Lifestyle News Briefs

  • A survey of 1204 couples by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggests that people who attempt to adopt a healthier lifestyle are more successful if their partners do the same. 
  • A British epidemiological study of more than 150,000 women revealed that those using the Pill suffered a 25% increase in the number of breast cancer cases, when compared to women not using the contraceptive drug. A Dutch study found that women who began taking the Pill before age 20 were three and a half times more likely to get breast cancer, and women over 36 who had taken the Pill for more than four years faced a 40% increased risk of the disease. 
  • Many people wet their toothbrush, apply paste, and brush. However, researchers found that dry brushing, starting on the inner surfaces of the teeth first, resulted in 60% less tartar buildup, and a 50% decrease in gingival bleeding. 
  • Fijian women who wear bras to their jobs in a Westernized resort are contracting breast cancer at a higher rate than are native women who do not wear bras. This finding linking bra use to breast cancer is similar to an earlier study showing that 99% of U.S. breast cancer patients wore their bras more than 12 hours a day, compared with only 80% of those without cancer. One possible explanation for the bra-breast cancer connection may be that bras impair lymph flow, which prevents drainage of toxins from the breasts. 
  • Frustrated owners of incessantly barking dogs now have a natural alternative to quiet their obnoxious animals. Chemists have created a collar that spritzes citronella every time its canine wearer barks. Dogs hate citronella, and scientists report that this olfactory punishment is 88% effective in quieting the offending animal. 

Based on information in: New Scientist, 8-2-97; Townsend Letter for Doctors, Aug/Sept 1997; Prevention, Sept 1997; Natural Health, Sept/Oct 1997; Healthy Living, Fall 1997 

Excerpted from Spectrum Magazine

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