Eating fast food or commercial baked goods (doughnuts, cakes, croissants) can up the risk of developing depression by 51 percent, according to a recent study from Spain. And the more you eat, the higher your depression risk is, say researchers. One possible reason: Fast food may be lacking in certain nutrients that help prevent depression, such as B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and olive oil. Long-Term Hormone Use Risky [Fox News] Extended use of any type of hormones to ease menopause can raise a woman’s risk of breast cancer, finds a new study that tracked 60,000 nurses for at least 10 years. Taking pills that combine estrogen and progestin—the most common type of hormone therapy—was already known to increase the risk of breast cancer, but this new study shows that even just taking estrogen alone for a number of years can also raise the risk. Thyme To Get Rid Of Acne [ScienceDaily] Herbal preparations of thyme could be more effective at treating skin acne than prescription creams, according to a new study from Leeds Metropolitan University. A thyme concoction was shown to kill the bacteria that causes acne in five minutes. The thyme mixture also had a greater antibacterial effect than standard concentrations of benzoyl peroxide, the active ingredient in most anti-acne creams. Dog As My Coworker [Los Angeles Times] Bringing your pooch to the office can help lower depression, say researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University’s business school. The researchers studied the stress levels of employees at a dinnerware company that allows its workers to bring dogs with them to the office. By the end of a workday, the average stress level scores fell about 11 percent among those who brought their dogs to work, while the levels rose as much as 70 percent for those who did not. Moms Today Labor Longer [NPR] The typical first-time mother today takes six and a half hours to give birth, while her counterpart 50 years ago only labored for four hours, according to a new federal study. And today’s obstetricians may be rushing to do cesareans because they’re using a yardstick from our grandmother’s generation to measure how long a “normal” labor should take. Researchers suspect today’s labors may be longer due to first-time moms being older and today’s babies being bigger. 20 Bad Habits That Could Hurt Your Relationship [Greatist] A satisfying relationship can make you feel happy and keep you healthy. So it makes sense that if you’re with someone special, you want to avoid making mindless mistakes that can wreck things. That’s why one website has compiled a list of bad habits that could tank your relationship. Among the top mistakes: Finding fault with his family, never fighting, splitting a double cheeseburger every night, and forgetting why you’re in the relationship in the first place. Ultrasound Zaps Excessive Sweating [WebMD] Ultrasound treatment can reduce excessive armpit sweating by nearly 80 percent, finds new research from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Researchers used a special kind of ultrasound to target the sweat glands in 14 men and women who had hyperhidrosis, a condition where a person sweats more than the body needs to cool itself, something three percent of people has. The ultrasound was shown to heat and destroy the sweat glands under the arm. Yippee, It Feels Like Spring! Even Cows Are Psyched [Mother Nature Network] Spring has sprung, and everyone’s feeling the effect. Case in point: Cows have a distinctive spring in their steps. After being released from their indoor winter housing at a UK dairy farm this month, these cow were filmed performing a celebratory boogie as they hit the pasture. These dancing dairies are guaranteed to make you smile.
