Health

Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use

Posted by Shemuses from CNN

The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance. Current laws targeting marijuana users place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans, said Frank, flanked by legislators and representatives from advocacy groups.

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Global warming may increase kidney stones: researchers

Posted by Shemuses

More Americans are likely to suffer from kidney stones in the coming years as a result of global warming, according to researchers at the University of Texas. Kidney stones, which are formed from dissolved minerals in the urine and can be extremely painful, are often caused by caused by dehydration, either by not drinking enough liquid or losing too much due to high heat conditions.

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Sex Without a Condom the New Engagement Ring?

Posted by Shemuses

The comment thread on NPR is blowin' up! Listeners are ranting (and raving) about the new "What's the New What" segment on NPR in which Pendarvis Harshaw, an Oakland teen at Youth Radio, discusses how for his generation, sex without a condom is a sign of being in a committed relationship. Harshaw and his group of friends advocate getting tested for STD's and using birth control pills as a responsible way to have sex in a monogamous relationship. Listeners' comments are all over the place. Some are disgusted that NPR would even post this, while others are praising Harshaw and his friends for showing maturity and responsibility when it comes to sex.

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LA blocks new fast-food outlets from poor areas

Posted by Shemuses from Globe and Mail

City officials are putting South Los Angeles on a diet. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to place a moratorium on new fast food restaurants in an impoverished swath of the city with a proliferation of such eateries and above average rates of obesity. The yearlong moratorium is intended to give the city time to attract restaurants that serve healthier food. The action, which the mayor must still sign into law, is believed to be the first of its kind by a major city to protect public health.

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Cut children's fluoride exposure, report to Health Canada urges

Posted by Shemuses from Globe and Mail

An expert panel Health Canada commissioned to study the risks of fluoride exposure says the government should cut the recommended amount in drinking water, encourage the use of low-fluoride toothpaste by children and have makers of infant formula reduce levels in their products. The panel recommended reduced fluoride exposure because it was worried children might be getting too much of the chemical from diet, water and toothpaste, placing them at increased risk of fluorosis, said Steven Levy, a panel member and a research professor at the University of Iowa's College of Dentistry.

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From Mao to Yao Ming

Posted by Shemuses from The Tyee

Tiananmen changed the Chinese view of the body. Now that the Beijing Olympics draws near, let's talk about the Chinese view of the body, how it went from Mao to Yao Ming, that is, from a culture of collective thinking to that of singular, athletic and glamorous.

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Soy-based foods may lower sperm count (more in fat men)

Posted by Jeff from MSNBC

he researchers found the association between soy foods and lower sperm count was stronger in overweight men, which might suggest hormones are playing a role. "Men who are overweight or obese tend to have higher levels of androgen-produced estrogen. They are converting a male hormone into a female hormone in their fat. The more body fat you have, the more estrogen you produce in your fat," Chavarro said.

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