With the majority of chronic illnesses, you have an immediate feeling from your family, your work associates, your friends, that this is something we need to be sympathetic to, we need to make accommodations for. What’s so different about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is  that the sufferer not only has to deal with a particularly debilitating health problem, they also have to deal with the stigma  and disbelief that surrounds this illness. Expert Answers on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the New York Times  Dr. Nancy G. Klimas, who is one of the leaders in the field,  answers readers  questions. … link to read

Source: New York Times

Scientists believe they have solved the puzzle why people struggle to breathe when they have a panic attack. Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent of The Telegraph in  Scientists ‘explain panic attacks’ looks at the reaction that has confused researchers as it limits the bodies’ ability to deal with extreme pressure, seemingly the opposite to the ‘fight or flight’ response. Now, new research shows that the parts of the brain which register fear and suffocation are linked….. continue reading

Source: The Telegraph

The New Scientist explores the ways you can sleep your way to a better brain in Sleep success: How to make ZZZs = memory Ken Paller and his colleagues at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, suggest sounds played as you sleep can reinforce memories.

They asked people to memorise which images and their associated sounds – such as a picture of a cat and a miaow – were associated with a certain area on a computer screen and then to take a nap. They played half the group the sounds in their sleep, and these people were better at remembering the associations than the rest when they woke up.

Paller hopes sounds can be used to improve all kinds of memory and next he’ll be figuring out if we can learn languages while we snooze….. continue reading

Source: New Scientist