Violent Video Games May Numb Players to Brutality, Study Finds

THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Teenage boys who play violent video games for hours on end may become desensitized to the brutality, a small new study finds.

The research focused on 30 boys, aged 13 to 15, who were divided into two groups. One group typically played violent video games for three or more hours a day (high exposure) while the other group played such games for no more than an hour a day (low exposure).

The researchers monitored the boys' reactions after playing a violent game ("Manhunt") and a nonviolent cartoon game ("Animaniacs"). They played each game for two hours on different evenings.

Differences between the boys' reactions emerged later in the night after gaming. During sleep, the boys in the low-exposure group who played the violent game had faster heart rates and poorer quality of sleep than those in the high-exposure group. The boys in the low-exposure group also reported increased feelings of sadness after playing the violent game.

Both groups of boys had higher stress and anxiety levels after playing the violent game, according to the study, which was published in the May issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine.

"The violent game seems to have elicited more stress at bedtime in both groups, and it also seems as if the violent game in general caused some kind of exhaustion," wrote Malena Ivarsson, of the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University in Sweden, and colleagues. "However, the exhaustion didn't seem to be of the kind that normally promotes good sleep, but rather as a stressful factor that can impair sleep quality."

The differences between the two groups' physical and mental responses suggest that frequent exposure to violent video games may have a desensitizing effect, the researchers said. The study, however, didn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, and it's possible that boys with certain traits may be attracted to violent games, the researchers said.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE; Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, news release, May 3, 2013

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And now I binge....

I know I've posted before about how I am trying to recover from an eating disorder because I was hospitalized and in inpatient for rapid weight loss. Last week I posted how I was eating 1300 calories on trying to recover. I was told to eat more. So I tried it and now I can't stop. My first week home went ok... The first 4 days I ate about 1300 per day. But these last three I binged. I feel horrible, like I'm about to explode. I probably are at least 3500 calories maybe even more. I'm a 16 year old male and I know some of my peers eat like this regularly but I feel like I would rather be back in the hospital or dead than feel this guilty. Is it normal to binge at first in recovery? Will I be able to get my control back?

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Cannes 2013: The Latest

We're headed to Cannes with Calvin Klein to bring you all the gossip live from the most fashionable film festival of the year.

Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Carey Mulligan, Naomie Harris and Lynne Ramsay are to be celebrated at a 'women in film' party at this year's Cannes festival, hosted by the IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project), Calvin Klein Collection and euphoria Calvin Klein.

We'll be reporting from the red carpet and inside the party, as well as star-spotting on the opening days of the festival.

Stay tuned! 

#Cannes vine.co/v/b0xDmJtEpiZ

— Rebecca Cox (@Rebecca_Cox) May 13, 2013

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How Safe Is Your Local Beach?

Report card rates cleanest and most contaminated beaches across U.S.

By Barbara Bronson Gray

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- If you're not careful, you may bring something other than sand and wet swimsuits home from a day at the beach this summer.

Released Wednesday, the report card on more than 3,000 of the nation's beaches shows that the water can put swimmers at risk for catching a range of bacterial and viral illnesses.

"There's a silent and invisible danger," said Steve Fleischli, director of the water program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which produces the yearly report.

Although the number of beach closings and advisories about polluted water at coastal U.S. beaches last year was down 14 percent from 2011, there were more than 20,000 beach closing and advisory days throughout the nation. Fifty-nine beach closing and advisory events lasted longer than six weeks, and 38 such events lasted 13 weeks in a row.

The decline was attributed to a substantially drier beach season in large parts of the continental United States and Hawaii. Rainier seasons tend to be associated with higher numbers of advisories because raw sewage can overflow from treatment plants after periods of intense rain.

The high number of closings and advisories shows that beaches have a serious water pollution problem, Fleischli said. "Too many beaches are sick," he added.

Bacteria levels that exceed quality standards established for beach water were the top reason beaches were closed or advisories were issued. High levels of bacteria suggest the presence of human or animal waste, according to the NRDC.

Overall, 7 percent of beach water samples violated public-health standards, said Jon Devine, senior water attorney for the NRDC. The Great Lakes had the highest contamination rate, at 10 percent of samples, while Delaware had the lowest, with 3 percent of beach water samples showing bacteria.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that up to 3.5 million people become ill from contact with raw sewage in beach water every year, according to the report.

The NRDC experts estimated that the number could be even larger, as many of those who develop gastrointestinal or other illnesses after a day at the beach don't associate their illness with the ocean, or fail to report it.

Beach water pollution also can cause skin rashes; pinkeye (conjunctivitis); respiratory ailments; hepatitis; neurological disorders; ear, nose and throat problems; and other serious health problems, according to the NRDC.

