In Amsterdam, the Dutch scientists claim that they have already completed the first sequencing of a woman’s DNA. The researchers say that they have successfully sequenced the DNA of one of their co-researchers, Marjolein Kriek. However, there are no other scientists who have verified their data yet but they are planning to publish it sooner after review.

The very first sequencing of a composite humane genome was dated back in 2001 followed by the first individual DNA in 2007. One of the researchers jokingly said that it was about time that they balance the genders a bit since they have already sequenced the DNA of four males.

written by: Eric Bryant

“Esthetic Therapy” is a term we coined. As opposed to art therapy, esthetic therapy utilizes philosophical counseling methods with a view to helping artists reach their fullest creative potentials. As artists ourselves, we know that artists are beautifully unique, complex - even eccentric - professionals. Therefore, we strive to be a comprehensive center of resources and encouragement for all artists. Maybe you need deeper or more clear direction in your artistic life? Perhaps you would benefit from specialized counseling to help unlock the muse within. At Gnosis Arts we believe that philosophical counseling can be a form of “esthetic therapy” - enriching your artistic and creative endeavors.

Scientists are often amazed by the complexity of depression among humans. The brain is such a very complex object that everyone would like to solve the mystery of depression. Recently, scientists are working and experimenting for the perfection of the brain pacemakers. They want this to act as antidepressants by changing how the patient’s nerve circuitry reacts.

This treatment has been done and is already proven to work for stopping the tremors of Parkinson’s disease and actually, more than 40,000 such patients worldwide have the implants already.

Since psychiatric illnesses are more complex, only a few dozen patients with severe depression are closely monitored. However, there are dramatic results. One of the patients actually started smiling as the doctors turned on her brain pacemaker. She even said in surprise that she is starting to smile. Over the past few months, there were reports that showed how the worst case patients who could not be treated by medications, psychotherapy or shock treatment found relief in brain pacemakers.

One of the doctors said that the brain pacemaker does not work for everyone but when it does, it brings in wonderful results. Hopefully, when the research is finished, the study will be released for public use.

As ADHD patients grow older, the more problem they contribute to our slumping economy. According to studies, there is a total of 20 or more working days that can be lost due to this type of sickness.

It has been known and seen as a problem for children. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was first described in 1845 by a doctor named Heinrich Hoffman who wrote the story of Fidgety Philip.

As a child with this disorder grows older, their lack of ability to concentrate costs them 22.1 days of role performance every year which includes around 8.7 extra days of absence.

In accordance to the result of the research, the researchers suggested that companies may have to screen their workers for ADHD and provide proper treatment to cut costs and increase productivity.

Most simply stated, empathy is the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes - and also the willingness to respond to the person’s needs. I believe it’s one of the most important components of a happy, healthy relationship. Lack of empathy is a very common problem with couples. Many people never learned how to be empathetic from their primary caregivers or weren’t modeled empathy by other important people in their lives. The good news is - it can be taught.

Here are 5 steps to practicing empathic communication when discussing a difficult subject:

1) Listen without interruption as your partner describes his/her feelings about the subject.
2) Pause and imagine how your partner might be feeling.
3) Reflect back what the partner has said in regards to their feelings such as, “It sounds like you’re saying your upset because…”
4) Validate their feelings such as, “I understand that you’re upset…” You don’t have to get why - just allow them to have their feelings.
5) Offer support by saying something like, “Let’s try to figure this out together.”

This type of dialogue takes practice but is a valuable tool in the long term. The payoff of empathic communication is well worth it - and a key component of a strong relationship foundation.

Lisa Brookes Kift is a psychotherapist in San Diego, California who helps people resolve their individual issues and have more satisfying relationships. Learn about Lisa’s therapy practice, read more of her mental health and relationship articles, tips, tools and advice at http://www.lisakifttherapy.com.

Just recently, I stumbled upon a pretty funny and disturbing news. There was this Canadian guy who filed a lawsuit after he found two dead flies in an unopened bottle of drinking water. His reason? He said that after that unpleasant sight, he already suffered psychological damage which includes depression, phobia, anxiety and said that it has inflicted damage to his sex life.

