SIRC Media Watch Archive
Scares and Miracles – October 2000

For Girls, Soccer Might Mean Arthritis. Knee injuries tend to create problems later on…The study says 34 percent of the women said their quality of life had been diminished by the pains of osteoarthritis since they were injured. HealthScout.

How sleep can save your life. Ten million Britons are not getting enough time in bed, sleeping. They run the risk of strokes, obesity, depression, and even cancer. Observer.

Occupational Therapists Urge Campaigners to "Grip & Grin". Handshaking on the campaign trail can be hazardous to a candidate's health, according to a brochure published by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) … Problems could show up not only in the hands, but also the back, neck and shoulders because those parts of the body are important components in the motion of a handshake. Press Release and Handshaking Tips for Candidates.

Can Curry Be Addictive? Researchers at Nottingham Trent University found that eating a spicy curry prompts the kind of physiological symptoms addictive substances often provoke, including increases in the heartbeat and blood pressure. OnHealth.

Unhealthy Lifestyles May Be Fuelling Teens' Anger. What's making these kids so mad? Some degree of adolescent angst is natural and healthy, but some experts believe that extreme anger may be related to unhealthy behaviors like smoking and drinking too much caffeine. OnHealth.

Kids suffering from computer overkill. Children still need old-fashioned play, but the reality is that computers are here to stay. So if there's a child with a mouse in the house, the message is: moderation. CNN.

Cheerleading Getting Dangerous. Injuries up 400 percent in 20 years. Cheerleading, once a relatively safe sideline activity, has moved into the center of competition and become considerably more dangerous. HealthScout.

Ballet as injury-prone as football and wrestling. It may look pretty, but ballet is more like a contact sport when it comes to injury risk, researchers report. And the risk seems to come from both physical and psychological stress. Reuters.

Bottled water bad for teeth. The health fad for drinking filtered and bottled water is raising dentists' concerns that a generation of young people are doing serious damage to their teeth. Leading dentists fear that an increasing number of children and teenagers are inadvertently cutting fluoride from their diet by replacing tap water with bottled and filtered varieties. New Zealand Herald.

Mobiles will carry health warning. The government is to issue leaflets to everyone buying mobile telephones warning that those under 16 should use them only for essential calls…From next month the leaflets will be handed out in shops selling mobile phones and may also be sent with bills to existing users. From next year new mobiles will also carry information on packaging showing how much radiation that model will emit. Sunday Times.

Mouse mats withdrawn over fungus fear. Greenpeace has recalled promotional mouse mats after it discovered they may contain a fungus from the Brazilian Amazon that could cause an allergic reaction. BBC.

Cyclists get scrotal trauma warning. Male mountain-bikers, who spend hours cycling over rough terrain are suffering a painful problem that could leave them at higher risk of testicular cancer, researchers have found. Indpendent.

Easy operation that signals end of heart swaps. Heart transplants could soon be history following a breakthrough by doctors who revived a patient's ailing cardiac muscle with cells taken from his thigh. Express.

Nightshifts linked to heart disease. People who work nightshifts as part of their job may be at greater risk of heart disease, say researchers. BBC.

Fatty diet helps cause breast cancer by killing nutrient, study shows. People who eat a lot of fat run a higher risk of breast cancer, a study shows. The best explanation for the disease, which claims 13,000 lives a year in Britain, is that a fatty Western diet depletes the breast tissue of an essential nutrient that protects against the disease. Independent.

Beware post-coital dehydration. Steamy sex sessions can lead to dehydration. That's the conclusion of a new study from Scotland's Aberdeen University, where researchers found only two-fifths of couples drink water after making love. Fox News.

Warning system needed for threat of catastrophe, Britain should help to set up an international early warning system for mega-disasters, such as giant volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves, Britain's geologists have told the Government. Such events could severely threaten the British Isles. Independent.

Curse of convenience food. The struggle to get into a milk carton or a packet of foil-wrapped ham can be dangerous as well as infuriating. More than one in three people say that they have been injured by so-called convenience foods, a survey says today. Telegraph.

Male orgasm 'fights' breast cancer. Men with a low sex drive are more likely to develop breast cancer, according to new research. The study reveals that the fewer orgasms a man has the greater his risk of being diagnosed with the disease. BBC.

Fatty hamburgers should be taxed to stop Britain's obesity levels reaching American proportions, a leading academic said yesterday. Telegraph. ButRed wine may balance a fatty meal. A glass or two of red wine could cancel out some of the ill-effects of a fatty meal, a recent study has found.

Mobile phones cut schoolgirl smoking? Mobile phones could be a surprise weapon in the health education campaign to cut smoking among young women. Doctors attending a conference this week in London heard "anecdotal evidence" that the upsurge of use of mobile phones among teenage girls was slowing the rate of increase in smoking. BBC.

Sun-lovers beware: sunscreens could be toxic. A chemical commonly used in sun lotions to protect against ultraviolet radiation kills animal cells, Norwegian scientists have discovered. And it may become more deadly after a few hours out in the sun. New Scientist.

Injuries among rugby union players have almost doubled since the sport turned professional in 1995, research shows. Ironically it is protective equipment that may largely be to blame. Express.

Chilling tale for icepack addicts. People who use a packet of frozen peas to bring down the swelling on a bruise or strain could be risking frostbite, say doctors. BBC.

Drug offers baby hope to cancer women. Women receiving cancer treatment could in future be given a drug to protect them from infertility. Express.

Trumpet players 'risk stroke'. Musicians who blow too hard into their trumpets or other wind instruments may be putting themselves at risk of stroke. BBC.