In a recent study conducted by a government agency, a discovery indicates that marijuana use does not impair lung function. Compared to smoking cigarettes, marijuana has been found to not cause long term or permanent damage to the functionality or health of the lungs. The study was conducted by following approximately 5,000 test subjects who smoked marijuana equivalent to a joint per day over a period of seven years. The subjects performed a breathing test to provide results as to the effects of marijuana on lung function.

While this study indicates that marijuana does not cause lung damage or conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -C.O.P.D. for short,- the drug can still have effects on memory and learning as well as irritate the airways. It is not completely clear as to whether or not the effects marijuana has on memory and learning are long term or permanent, but its notoriety to cause coughing and irritated airways is figured to be temporary, meaning the symptoms will likely recede once a user quits smoking marijuana. It remains unclear as to how exactly marijuana does not cause lung damage, but it is assumed that its prime ingredient, THC, may be a factor due to its slight anti-inflammatory effects.

Whether you will damage the rest of your life, we can’t say.

Obesity is a problem for 17 percent of teens in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A study that followed nearly 1,000 children into their teens suggests a link between poor maternal relationships as toddlers and being overweight as teens.

Mother-child relationships were evaluated at one through three years of age. The relationship was assessed based on the mother’s awareness of the emotional needs of child and her ability to nurture in response to those needs.
Approximately one quarter of the children in the study demonstrated an inferior relationship with their mothers.
About 22 percent received perfect scores.

The children were evaluated again at age 15. At this time over 25 percent of the children with poor relationships in early childhood were obese. This is twice as many as those with healthy relationships.

The article states that stress, some of which could stem from poor mother-child relationships, may be a contributing factor in obesity. It is important to note, however, that habits like unhealthy diet and lack of exercise and sleep probably play a bigger role.

This is turning out to be the summer of bed bugs. There have been numerous issues on the news of bed bug invasions throughout the US.

In researching bed bugs I found this website Bed Bug Reports. They give many good examples of how to check for bed bugs in hotels prior to going to sleep.

These little blood suckers get you when you are asleep and can live years between meals. They also can readily crawl in to your luggage over night. You then bring them home.

The list on www.bedbugreports.com, gives a list of complaints from users of the website along with a list of hotels, some very fancy where people have been bitten. They also have some pictures of bed bug bites which are pretty disgusting.

According to a newly published study, fish-oil supplements may lower your risk of breast cancer.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center surveyed more than 35,000 postmenopausal women and discovered that those who took omega-3 fish-oil supplements had a 32 percent lower incidence of breast cancer.

In general people who take supplements tend to live a healthier lifestyle anyway so it is difficult to isolate the omega-3-fish oil supplements as the cause of the lowered incidence.  Other studies, namely a recent one from Harvard, also discovered health benefits of omega-3 fish oil so taking them is probably a good idea anyway.

A study by professor David Buss at the University of Texas claims that older women are more sexually active than younger women. The study suggests that as women approach menopause and infertility they are less likely to worry about bearing children and therefore more free to enjoy sex.  Many of the participants in the study were recruited from Craigslist which may skew results significantly.

The study  has evolutionary implications and comes at the heals of another study showing that older men are now more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases as drugs to combat erectile dysfunction become more popular.

Conclusion: Old people will f#@k themselves into extinction.

What happened to Tom Platz? Remember the old Muscle & Fitness Magazines with his legs?

For those of you who do not know Tom, I have added his picture below.

I just read Wikipedia on Tom and it said that he now lives in Scottsdale Arizona and supplements his income as a salesperson at Airpark Chrysler Jeep.

I cannot believe it. The famous Tom Platz is a car salesman. Poor Tom. Goes from the famous story of showing up in Southern California with $50 in his pocket and being an Olympia contender to being a car salesman. Thanks Joe Weider. I guess you got all the money.

According to a report by the New York Times, women pay more than men for health insurance. The troubling part is that even policies that do not include maternity care are more expensive for women than they are for men. Some of the companies that were investigated are Humana and Anthem Blue Cross.

There has been a clear migration away from company sponsored insurance coverage as companies have struggled to make ends meet. The discrepancy in prices and coverage between men and women becomes even more evident in these cases.  The variance was also found when insurance coverage and prices were compared state to state.

