What Are You Thankful For........

little gratitude, please
It's Thanksgiving. Here are a few more blessings you might want to remember
Oct. 8, 2006. 01:00 AM

Dubble Bubble's upside

Chewing gum, either sugar-free or sugary, "causes us to salivate, and saliva has tremendously beneficial effects," says Dr. Matthew Messina, a dentist in Cleveland who is a consumer adviser for the American Dental Association. Saliva "is a buffering solution. It washes the teeth."

Coffee: It's not just for sobering up anymore

Drinking coffee could help protect against alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver, according to a study published in the June 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Consuming coffee seems to have some protective benefits against alcoholic cirrhosis, and the more coffee a person consumes the less risk they seem to have of being hospitalized or dying of alcoholic cirrhosis," said Arthur Klatsky, MD, the lead author of the study. "We did not see a similar protective association between coffee and non-alcoholic cirrhosis."

Tick, tick...

George W. Bush has completed almost three-quarters of his presidency.

Viva Castro!

A survey of Cubans over 100 years of age revealed that the majority of them consumed large quantities of coffee and cigars, drank alcohol and enjoyed regular sex. The results were announced at a workshop in Cuba this month.

It's safer to eat

Food poisoning caused by common pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella is at its lowest rate in the past 10 years, according to a report this month by the Centre for Disease Control.

Curry as cure-all

Indian curries contain large amounts of the active ingredient in aspirin and are as effective at fighting headaches and preventing colon cancer, according to a study conducted by the Rowett Research Institute and reported in the Times of London. Better yet, there are none of the side affects associated with aspirin, such as internal bleeding and ulcers.

Bad is good for you

According to a report in a recent issue Science magazine, many researchers believe that small doses of "stressors" such as poisons, radiation and heat can actually be good for you. The effect, called "hormesis," has been shown to extend longevity in yeast, fruit flies, protozoans, worms and rodents. If the findings extend to people, it could stretch the average healthy human lifespan to 90, says biologist Joan Smith-Sonneborn of the University of Wyoming, Laramie.

Money works

Money can buy happiness and even love, suggests a British study into lottery jackpot winners. Researchers at Nottingham University found that 97 per cent of 34 people surveyed were just as happy or happier after winning one million British pounds in the National Lottery. As well, more of the winners were married after winning than before, and none reported the money had led to relationship problems.

Ranch me!

Fat-free foods aren't always more nutritious. Vegetables need to be eaten with oil, butter or a creamy dip in order for their beneficial cancer-fighting nutrients (lycopene, alpha- and beta-carotenes) to be absorbed by the human body, according to a study published in July in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Laugh — and live

Laughter is as effective as aerobic exercise in the prevention of heart disease, according to a 2005 study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

People with heart disease responded with less humour to everyday life situations than those with a normal cardiovascular system, the study also said.

Funny news is better

You don't have to suffer through boring regular newscasts in order to get the news. A new study from Indiana University says The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is just as substantive as traditional news programs like World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News. Researchers, who focussed on the 2004 Democratic and Republican national conventions for the study, found that network news stories about the U.S. election were significantly shorter, on average, than Stewart's stories.

Giving religion a good name

The Amish in Pennsylvania set a new standard for Christians everywhere when they reacted with love and compassion instead of hatred and anger after the shooting of 10 girls at West Nickel Mines Amish School. The gunman's widow was invited to at least one funeral, and Amish leaders set up a fund for her and her three children.

Not such a bitter pill

Researchers in Madrid have shown that the active ingredient in marijuana may reduce inflammation associated with Alzheimer's and thus lessen the effects of the disease. A synthetic version of the compound was used. There is hope the cannabinoid can be used to develop new drug therapies.

A cut above

French doctors successfully removed a benign tumour from the arm of a patient in zero-gravity conditions last month, paving the way for surgery in space. Now you can safely get sick on the way to Mars.