4Research has shown that smokers who decide to quit immediately, without making plans, are more likely to succeed. 'Experts previously believed that you have to plan your quit attempts, but it isn't true,' said Robert West, professor of psychology at University College London, West questioned 1,900 smokers in England about their efforts to kick the habit. He discovered that nearly half of all attempts to quit were spontaneous. Smokers who decided to and stopped immediately were more likely to succeed. West, who reported the research in the British Medical Journal, said the findings do not imply that planned attempts to quit are counterproductive. But it suggested that the state of mind and motivation of the smoker was important for success.
4A new study has shown that patients who undergo eye surgery, involving the rectification of eye fluid, under regional anaesthesia (a common type of pain control) often report seeing frightening lights. Similar to what is experienced by cataract surgery patients. Dr Colin S.H.Tan of the Eye Institute at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, in Singapore, said, 'A frightening visual experience is clinically significant.' It may lead to side effects that could complicate the surgery, such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and fast breathing, Tan wrote in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. The younger patients who underwent longer surgery reported such visuals in general.
4A study published in the journal Cancer suggests that a few months' of voice therapy may improve a person's ability to speak after treatment of early-stage glottic cancer (which affects the vocal cords). Dr Christine D.L.Van Gogh of Vrije University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, divided patients into two groups for comparison. Those who underwent voice therapy with the help of a speech-language pathologist, focussing on voice and breathing exercises, had improved vocal quality compared to the group that didn't receive the therapy. There were improvements in the objective measures of their voice quality too.
4When it comes to romance, while women prefer someone humourous, while men opt for physical attraction, says a survey conducted by Canadian publishing company Harlequin Enterprises which specialises on titles on romance. The survey came after conducting a poll in 16 countries, asking men and women about traits they liked or disliked and how they went about trying to woo those that possessed them.
