Coffee Each Day May Keep Alzheimer's Away

Study finds daily drinkers at lower risk

(NEWSER) - If you simply can’t get through your day without a cup (or three) of coffee, good news: That coffee may also be reducing your skin cancer risk. A new study finds that the more coffee subjects reported drinking, the lower their risk of contracting basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer. However, the study only uncovered the association—it did not establish cause-and-effect—and one dermatologist does not suggest developing a coffee habit solely to guard against skin cancer, USA Today reports. More»

Video games, Botox, coffee could all help more than they hurt

(NEWSER) - Bad habits are admittedly, well ... bad for you, unless you have an ailment that a bad habit might cure. Cracked sums up five:

• Video Games That Cure PTSD. "No, this isn't taken from some press release from Activision"—it's the result of work by the Department of Defense. "It's called virtual reality exposure therapy, and it forces subjects to relive the traumatic experiences" by replaying them in a video game.

Like Ritalin with fewer side effects, writes Christie Haskell

(NEWSER) - What do you do when your kid can’t sit still—but you’re concerned about the side effects of Ritalin? One mom offers an unusual remedy that goes against standard medical advice: Give the youngster coffee, she writes at the Stir blog at Cafe Mom . Christie Haskell didn’t want her hyperactive son diagnosed with ADHD, so she tried her own cure: The 7-year-old drinks coffee with breakfast. Ritalin’s “not exactly a shining success story,” but it’s a stimulant, boosting blood flow to the brain and helping people focus. Coffee’s a stimulant, too. More»

First, cream your addiction

(NEWSER) - Caffeine can offer more than a quick high and a comedown—if you know how to use it right. Step one is to start clean, writes Kevin Purdy at Fast Company : Ease yourself completely off coffee over about 10 days. That may mean some headaches and groggy mornings at first. But once you’re clean, you can manipulate your intake to make your cup of joe work for you: Save your caffeine intake for those demanding days when you need it most. More»

Findings reverse current thinking, may cut costs

(NEWSER) - Rigorous treatment to lower blood pressure or cholesterol below current guidelines does not benefit—and may actually hurt—diabetics, a new study shows. The findings, published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest doctors may have to find new ways to treat diabetic patients. But that's not entirely bad news: limiting this type of rigorous treatment could lower the cost and potential side effects of drug therapy, researchers say. More»