Normally we don’t report on things like medical advances here at COED, but this was just a bit too SciFi awesome for me to pass up. Scientists have created contact lenses cultured from stems cell that have successfully cured blindness in patients in less than a month. And regardless of where you stand politically on the stem cell issue, there’s no denying how incredibly, amazingly awesome this is. Plus, the stem cells come straight from the patient’s own eye, so no dead future babies. High five!

So, now that we have that figured out, how about getting on to hoverboards?

New high-tech research from Nottingham Trent University claims that playing video games has the potential to become part of a beneficial daily physical exercise regime. Which is reassuring, if hardly news for anyone who’s been dabbling in the more vigorous side of video-gaming in recent years. Here’s five of the best that just might make you tone up… (more…)

College students away from home learn a lot more than the content of their courses. They have to learn how to keep themselves physically and emotionally healthy. College life can be a terrific and valuable experience, but not having parents around to look after life’s little details can be a stressful change. With that said, here are some important tips for students to stay healthy at college this term. [Earthly Happenings]

8 Tuition-Free Colleges

During difficult economic times, the cost of higher education leaves many students wondering if they can afford to go to college. For those who want to avoid being saddled with huge loans, the U.S. government offers one of the best deals around: Enroll at one of the five service academies tuition-free and receive free room and board. (And you thought the Grand Slam promotion at Denny’s was cool.) But if military service isn’t for you, here are eight other schools that offer tuition-free educations. [Mental Floss]

Suspect Admits To Grabbing Chicks Butts At UM

A 41-year-old Minneapolis man is admitting that he sexually assaulted 10 University of Minnesota female students in recent weeks, grabbing them because he is attracted to the female buttocks, according to charges filed today. Phillip W. Acosta is charged in Hennepin County District Court with two counts of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, gross misdemeanors, in connection with two incidents that occurred on campus Tuesday night. After his arrest that night, Acosta told police that he is responsible for the rash of groping incidents, according to the criminal complaint. He said he committed the assaults because he is “attracted to female buttocks,” the complaint read. [Barstool Sports]

It wasn’t until a year ago that I started to pay attention to the things I ate. And I took on my new knowledge of what’s nutritious, how to lose weight, and how to really exercise…well…kicking and screaming.

I was always that bitch with the really fast metabolism who didn’t gain weight. I’d come home and go from eating a can of Pringles to an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s–easily. I never was really out of shape, however, I did slowly become more concerned with being healthy. So what if I could eat a bucket of lard for dinner? That didn’t mean it was doing my health any wonders or that I felt GOOD after one of my binges. (more…)

I cannot stand getting sick. About a month ago, I caught a vicious flu bug and completely denied its existence in my system until I woke up one Sunday morning hallucinating and unable to stand.Had I only taken more Airborne….my feverish mind reasoned as my roommate and I raced to the emergency room…I would be completely healthy right now…

Well, it turns out, I could have popped one hundred little Airborne tablets and it probably wouldn’t have made an ounce of difference (it also turns out that if you’re crazy sick and in an emergency room, crawling onto the floor and lying there gets you in to see a doctor way ahead of everyone else).

The makers of the popular take-it-and-you-won’t-get-sick tablet have recently settled a class-action lawsuit for $23.3 million, a lawsuit which claims that despite Airborne’s compelling advertising campaign, “There’s no credible evidence that what’s in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment”. (more…)

Between bra stuffing for girls and crotch stuffing for guys lies the worst tool for false marketing: girdles.

I understand the need to tuck your flab away, people – but when did, uh, eating less and exercising become such an arduous task, or at least one that’s put by the wayside for a girdle?

My point of all this nonsense is this. Scary, huh? Horrifying if you ask me.

A few months ago COED spoke of the anti-wonders of six-pack surgery; with male girdles (“merdles” is you’re trendy) on the rise, important questions now must be asked: are men getting to be as self-conscious about their bodies as women, in the stereotypical sense?

Do certain women really want their men to be equal with their appearance, enough where drastic steps should and will be taken to look “better”?

To be honest, I don’t think I know anybody who rocks a girdle (if there actually is a way to “rock” a girdle). Maybe it is the last bastion for obese people with low self-esteem and no other choice (excepting the old “be healthier” theory). (more…)

When you bring home a one-night stand from the local bar, or even step barefoot into a dorm shower, you may be putting yourself at great physical risk.

So we spoke to doctors from several universities about sexually transmitted infections, sexual dysfunction, steroids, pregnancies and even pubic-hair removal. It wasn’t pleasant.

I. You gave me what?
Most college-student health centers spend lots of time screening patients for sexually transmitted infections, or STIs. Doctors say the number-one reason students schedule appointments is for Pap tests or pelvic exams. Their results might come as a surprise: You’re definitely carrying something, and that something is called HPV. Dr. Davis Smith, medical director of the student health center at Wesleyan University, says: “For college-aged students moderately sexually active – about two to three partners a year – the likelihood of exposure to an HPV (Human Papil-lomavirus) is 100 percent.” Ouch!

(more…)

I’ve went to the gym a total of four times in my entire life, and never plan on going again. I understand the act of great courage that goes into being overweight and exercising at the gym, in the public.

In my case, I can’t get over the fact that I feel like a total idiot next to ripped dudes that can bench my body weight with one arm tied behind their back.

So I stay at home, flabby in the mid-section, and play Guitar Hero III on Hard (not Expert…yet). That’s how I get my feeling of self-satisfaction.

The most recent innovation in exercising is Krankcycling, a form of working out that resembles mixing batter in a bowl. Johnny Goldberg (“Johnny G.” to the hip cats), who previously created Spinning, is the developer of this upper-body workout. It’s sure to do well in California, home of EZ-living gym rats looking for the next big trend in exercising. (more…)

I love it when Newsweek lets its hair down and talks about the benefits of sex.

You dirty, filthy magazine…ahem.

In an age where student/teacher sex scandals pop up as often as the teen boners inspiring them, it’s no surprise that being sexually frustrated is frequently pinned as one of the main reasons kids today get tense, irritable and violent – just like adults not getting any! An orgasm (from sex) a day will keep the anti-social behavior away.

Following up on their previous pro-sex stance (really – who isn’t pro-sex?) Newsweek published an article today about the health benefits of weekly sex. (more…)

• Recent studies show that it’s the lack of exercise, not body fat, that’s unhealthy.

• Experts break down the health pros and cons of drinking.

• Disappearing man reappears five years later, claiming amnesia when arrested for fraud.

• A gasoline tanker explodes in Everett, Massachusetts, leaving cars and buildings ablaze.

• Burglars in East Kansas City, Missouri make a big mistake when they unknowingly break into a police officer’s home.