Wellnews: All the news that's fit

By Scott LaFee
January 30, 2007

Medtronica
Dr. Driving
www.drdriving.org

Worldwide, roughly 1.5 million people are killed each year in traffic
accidents, usually due to driver error. Learn more about how to avoid
such a fate and phenomena like road rage at this broad-based Web
site.

I'll drink to that
Coffee apparently has its perks. According to Food Technology
magazine, recent studies combined with research over the last 30 years
show that moderate consumption of coffee - and thus, caffeine - has a
generally positive and protective effect on health.

tAmong the alleged benefits: improved glucose regulation and lowered
risk of type 2 diabetes, kidney stones, depression and Alzheimer's
disease.

"Many negative health myths about coffee drinking may now be
transformed into validated health benefits," said Roger A. Clemens, a
functional food expert at the Institute of Food Technologists and one
of the authors of the magazine story.

The key, though, is moderation, which Clemens says translates into
three to five cups a day. We're talking standard cup here, about eight
fluid ounces, not a Starbucks' vente cup, which is 20.

A-choo-ttention!
If you've never met a pollen you couldn't sneeze at, stay away from
these cities, which were rated by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of
America (AAFA) as the worst American cities to live in. From worst to
least bad:

1. Atlanta

2. Philadelphia

3. Raleigh, N.C.

4. Knoxville, Tenn.

5. Harrisburg, Pa.

6. Grand Rapids, Mich.

7. Milwaukee, Wis.

8. Greensboro, N.C.

9. Scranton, Pa.

10. Little Rock, Ark.

The AAFA ranks Seattle as the best place to live among 100 rated
cities.

San Diego was rated the 63rd worst city for asthma sufferers. The
entire list can be viewed at www.aafa.org.

Phobia of the week
Arachibutyrophobia - fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of
your mouth

Body of knowledge
Everybody's got a "fissure of Rolando." You just have to know where to
look for it, figuratively speaking. It's the deep groove separating
the brain's frontal lobes from its parietal lobes. The fissure, named
after the Italian anatomist Luigi Rolando, has another equally odd
name: the central sulcus.

Best medicine

Man: Doctor, my leg keeps talking to me.

Doctor: Don't be ridiculous!

Leg: Hey, can you lend me a ten-spot?

Man: See, doc. I told you.

Leg: C'mon, how about a measly $5?

Doc: You know what the problem is - your leg's broke.

HEALTH SCREENINGS
"All Star Workouts "    7 a.m. Thursday, Discovery Health

Hollywood yoga instructor Sara Ivanhoe adds light hand weights to
classic yoga postures. This added resistance accelerates toning and
body sculpting for a total yoga makeover. Equipment needed: Yoga mat
and hand weights.

"CNN Special Investigations Unit: Saving Your Life"     Noon Saturday,
CNN

Is the government stopping us from ever finding a cure for cancer?
Lance Armstrong joins Dr. Sanjay Gupta to discuss the disease.

BIRTH CONTROL AND WEIGHT GAIN
If you are taking oral contraceptives, don't stop because you think
they are causing you to gain weight. It's a myth that this form of
birth control makes women fat, according to the Cochrane
Collaboration, an international nonprofit organization that evaluates
medical research. If there is such an effect, it is small, and it may
be due to short-term water retention. More than 11 million American
women use oral contraceptives.

LOWER YOUR BAD CHOLESTEROL
Aim lower when it comes to your bad cholesterol (LDL). Most people's
should be 130 or less, says the American Heart Association. But those
whose LDL was 40 points lower than that were 88 percent less likely to
have a heart attack over a 15-year period, according to a University
of Texas study. The best way to lower it is to avoid saturated fats
and eat more produce, lean meats and whole grains.