Category: Science and Health

The mishnah on our daf begins chapter 8 of Tractate Nedarim. The forsworn item in our mishnah today is wine. In recent weeks we have studied vows to abstain from cooked foods, pickled foods, fish, milk, meat, dates, grapes, olives, cabbage, beans, garlic, lentils, vegetables, and grains — among other consumables. Generally, commentators view this […]

If everyone would take the time to to walk in a silly an inefficient manner as shown in an iconic 1970 Monty Python for just a few minutes each day, it can help the world reach global physical activity targets, a new study has found. The findings of this study, fun facts of which can […]

For many years, people with mental health problems have hidden their condition from friends and even relatives because of the stigma attached to psychiatric illness.  Six years ago, people with mental health challenges agreed to have life-sized posters of themselves displayed at Boston’s Logan Airport in a project called “Deconstructing Stigma.” Now, after a year […]

People tend to draw a clear line between logic and emotion as it’s exciting to fall for someone although there are signs the person may be problematic.  Love can feel like an emotion that upsets our stomachs and turns off the voice of reason. In practice, from when humanity started, people began to understand this […]

An Israeli public hospital located only 21 kilometers from the Gaza border that regularly treats the victims of Palestinian terrorist attacks has launched a virtual clinic for Arabs from the Palestinian territories. Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital opened the clinic this past summer, using advanced telemedicine technologies to treat Palestinians over the internet. Now, it […]

Following a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease, women’s strokes, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, excess weight, rheumatoid arthritis and depression, and it improves sleep – but that’s not all. Now, Australian researchers have determined that it can also improve fertility in both women and men.  Writing in the peer-reviewed, online journal Nutrients under […]

The mishnah on today’s daf explores whether a dargesh is included in the category of bed. If someone vows not to use a bed, is that person allowed to use a dargesh? Rabbi Meir says yes, but the rabbis state that a dargesh is considered a bed and therefore not allowed. As we might expect, the mishnah doesn’t tell us which position […]

Here’s some good news: CDC director Rochelle Walensky shared in her weekly briefing that she has good news about this year’s annual flu vaccine.  Walensky told reporters that the vaccine appeared to be a good fit, effective against this season’s flu. This is as cases of coronavirus and the flu are trending upward. Walensky called […]

Noise pollution, which affects millions of people on a daily basis, can be as harmful to health as air pollution. In cities where people are crowded together, noise comes from a variety of sources, including construction equipment, cars, sirens, air conditioners and loud music, among others. The most common health problem it causes is noise-induced […]