Health & Science

By Meghan Holohan

Your cheatin’ heart makes Hank Williams weep, but it might kill you.

Researchers in Italy examined monogamy among men and discovered an interesting correlation -- having an extramarital affair increases men’s risk of having a deadly heart attack.

It’s almost cliché: a middle-age man having sex with a woman who is not his wife keels over in flagrante delicto, what’s known as sudden coital death (oh yes, it has a medical name). But like some stereotypes, it appears to be based in truth, says Dr. Marc Gillinov, a heart surgeon at The Cleveland Clinic and co-author of the book "Heart 411," which looks at cases of sudden coital death, among other cardiac events. (Gillinov did not participate in this study.)

An extramarital affair also increases the risk of getting shot in the head.

It's an interesting study. I'm sure that the cheaters have added stress in their lives.

If that study were true, JFK would never have made it to 1960, Clinton would have been dead before his inauguration, and Berlusconi...

That reminds me of "Cell Block Tango" from the musical "Chicago"!

TB, as for the politicians you mentioned, if screwing an entire nation doesn't bother them, you think screwing around on their wives would??

Actually, my grandfather used to tell my mother to always be afraid of someone who habitually cheats on their spouse. He said that if they were willing to destroy their families, they would have no problem with whatever they would do to you.

In other words: when he came, he went.

Former New York governor and US Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller immediately sprang to mind.

Signor V.

He went Happy.

Ha! I'll bet Happy was anything but! Especially when the shit hit the fan - and the newspapers.

If he wasn't already dead, she probably would have killed him.

Signor V.

The Big Giant Head

By Meghan Holohan

If someone complains that a person has a big head, it’s normally considered a dig at the enormity of that person's ego. But when it comes to white Americans, being labeled as big-headed shouldn’t be considered a criticism as much as an apt description: Over the past 150 years, the size of white Americans’ craniums have actually increased in size.

http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/...tudy-shows?lite

Easily explainable: the Kennedy family emigrated to the US in the 1850s, and as the family has grown it's skewed the head-size data for the entire caucasian population.

My hat size is 7 3/4, but I'm sure that my skull is thicker than most. My guess is that our brains continue to evolve, they will eventually be much more efficient, but more compact, like iphones.

My mom told me, decades ago, that when she was in high school, the belief was that a man's shoe size was proportional to the size of his penis. So, the fashion was for boys at the HS to wear shoes that were several sizes larger than what they really needed. Must have been quite a sight when they were running up the stairs...

Flash-forward: I was riding the subway home from work one evening, sitting next to two teenaged girls who were discussing the Guiness Book of Records. One described the world's tallest man (8'11") to the other. "Really? Was he married?" the other asked. "No, couldn't be," the first one said. They lowered their voices, but I kinda leaned in on the conversation. She said, "A man's thing is the same as his shoe size--and that guy wore a size 36 shoe."

That was the rumor for many years, TB. Today it's said that penis size is actually proportional to the fullness of one's lips. But I'll bet a guy with big lips made that up .

My husband has a ridiculously large head. When he was a child, his hair was very red, so his brother tortured him by calling him "Pumpkinhead" to make him cry. He owns very few hats, because standard sizes don't fit him. My oldest daughter inherited this trait. When she was little, she rarely wore turtlenecks because it hurt her for me to pull them over her head. I could wear her hats when she was only 8 or 9 years old.

Which begs the obvious question, ma'am...

So, that's why so many people are afraid of clowns!

Signor V.

I am one of those people! I was going to go to a local street fair on Sunday until I read the following line in their ad: "Kids, don a red nose and join our clown parade!"

I can discount that theory -- I have fairly plump lips.

Never seen a clown naked, but shoe size makes sense. If your a big person, you're a big person!


No comment.

I totally understand. Scares me too, actually.

Signor V.

Not even funny.

Whatsamattea you? You don't like the cute little clown? I think his name is "Pennywise."




TIS

Show him your toes!!!!

That grosses YOU out, not him! Plus, I just had a pedicure.

Truthfully, I didn't have Pennywise in mind when I "clowned" our Don. I've had a lot of experience teaching techniques of traditional clown makeup, and the face was my own design.

I confess, I'm probably one of the few people who hasn't read "It" or seen the film (maybe I should, now!). I have seen a couple of brief clips and photos, though, but that's about it.

Signor V.

SV, I know SB has a fear of clowns an Pennywise of course is probably the scariest,which is why I made the comparison. It's fun teasing her. Actually there was the clown doll in Poltergeist that got my two girls scared way back when.




TIS

Clowns suck. I've never thought they were funny, and there's just something sick and weird about them.