Twelve beaches received five-star ratings based on indicators of beach water quality, monitoring frequency and public-notification policies about contamination, including Hampton Beach State Park in New Hampshire and San Clemente State Beach in California.

Among the 13 worst beaches in 2012 were New York's Ontario Beach, as well as Avalon Beach on Catalina Island in California. Some of the beaches cited as having persistent contamination problems are large, with only certain sections considered worrisome, the NRDC noted.

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Iconic Royal Dresses To Go On Display

Think Kate Middleton is a royal style icon? You aint seen nothing yet.

Kensington Palace have announced that their summer exhibition will show some of the royal families most iconic looks, plucked from the wardrobes of the Queen, Diana Princess of Wales and Princess Margaret.

Entitled Fashion Rules: Dresses From the Collections of HM The Queen, Princess Margaret, and Diana, Princess of Wales, the exhibition promises to  "to get up close to these wonderful dresses and be transported to the times in which they were worn. Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales all have a special connection with Kensington Palace, making it the perfect location to celebrate theses modern royal women in their fashion heyday".

No clues as to which dresses will be on show yet, but as the hook for the exhibition is to highlight a "new take" on royal style, we have a hunch Diana's style evolution (from 1980s Sloane to 90s designer shift dresses), and Princess Margaret will feature heavily. Margaret was the Kate Middleton of her day, who wore Christian Dior's New Look during the 1950s, and in the 1960s her outfits always earned column inches. Oh and of course, there's the Queen's MAMMOTH wardrobe spanning her 60-year reign.

The exhibition kicks off at Kensington Palace on the 7th of July. So if you're in need of a royal fashion fix other than the Duchess of Cambridge's maternity wardrobe, get that date in your diaries now.  

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Alby Bailey, Picture Researcher

Diane Kruger and my grandmother are my style icons and I get outfit ideas from London street style. I would describe my style as 'Pretty Minimalism' and Celine is my favourite label. Today I'm wearing Topshop boots, a vintage skirt and a Zara top. I'm also a big fan of Mac lipstick.

Photographed by Suzanne Middlemass.

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How to Start Running

Stick to your New Year's resolution to get moving with these inspiring expert jogging tips.

It's New Year's resolutions time! Is there anything more inspiring to bring out the runner in you? But before you lace up your shoes and start ticking off the miles, plan to kick things off slowly if you haven't been running lately. The road does not come without risks.

"Men tend to get injuries from overdoing it," says former Olympic runner Jeff Galloway, a columnist for Runner's World magazine and author of Women's Complete Guide to Running, which he co-wrote with his wife, Barbara. "Women don't push the envelope as much when they are starting out, but because they have lower bone density, they're more prone to stress fractures."

Anna Brickhouse, 42, has been running since she was a teenager. But the English professor and mother of two boys in Charlottesville, Va., effectively became a new runner after returning from a three-month trip in 2007. "Transitioning back into running with my group, I found it hard to keep up at first. Getting back into it was a process," she says.

How to get back into the race? Start with your diet. To fuel a run, Galloway recommends keeping well hydrated by drinking at least 8 ounces of nonalcoholic liquid eight times a day and eating a small, sugar-boosting snack 30 minutes before you head out. He suggests half of an energy bar or a sports drink.

These days, Brickhouse logs anywhere from 18 to 23 miles a week. For her, running is the ideal way to stay in shape and keep connected with friends. "Women tend to respond better to running in groups," Galloway says. "It's very powerful for women; it helps keep them motivated."

Men, however, often run on their own. Galloway cautions them not to get overly enthusiastic early on. "Men who have not done any real exercise in 20 years and suddenly decide to run like they did in high school -- that's a formula for disaster."

Galloway, who works with runners at all ages and levels, teaches a technique that lets the body ease into its new type of motion. Beginning runners, he says, should run for 5 to 10 seconds out of every minute, walking the rest of each minute. Gradually, the walk/run ratio will shift as your muscles strengthen and your joints adjust.

Even in the beginning, when the bulk of your run time is spent walking, you are still getting a good workout. "Walking is the best cross-training," Galloway says. "And a lot of people progress to marathons in just six months."

Here are a few of runner Jeff Galloway's tips to keep you on the run and off the injured list.

Go for gain, not pain. "Follow the huff and puff rule: If you are huffing and puffing at the end of a run, you have overdone it," says Galloway, who advises a slow and easy approach to running. "The bottom line: You need to monitor your aches and pains."

Avoid runner's lows. Done incorrectly, running can cause a lot of discomfort and even injury, says Galloway. "People get discouraged and feel they are not designed for running. Really, they just need to correct their walk/run ratio [until it feels right]."

Run through it. Galloway and his wife have written two running books for women. "We went through a list of concerns with physicians and ob-gyns, such as menopause, PMS, and pregnancy," says Galloway. "Women can run through all of these things, though they will likely have to make individual adjustments to their routine."

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