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Evolution May Favor Survival of the Kindest

     ... the human race has been around for so long precisely because of our compassionate nature. Human beings have survived as a species because we have evolved the capacities to care for those in need and to cooperate... Darwin long ago surmised, "sympathy is our strongest instinct.” ...the more generous people were, the more influence they would gain over the others. Kindness seemed to act as a sort of social glue to bond the subjects together. ...a genetic predisposition towards kindness in some people: it’s a result of a specific variation of the gene receptor for oxytocin, which is a hormone that promotes loving, nurturing, and social emotions. So, it follows that people who are programmed for compassion and kindness have a distinct social advantage over others ...

 

 

Music Education Can Build Up Your Brain  

... In an experiment comparing preschooler who had taken music lessons to those who hadn’t.  The musically-trained kids had larger brain responses to certain sound recognition exams.  ... findings reveal the possibility that musical education can actually modify the brain’s auditory cortex, leading to better overall learning skills. ... The effects of music education are even more pronounced in children with dyslexia and other language-related disabilities. “A music intervention that strengthens the basic auditory music perception skills of children with dyslexia may also remediate some of their language deficits.  ... it’s likely that your years of music lessons prepped your brain for all the presentations, emails, etc.,  that are part of your life today. To help make sure that kids today have the same opportunities for music-inspired brain enhancement, help out by encouraging our school systems to provide schools with music programs, donating instruments to your school’s music education department, or contributing to a nationwide group like Little Kids Rock.

 

 

Making Junk Food Healthier for Kids

Nutritionist Joy Bauer shows Today’s Al Roker favorable alternatives to grilled cheese, chips and popcorn.

Get the recipes!  www.happynews.com/news/1152010/kale-chips-joy-bauer-junk-food-makeovers

 

Astronaut Trains for Flight

Preparing for that trip has been a tricky balancing act for Cady Coleman, who can spend one evening cooking dinner and picking up toys and the next preparing to orbit the Earth at 17,000 mph. Coleman splits her time between Houston, Texas and western Massachusetts, where she lives with her her husband and their 9-year-old son. Read the story: www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/25/cady.astronaut.mom

 

Music therapy 'may help cut tinnitus noise levels'

Individually designed music therapy may help reduce the noise levels experienced by people who suffer from tinnitus, say German researchers. They altered participants' favourite music to remove notes which matched the frequency of the ringing in their ears. After a year of listening to the modified music, individuals reported a drop in the loudness of their tinnitus. The researchers said the "inexpensive" treatment could be used alongside other techniques to relieve the condition.

It is thought that around 1-3% of the population have chronic ringing in their ears which is significant enough to reduce their overall quality of life. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers said although the cause of tinnitus remains unknown, it has been shown that the part of the brain that processes sounds is frequently disrupted in people with the condition. The theory behind the new technique is that removing the spectrum of noise associated with tinnitus from the music reduces activity in the brain relating to that frequency, alleviating the condition.

Therapy

The 39 patients who took part in the study all had chronic tinnitus for an average of five years but had no other hearing problems. They were split into three groups and were offered either the modified music therapy, a dummy version of music therapy or usual treatment. Participants listened to the music for an average of 12 hours a week and by the end of the study, those who had been given the tailored music reported a significant drop in the level of the ringing they heard compared with those listening to the dummy version.

Study leader Dr Christo Pantev, from Westphalian Wilhelms University in Munster, said the approach specifically targeted the part of the brain responsible for tinnitus. "The notched music approach can be considered as enjoyable, low cost, and presumably causal treatment that is capable of specifically reducing tinnitus loudness. "It could significantly complement widely-used and rather indirect psychological treatment strategies."

Dr Ralph Holmes, director of biomedical research at deaf and hard of hearing charity, RNID, said he would look in detail at the findings. "While we find it encouraging there is new investment in treatment for tinnitus, we know there is no proven 'cure'. "This seems to be similar to tinnitus retraining therapy which is one of the most common ways of managing the condition."

 

Remember

Success comes in cans; failure comes in can'ts.  Never Give Up!

Superglue-Inspired Treatment Can Save Babies’ Lives  Superglue can be used as a life-saving treatment for an otherwise deadly condition in newborns called Vein of Galen malformation. Vein of Galen malformation is a rare condition in which the arteries and veins in the brain are not connected by capillaries as they should be, making the blood rush much faster than it should. Typically, the disorder leads to heart failure or hydrocephalus (water on the brain), causing death within a matter of days. But a new treatment involving a superglue-like adhesive called Histoacryl, which is injected through a catheter and builds a blockage in the affected part of the brain provides hope for many such children.  Neuro-radiologist Dr. Stefan Brew of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London has performed the sticky procedure at least 50 times. ‘‘It’s very satisfying work,” he said. ‘‘The children go from looking like they were about to die, often overnight, to looking very well.’’ The novel treatment isn’t always successful, but the mortality rate after the procedure is reduced by approximately 90 percent, and at least 60 percent of the babies who have the procedure are likely to live normal lives.

Giving Back     

As founder of a successful Virginia plumbing and heating company, Wendell Presgrave counts himself among the fortunate — but it wasn’t always that way. “I was raised poor, but I didn’t know the difference. I just thought that was the way people lived.”Now that Presgrave is living a more comfortable life — and able to afford new pants — he feels compelled to give back to the less fortunate. Every holiday season, My Plumber Heating and Air, the 130-employee Manassas, Va.-based company he runs with his son Mark, collects food from customers (in return for service discounts) and distributes it to needy people in the area. The company has distributed more than 70,000 pounds of nonperishable food in the past six years, and has set up a Web site to encourage other service businesses to follow suit.Presgrave’s motivation for giving back is simple: “Cause it’s much more fun to give than it is to receive.”