I told my daughter that clowns live underground, and occasionally venture to the surface so that they can throw up carnivals, and that it's the job of the humans to ride all the rides so that the carnivals can once again sink back to the depths from which they came. By the age of four, I'd taught her how to say "Clowns are the enemy of mankind."

I don't mind clowns...even the ones on the BB.

How funny that we are talking about Clowns and "It." I just saw this article that they are re-making Stephen King's "IT". I posted to the random movie thread as well.


TIS

http://www.inquisitr.com/250764/stephen-kings-it-remake-2012/

That's why so many Board members clown around.

I wasn't sure in what thread to place this:

(CNN) -- Adele, who won big at the 2012 Grammys, once told K7
arl Lagerfeld off when he said that she was talented and pretty but a little too fat. Maybe his words got to her.

The British pop star made news this week when she admitted to wearing four pairs of Spanx under a dress that wowed the audiences at the Grammys. Apparently, this was an improvement over her original dress that featured a built-in corset and in which she passed out when she tried it on.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/08/opinion/avishai-spanx-women/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

As Spanx become more popular, women are wearing them on a daily basis rather than simply for special occasions. They are causing all sorts of health problems, from difficulty in breathing to nerve damage to life-threatening blood clots. You know what? Either embrace the larger you or buy a bigger dress, and do away with the spandex, ladies.

When I was at work in our huge headquarters building, the company permitted an aerobic dancing group of employees to use a big, carpeted space outside the corporate gym after hours. I often passed it on my way to and from the gym. All the young, fit, shapely women wore Spandex. The older, out-of-shape women wore sweats. The few men in the class hid in the back of the group, the better to hide their missteps.

Or the better to see the butts of the young, firm girls in front of them.

In which case, they were probably hiding more than their missteps.

Washington (CNN) – The percentage of Americans 30 and younger who harbor some doubts about God’s existence appears to be growing quickly, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. While most young Americans, 68%, told Pew they never doubt God’s existence, that’s a 15-point drop in just five years.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/12...ials/?hpt=hp_c2

By JoNel Aleccia

Federal Food and Drug Administration officials approved a new weight-loss pill Wednesday, giving the nod to Belviq used in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise to combat obesity.

http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/0...n-13-years?lite

It would be nice if that pill works. Yet, I always hesitate to take any pills so new. Then again, I don't even have tylenol/aspirin in my house. I have to be in real pain to take anything.

Anyway, the obesity problem certainly should be addressed. Last week, my daughter and I went to a local amusement park with the kids. As the kids were on their rides we talked and watched people pass by. We noticed just how many people had major weight problems. I'm not talking someone who has a few pounds to lose but I'm talking very overweight to obese.

In the world of internet, I-Pods, video games, etc, many, if not most, of our children won't get the exercise they should. My daughter makes the kids turn off tv after a certain point, and either takes them somewhere (park) or has them go outside or get some kind of exercise.

Different world from when I was a kid and going outside to play was a given. I was the first one up in the neighborhood and I'd be playing outside the entire day, only going home to eat and/or check in. (Remember when we were told to come home when the street lights go on?)

The times They are a-changing.

TIS

Fatty, fatty, two by four, couldn't get through the bathroom door
... however, the kitchen door was no problem.

Science cures man's porn-induced headaches.

Generally speaking, watching porn is supposed to be, um, a pleasurable experience. But a 24-year-old software engineer in India says watching people get it on causes him unbearable headaches. The headaches begin gradually over five minutes of viewing time before building to a climax of peak intensity after about 10 minutes. The man was allegedly perfectly willing to forego watching porn as a way to battle his headaches, but doctors investigating his case advised him to take painkillers 30 minutes before viewing, which thankfully resulted in "significant pain relief." Aww. We just love a story with a happy ending.

A better life through science. Next time my grandmother complains of a headache, I'll suggest that she stop watching porn.

Breast milk has superpowers even you didn't realize.

Ladies, your boobs may be even more powerful than you thought: New research suggests that breast milk "has a strong [HIV] virus-kiling effect," according to authors of the study, conducted at the UNC Center for Infectious Diseases and the UNC Center for AIDS Research. Scientists have long wondered whether breast milk fought the virus or -- like other bodily fluids -- transmitted it. In fact, they found that breast milk has "amazing ability of breast milk to destroy HIV and prevent its transmission." It's good news, and could even lead to the development of natural products that fight HIV.

Dealing with PMS: The Benefits of Being Premenstrual

Once a month PMS makes me moody, aggressive — and clear-eyed. And I kind of like it that way.


http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/articlepage?cp-documentid=250013483

I don't know about this - seems like a stretch.

