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iGrow is a brand new megastore opening in East Oakland, California. It is called the Walmart of weed. Full service one stop shop for purchasing your marijuana growing supplies. This 15,000 square foot warehouse carries fans, lights, fertilizer and has a technician to give instruction and advice. There is even an on-site doctor.

Indoor, hydroponic cultivation is taught by the technicians. They can sell you all the necessary pumps, nutrients and tubing to set it up right. In fact, the technicians will come to your home to set it up and maintain it weekly.

Educating people on the right way to grow weed, will help cut down on the amount of electrical fires and other mishaps that can occur when trying to figure out the system on your own.

The opening of iGrow is happening in the midst of a growing storm, centered on the legality of the whole industry. While medical marijuana is completely legal, the use of recreational marijuana will be going back on the ballot this November, if they receive enough signatures to qualify.

The only obvious thing missing from iGrow are the seeds to grow the plants. At this time only dispensaries are allowed to sell the seeds and they have to walk a delicate line to stay legal.

In March 2006, “PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES” published a research analysis of diagnosed mentally challenged individuals, in the work force. Researched by Dr. Marjorie L. Baldwin, of the Arizona State University School of Health Management and Policy, and Dr. Steven C. Marcus, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice, this study examined 66,000 members of the Industrial Work Force,

The researchers concluded that, mentally challenged workers studied, who reported stigmatizing experiences, were more likely to have functional limitations than those who did not.

Hence, mentally challenged workers (18%) who did not experience disabling symptoms, such as confusion, disorientation, and forgetfulness, were also less likely to feel stigmatized, on their jobs, irrespective of pay, or status. The study, which targeted employed persons, with “serious” mental illnesses, defined by IDC Uniform Mental Health Codes, included subjects who were, most frequently, not in high-paying jobs.

The report also found that productive, highly skilled workers, with diagnosed mental illnesses, did not feel stigmatized, if their job skills transcended their medical issues. But the majority of workers included in this “service” industry study were also women. Hence it was speculated that male workers, with problematic mental health histories, might encounter different discriminatory practices

Though being overweight is unhealthy and harmful for people, a new study completely contradicts that for older people who are over 70 years of age.

The study, which was conducted by Australian researchers, suggest that once a person turns 70 years old, gaining weight can actually increase their life expectancy.

The study was done with 9,240 people who were all between 70 and 75 years of age. The elderly people studied were almost split 50-50 between males and females, though there were a little more than 100 men than women. The body mass index was measured of all participants of the study to determine if they were overweight or of a normal weight. What the study found was that those who put on a couple of extra pounds were found to have a 13% less likely chance to die during their next 10 years than their counterparts who were considered to be of normal weight. For those who are wondering, researchers did take into account health factors of the participants.
Though the study suggested that being overweight helped live longer, obese people did not benefit from this study at all.

Though the extra pounds are found to be adding a few extra years to older people, obesity is dangerous no matter what age group someone is in.

A new type of emergency contraception pill has reportedly been proven to protect women from pregnancy even when it’s taken five days after.

A recent study by Scottish researchers discovered that the pull ulipristal acetate could work well past the recommended three day limit of commonly used levonorgestrel.

Though the latter drug is available over the counter, ulipristal is only available by prescription. To invest in levonorgestrel, a person needs to be over the age of 16.

Many emergency contraceptive options use hormones to stop the release of an ovary’s egg or to stop the egg from implanting itself into the person’s womb.

Emergency contraception involves the use of hormones. Such items will stop an egg from being released or will keep the egg from being implanted in the person’s womb.

Ulipristal is not currently sold over the counter because it hasn’t met the safety guidelines that levonorgestrel has met. Further tests will be needed for it to reach such a status.

Still, the chief executive of British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Ann Furedi, reportedly called the study “exciting news” and has said that the drug is important because it gives people a “longer time window” than other types of emergency sex pills.

Charla Nash, a Connecticut woman who suffered serious injuries at the hands of a chimpanzee, has been denied a face and hand transplant by the Cleveland Clinic, which in 2008 performed the first face transplant in the United States, but which has no experience with hand transplants. In a statement, the hospital announced that Nash’s injuries were too complex to permit the requested operations.

Nash’s family had been hoping that a face transplant would restore her faculties lost in the attack, and that receiving new hands would permit her some level of independence. They are now looking into other facilities both in the United States and abroad, and the Cleveland Clinic has indicated its willingness to work together with other institutions. The hospital has also noted that Nash has made significant progress since the incident and that further operations are planned.

Nash was mauled by a chimpanzee belonging to Susan Herold, a friend, in February of last year. The animal tore off her lips, nose, and eyelids as well as her hands. The attack also left Nash blind. Prosecutors have declined to charge Herold, though Nash’s family are suing her for $50 million dollars for failing to control the animal.

