Vital signs
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Your support makes all the difference.Weight for an orgasm
Sexual ecstasy can be yours with a set of vaginal exercise weights, according to manufacturers' claims. The weights, called Aquaflex, are normally used to treat incontinence by developing weak pelvic floor muscles; progressively heavier weights are held in the vagina for several minutes at a time. The makers, DePuy Healthcare, say that by strengthening the pelvic floor, the weights also increase the likelihood of orgasm and enhance sexual fulfilment. A set of Aquaflex weights costs pounds 35. For more information, call 0800 526177.
Diabetic wristwatch
Scientists are developing a diabetic "wristwatch" that can warn patients when they are becoming hyperglycaemic and administers insulin without injections, reports Scientific American. By setting up an electric field, the watch will contain a "glucose-sensing system" to detect high glucose levels and administer insulin through the skin as needed. Clinical trials are due to begin next year.
Red alert for redheads
Redheads run a risk of skin cancer some 10 times higher than average. But British researchers say they may be able to develop a drug to give them a protective tan. The scientists, from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, say people with red hair may suffer a genetic defect that means they do not produce enough eumelanin, a skin pigment which creates a tan when stimulated by sunlight. A drug to "switch on" production of eumelanin may become available in the future, according to a report in New Scientist.
Diet fails to ease eczema
Elimination diets for children with eczema are often tried as a last resort by desperate parents, but there is little evidence that they work, according to British researchers. In a study involving 85 children with severe eczema, one group following a restricted diet of lamb, rice, potato, brassica, pear and water was compared with a control group sticking to a normal diet. After six weeks, there was no difference in eczema between the two groups, says a report in Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Beating travel trauma
Many travellers could benefit from counselling to help them to ease anxiety about going abroad, according to researchers in Scotland. A study of 1,670 people from Stirling, reported in General Practitioner, found that one in 20 was highly anxious about travelling, with women three times more likely to be worried than men. Main concerns were immunisations, possibility of travel sickness, stomach upsets and the fear of flying.
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