(Time.com) -- It may be the most common kind of child abuse — and the most challenging to deal with. But psychological abuse, or emotional abuse, rarely gets the kind of attention that sexual or physical abuse receives.

That's the message of a trio of pediatricians, who write this week in the journal Pediatrics with a clarion call to other family doctors and child specialists: stay alert to the signs of psychological maltreatment. Its effects can be every bit as devastating as those of other abuse.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/30/health/psychological-abuse-harmful-time/index.html?hpt=hp_bn12

Don't forget that the Rover touches down on Mars tonight.

Movie popcorn has often been criticized for its high calorie count, but now the tasty treat may harm more than just your waistline.

A recent study has found that diacetyl, an ingredient in popcorn responsible for its buttery flavor and smell, may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease, UPI.com reported.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/08...s#ixzz22yu3lpkk

Canned soup may be a cancer causer!

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/the-new-scary-threat-in-canned-soup

Gee, I've forgotten when I last ate popcorn...

Popcorn? I'm not sure what ... what is it?

My daughter's friend was recently diagnosed with a corn allergy. I have to tell you, there's not a whole lot in this country that isn't made without some corn product - be it corn oil, corn syrup, even corn starch!

I've started checking labels for corn based sweeteners. There is so much sugar in our foods.

High Fructose Corn Syrup. Check your labels. It is in most processed foods. Not good for you.

Tip of the day: Eat fresh when you can. If you can't, pick foods that have minimal amount of ingredients on the label.

That's right, that's why Americans are obese! Sugar, fat and salt! We eat WAY too many prepared foods. We try to limit them at our house. I certainly try to never use canned fruits or vegetables (although I do use canned beans and peas on occasion). If I can't get fresh, then I use frozen.

A friend of mine is a dietitian who used to work for General Foods. She told me that when vegetables are locally out of season, frozen is actually preferable. She said that by the time it gets shipped from wherever it's grown to your grocer's warehouse and then to the stores, you're better off buying frozen, which is usually picked and frozen directly.

I saw this place from train as I was passing over, could not believe name.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/salt-and-fat-sunnyside

I guess this goes here:

By Alan Boyle

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun's view that the theories of evolution and the big bang are "lies straight from the pit of Hell" is getting more exposure than he might have expected, thanks to a video that was made at a church-sponsored banquet in Georgia and distributed by a progressive political watchdog group.

The Georgia Republican is already well-known as an outspoken conservative Christian, due in part to his unsuccessful campaign to have 2010 declared "the Year of the Bible." But the latest comments have taken on an extra dab of controversy because Broun, a medical doctor, calls himself a scientist in the video and chairs the House Science Committee's panel on investigations and oversight

Ahhh Sunnyside, I know a bunch of young professionals who are scrambling to move into that neighborhood because it is up and coming ala Williamsburg/Astoria and most importantly it is relatively more affordable for the time being.

By Eli MacKinnon updated 11/30/2012 4:15:53 PM ET

Fifty-nine years after James Watson and Francis Crick deduced the double-helix structure of DNA, a scientist has captured the first direct photograph of the twisted ladder that props up life.

Enzo Di Fabrizio, a physics professor at Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy, snapped the picture using an electron microscope. Previously, scientists had only seen DNA's structure indirectly. The double-corkscrew form was first discovered using a technique called X-ray crystallography, in which a material's shape is reconstructed based on how X-rays bounce after they collide with it.

For you Gatorade drinkers:

Sarah Kavanagh and her little brother were looking forward to the bottles of Gatorade they had put in the refrigerator after playing outdoors one hot, humid afternoon last month in Hattiesburg, Miss.

But before she took a sip, Sarah, a dedicated vegetarian, did what she often does and checked the label to make sure no animal products were in the drink. One ingredient, brominated vegetable oil, caught her eye.

“I knew it probably wasn’t from an animal because it had vegetable in the name, but I still wanted to know what it was, so I Googled it,” Ms. Kavanagh said. “A page popped up with a long list of possible side effects, including neurological disorders and altered thyroid hormones. I didn’t expect that.”

She threw the product away and started a petition on Change.org, a nonprofit Web site, that has almost 200,000 signatures. Ms. Kavanagh, 15, hopes her campaign will persuade PepsiCo, Gatorade’s maker, to consider changing the drink’s formulation.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/drink-ingredient-gets-look-032224835.html

One of my favorite "ingredients" is Propylene glycol; a food preservative AND found in anti-freeze. Yummy.

