Tea 'increases incontinence risk'

Drinking tea and smoking heavily has been linked to urinary incontinence in women, research suggests.

A study found smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day was linked to the complaint.

The common myth about urinary incontinence is that it only affects the elderly, but the condition affects one in 10 people.

Up to 25% of women and 5% of men aged 15 to 64 are affected.

Norwegian researchers surveyed almost 28,000 women aged over 20 in the Nord-Trøndelag area of the country between 1995 and 1997.

They wanted to see if smoking, obesity, physical activity and the drinking alcohol, coffee or tea were associated with urinary incontinence in women.

Source BBC News

Lemon balm 'may help memory'

A weed found in gardens can boost the memory, researchers in the north-east of England claim.
Lemon balm, a shrub that resembles a small nettle, improved "secondary memory" in tested volunteers according to two academics at Northumbria University.

In the laboratory it also had a biochemical effect known to be important to memory.

Dr Andrew Scholey and Dr David Kennedy, based in Newcastle, made capsules of dried lemon balm and gave them to a group of 20 volunteers.

Their memory was then tested one, three, and six hours later.

The findings, presented on Thursday at the British Psychological Society's annual conference in Bournemouth, showed no effect on working memory - the constant recall of continual events during the day.

Source BBC News

Lemon balm 'boosts memory'

Taking lemon balm can boost memory as well as improve mood, researchers have found.

The benefits of lemon balm, a common weed that resembles a small nettle, has long been recognised. In the 16th century, herbalist John Gerard gave it to students to "quicken the senses".

Tests have now shown it helps people learn, store and retrieve information.

Laboratory tests found lemon balm increased the activity of acetylcholene, a chemical messenger linked to memory that is reduced in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Source BBC News