Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment and more... | Newsweek.com

HEADLINE HEADLINE HEADLINE

RSS
SPONSORED BY

Author


Kate Dailey

    Categories





    Links

    Featured Postings

    Is Motherhood Keeping Good Scientists Down? How to Fix Research's "Mommy Gap"

    11:01 AM, November 19, 2009 | Comments (26)
    by Jeneen Interlandi Since Lawrence Summers’s ill-considered remarks at a 2005 economics conference (he blamed the lack of tenured female scientists on their biologically inferior intelligence and aptitude; he was president of Harvard University at the...

    There Is No Such Thing As Female Viagra: Flibanserin Can't Change Why Some Women Don't Want Sex

    10:42 AM, November 18, 2009 | Comments (5)

    The Real Problem With Mammograms: They're Too Good at Finding Things We Don't Understand

    5:32 PM, November 17, 2009 | Comments (8)

    Archives

    See All from June
    Previous
    June 2009
    Next
    Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
     123456
    78910111213
    14151617181920
    21222324252627
    282930    
           

    • The Science of Sit-ups: Video Edition!

      Kate Dailey | Jun 17, 2009 03:02 PM

      Last week, we interviewed Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, in a piece about the dangers of sit-ups and crunches.

      McGill, author of Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance (Stuart McGill, 2004) was kind enough send us a video demonstrating a better way to work your abs—including a modified move, called the "McGill crunch" by school children all over Canada. Take a look and adjust your workouts accordingly. For more information, visit McGill's site, backfitpro.com

       
      Tag(s): ,
      Comments (1) | Blog Tools

    • Good News About Birth Control

      Kate Dailey | Jun 17, 2009 11:09 AM
      The withdrawal method of birth control—otherwise known as “pulling out,” or the more desperate “pull and pray”—is often seen as a last-ditch, almost comical measure to prevent pregnancy. In terms of both effectiveness and sexual sophistication, it’s seen as just a rung or two above douching with Coke (which, seriously—according to every single pregnancy myth website, cola-as-contraception is some kind of epidemic. Does it really happen?). However, the stats don’t support this dismissive attitude to the withdrawal method. “We’ve been recommending it to clients if they don’t have any other access to birth control handy,” says Yvonne Piper, director of San Francisco Sex Information.

      The effectiveness rate for pregnancy prevention using the withdrawal method is about 96 percent. Condoms, on the other hand, are about 98 percent. (That’s when both are used perfectly. Otherwise, the success rate for both withdrawal and condoms can drop as low as 76 and 79 percent, respectively). These stats aren’t new; several studies in the early 2000s established the efficacy of withdrawal. But according to a new study from the Guttmacher Institute, otherwise young, smart, sexually savvy Americans still think of it as a shameful and foolish way to prevent pregnancies.

      It’s easy to see why this and other myths and misconceptions about birth control abound: the stakes are a lot higher than with other types of health care.  Taking an antibiotic at the wrong time might result in a little nausea, while failing to follow directions when using birth control can result in an actual birth (and a solid 18 to 24 years of hardcore parental responsibility.) While it pays to be cautious, being paranoid can take the fun out of what we’ve heard is a very pleasurable activity. So we uncovered six other birth control facts that will help you stop worrying while still staying safe. More information after the jump.
       More
      Tag(s): , ,
      Comments (13) | Blog Tools
    • Advertisement

    • The Consult: Is Obesity a Disorder, and Other News From Around The Web.

      Kate Dailey | Jun 17, 2009 07:17 AM

      Is obesity a disability? Advocacy groups want to classify obesity as a disability; doctors think it will prevent them from discussing obesity with their patients. At the same time, overweight patients often find that, like women in menopause, their size becomes a blinding factor to any other potential medical problem. Knee problems? Lose weight. Chest pain? Lose weight. Bleeding from the eyeballs? Lose weight. There's got to be a happy medium... (MSNBC) 

      Failing the Smell Test Popular over-the-counter cold reliever Zicam may ruin your sense of smell. The FDA warned that 130 people had reported temporary or permanent damage to their sense of smell attributed to Zicam use. Good news, bad news, all: the bad news is that there's really nothing out there to treat a cold. It's something you just have to suffer through. Good news: I just saved you a lot of money on useless OTC meds, and am giving you full permission to eat some ice cream instead.  (US News)

      Are cupcakes evil? Via Gawker, a story of a woman determined to keep junk food out of her children's sticky (with carob chips, we assume) little hands by any means necessary. Also, she thinks Santa is fat. Is she a visionary, a helicopter parent, or just kind of a pain in the neck? And don't parents have the right to control their kid's diet and nutrition, even if the general consensus is that a slice of birthday cake now and then won't kill you? (Gawker)

      Morning Video Transition: While you're waiting for the coffee to kick in, check out this video of a teenager with a movement disorder that caused uncontrollable twitching, both before and after brain surgery. (Mayo Clinic)
      Tag(s):
      Comments (0) | Blog Tools