Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Wed, Aug 12 1992 Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 04:31:16 EDT Message-ID: 08-12 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update Aug. 12, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SENIORS WHOOPING IT UP: Nearly four in 10 married couples over 60 are having sex at least once a week. A new report suggests they may be having more fun than their kids. Priest and writer Andrew M. Greeley found older people are more likely than other couples to report happy marriages, personal happiness and exciting lives. The older group is also most likely to say they "feel great joy after sex." OLDER COUPLES SHOWER TOGETHER: Couples over 60 are more likely than younger couples to feel comfortable with nudity and find their spouses attractive, according to a study. Also found: Older couples aren't beyond playfulness. A quarter like to undress their spouses; a third share showers. Author Andrew Greeley isn't surprised: "You have the empty nest and the privacy lets you turn it into a love nest." DETROIT NOT GOOD TO KIDS: Detroit leads U.S. cities in the proportion of poor children, with 46.6% of its 296,543 youngsters under 18 living in poverty, a study shows. The Children's Defense Fund said Tuesday more than one-fourth of children living in cities with populations of 100,000 or more were impoverished in 1989. "Widespread child poverty threatens children's health," says CDF's Marian Wright Edelman. STUDY SUPPORTS SMOKING BAN: Anything short of a complete smoking ban is not enough to protect non-smokers, shows a University of California at San Diego report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They analyzed a survey of 7,000 non-smoking workers and found 23% were exposed to smoke in sites where smoking was allowed in a restricted area; 51% were exposed in sites with no smoking restrictions. NEW ALZHEIMER'S DRUG: Parke-Davis is enrolling thousands of patients in a program to test an experimental drug for Alzheimer's disease. The program will provide the drug free for those who can't afford it. Patients and caregivers interested in the program should call 1-800-452-6463. FLUORIDATION EFFECT STUDIED: Drinking fluoridated tap water may increase the risk of hip fractures in people over 65. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined three Utah communities, two of which do not fluoridate their water. Older women were nearly 1 1:2 times more likely to suffer hip fractures in the area where water is fluoridated than their counterparts in the other two towns. WORKOUT TO COUNTRY HITS: Beer bellies may get some help from "Exercising With the Angel." That's the new workout video by Mary Jane Williams, affectionately known by hubby Hank Junior as "The Angel," due September 1. The 45-minute tape has Mary Jane working out to such Hank hits as "Give A Damn," "Angels Are Hard to Find" and "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." TEENS TALK ABOUT AIDS: Tempestt Bledsoe and Chad Lowe will talk to teens about AIDS in an upcoming syndicated special. "Understanding HIV: Does Teen America Know the Facts" is scheduled to air on local TV stations August 30 through September 13. LOW-FAT DIET IS WAY TO GO: Cornell University conducted an eating study for 22 weeks, the longest controlled study ever. Nutritionists found that people on low-fat diets lost weight even when they didn't try to restrict the calorie intake or limit the amount of food they ate. A diet low in fat will not cause hunger pangs, food cravings or lowered metabolism, nutritionists say. BUSIEST ORGAN TRANSPLANT CENTER: The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is the nation's busiest organ transplant center, with 736 transplants last year. Stadtlanders Pharmacy Lifetime Program reports UCLA is the second busiest center, with 406 transplants. The University of California, San Francisco, performed 347 transplants last year and Ohio State University performed 324 transplants. HEALTHCARE WORKERS MEET: Scientists, healthcare professionals and medical device manufacturers will discuss ways to prevent the infection of healthcare workers from contaminated medical devices at an upcoming conference in Washington. Sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies, it will be held Aug. 17-19 at the Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel. NEVER TOO LATE TO EXERCISE: According to the book, "How to Die Young at the Oldest Possible Age," by Dr. James Richards, it's never too late to start exercising. Richards, who started his exercise program at the age of 50, recommends the following guidelines: Get a medical exam and an OK from your doctor; begin with flexibility exercises and light walking; and gradually add strength exercises. Health Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM