Less Sex Dangerous? And How Safe is The Communion Cup?
09 Jan 2006
"Why bother shaving today when I’m not going anywhere?" I thought. But I suddenly changed my mind. Dr. Shah Ebrahim, at the University of Bristol in England, reports that men who don’t shave daily enjoy less sex and are more likely to suffer stroke and heart attack. It seemed to me that shaving is a small price to pay for increased amour and keeping alive!
Ebrahim says men who shave less often are less likely to marry, smoke more, less likely to have an orgasm, are blue-collar workers and have a less healthy life style.
It’s been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. But it also has an effect on beard growth. Dr. Ebrahim reports that a man in a remote island in the Hebrides noticed his beard growth increased when he was about to join his girlfriend on the mainland. Now he might be well advised to shave beforehand to extend his love life.
Think twice if you’re considering an affair. Dr. Graham Jackson, is a cardiologists at St. Thomas’s Hospital, in London, England. His study shows that 75 per cent of cases of sudden death during sexual activity involved those having extramarital sex. And if there’s a major difference in age the odds are even worse. A cold shower may be the answer and much safer.
Worried about a possible bird-flu epidemic? If so, sipping wine from a chalice during Holy Communion poses a health risk. Dr. Bernard Hudson, head of microbiology at Sydney’s North Shore Hospital, says that wine in the chalice, or wiping its rim, does not kill infectious agents and warns against this practice. He says that infection can also be spread by touching bread with unwashed hands.
Hudson warned Anglican congregations in Sydney that the church could be held legally liable if a parishioner contracts a disease such as a cold sore (herpes 1) or meningococcal septicemia.
While enjoying a hot dog and beer at a baseball game, have you ever wondered how much damage occurs when the ball strikes the catcher’s glove at such blistering speeds? The gloved hand may seem well protected, but it takes a savage beating.
Researchers at the Wake Forest Medical Centre in Winston-Salem examined the hands of 36 baseball catchers. Seven had a glove-hand index finger that was two ring sizes bigger than the index finger on their throwing hand. There was also weakness of the gloved hand. And doppler ultrasound revealed decreased blood flow in the ulnar artery that supplies blood to the hand. Researchers concluded that repeated microvascular trauma
could cause significant loss of blood to the fingers over the long term.
Be careful about taking Aspirin if you suffer from asthma. A report from Australia says that Aspirin triggers asthmatic attacks in one out of five adults with this disease. It’s an alarming number considering that only three percent of asthmatics are aware of their sensitivity.
I often ask why is it so easy to buy apple, peach, blueberry and other fruit pies and impossible to purchase a raisin pie. I suppose the logical answer is most people don’t like raisin pie. I’d kill for one. Now, I’ve finally found a reason why some enterprising food company should make raisin pies.
Dr. Christine Wu at the University of Chicago says raisins protect the teeth. It’s OK that raisins stick to the teeth because this prevents bacteria from adhering to the teeth and gums. Moreover, in spite of their sugary taste raisins contain five different phytochemicals that help to prevent caries and gum disease. I offer a big thank you to Dr Wu.
Remember how we were warned recently that the long-term use of vitamin E might result in premature death. This caused many people to stop taking this vitamin. I questioned this research, knowing that nothing in medicine is ever that simple.
Now, Dr. Paul Jacques, at the Research Centre on aging at Tufts University, in Boston, has good news about E. He studied the effect of vitamin E on women between the ages of 52 and 74 for 15 years. His research shows that those who took vitamin E for 10 years showed slower progression of age-related cataracts.
