The five most-read posts on Scope this week were:
European experts debunk six myths about flu shot: Experts from the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza dispel common misperceptions about the flu and flu shot.
Can yoga help women suffering from fibromyalgia?: A study recently published in the Journal of Pain Research shows that practicing yoga boosts levels of the stress hormone cortisol and could help ease some symptoms of fibromyalgia such as pain, fatigue, muscle stiffness and depression.
Stanford scientists work towards developing a "painometer": Stanford researchers take the first step toward developing a diagnostic tool that could eliminate a major hurdle in pain medicine -- the dependency on self-reporting to measure the presence or absence of pain. The new tool would use patterns of brain activity to give an objective physiologic assessment of whether someone is in pain.
How to cope with an "invisible illness": Lisa Copen, founder of Rest Ministries and National Invisible Illness Week, shares some tips in a Huffington Post piece on how to cope with chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia, arthritis and diabetes.
Autism in Africa?: A review published in the July issue of the African Journal of Psychiatry offers a troubling perspective on the global incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the developing world. Among the paper's findings is that no epidemiological studies have been done on autism in Africa.