3. Pounding the Pavements.

Running, particularly on the roads, has been blamed for wear and tear on the knees, which can lead to osteoarthritis. but a new study shows that those who regularly run are actually less likely to develop the condition than those who don't. It seems running can strengthen the cartilage around the knee, preventing degeneration.

Researchers at Monash University in Victoria, Australia, followed 300 adults aged between 50 and 79 over a decade and found that cartilage volume increased in those who exercised the most.

Regular running can also reduce pain: a study at California's Stanford University found that older people engaging in regular exercise, including running, reported 25 percent less musculo-skeletal pain than sedentary people.

So does this mean that people with osteoarthritis should exercise? "yes ", says Dr Adam Bajkowski, president of the Primary Care Rheumatology Society, UK. "the more you exercise your joints, the stronger they become."

But Watch Out

"Older people should always get a medical assessment before taking up a new activity and you should build up to running gradually, starting with a power walk," says Claire Small of UK's Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

2. Texting, Not Talking

In the Philippines alone, about 400 million text messages are sent in a day, which you may see as another nail in the coffin of human interaction.

But a survey by YouGov, an international internet-based market research firm, found that 43 percent of resident felt mobile phones improved communications.

A study by professor Helen Haste of The Nestle' social research programme in London confirmed that for young adults, texting was crucial in their interaction with parents.

Experts suggest it's the discreet nature of texting that makes it so appealing to young people, allowing them to keep in touch while maintaining their own space.

Phone call may be more immediate, but means explosive emotion can be edited and the misinterpretation of tones of voice, which ofter lead youngsters to avoid phone calls ( parents may sound interrogative when they're really just concerned ), become a thing of the past.

BUT WATCH OUT!!

A Virgin Mobile survey suggests millions suffer text related injuries each year. Doctors advise against spending more than 5-10 minutes texting, to avoid repetitive strain injury. Spread the load by varying the fingers you use.

by Marie Cleland

1. Listening to Loud Music..

If you despair over the thumping soundtrack blasting from your teen's room, you may be surprised to hear it could be doing him some good.
There's scientific proof that the greater the music's intensity the more pleasure it brings, according to research from the University of Manchester.
It's all down to the vestibular system, which is responsible for balance but also carries vibration; when sound waves set it off, it sends a positive massage to the brain. Study author Neil Todd believes it's a hangover from a primitive acoustic sense connected to basic drives such a hunger and sex. Todd found that while sounds carried across a room had to be louder than 90 decibels ( equivalent to a motorbike or lawnmower ) to produce the vestibular response, sounds carried through mass - such as a floor or learning against a speaker - need only be 30 decibels to achieve the same sensation.

BUT WATCH OUT!!
In reality, clubs and rock gigs can reach over 100 decibels. Bradford Backus, an expert on music and hearing loss at the University College London Hearing Institute, says the longer you listen to to the loud music, the more damage you do. It's considered safe to listen to 85 decibels for 8 hours, but it if increases to 88 decibels, you should have to length of time.

By Marie Cleland