So in other words: the professional…

…in a way that actually works: Putting things in the more useful frame You probably already know that a popular method is the practice of gratitude. But it can feel hard sometimes, because when we need happiness most is often when we are beset by things that are not obviously giving us cause to feel…

Dr. Ruth Machin makes it easy: Remove the “sticking points” The strength/fitness/recomposition “gains” that you get from exercising can take months to become visibly noticeable, while the brain is drawn toward immediate rewards, which of course creates a disconnect between effort now and reward later. Some mindsets that you can choose from: Of those two,…

H5N1 beyond the hype: A viciously versatile virus Back in March 2024, dairy cows in Texas and nearby states developed loss of appetite and thick, discolored milk, while cats on the farms developed an unexplained neurological disease. Testing eventually identified influenza A H5N1, or bird flu, as the cause. What those letters and numbers actually…