GOOD HEALTH MAGAZINE : PULSE

IMPOTENT POTIONS

The search for the perfect aphrodisiac might best be described as ancient and elusive. Among the products most commonly--and erroneously--believed to be love potions: bee pollen, Vitamin E, zinc and alcohol. Don’t bet on any of them, warns the Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter.

SORE ‘N’ STIFF

Muscular soreness and stiffness don’t strike only weekend warriors. Regular exercisers who increase their workout intensity can react, too. Such effects are termed “delayed-onset muscle soreness,” start a day or two after the activity and can last a week or more, reports the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. Experts speculate the condition results from microscopic injury to muscle tissue but say it probably doesn’t lead to long-term damage. What to do? There’s little agreement. Some suggest laying off exercise for five to seven days. Others say “active” rest is even better and suggest repeating the activity that lead to the discomfort, but at a much lower level of intensity.

ANOTHER OLE FOR OLIVE OIL

First olive oil was touted for its cholesterol-lowering benefits. Now, New York State University researchers say this mono-unsaturated fat can also lower blood pressure. They interviewed nearly 5,000 people in Italy and found that olive oil users--those who said they didn’t use butter or saturated oils--had lower cholesterol levels and lower blood-pressure levels than did butter-eating subjects. A favorite olive oil usage: dipping bread in it instead of buttering it.

SLEEP STATS

Sound sleepers only think they sleep like a rock. A healthy sleeper moves anywhere from 40 to 60 times a night, the Better Sleep Council reports. Other snoozing statistics: Most people average 7.5 hours of sleep a night--in a lifetime, that’s an average of about 220,000 hours of sleep. And on any given day, about 15% of people surveyed will say they are drowsy.

‘C’ AS IN CAULIFLOWER

If you’re a veggie lover, consider cauliflower as an alternate Vitamin C source. A half cup of cooked cauliflower has more than half the recommended dietary allowance for Vitamin C--and a measly 15 calories--the Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter reports.

DIAL A DOC

So you need a board-certified doctor but you don’t know where to start? Try dialing 1-800-776-2378, a toll-free number operated by the American Board of Medical Specialties, which oversees 23 medical boards. It lists doctors who agree to pay for the service and covers major specialties but not sub-specialties. However, it’s a good place to start, the Edell Health Letter reports, since a recent study indicates that many doctors who list themselves in the Yellow Pages as board-certified are stretching the truth.

THE ‘VIDEOBESITY’ DANGER

You may be “video obese” even if you exercise, warns the University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter. Researchers from Alabama’s Auburn University correlated the television-viewing habits of 6,000 middle-aged men with their exercise habits and obesity levels. Even when exercise and other factors were taken into account, men who viewed at least three hours of TV daily had twice the obesity risk.

FORGING FRIENDSHIPS

Contrary to popular belief, many boys are as likely as girls to develop close friendships, say researchers Myron H. Dembo and Gerald P. Jones of the University of Southern California. Their study of more than 200 children found that boys with stereotypically macho self-images were not as likely to form close friendships as were boys who displayed a balance of stereotypically male and female traits. For the study, such traits as speaking softly and emphathizing were considered stereotypically female; traits such as wanting to win and being a good leader were considered stereotypically male.

EYE-TECH

The need for an eye-dropper may soon be old-hat. Scientists are developing mini-discs that are about a third the size of contact lenses and impregnated with an antibiotic. The discs are placed under the eyelids, where they release the drug at a predetermined rate.

TOXIC HOT LINE

Should you plant a garden after malathion spraying? Can your kid play on a lawn that’s just been de-fleaed? How long should a house treated for termites stay vacant? Consumers now have a toll-free source of help: the National Pesticide Telecommunications Network Hot Line: 1-800-858-PEST. The lines are always open.

FAST, FAST, FAST!

Feeling guilty about becoming a microwave maven? Not to worry. Microwave ovens conserve vitamins--especially Vitamin C and the B vitamins--better than conventional methods, reports the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. It’s the fast cooking that does the trick.

