| Wetting Her Appetite
New year-end columns on the top Human Nature stories and privacy threats of 2007. (For discussions of the latest topics, check out the Human Nature Fray.) Nearly half the doctors in a survey admitted to using placebos. These are pills that have no proven benefit relevant to your problem, but they might make you feel better just because you think they'll help. Sample: 231 Chicago internists. Results: 1) 45 percent said they've used placebos. 2) 96 percent said "placebos can have therapeutic effects." 3) "Most believe in the mind–body connection." Ancient doctor's attitude: I can't explain why this drug would help you, but it will. Modern doctor's attitude: I can't explain why this drug would help you, so it won't. New doctor's attitude: I can't explain why this drug would help you, but it will.
'It's just a family secret'
Threats, shame and fear of rejection keep them from telling. As time goes on, it gets even harder to share their secret, because they have waited so long, they think no one will believe them.And even when child victims of sexual abuse do tell what has or still is happening to them, prosecutors can face a difficult time getting a conviction, especially when the offender is a member of the child’s family."By their very nature, these cases are very secretive," Washington County Prosecutor John Rupp explained. "The offenses are done at home or where the perpetrator can isolate the victim. The victim almost always knows it is wrong, but they don’t always know it is a crime or is illegal."It is just a family secret."The majority of Washington County child sex abuse or Internet pornography cases in 2007 involved the boyfriend of the victim’s mother or the victim’s stepfather, Rupp explained.
Orthorexia: When good diets go bad
Click the "Get the story in iPod format" button above. You'll be prompted to save a file. Save it to your computer, and unzip it. It should create a folder called "The University Daily Kansan". Connect your iPod to your computer and mount it as an external drive. On Windows, it should appear in "My Computer." On a Mac, it should appear in your Finder. In that drive, open the "Notes" folder and drag the "The University Daily Kansan" folder into it. Note: Be careful not to overwrite anything you already have. How to view Turn on your iPod. Go to the main menu, and select "Extras," then "Notes," then "The University Daily Kansan". Note: The first time you do this, it might take a short while to load. Don't worry — that'll only happen the first time. Navigate through the information by using the scroll wheel and click button.
Industrial Solvent May Increase Risk for Parkinsonism
FRIDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to a common industrial solvent known as trichloroethylene may raise the risk for developing parkinsonism, a group of nervous system disorders with symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease, new research suggests. Although the study focused on people working close to a source of trichloroethylene (TCE), the solvent has been found in drinking water, surface water and soil near sites where it's used, the researchers noted. In the study, University of Kentucky researchers initially assessed three Parkinson's disease patients who'd been exposed to TCE at work for at least 25 years. Questionnaires were then sent to 134 of their factory co-workers. The researchers found that 14 former workers who worked close to the TCE source exhibited signs of parkinsonism.
New Genetic Link To Autism Discovered By Studying Speech
ScienceDaily (Jan. 11, 2008) UCLA scientists have used language onset -- the age when a child speaks his first word -- as a tool for identifying a new gene linked to autism. The team also discovered that the gene is most active in brain regions involved with language and thought. Interestingly, evidence for the genetic link came from the DNA of families with autistic boys, not those with autistic girls. .
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