Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Tue, Mar 10 1992 Date: Tue, 10 Mar 92 05:44:45 EST Message-ID: 03-10 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update March 10, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network WOMEN HAVE VERBAL ADVANTAGE: Evidence continues to amass that indicates women's advantage over men in verbal fluency may be linked to brain differences. The key could be the splenium, a thick rounded fold on the bridge of fibers connecting the two lobes of the brain. On average, women's are larger. Past studies have demonstrated that women overall have higher verbal fluency than men. (For more, see special Brain package below.) WEIGHT UP AFTER PREGNANACY: Women shouldn't expect to lose weight overnight after a pregnanacy. And contrary to common belief, breast-feeding probably won't speed up the process, says Dr. Charles Schauberger, obstetrician at Gundersen Clinic. Gundersen researchers found six months after birth those who put on between 25 and 35 pounds weighed 3.5 pounds more than at their first doctor's visit. SOME WOMEN KEEP ON 11 POUNDS: Gundersen Clinic researchers followed 795 women from their first prenatal visit until six months post-partum. Findings, in the March Obstetrics & Gynecology, show that six months after the baby's birth women who gained less than 25 pounds during pregnancy weighed 2.6 pounds less than they did at their first prenatal visit. Women who gained more than 35 pounds were carrying an extra 11 pounds. SINGLEHOOD TIME TO DEVELOP SELF: Singlehood is a "time to work on self knowledge, self development and self worth," says Harville Hendrix, author of the new "Keeping the Love You Find: A Guide for Singles." The wrong thing to do is "Rush through singleness to find somebody." Singlehood is the time for a person to get to know him or her self, Hendrix says. AMA ATTACKS OLD JOE: Poor Old Joe is getting more heat. Surgeon General Antonia Novello and the American Medical Association Monday demanded Camel cigarettes fire the cartoon character because it appeals to kids. They urged retailers, publishers and billboard firms to reject Old Joe ads. Response from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.: "We reject the notion that advertising leads to initiation of smoking." SMOKING BAN PROPOSED: Michigan Gov. John Engler will propose a smoking ban for all state buildings in his health address Wednesday, the Lansing State Journal reported Monday. Engler is also expected to call for legislation to reduce smoking in schools and make it harder for minors to buy tobacco products. Almost one-third of the state's residents smoke. INCREASE IN AIDS FUNDING SOUGHT: AIDS care activists in California Monday proposed a $13.1 million state funding increase for AIDS education, early intervention and health care. Activists say AIDS funding has declined 46% in the last four years, even though there are more cases. FINANCING NOT CAUSE OF DELAY: President Bush says he has not delayed sending Congress a bill containing his health-care plan because he hasn't found a way to pay for it. Democrats have accused him of the tactic. "That's crazy," said Bush. The package includes $35 billion worth of tax breaks to help the poor and middle class pay for health insurance, Financing options have been unveiled, but one hasn't been choosen. GROUPS SUPPORT BREASTFEEDING: Hospitals around the world should do more to encourage breastfeeding, says the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Hospitals should tell mothers about breast-feeding benefits and teach them how to breast-feed. Infant formula manufacturers have agreed to stop supplying free or subsidized formula in developing countries by the end of 1992. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON BRAIN: SPLENIUM LINKED TO VERBAL: UCLA neuroscientist Melissa Hines tested 28 women's verbal ability and measured to what extent they used the left brain lobe for language. Then she took brain scans of them all. Findings show the higher their verbal fluency, the larger the splenium and the more they used both hemispheres of the brain. The splenium is a bridge that connects the two lobes of the brain. WOMEN USE BOTH HEMISPHERES: Women are more likely than men to use both hemispheres for verbal tasks. Scientists say this may be because women's larger "bridge" speeds contact between right and left brain and taps more brain power for verbal tasks. But this doesn't mean brain differences are either innate or unchangeable,. New evidence suggests brain structure can be changed by experiences, Hines says. REASON FOR DIFFERENCE NOT KNOWN: Hines says scientist at this point can only say verbal skills are regulated by a certain part of the brain. "How the sex differences got there, we don't know," Hines says. "We shouldn't overgeneralize, because there's considerable overlap between the sexes," she adds. "We're talking about averages, and it can't tell us how an individual man or woman will perform." (End of package.) Health Editor: Ed Kelleher. (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