BRACE YOURSELF

Braces have outgrown their “kid stuff” image. Today, one of four orthodontic patients is an adult, reports the American Assn. of Orthodontists. Most commonly, adults are trying to correct protruding front teeth, gaps between teeth, crowded teeth and teeth in abnormal positions. For braced adults, the biggest inconvenience, some dentists say, is giving up certain foods such as chewing gum, caramels and peanut butter. Before treatment, experts suggest asking: How long will treatment last? What are the costs? Are fees payable monthly after a down payment?

A GOOD SNOOZE

Looking for a good sleep night after night? Then treat your mattress with a little respect, suggests the Better Sleep Council. Every few months turn your mattress over and turn it end-to-end to equalize wear and tear. Don’t let the kids jump on the bed. And if you need to store a mattress, don’t bend or fold it. Finally, don’t keep a mattress forever. Most people keep theirs for more than 11 years, but it’s best to pitch it at 10.

BEWARE OF THE BAY LEAF

A bay leaf can add zing to sauces and other dishes. But when swallowed, it can cause pain by perforating the intestine, warns the Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter. So after cooking, throw out the bay leaf and then dish up the chow.

TOP BANANAS

If your supply of bananas has gotten ahead of your appetite, store them in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process, suggests the Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter. The cold temperature kills cells in the banana’s skin and turns it black, but the fruit itself stays fresh for several days. If your appetite is ahead of your ripe banana supply, place the still-green bananas in a sealed paper bag to speed the ripening process.

PLEASE PASS THE LEAVES

It may sound yucky, but tobacco and soybean leaves are better sources of protein than egg whites, cheese and milk. That’s the word from scientists who have been experimenting with tobacco protein for several years. They have demonstrated that it can be whipped into meringue toppings or added to whipped or jellied foods. As the protein is extracted from the tobacco leaves, toxic materials are removed, according to Shuh J. Sheen, a University of Kentucky researcher studying tobacco and other plant proteins. Now scientists are studying the leaves of alfalfa, soybean and sugar beets, which, Shuh says, have no fat or cholesterol.

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT . . .

Hospitals may soon adapt a line from that credit-card commercial: Don’t leave home without . . . your patient card. The American Hospital Assn. reports that a growing number of hospitals now offer patient cards that resemble credit cards but that store insurance, medical, employment and personal data. Scanners at emergency rooms, admitting offices and outpatient clinics read the information and file it in the hospital’s computer. The cards save time, for both patients and hospital workers. The practice could become widespread. Last year, proponents met at the First World Conference on Patient Cards to discuss standardization and a worldwide network.

SCRATCH SUNLAMPS

Malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is more likely to develop in sunlamp users. Canadian doctors reached that conclusion after interviewing 1,200 people, half of whom had melanoma. The latter used sunlamps, some for as little as three hours’ total. The researchers say their study confirms the cancer risk of UV-A exposure--sunlamps give off two times as much UV-A as the sun.

EX-SMOKERS WHO BACKSLIDE

Ex-smokers who kick the habit often worry about relapse. In a Midwestern study of nearly 150 ex-smokers, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, researchers found that ex-smokers who backslide tend to abstain for a mean of 57 days. Another nine days usually go by before these backsliders took a second cigarette. And it took six weeks for most to return to daily smoking. The researchers say most ex-smokers don’t rapidly lose control, but rather slide back into the habit gradually. In the study, nearly half of all backsliders did so after drinking alcoholic beverages. In another study, also published in Addictive Behaviors, University of Minnesota researchers polled 567 women who quit smoking during pregnancy. Within a month of delivery, more than half were smoking again.

Sources for Pulse include the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, the Edell Health Letter, the Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Liberty Mutual Research Center, the California Dental Assn., the Better Sleep Council, the Journal of Community Psychology, the University of Southern California, the American Chemical Society, the National Assn. for Hearing and Speech Action, the Speech Foundation of America, Psychological Reports, Addictive Behaviors, the American Medical Assn., Pediatrics, UPI, The Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter, American Assn. of Orthodontists.

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