A study by a national organization for health care consumers, shows Idaho health insurance, for example, experienced an increase of 121.6 percent in health care premiums over the past eight years and was second only to Wyoming’s in the nation.

Individuals and families that scrutinize insurance offers before signing up have a better chance of avoiding unfair price disparities based on gender. There are several websites that assist users in finding medical insurance policies at lower and more competitive pricing. Insurance companies usually will not refer prospects to any of these websites as there are considerable discounts and savings to be found. One such website offering a discount in medical insurance quotes delivered savings between $100 and $200 monthly.

Now I’ll recommend “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the HBO series created by the mastermind behind Seinfeld, Larry David, beyond my circle of friends and acquaintances. Knowing that this great series can help schizophrenics, I have a couple of people in mind for who I should to promote the show.

According to The New Yorker, David Roberts, a clinical-psychology student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (and most probably a fan of David), noticed that normally uncommunicative patients would laugh at shows on television. Apparently, David’s character makes the same kind of social errors schizos make, allowing therapists to use him as an the anti-role model.

No wonder, researchers are already putting “Curb” to the schizo test.

Recently I have been looking in to eathing more healthy. I have found an interesting diet based on the Mediterranean Food Pyramid. This Mediterranean diet has been studied by numerous scholars. You can see by checking Google’s search for scholarly papers. Excellent resource, scholar.google.com.

Below is a list from the Mediterranean Food Pyramid.
1. An abundance of food from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds;
2. Emphasis on a variety of minimally processed and, wherever possible, seasonally fresh and locally grown foods (which often maximizes the health-promoting micronutrient and antioxidant content of these foods);
3. Olive oil as the principal fat, replacing other fats and oils (including butter and margarine);
4. Total fat ranging from less than 25 percent to over 35 percent of energy, with saturated fat no more than 7 to 8 percent of energy (calories);
5. Daily consumption of low to moderate amounts of cheese and yogurt (low-fat and non fat versions may be preferable);
6. Weekly consumption of low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry (recent research suggests that fish be somewhat favored over poultry); from zero to four eggs per week (including those used in cooking and baking);
7. Fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert; sweets with a significant amount of sugar (often as honey) and saturated fat consumed not more than a few times per week;
8. Red meat a few times per month (recent research suggests that if red meat is eaten, its consumption should be limited to a maximum of 12 to 16 ounces {340 to 450 grams} per month; where the flavor is acceptable, lean versions may be preferable);
9. Regular physical activity at a level which promotes a healthy weight, fitness and well-being; and
10. Moderate consumption of wine, normally with meals; about one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women (from a contemporary public health perspective, wine should be considered optional and avoided when consumption would put the individual or others at risk.)

cite: K. Dun Gifford
Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust

The FDA cautioned doctors Tuesday to be alert for deadly infections in women using the abortion pill RU-486, citing more deaths after its use.

At least five women, in the US alone, have died after taking the pill since it began selling in 2000, although the Food and Drug Administration admits there may be more contributing factors to blame.

Four deaths were caused by bloodstream infections, or sepsis, all occurring in women who took the pill.

The FDA issued a public health advisory forewarning doctors of the probable link and urging them to be on the lookout for infections in women who have used the Mifeprex abortion pill.

Some women may not have usual symptoms of sepsis, such as a fever.

Tuesday’s action comes just eight months after the FDA warned about two sepsis cases associated with Mifeprex, also called RU-486 or mifepristone. Additional sepsis cases were reported to the agency in April and June.

The drug, sold by Danco Laboratories, is designed to destroy the fetus up to 49 days after the beginning of the last menstrual cycle by blocking a hormone vital to the pregnancy. When followed by another medicine, misoprostol, the pregnancy is terminated.

In two of the infections, doctors discovered the bacterium Clostridium sordelli, a common germ not usually linked with infection.

Two other deaths associated with Mifeprex were cases of a ruptured ectopic, or tubal, pregnancy in October 2001. The drug is not to be used by women with suspected or confirmed ectopic pregnancies, a life-threatening condition in which the fertilized egg has implanted outside the uterus.

Other risks of Mifeprex and Misoprostol include incomplete abortion (with birth defects), sever hemorrhage, uterine rupture, and ulcers.