A new version of the morning-after pill called EllaOne, is far better at protecting against pregnancy and can be used up to five days after, longer than any protection against pregnancy developed so far, researchers claim.

The new drug, Ulipristal Acetate, is sold as EllaOne and is currently only sold in Europe. The most commonly used pill is Levonorgestrel, which is sold as Levonelle and Plan B and must be taken within three days.

During the testing of EllaOne a group of 5500 women were put into two different groups. One group was given one dose of EllaOne (30 mg) and the other group received a 175 mg dose of Levonorgestrel within a 5 day period of unprotected relations. What they found from this study was that Ellaone delays the release of the egg for fertilization while Levonorgestrel destroys the implanted embryo, which is approved for use up to 72 hours(three days).

EllaOne is approved for use up to 120 hours (five days), but is a prescription only medicine.
The new pill works differently from the current morning after pill because it delays the release of an egg rather than destroying an already implanted embryo.

EllaOne has created controversy amid fears that the extra safety net it provides could encourage women to be less diligent about using condoms. Anti-abortion activists have termed EllaOne as a potential baby killer. According to them, women would terminate pregnancies under the facade of morning-after pill.

According to some new studies, being overweight might not be as bad for people as once thought. There has been a push lately to get people to slim down and drop any extra weight they have built over the years. However, it is now thought that skinny people are more likely to develop osteoporosis in women over time. In men, prostate cancer seems to be on the rise in people who are skinny. On the other hand, those men and women who were overweight suffered these ailments less, and were healthier overall.

Does this mean a person should go out and gain hundreds of pounds of extra weight? The answer is, of course, no. The people who participated in the study were not obese according to their body mass index. They were only overweight. People should understand that being obese can be harmful to their health. However, being five or ten pounds over your desired weight can have many benefits in the long term.

People who are slightly overweight also report having more energy and being happier overall. Studies show that blood sugar could have something to do with this finding. Those who eat regularly tend to have more a more consistent blood sugar reading, which is healthy for a person to maintain.

A new study, performed by New York University’s department of psychology and Center for Neural Science, shows that a time of rest right after a learning experience or lesson may allow the brain to process this new information and chronicle it for future reference.

Though these results may seem to go against the general conception of memorization, such as that the more something is repeated and drilled the more likely it is to be remembered, this study implies that taking a break and letting the brain relax right after a learning experience may be a much more efficient use of time. Dr. Davachi, head scientist of the study, comments on the matter, “People tend to think that if we want to remember something, you should do something active, like rehearse the material. And you can do that – we know it helps… but my suspicion is just letting your mind wander is going to be okay.”

Although scientists have long understood that sleep facilitates the archiving of information into memories, Dr. Davachi points out that a short, relaxing break may be where the process of knowledge accumulation begins, and instead of strict repetition, taking a bit of personal time may be more beneficial.

New study suggests that elderly people who are moderately overweight may live longer than their “normal weight” counterparts. The study also suggests that being severely overweight or underweight shortened lives.

The study was conducted by the University of Western Australia and appeared in the “Journal of the American Geriatric Society.” It followed 9,200 people for ten years. Study subjects were in their early to mid seventies when the study began.

The study team found that the overweight subjects had a lower risk of death while the very obese were at a much greater risk of death during the study period.
“Concerns have been raised about encouraging apparently overweight older people to lose weight,” said Professor Leon Flicker, Lead Researcher for the study. “Our study suggests that those people who survive to age 70 in reasonable health have a different set of risks and benefits associated with the amount of body fat to younger people.”

The study team believes that the Body Mass Index (BMI) may not be an accurate measurement of fatty mass in the elderly: “It may be time to review the BMI classification for older adults,” said Professor Flicker.

The only constant across all groups was the effect that a sedentary lifestyle has. Being sedentary increased the mortality rate by 25% in men and doubled it in women.

A new study published in [i]Arthritis and Rheumatism[/i] suggests that signs of rheumatoid arthritis may present in the blood years before symptoms arise. Inflammatory proteins called cytokines, which are known to be present in synovial tissue after rheumatoid arthritis develops, appear to reach elevated levels in the tissue years before the condition manifests.

While there is no cure for RA, knowing it is coming would be of enormous benefit, allowing sufferers to prepare in advance so that when the RA sets in they can lead more active lifestyles.

Diagnosis has long been a problem even when RA has manifested and begun to cause debilitating pain. The symptoms are often confused with other conditions, such as fibromyalgia, lupus and osteoarthritis.

The study, conducted in Sweden, consisted of 86 people whose blood was analyzed years prior to their development of RA. Their results were compared to those of 256 people who never developed the disorder.

Scientists must do further studies to confirm these encouraging results. Ultimately, they hope to develop blood tests that will screen for RA. With treatment beginning before the arthritis actually sets in, patients will be able to minimize or even eliminate the severe damage to joints that often leaves patients disabled.