Gas pump handles top study of filthy surfaces
Just when you thought filling up your car could not hurt any more, researchers may have found another reason to avoid touching the gas pump: germs. Gas pump handles turned out to be the filthiest surface that Americans encounter on the way to work, according to a study released on Tuesday by Kimberly-Clark Professional, a [...]
Support for marijuana legalization hits all-time high
Half of Americans say marijuana should be legal (Gallup) According to Gallup, a record 50 percent of Americans now support legalizing marijuana, up from only 12 percent in 1969, the first time Gallup polled on the issue.Not surprisingly, support for legalization is highest among liberals and young people, while only 31 percent of people over [...]
Male breast cancer rare, but can be aggressive
Men get diagnosed with breast cancer at less than one percent the rate of women, according to a new analysis of cancer rates from six cities and countries. But when they did get breast cancer, men were caught with more advanced disease, on average, and were more likely to die from it. “It’s not surprising [...]
Can eating fish lower the risk of strokes?
People who eat fish a few times each week are slightly less likely to suffer a stroke than those who only eat a little or none at all, according to an international analysis. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish may lower stroke risk through their positive effects on blood pressure and cholesterol, wrote Susanna Larsson [...]
More youngsters having unsafe sex: global study
Young people across the globe are having more unprotected sex and know less about effective contraception options, a multinational survey revealed on Monday. The “Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to be informed about contraception” study prepared for World Contraception Day (WCD) reports that the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new [...]
Extend STD treatment beyond patients, say ob-gyns
American obstetrician-gynecologists are pushing to extend their reach to the sexual partners of women treated for gonorrhea or Chlamydia. There is a good chance those men are infected, too, although they may not experience symptoms of the STD, the doctors say. Giving an infected woman antibiotics or a prescription to take to her partner would [...]
Moms’ smoking linked to psychiatric meds in kids
Kids whose moms smoked while pregnant were more likely to end up on medications such as antidepressants, stimulants and drugs for addiction in a new study from Finland that hints at maternal smoking’s effect on a baby’s developing brain. While the findings don’t prove that cigarette smoking during pregnancy causes changes in kids’ brains or [...]
Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. Kids Diagnosed With ADHD
Over the last decade, an increasing number of American children have been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new government survey reveals. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 2007 and 2009, an average of 9 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 were diagnosed [...]
Nuts-and-soy diet beats low-fat diet
People who ate a diet rich in foods that lower cholesterol, such as nuts, soy, avocado, olive oil and oats, saw a bigger drop in cholesterol than people on a low-fat diet, said a US study said. After six months of eating a diet that specifically included foods that lower LDL cholesterol, the randomized trial [...]
Weight lifting helps smokers quit without weight gain
The researchers found that three months of pumping iron seemed to help curb cigarette cravings and withdrawal symptoms, while lessening the weight gain that sometimes accompanies quitting. Overall, men and women who completed the resistance training program were twice as likely to kick the habit as smokers who didn’t lift weights. “Cigarette smoking kills more [...]