Propylene glycol is considered Generally Recognized As Safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and it is used as an humectant (E1520), solvent, and preservative in food and for tobacco products. It is also used in pharmaceutical and personal care products.[4] Propylene glycol is a solvent in many pharmaceuticals, including oral, injectable and topical formulations, such as for diazepam and lorazepam that are insoluble in water, use propylene glycol as a solvent in their clinical, injectable forms[6]

Like ethylene glycol, propylene glycol is able to lower the melting point of water, and so it is used as aircraft de-icing fluid.[4][7] It is similarly used as automotive antifreeze.[8]

Propylene glycol is an ingredient in the oil dispersant Corexit, used in great quantities during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill[9][10]

Now we know why they call pizzaboy the doctor...

Squeezing Breasts Could Prevent Cancer, Study Suggests
The Huffington Post/PA | Posted: 17/12/2012

A little squeeze may be all that it takes to prevent malignant breast cells triggering cancer, research has shown.
Laboratory experiments showed that applying physical pressure to the cells guided them back to a normal growth pattern.

Concerns Over E. coli in Organic Spinach Cause Recall in 39 States February 20, 2013 at 7:47AM by Zoe Bain

If you have purchased organic spinach recently, check the packaging. Taylor Farms Retail is participating in a voluntary recall across 39 states due to an E. coli scare.

According to Food Safety News, no one has been sickened thus far, but the spinach was recalled due to "the potential to be contaminated" with E. coli. The recalled spinach was sold in 5-ounce and 16-ounce trays. Brand names involved include: Central Market Organics, Full Circle Organics, Marketside Organics, Simple Truth Organics, and Taylor Farms Organics. Anyone with spinach sold under these names with a sell by date of February 24th 2013 should discard it immediately.

By Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor

Women have a gift for gab, and now they can silence their critics with science.

New research indicates there’s a biological reason why women talk so much more than men: 20,000 words a day spoken by the average woman, according to one study, versus about 7,000 words a day for the average man.

Women’s brains have higher levels of a “language protein” called FOXP2, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“The major finding that we discovered was that this protein FOXP2 is involved in vocalization,” Mike Bowers, who led the study’s team of researchers, told TODAY. “We can’t say that this is the end-all-be-all reasoning. but it is one of the first avenues with which we can start to explore why women tend to be more verbal than men.”

Anybody on GBB have any personal experience (or a relative/friend) who has gotten any LASIK eye surgery? What did they think of it? Any downsides, etc?

I use contacts and glasses and am perfectly happy as is, but I noticed this was one of the perks from my health insurance and always wondered whether I should bite the bullet and get it.

Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

DD, both a good friend and my niece have gotten it. The results were instantaneous and excellent. I wanted to get it done, but as I now have progressive lenses, the doctor said I would still need reading glasses, so it didn't pay to have the surgery.

No downside/side effects? That's my main concern.

They didn't have any at all. As a matter of fact, my friend was impressed with how instantaneous the results were. His only regret? That he waited so long to have it.

Thanks for sharing.

NEW YORK (AP) - An environmental group said Wednesday that the caramel coloring used in Pepsi still contains a worrisome level of a carcinogen, even after the drink maker said it would change its formula.

In March, PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. both said they would adjust their formulas nationally after California passed a law mandating drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens come with a cancer warning label. The changes were made for drinks sold in California when the law passed.

The chemical is 4-methylimidazole, or 4-Mel, which can form during the cooking process and, as a result, may be found in trace amounts in many foods.

Watchdog group The Center for Environmental Health found via testing that while Coke products no longer test positive for the chemical, Pepsi products sold outside of California still do.

^^Not surprised. I stopped drinking soda years ago.

Of course, now there are about three studies that state that taking too many omega 3 fatty acid supplements may enhance one's chance of getting prostate cancer.

I eat alot of tuna each week and I am cutting back on it. I used to take fish oil supplements, but haven't over the past few months. My prostate antigen is only 1.4.

I also saw that. WTF. I used to take two omega 3 fish oil capsules daily but am cutting back (started today) to just one.

Why do women live longer than men? This site provides some interesting clues:

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/men/11-reasons-men-die-sooner-than-women#1

You mean it's not because we are harder workers, more intelligent, more beautiful, wiser, agreeable, helpful, and able to do more than one thing at time??? Hmmm




TIS

Well, this article may not answer your question, but I thought you'd probably applaud it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/opinio...amp;src=me&

Ha ha ha! Good article Oli. I'm guessing your wife would be in total agreement with me no?

Have a great weekend!!!!



TIS

If we talk for both health and science, these are very closely interrelated with each other. As new inventions affect positively on health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does the survey each year, and recently released 2012 results.

