SIRC Media Watch Archive
Scares and Miracles – November 2001
Kiss can be hazardous for people with nut allergy. People with nut allergies can have reactions if they kiss someone who has recently eaten the offending substance, according to Dr. Rosemary Hallett, speaking here at the 59th annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. For people with allergies, the term "safe sex" often has a broader definition than condoms and sexually transmitted diseases. The question "your place or mine?" may depend on the answer to another question: "Do you have a cat?" People who are allergic to peanuts, walnuts or other nut products may also have to ask, "What have you eaten in the last 6 hours?" Reuters.
Weight training too far. While anorexics will misrepresent their size upwards, bigorexics misrepresent their size downwards, pushing themselves to develop bigger and bigger muscles and a larger, more formidable torso. Some people blame the phenomena on the expansion in the number of gyms – 500 in London and another 100 planned – plus the pressure on men through magazines and advertising to be more macho. BBC.
Anticipation of comedy could be good for your health. Planning your week’s television viewing in advance could help fight disease, according to researchers who found that even the anticipation of watching a comedy programme can reduce stress and boost immune defences. Healthypages.
Decaf coffee linked to rheumatoid arthritis risk. Decaffeinated coffee may raise women's risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, according to the findings of two studies presented here Tuesday at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting. Reuters.
Daybreak Is Dangerous for Heart Attacks. Men and women may not be created equal when it comes to the timing of fatal heart attacks, new research suggests. A Brazilian study has found that in the deaths of 508 heart attack patients, men tended to expire just before midnight and during the dawn, while women were most vulnerable just before sunrise. Yahoo.
Biking boosts sexual function in heart patients. An hour on an exercise bike three times a week for 8 weeks improves sexual function and leads to better quality of life in men with heart failure, according to a report presented Monday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Anaheim, California. Reuters.
Short legs 'a heart risk'. Men with short legs are more at risk of diabetes and heart disease, say researchers. A team from the University of Bristol examined 2,512 men aged between 45 and 59, from Caerphilly in South Wales. They found that during the 15 years of the study, men with the shortest legs were most likely to suffer heart problems. BBC.
Dinner parties are food poison hotspot. People are more likely to be admitted to hospital with food poisoning after attending a private dinner party or barbecue than after eating at a restaurant, a study has revealed. Independent.
World to run out of water in 50 years. The world will begin to run out of fresh water by 2050 because of the expected population growth to 9.3 billion, the UN Population Fund said yesterday. Telegraph.
Astronauts risk kidney stones. Kidney stones could prove to be the "final frontier" astronauts embarking on long distance missions have to tackle. Scientists say they must find ways of preventing space travellers developing the stones on long trips, such as missions to Mars. BBC.
'Too much news is bad for you'. Overdosing on news could cause damage to people's mental wellbeing, an American communications expert has warned. BBC.
French presidential elections can kill. Several French associations for the prevention of road traffic deaths and injuries have appealed to presidential election candidates to renounce the pardon usually granted by newly elected presidents to people who violate traffic regulations. They claim that the knowledge of a forthcoming amnesty for violators encourages some drivers to take more risks, knowing they can disregard traffic regulations with impunity. According to the Prévention Routiàre, the major association for the promotion of traffic safety, election day amnesties may have caused several hundred additional deaths in the past. BMJ.
Could men become extinct? A leading expert on men's health predicts that his sex risk becoming extinct unless their basic approach to health issues changes. BBC.
