Experiencing pain when travelling over speed bumps is associated with an increased likelihood of acute appendicitis, according to a new study.

Clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis can be difficult and yet it is the most common surgical abdominal emergency. There is no specific clinical diagnostic test for appendicitis, and removing a healthy appendix – which happens often – is best avoided. Similarly, missing appendicitis when it”s present can be dangerous.

Researchers from the University of Oxford and Stoke Mandeville Hospital carried out a study on 101 patients who were referred to hospital for suspected appendicitis. Testing took place in 2012 and patients were between 17 and 76 years of age.

Patients were classed as “speed bump positive” if they had a worsening of pain whilst travelling over speed bumps or “speed bump negative” if their pain stayed the same, if they were unsure, or if their pain improved. All participants were questioned within 24 hours of their journey to hospital.

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The latest addition to the list of unusual additions to beauty lotions and potions is literally out of this world – an anti-ageing range that contains powdered meteorite.

For centuries, meteorites have fascinated scientists and researchers worldwide. Every particle is more than 4.5 billion years old and rich in minerals unknown on our planet.

Along with otherworldly minerals, meteorite dust is also said to be packed with calcium, iron and magnesium – all of which can help benefit skin.

The meteorites used in Celestial Secret are picked up by nomadic tribes in the Sahara desert before being sent to Spain for powdering and processing.

Combined with extracts from semi-precious stones including haematite, rodochrosite, olivine and smithsonite, as well as botanicals such as beech bud extract, it is said to have potent anti-ageing effects.

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Life in the modern workplace is full of stress.

The difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t is not whether or not you suffer from stress, but how you deal with it when you do.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. Motivational psychologist and author, ‘Succeed’ and “Nine Things Successful People Do Differently” has suggested nine scientifically proven strategies for defeating stress whenever it strikes, according to the Huffintonpost.

Have self-sompassion, she says. Self-compassion is, in essence, cutting yourself some slack. It’s being willing to look at your mistakes or failures with kindness and understanding — without harsh criticism or defensiveness.

A dose of self-compassion when things are at their most difficult can reduce your stress and improve your performance by making it easier for you to learn from your mistake, she suggested.

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Antibiotics are ineffective in treating patients with persistent coughs caused by mild chest infections, researchers say.

The new study found that the severity and duration of symptoms in patients treated with antibiotics were no different to those given a placebo.

But experts caution that if pneumonia is suspected, antibiotics should still be used due to the disease’s severity.

“Using the antibiotic amoxicillin to treat respiratory infections in patients not suspected of having pneumonia is not likely to help and could be harmful,” the BBC quoted Paul Little, lead researcher from the University of Southampton, as saying.

“Overuse of antibiotics, dominated by primary care prescribing, particularly when they are ineffective, can lead to the development of resistance and have side effects like diarrhoea, rash and vomiting.

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The number of people suffering from stomach problems, be it tummy ache, bloating, wind or cramps, is on the rise, it has been revealed.

Dr Anton Emmanuel, consultant gastroenterologist at London’s University College Hospital, blames “excess hygiene in childhood lowering gut immunity, stressful modern lifestyles, erratic eating patterns and our greater intake of processed food”.

Better diagnostic methods and awareness of gut issues also mean more people are seeing their doctors to be diagnosed.

Many people with tummy troubles are careful with what they eat, yet find that the symptoms remain.

“I often see patients who are unwittingly making their tummy symptoms worse,” News.com.au quoted Dr Emmanuel as saying.

Leading digestive experts have revealed how we could be unintentionally upsetting our gut.

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