Abortion has been and will probably continue to be one of the most controversial issues in the United States. Researchers have completed a new study which reveals that the process does not lead to any mental health issues for the woman. However, denying access to such a service is detrimental to the mental health of women.

The supposed negative mental health effects of undergoing an abortion have long been used as an argument against the procedure, which may have affected the decision some women have taken. However, in this regard, there were some shortcomings regarding the data of previous studies.

As such, a team of researchers from the University of California in San Francisco, led by social psychologist Dr. Antonia Biggs, have devised a study meant to improve on those shortcomings and finally clarify the impact of abortion on the mental health of patients.

For their study, the researchers recruit around 1,000 women from 30 different abortion facilities found in 21 states. The participants had an average age of around 25-years old, and were examined for a period of five-years after either undergoing the abortion procedure or after they were refused treatment. The team of researchers proceeded with the study by interviewing each woman one week after they sought an abortion as well as every six months after that for up to five years.

After they compiled the data, the researchers revealed that 452 women were under two weeks of some facilities gestational limit, and 273 got an abortion within their first trimester of pregnancy. However, 231 participants did not receive an abortion as they were three weeks past a facility’s abortion limit, as it was revealed in the first interview. Among those denied an abortion, researchers found that 161 had given birth, while the rest either suffered miscarriages or had an abortion somewhere else.

The study, which was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, revealed that all the women who either received or were denied an abortion had similar levels of depression in the first week. However, only those who were denied had a higher reported level of anxiety and a lower life satisfaction and self-esteem compared to those who received the procedure.

Nonetheless, after six months, the mental health of both groups of women was very similar, without any long-term negative effects.

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Teenagers from the US are quitting their bad habits. In the last 40 years, this is the first time the teen alcohol and drug use rate has declined. Until now, every year this rate was alarmingly increasing. Apparently, this new generation of American teens decided to give up bad habits and live a healthier life.

Teen alcohol and drug use rate shows a big decline in 2016. A survey which started in 1975 showed that in the last 40 years teenagers tended to smoke and drink a lot. This survey showed that in 1991 more than 11% of teens smoked more than a half of pack a day. In 2016, less than 2% mentioned that they smoke half a pack a day.

Even the use of electronic cigarettes has declined since last year with more than 3%. This is great news for the health of American teenagers. The best results were recorded in the case of alcohol consumption. Researchers found an almost 20% decrease in the rate of alcohol use in the case of 12 graders. In 2001 more than 53% mentioned that they got drunk at least once. This year only 37% said that.

Specialists mentioned that social media might be responsible for the decrease of teen alcohol and drug use. They said that video games could have helped too. This is because children and young adults are too busy chatting online or playing games to develop these bad habits like using drugs, smoking or drinking.

There are some things that never change. Marijuana use among high school seniors is the same as usual. More than 22% of students mentioned that they smoked pot in the last month and more than 5% mentioned that they use this drug daily. These numbers are the same as last year’s numbers.

When it comes to 8th-graders the number changed, declining with more than 1%. Only 5.4% of 8th-graders said that they used marijuana in the last month.  In order to complete this survey more than 45,000 12th, 8th, and 10th graders were interviewed.  These teenagers were from both private and public schools all over the US.

All in all the survey showed that teen alcohol and drug use has declined in 2016 which is good news for American teenagers. The survey also showed that this is the first time this happens in over 40 years.

What is your opinion about the fact that fewer teens are smoking and drinking?

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A new study found that optimism might be one of the most important factors that could make people live longer. Optimistic women tend to live longer compared to others. This study focused on positive thinking and how it affects our lives.

They discovered that optimistic people live longer because they tend to make some healthy choices. Researchers discovered that optimistic women tend to work-out more, to eat healthier and to care about themselves. This is why they have a lower risk of developing certain diseases like cancer and stroke.

Of course, optimism is not the cure for diseases but researchers observed that optimistic people tend to be happier and to appreciate everything in life. Once a person loves its life they get past problem easily. They are not as stressed as other people and that is an important factor for a long life.

Negative, stressed and depressed people tend to live shorter lives because they only see the dark side of things. This negative energy affects their habits and their lives causing them to commit suicide or to develop some diseases.

Specialists observed that optimistic women tend to also have a better biological function which keeps them healthy. Specialists linked optimism to higher antioxidants, lower inflammation, and healthier lipid levels. All of these are important for our health.

In order to conduct this study, researchers analyzed health studies which included more than 70,000 women. These studies were conducted between 2004 and 2012. All of the studies showed that optimistic women had better results when it comes to blood pressure, physical activity, and diet.

This study managed to prove that optimistic women have fewer chances of dying from a disease than pessimistic women. The findings show that pessimistic women have a 30% higher risk of dying from a disease than optimistic ones.

Researchers mentioned that, despite the fact that they prove that optimistic women tend to live longer; the study did not provide a cause and effect. Researchers also mentioned that a healthy lifestyle can make a person feel more optimistic and an optimistic person has a healthy lifestyle. This means that these two are linked to each other and they also influence each other. The advice that researchers gave was for people to enjoy life and take care of themselves.