Waddah Mustapha filed the bottling company but Canada’s Supreme Court dismissed the case.

On my own futile opinion, I think that the sight may have triggered something in the past that made him suffer psychological problems. It could be an unpleasant experience somewhere in the past. I guess he should see a psychiatrist to discuss this matter because it may not be just at this time that he would experience this problem. There are a lot of flies in the world and of course, he could still see a lot of dead ones once in a while. The sooner he gets medical attention, the better.

Just recently, a 35-year old man died after drinking an illegal aphrodisiac made from toad venom. This immediately prompted the authority to warn New Yorkers about the said product.

It is being sold at sex shops and neighborhood stores carrying the name Piedra, Love Stone, Jamaican Stone, Black Stone and Chinese Rock. This medication has been banned by the Food and Drug Administration. The victim died two days after he was admitted in the hospital for chest and abdominal pain.

The city’s poison control center announced that the medication was supposed to be applied to the skin and not to be eaten but they said the mere fact that it is being used is harmful because it has the ability to disrupt heart rhythms. They added that there is no definite safe way to use this drug. They advised not to buy it, not to sell it and if they have it, just don’t use it and throw it away.

As the war in Iraq draws closer to an end, more and more troops are going back home to their families and are about to try to live the life they once had before the war. Unfortunately, as Patrick Campbell, medic for an infantry unit in Iraq, said, no one goes to war and comes back home as the same person. There are a couple of things that a war veteran must unlearn before they can emotionally feel once more.

This is the reason why there are a couple of psychiatrists who are up to the task of getting the valiant men of war back on track. They commit to one year of dising out one hour of FREE service every week for the war heroes. Currently, a research was made and there are a huge number of soldiers who are suffering from mental disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder. Actually, there are a lot of psychiatrists employed by the Pentagon already but there is still a need for more.

According to one of the psychologists who volunteered, Brenna Chirby, it is only a fraction of free time for her. She said that those men and women are fighting for the whole country and are going overseas and one hour is nothing compared to what they are doing in Iraq or in any other part of the globe. In the next few weeks or months, we should expect a big number of volunteers who are willing to lend extra hours for free to serve the US troops.

None of us has unlimited time. Professionals or executives often find themselves in a pressure-cooker environment as they manage people, make costly decisions or determine directions of their organizations - on top of their obligations to family and friends. How they manage their time is critical to how they will be able to manage their stress – and more and more admit that stress is impacting their jobs, emotional life, relationships and ultimately their health.

The first step in managing stress is to become more aware of all of the things that trigger it. Keep a stress journal documenting all of your stressors for one week. Don’t forget to include the less obvious stressors like commuting or family arguments. This way you at least have a starting point to do some self examination of your stress – and then figure out how you’re going to cope. Obviously, some stressors will not change and must be accepted - but others might benefit from being adjusted to lessen their impact.

Time management and effective delegation are two of the leading ways to combat unusually stressed professionals in higher level positions. In addition, learning tools to counteract the body’s “fight or flight” response associated with the unhealthy type of stress should be implemented.

Lisa Brookes Kift is an Individual and Relationship Therapist in San Diego who helps people resolve their individual issues and have more satisfying relationships. Learn about Lisa’s practice or read more of her mental health and relationship articles, tips and tools at http://www.lisakifttherapy.com.

Physical therapists have a lot of tools in their arsenal. They have rehabilitation tools and many more. In Buffalo hospital, they have this interesting equipment called Alucas. It is an automated CPR machine that pumps 100 compressions a minute.

Imagine someone who just lost his heartbeat and you have been doing manual CPR for a minute, do you think you can sustain the same pressure for the next few minutes? No, you can’t. You will tire out eventually and thus, the effectiveness of the CPR will go down the drain. If this machine is around, then you can position it in the patient’s chest, turn the knob and it will pump without tiring out and it shall retain the same pressure. It gives a negative pullback to the chest which helps pull blood back to the heart and keep it pumping again. A lot of doctors agree that this is a lot better than the manual way. What’s good is, even a 12 year old can operate this machine. This will come in pretty handy during emergencies, that’s for sure. Price? It plays around $15,000.00.