Magnetic Attraction to the Game of Golf
Golfers who drag their weary bones into the clubhouse after 18 holes of bogey golf might find their salvation in Florsheim’s new golf shoes. At least, that’s what Florsheim and their myriad health advisors and golf pros are saying. The company has released the first-ever golf shoes with magnets embedded in the sole. Magnet therapy, of course, is a big craze in sports medicine. Athletes, and some health professionals, claim that wearing magnets around your body (usually the ankles, knees or wrists) reduces pain, promotes healing and increases energy.
Florsheim’s “Magneforce” golf shoes supposedly increase a golfer’s energy and vitality by increasing circulation to the feet and legs. Golfers may not become so fatigued during a round. The slogan for the shoes is “The New Force in Golf.”
Magnet therapy, however, remains scientifically unproven. Scientists can’t find a mechanism by which magnets can change the way cells or nerves react. Nevertheless, some people think magnets can be cool. So, tee off. And may the force be with you.
Horrible Hand Hygiene Habits in Hospitals
Busy hands are . . . germy hands? A recent report on hand washing in hospitals found that only about 30% to 50% of health professionals comply with the guidelines on when and how to wash. The authors of the report, in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, note that even the spread of dangerous, antibiotic-resistant germs hasn’t motivated health professionals--who say they’re too busy to wash properly--to do a better job of washing hands.
Studies have found some interesting habits in hospitals. Health workers who are required to wear gloves don’t wash their hands as much. Doctors don’t wash as much as nurses and other workers. And--here’s the kicker--hand washing compliance is worse before high-risk procedures are performed and in intensive care units where very vulnerable patients are located.
Only slightly better than not washing at all, many health workers washed for an average of only eight to nine seconds. A minimum of 10 is usually required, and 30 seconds of washing with soap and water is considered the standard of hand hygiene. In addition to being too busy to perform proper wash time, health-care workers say they hate the dry skin that results from frequent washing. Not washing because of dry skin we can understand. But they can’t take an extra 10 seconds? Please!
Fishing for Eggs With PhD Potential
Couples in search of human eggs for in vitro fertilization have long placed ads in college newspapers to recruit healthy, young women for the job. But one couple may be taking their egg-finding quest a little too far. The couple recently posted a notice in several Ivy League papers advertising $50,000 in payment to a woman who would donate some of her eggs. The catch is that the student had to be athletic, 5-feet-10 and have an SAT score of at least 1400.
Given that the going price for eggs is around $2,500 to $5,000, the couple have been accused of contributing to price inflation--and some folks think the whole thing just smells rotten.
