Cold water cure?

GOT the glums? Jumping into a cold shower could give your grey matter just the boost needed to spark it into a festive mood, claims an American brain-scanning expert.

Nikolai Shevchuk, a researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University’s radiation oncology department, believes that short, cold showers may stimulate a part of the brain stem called, appropriately, the “blue spot”, or locus ceruleus.

This region is the brain’s primary source of noradrenaline, a chemical that may mediate depression, Shevchuk says in a research paper scheduled for publication in the journal, Medical Hypotheses.

He believes that regular cold showers may stimulate the blue spot by giving it a mild but intense sensory shock, thanks to the fact that we have a high density of cold sensors in the skin – around five times more than those registering warmth.

Shevchuk suggests that modern life lacks sufficient physiological stressors, such as sudden changes in body temperature, to keep our brains sparked up. He suggests that twice-daily cold showers of three-minute duration should do the trick. In another paper, published in Behavioral and Brain Functions in October, he says the practice may also alleviate chronic fatigue syndrome.

The theory may sound like a boost for the public-school philosophy of “snap out of it and buck yourself up”, but it has other antecedents. Research by the psychiatrist Thomas Wehr, of the National Institute of Mental Health, has shown that people who chronically suffer from depression in summer benefit from frequent cold showers.

Traditional Chinese medicine has also long prescribed cold water swims for lifting dismal moods. Shevchuk cautions, though, that you should check with your doctor first, in case the shock might be a little too much.

Bodies of evidence

SCIENCE may have mapped the human genome and sent powerful telescopes into orbit, but we still only know what really goes on with 10 per cent of our bodies’ cells.

Now the rest of our cells, the 90 per cent that are made of mysterious microbes, are to be mapped for the first time, thanks to funding by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The human body contains trillions of microorganisms living alongside human cells, usually in harmony. Many, such as the probiotics in our guts, maintain our health, though some do cause illness. The £57 million Human Biome Project, announced this week, will map the genomes of thousands of microbes that live in the unexplored realms of our inner space.

The study hopes to shed light on how microbes may cause many chronic health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, digestive disorders and obesity. “This project has the potential to transform the ways we understand human health and prevent, diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions,” says Elias Zerhouni, the NIH director.

Drink your greens

CHALK up another possible health benefit from drinking green tea: it may protect the brain against Parkinson’s disease, says a report in Biological Psychiatry.

The laboratory study, led by Dr Baolu Zhao, of Beijing’s Institute of Biophysics, found that antioxidant polyphenols in green tea can protect the brain’s dopamine neurons, which are lost in Parkinson’s disease patients.

The more tea consumed, the stronger the effect, the report says. It explains that the tea appears to block a brain mechanism implicated in killing off dopamine neurons.

Blood mothers

MATERNAL grandparents are far more likely to travel to see their grandkids, says research by Newcastle University – and our Stone Age forebears may be the reason why.

The study of more than 800 families, in Evolutionary Psychology, says that paternal grandparents are less likely to be closely involved in their grandkids’ care.

The researchers suggest that blood relationships down the maternal line are a sure thing – but men could never be certain of being the biological fathers, so less family effort is expended on paternal links.

Watched over

A WATCH with a difference could make life easier for diabetics who need multiple daily insulin injections. Nicole Schmiedel, a German design student, has developed a swish-looking wristwatch that contains a pump with enough insulin for three weeks’ use, reports The Engineer journal.

The pump is attached to the user via a needle inserted in the skin to let the insulin flow continuously. The watch also contains a transducer, which absorbs the wearer’s slightest movements and converts them into power to drive the pump. Schmiedel is seeking an industrial partner to produce the watch.

Fat chance of kiss

HERE’S another fine reason for watching the weight over Christmas – you might not get a snog on New Year’s Eve.

Israeli researchers have found that the weightier you are, the more likely you are to have bad breath. The Tel Aviv University researchers say in the Journal of Dental Research that their study of 88 adults has revealed a previously unsuspected link between heftiness and halitosis.

They think that poor diets may cause dry mouths, which in turn creates mouth fug.

Explore Health

• Expert Advice

• Health Features

• Mental Health

• Alternative Medicine

• Child Health

• Health Club