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Texas will implement in the coming days a complete overhaul of existing rules regarding the treatment of abortion remains. The upcoming rules will require that the woman who undertake an abortion no matter at what stage of pregnancy, will be required to bury the remains of the operation. However, Satanic Temple representative claims that the rule violates their religious freedom.

Texas has seen a number of attempts from pro-life groups to classify fetal tissues to the status of a human being, as well as various ways to limit women’s access to abortions in safe environments with unnecessary regulations.

The new regulation is at this point only a rule, as the proposed measure has not gone through the legislative process yet, only through a bureaucratic one. However, it will have the same effects for abortions happening in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers. The fetal remains after an abortion will be required to be buried or cremated by the institution which is paid by the abortion patient.

The fetal burial rule won’t apply to abortions or miscarriages which occur at home. Additionally, healthcare providers will not be required to acquire death certificates for the remains because it would have created privacy issues.

Pro-life supporters have welcomed the new rule which will go into effect on December 19^th, stating that human and fetal remains should not be disposed of in the same manner as standard medical waste. The rule represents a higher standard of conduct which reflects their respect for the sanctity of life.

However, the new rule will be met with a number of lawsuits from different pro-choice groups. Among the dissidents of the new rule, the Satanic Temple claims that it will violate the group’s religious beliefs and thus must be exempt from them, according to Lucien Greaves, a spokesperson for the religious organization.

Greaves has stated that the Satanic Temple will only file a lawsuit if a member who claims exemption is forced to comply with the upcoming regulation. For Satanists, the human body is inviolate and shouldn’t be subject to any outside influence. As such, it violates their religious freedom.

The Satanic Temple invokes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense for their stance. The law is also a common defense used by conservatives in support of discrimination based on sexual orientation and other aspects.

HIV is a serious problem in many countries and there are efforts currently underway to discover a vaccine to the infamous virus. One such effort has recently begun in South Africa, where the disease has reached epidemic levels. The new vaccine trials provide new hope for the people affected and their families.

Although HIV can be kept under control thanks to drugs that suppress the activity of the virus, the spreading of the virus has not yet been addressed and it probably won’t be without a proper vaccine. Currently, in South Africa, more than a thousand people every day are infected with HIV to a population of around 53 million.

The new vaccine trials are officially known as HVTN 702 and the vaccine that is being tested is the modified version of a previous drug which showed a number of positive results in other trials in Thailand. The current study in South Africa hopes to involve around 5,400 sexually active men and women with ages between 18 and 35 in 15 locations across the country.

If the target number of participants is reached, the study will be the largest as well as the most advanced HIV vaccine trials to ever take place in South Africa. Many other institutions and health officials are hopeful about South Africa’s clinical trial. Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease has stated that a successful vaccine together with a number of HIV prevention tools will lead to the eradication of AIDS and of the HIV virus.

Compared to the previous version of the vaccine used in Thailand, which only showed a 31.2 percent efficiency rate in preventing the spread of HIV, the HVTN 702 hopes to provide greater and a more sustained protection over a longer period of time. The vaccine has also been adapted to combat the specific HIV subtype which is prevalent in southern Africa.

The clinical vaccine trials throughout the country are being funded by NIAID. The participants will be randomly assigned to either receive the actual vaccine or just a placebo. The exact trial involves treating the participants with five injections of the vaccine over a period of one year. The final results of the study are expected only until late 2020.

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New studies have revealed that statins have more beneficial effects than researchers previously thought. One team of Taiwanese researchers discovered that the cholesterol-lowering drugs can boost the survival odds of patients who suffered a cardiac arrest. Another group from Massachusetts found that statins could reduce the risk of death from certain forms of arthritis by at least 30 percent.

If you’re not familiar with this specific type of drugs, know that statins are a class of medication that lowers the cholesterol levels and thus reduce the risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke. This is the primary purpose they have been used for since they were first introduced. However, researchers have discovered two new beneficial effects.

First, researchers from the National Taiwan University Hospital as well as the College of Medicine in New Taipei City analyzed the medical records of around 138,000 cardiac arrests patients in Taiwan. They discovered that patients which already took statins like Crestor or Lipitor had a 19 percent chance of surviving a hospital admittance after a cardiac arrest. They also had a 47 percent chance of actually being discharged and up 50 percent more likely to be alive a year later.

Researchers observed the greatest improvements were seen in patients with type-2 diabetes. They think that statins help improve survival odds by stabilizing the coronary plaque and prevent a significant rupture which leads to a cardiac arrest.

Second, scientists from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston discovered that the drugs in question reduce mortality risks by 30 percent in patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis as well as psoriatic arthritis. Both disorders involve the inflammation of joints, however, the first type affects those in the spine and is characterized by back pain and stiffness.

The study revealed that besides the cholesterol-lowering effects of statins, the drugs also have anti-inflammatory properties which benefit the cardiovascular health of patients. The researchers analyzed 2,904 patients with those two type of arthritis which started taking statins between 2000 and 2014. They compared their results with those of another 2,904 patients with the same condition but who did not take statins.

They found a 30 percent reduction in mortality risk associated with ankylosing spondylitis or psoriatic arthritis in patients who took the drugs compared to those that did not.

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