Media reports about substances that are supposedly hazardous to health may cause suggestible people to develop symptoms of a disease even though there is no objective reason for doing so. This is the conclusion of a study of the phenomenon known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Those affected report experiencing certain symptoms on exposure to electromagnetic waves, such as those emitted by cell phones, and these take the form of physical reactions.
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€150 Million for Brain Research Launches EU 'Month of the Brain'
At the start of its 'European Month of the Brain' initiative, the European Commission has earmarked some €150 million of funding for 20 new international brain research projects. It will bring the total EU investment in brain research since 2007 to over €1.9 billion. The 'European Month of the Brain' (#brainmonth) will highlight European research and innovation in the area of neuroscience, cognition and related areas through over 50 events across Europe this May.
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MyHealthAvatar to Reshape the Future of Healthcare
Research to set up an online system enabling doctors to access patient's health records from all across the European Union, has been launched. The University of Bedfordshire is leading the European Commission project, MyHealthAvatar, which is designed to give people more knowledge and control of their health via their computers and mobile phones.
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Frog-Like Robot will Help Surgeons
Researchers at the University of Leeds are using the feet of tree frogs as a model for a tiny robot designed to crawl inside patients' bodies during keyhole surgery. The tiny device is one of a growing stable of bio-inspired robots being built in the University's School of Mechanical Engineering and featured on the BBC's The One Show.
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Social Media Can Support Healthiness of Older People
The use of social media by older people can offer valuable additional support in cases of sickness and diseases, new research from the University of Luxembourg has shown. In a new publication, Dr Anja Leist from the University's Research Unit INSIDE, concludes that possibilities for a systematic application in clinical practice seem promising.
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Smartphone Way to Lose Weight
Their study is the first to evaluate a smartphone app as the sole method for monitoring weight loss, with researchers creating My Meal Mate to trial against similar products for monitoring food intake, an online food diary and the traditional paper version. The My Meal Mate app allows users to monitor their food intake and exercise, set a weight loss target and sends a weekly update on progress via text message.
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EU and US Step Up Cooperation in eHealth
The European Commission's Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) have agreed on a roadmap to strengthen transatlantic cooperation in eHealth and Health information technologies (IT). This builds on a Memorandum of Understanding on this topic, signed in 2010 under the auspices of the Transatlantic Economic Council.
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