There was a huge uproar among women’s groups and immigration groups when news got out that the vaccine against some strains of human papillomavirus, which cause genital warts and may contribute to the development of cancer of the cervix, would be mandatory for any woman who wants to come to the United States to live permanently. What caused this uproar? The same requirement was not place on women who were American citizens. Granted, the United States has the right to make its own rules regarding what vaccinations people must have if they want to live within the U.S. borders. But, this isn’t a case of someone who may bring in a disease or someone living in a less prosperous country who may not have had the vaccines that we take for... [Read more]

American Santa’s helpers, who stand-in for Santa in public appearances (because we know that Santa can’t be *everywhere*), are asking for the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine before they face the contaminated masses, say news reports. The coughing and close contact with children are giving Santa’s helpers the shivers. Seriously though, this is so much a concern that one of the Santa groups, the Amalgamated Order of Read Bearded Santas, addressed the issue, urging its Santas to use plenty of hand sanitizers during their Santa days. Adding vitamins to their diet is also recommended. According to this USA Today article, Better not cough: Santas lobby for swine flu shots, rather than washing their suits weekly, Santas who spend their time... [Read more]

Bad headline, sorry – but I have a limited number of characters and I wasn’t sure how to word this. How about: Some Egyptians Who Died and Were Mummified Had Heart Disease, Just Like Us in the Year 2009. Too long, huh? Researchers don’t only research current issues, such as finding cures for cancer or ways to make body parts regrow, they also look back in an attempt to understand what happened in earlier times. In this particular study, researchers were looking for signs of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, in mummies. We tend to think of heart disease as a modern problem, but the earlier discovery of the Pharaoh Merenptah (c. 1213-1203 BC), who was 60 years old at his death, having had atherosclerosis, arthritis... [Read more]

Viagra for men – and the similar drugs that followed after – is a huge, huge money maker for big pharmaceuticals. You have to give them credit. They found a need and they filled it; they rose to the challenge (pun intended ). But now, the target is women. Women do experience sexual dysfunction. Many women would love to have satisfying sex lives but don’t because of various issues. While some researchers are actively working on medications to help women with their sexual desire, some discover a treatment by accident, as did researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine The researchers were looking at a medication called flibanserin, an antidepressant. But what the researchers found by... [Read more]

What does a woman’s fidelity have to do with her unborn child’s health? A lot, if the news reports of a study from New Zealand are right. The results of the study were published in the most recent issue of Journal of Reproductive Immunology. Actually, if you really read the study, it’s not the faithfulness that was the issue, it was how much the woman was exposed to the father’s semen. You know how I caution people to read studies carefully and not take news at face value? Here is yet another case. The news that came out of this study shows you how headlines can blow things out of proportion. These “news” sources published exactly the same thing, which means they were using a press release: Faithful mothers... [Read more]