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19 Apr 2009 20:18

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U.S.: If you’re a smoker, you should get a piss test. Trust us.

  • Your urine may predict your lung cancer risk. Sort of like a drug test in reverse, there’s a chance that doctors will be able to predict the onset of lung cancer early thanks to your urine. Two chemicals, NNAL and cotinine, show up in higher levels for people with a high lung-cancer risk, and knowing this early can help doctors treat or prevent lung cancer before it becomes something life-threatening. It’ll take some time for the test to come on the market, but here’s a tip in advance – make sure you haven’t also been smoking pot when you get the test – doctors can tell that, too. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2009 15:07

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Offbeat: Nasal irrigation: Strange concept, good for your health

Pouring a teapot-like device into your nostrils sounds like a bizarre fetish, but really, it’s supposed to clear your sinuses. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2009 11:09

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Biz, Tech: Apple fans, have no fear: Steve Jobs still runs the Apple roost.

  • At least that’s what the Wall Street Journal says. Jobs, who took a medical leave in January (which immediately sent their stock tumbling initially), is apparently still running key parts of the company from home, even if he’s not so heavily focused on the day-to-day operations at the moment. He’s still on target for coming back in June, either way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2009 09:19

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Music: ShortFormBlog’s Saturday mixtape: Five songs we recommend

  • The L.A. band noise-rock HEALTH has managed to slowly expand its experimental roots into something palatable, as on stellar new single “Die Slow.”
  • Jay Reatard stinks live – he doesn’t really have stage presence – but he has solid individual songs, such as “See Saw” from last year’s “Matador Singles ’08.”
  • We really dig the noisy lo-fi electronica of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, especially when he covers Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia.”
  • Rough-’round-the-edges Psych-folkie Rodriguez, a Detroit native, became big without knowing it in South Africa thanks to “Sugar Man” and his 1970 album “Cold Fact.”
  • We’re big Dan Deacon fans here, and “Bromst” has yet to go off our musical radar. With songs like “Padding Ghost,” with its euphoric melodies, why would it?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Apr 2009 10:31

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Sports: Did Lance Armstrong delay his drug testing?

  • What happened? A drug tester went to get samples from the unretired Armstrong, but agreed to wait 20 minutes while he showered and while Armstrong’s assistant’s checked the tester’s background. source
  • What happened? A drug tester went to get samples from the unretired Armstrong, but agreed to wait 20 minutes while he showered and while Armstrong’s assistant’s checked the tester’s background.
  • No evasion, he says Armstrong (whose blood, urine and hair samples came out clean, by the way), denies being evasive, saying he simply wasn’t sure of the identity of the tester. It raised eyebrows, though. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Mar 2009 23:04

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U.S.: A million pounds of pistachios got recalled? That’s nuts!

We only used that headline now because we didn’t during the peanut butter saga. But really. Salmonella. Yikes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Mar 2009 10:01

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Tech, World: “Wii Fit” has the opposite effect for this guy who died

  • He was healthy. Very healthy, actually. He rode bikes, he played drums in a rock band, yet Tim Eves couldn’t handle the physical activity of the Nintendo Wii’s popular “Wii Fit.” The twentysomething Brit collapsed and died in front of his girlfriend and best friend. Yikes. :( source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

26 Mar 2009 10:34

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U.S.: Best way to stop the stem of STDs in men? Circumcision, doctors say.

  • All providers who care for pregnant women and infants have a responsibility to assure that mothers and fathers know that circumcision could help protect their sons.
  • Dr Judith Wasserheit • Researcher at the University of Washington, on the role that circumcision can play in protecting men from the most common sexually-transmitted diseases. You know, there are many jokes we could make here, but for your sake as well as ours, we’re not going to make them. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Mar 2009 09:50

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U.S.: The red meat: Eat too many burgers, you die sooner.

A new study says too much red meat is bad for you. Duh. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Mar 2009 21:04

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Biz: This fight between sweeteners is getting pretty bitter

  • Back in the ’80s, sugar found itself up against a new competitor, high fructose corn syrup. Sugar struggled for a while but has made a comeback. source
  • Recently, high fructose corn syrup has been getting much criticism in public for its possible ill health effects, which has helped sugar’s popularity. source
  • The corn industry has attempted to fight the bad buzz against its product with Web sites and commercials defending its sweetener of choice. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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