Lifelines

New research from Bristol and Brunel Universities in Britain confirms that the age of the male partner is an important factor in conception. While men don't have the same age limit on their "biological clocks" as women, the odds of conceiving decrease by two per cent every year after the age of 24. The research results also showed that women whose partners are five or more years older than them have less chance of conceiving in under a year than women whose partners are the same age or younger. The study which is called Children of the 90s, included more then 8,500 couples in its analysis. (BBC Health News)

Scientists believe that an ingredient in cannabis greatly reduces the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. Components of cannabis have long been known to affect the immune system, but now one particular component, cannabidiol, has been found to block the progress of arthritis without any intoxicating or psychoactive side-effects. Trials so far have only been carried out on mice which means it may be up to five years before such a drug might be made available. Other cannabis compounds have already been found to be effective painkillers, particularly in relation to multiple sclerosis. (BBC Health News)

Couple therapy has been found to be more effective in treating depression than antidepressant drugs. A two-year study carried out by the Institute of Psychiatry in Britain found that providing therapy for a person with depression and their partner was more successful than conventional drug treatment. The "talking therapy" was aimed at helping the depressed person and their partner gain new insights into problems the depressed person faced. It also encouraged the couple to consider new ways of relating to each other. (BBC Health News)

Are you sleeping as well as you used to - or just differently? An English research study into older people's sleeping habits has found that almost two out of every three people over 55 have problems sleeping. The survey, which included 100 retired people in Leicestershire, found that, on average, older people sleep six and a half hours a night. Some 42 per cent of respondents had problems staying asleep at night; 36 per cent had problems falling asleep and 20 per cent woke up too early in the morning. Two-thirds of the respondents also reported taking a daytime nap - from 10 to 30 minutes a day. The message from the British Sleep Council who published the findings is, among other things, the importance of sleeping in a comfortable bed. Not surprising, perhaps, for an organisation which represents bed manufacturers, retailers and suppliers.

A controversial message on the safety of bicycle helmets has come from the British Medical Association this week. It says that making cycling helmets compulsory would put off so many cyclists that the resulting lack of exercise would be more dangerous than the risk from head injuries. An independent expert, John Franklin, has analysed data in Australia where cycling helmets are compulsory. There, he found that, while head injuries have fallen by 11 per cent, there are 15 per cent fewer cyclists on the roads, suggesting the risk has actually increased. Another argument against compulsory bicycle helmets is that users are lulled into a false sense of security and therefore take greater risks than their non helmet-wearing counterparts. (BBC Health News).

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