At least 30 percent of adults were obese in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. In 2011, a dozen states reached that threshold.

Not only heart attacks. My buddy after having a lunch hour meet had to leave very rapidly and went out the window and onto the steel fire escape where he slipped and fractured his leg. He didn't make it back to work and would have to explain the short paycheck to his wife in addition to the leg. He told her he went to a bar for a sandwich and a beer. She bought that and then talked to an attorney about starting a lawsuit and he had a hard time stopping that

MONDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- While the rate of obesity among U.S. children seems to have leveled off, the number who are "severely obese" continues to rise, according to the American Heart Association.

Some 5 percent of children and teens now fall into this category, putting them at high risk for premature heart disease and type 2 diabetes, the researchers report in an American Heart Association scientific statement published in the Sept. 9 online edition of Circulation.

"We are defining a new class of pediatric obesity called 'severe' obesity," said lead researcher Aaron Kelly, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.

"This type of obesity is different than traditional obesity and overweight in children," he said. "It is an extreme form of obesity."

Children are considered severely obese if they have a body mass index (BMI) above the 95th percentile for their sex and age, or a BMI of 35 or higher. BMI is a measure of weight in relation to height, and a child in the 95th percentile weighs more than 95 percent of other children the same sex and age.

Study of mice suggests people with lung cancer or at risk for the disease should avoid these supplements.
By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) -- Smokers and other people at high risk for lung cancer could make matters worse if they take antioxidant supplements, a new study of rodents suggests.

Antioxidants appear to accelerate cancer progression by short-circuiting one of the body's key immune responses to malignant cells, researchers from Sweden report.

Normal doses of vitamin E and smaller doses of the antioxidant supplement acetylcysteine increased the growth of tumors in mice with early lung cancer, the researchers reported in the Jan. 29 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

"We found that antioxidants caused a threefold increase in the number of tumors, and caused tumors to become more aggressive," senior author Dr. Martin Bergo said during a Tuesday news conference. "Antioxidants caused the mice to die twice as fast, and the effect was dose-dependent. If we gave a small dose, tumors grew a little. If we gave a high dose, tumors grew a lot."

Apparently, size does matter:

http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=4&...65-06d1fc846ec9

From MSN:

(HealthDay News) -- It's said you can never be too rich or too thin, but new research suggests otherwise. People who are clinically underweight face an even higher risk for dying than obese individuals, the study shows.

Compared to normal-weight folks, the excessively thin have nearly twice the risk of death, researchers concluded after reviewing more than 50 prior

(Reuters) - Illinois children and adults with epilepsy will soon be allowed to use marijuana to ease their symptoms under a law signed on Sunday by Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, the latest in a series of measures loosening restrictions on cannabis by U.S. states.

The move to add epilepsy and other seizure disorders to the list of conditions legal to treat with marijuana or its extracts comes as numerous states have made medical use of the drug legal. Two states, Colorado and Washington, have legalized its recreational use.

“This new law will help alleviate the suffering of many adults and children across the state,” Quinn said in statement. “Epilepsy is a debilitating condition, and this much-needed relief will help to reduce some of its symptoms for those who endure seizures."

Diabetes drug could increase lifespan: Study©AFP/Relaxnews // ©AFP/Relaxnews

A new study sheds new light on a diabetes drug that controls glucose, suggesting it could have preventative capabilities and even increase lifespan. A large-scale study conducted by researchers at Cardiff University says that type 2 diabetes patients live longer than people without the disease thanks to surprising benefits of their medication, metformin, which could be expanded for use in non-diabetics.

Murmurs of metformin's attributes had been circulating within the scientific community, and the findings of the Cardiff study not only build on its benefits but are of particular interest due to the massive sample size of 180,000 participants.

Researchers compared survival rates of type 2 diabetes patients taking metformin, a first-line therapy, with those of patients on a less-prescribed diabetes drug called sulphonylurea, known for undesirable side effects such as weight gain and hypoglycemia.

By Sean D. Hamill / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A team of Pittsburgh researchers has discovered a genetic mutation that aided the spread of breast cancer in a patient, an exciting discovery that may provide guidance for how to treat women with the disease in the future, according to a study announced today at a breast cancer symposium in San Antonio.

The team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the Magee-Womens Research Institute used tumor tissue samples collected at UPMC hospitals over the last two decades that allowed researchers to track the spread of the disease in six patients.

All six patients had surgery to remove the initial tumor, and were determined to be disease free, only to have the cancer recur and ultimately kill them. Recurrence of breast cancer after surgery occurs in about 30 percent of patients.