I just got a new mobile phone. It does everything. I can even read the news headlines on it. Headlines like this: Men who use mobile phones face increased risk of infertility Oh my.
Sleep Debt
I’m not sleeping well, so this article piqued my interest: A good night’s sleep now appears to be every bit as important to good health and long life as a nutritious diet and regular exercise. "Sleep is in the top three," says Dinges. "And I think it’s No. 1. Sleep is a biological imperative and not getting enough has health-related … Read More
How To Live To Be 100 Or More
Lay off the following: Alcohol Indulge in the following: Coffee Cigars Sex So says this study of Cuban centenarians. There’s a Clinton joke to be made about cigars and sex, but I’ll leave it to your imagination.
Getting Emergency Contraception
Everyone has been linking to this harrowing account of what it’s like to get emergency contraception (EC) in rural Ohio, so I will too. This woman’s doctor told her to call the ER. She did. Then a parade of nurses hemmed and hawed over the phone, until finally a fourth nurse told her what was going on: "Well see," he … Read More
McDonalds Might Sell Breakfast Meals All Day
Good. Because their breakfast menu is better than their regular one.
The Latest On Spinach
The FDA’s latest announcement: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will continue to provide the public with regular updates on the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak each day until further notice. Case Reports To date, 109 cases of illness due to E. coli infection have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including 16 cases of … Read More
What Does The U.S. Surgeon General Say About “Plan B”?
Remember C. Everett Koop? Like him or hate him, you knew he was the Surgeon General of the United States, and he opined on the important health matters of the day. So where is the current Surgeon General, and what’s his or her opinion on the "Plan B’ morning-after pill? Do you even know who he/she is? Don’t feel bad. … Read More
Debbie Does The Local Health Care System
It all started innocently enough. A dance rehearsal for "Debbie Does Dallas" (Winston-Salem Journal preview article here). A cramp in the calf. Damn. I should’ve stretched before starting. I’m not in my twenties anymore. (I keep on forgetting that.) "It could be a blood clot," says Gray, looking at the swelling and bruising on my calf. "You should get it … Read More
Massage Therapist Banned From Having Sex With Her Husband
Minnesota has a law which forbids massage therapists from having sex with their clients for two years. A therapist who violates the law can have his/her license revoked, and be fined. The problem with the law (aside from the fact that it is a victimless crime) is that it makes no exception for marriage. That can cause a problem. Just … Read More
Don’t Let The Bedbugs Bite
They’re making a comeback: Absent from the U.S. for so long that some thought they were a myth, bedbugs are back. Include me as one of those who thought they were fictional. Entomologists and pest control professionals are reporting a dramatic increase in infestations throughout the country, and no one knows exactly why. *** Bedbugs are tiny brownish, flattened insects … Read More
Unit Bias
An interesting article about an interesting research study, which should be of interest to anyone who is interested in dieting. Interested? Studies have shown that people have a "unit bias" when it comes to eating. In other words, they don’t listen to what their body tells them — instead, they look at what’s in front of them. So even if … Read More
Anti-Smoking Vaccine In The Works
Attention all smokers who would like to quit: Doctors are testing a radical new way to help smokers quit: a shot that "immunizes" them against the nicotine rush that fuels their addiction. That pleasurable buzz has seduced Mario Musachia into burning through nearly half a million cigarettes in half a century. Now the Madison man is among 300 people around … Read More
Rape Victim Denied Morning-After Pill
Look. If your religion prevents you from doing your job, then either (a) get another job or (b) get another religion. Here’s what I’m talking about — a story from Lancaster, PA: A Good Samaritan Hospital emergency room doctor refused to give a rape victim a morning-after pill because he said it was against his Mennonite religion. Rebuffed by the … Read More
Patti Davis On Bush’s Veto
Within an hour after Bush vetoed legislation barring federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, Patti Davis responds in an editorial entitled "Does Anyone Care?" On Wednesday, President Bush handed down his first veto ever, for a bill that would have allowed federal funding for stem-cell research on embryos left over after in vitro fertilization procedures—embryos that would otherwise be … Read More