March 2009
from dailytelegraph:
KNOCKING back four beers a day doesn't just risk a serious beer gut - it could also be damaging your eyesight, a study of Australian men has found.
Research shows men in their 60s who drink alcohol heavily are about six times more likely to develop the most debilitating form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
About 15 per cent of Australians are affected by the disease - where sight fades in the centre of the visual field - and one per cent will have the advanced or end-stage form that eventually steals sight.
Smoking and genetics have been linked to the condition but Dr Elaine Chong from the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital decided to study the diet and eye health of almost 7000 people over a period of time to determine the contribution of alcohol.
"We found that higher levels of alcohol, more than four standard drinks a day, was associated with a three-fold increase in end-stage AMD in men," Dr Chong said.
Beer drinking, in particular, carried a six-fold increased risk. Quantities of wine and spirits drunk were too low to evaluate their risk.
The same link was not see in women, possibly because they were less likely to drink heavily, she said.
Explaining the trigger, Dr Chong said it was possible alcohol could increase oxidative stress to the retina.
"Alcohol is a neurotoxin so it is thought that high levels can actually cause retinal damage that might lead to the disease," she said.
An earlier study found rats fed alcohol in the lab were more likely to develop signs of end-stage AMD.
While the new findings, presented at an ophthalmology conference in Melbourne today, suggest drinking habits could be contributing, it may not be that clear cut.
"It might be that heavy drinkers were also more likely to smoke, which is a well-identified disease risk," Dr Chong said.
"But regardless, heavy alcohol intake is harmful so cutting back will always do you good."
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Drinking Beer can make you blind!
Court rules that having big boobs is not a medical condition
From bild.com:
A court in the German state of Hessen has ruled that insurance companies do not need to cover the cost of breast reduction surgery as having a large bust is not a medical problem. The decision means that insurers will only have to pay to correct breasts which are deformed.
The case was brought by a 38-year-old woman who suffered orthopaedic and physical problems due to the weight of her boobs. She had been advised by doctors to have breast reduction surgery.
But her insurance company didn’t see it as a necessity and therefore refused to cover the costs of the operation. It claimed she was suffering from back problems because she was overweight and that her physical discomforts would be reduced if she trimmed down weight and built some muscle up.
The court agreed with the insurance company and the big-breasted woman lost her case.
Two and a half years ago, the court in Hessen rejected the case of a woman who thought her breasts were too small. She wanted her medical insurance to cover a breast enlargement operation and claimed that she was physically harassed for her small boobs. The court declared then that small breasts are not an illness.
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Drug tainted boobs knock out robbed men
From news.com.au
UGANDA'S police warned male bar-goers to keep their noses clean after a probe found a gang of robbers had been using women with chloroform smeared on their chests to knock their victims unconscious.
"They apply this chemical to their chest. We have found victims in an unconscious state," Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) spokesman Fred Enanga said.
"You find the person stripped totally naked and everything is taken from him," he said.
"And the victim doesn't remember anything. He just remembers being in the act of romancing."
Mr Enanga, who explained that several types of heavy sedatives had been used, said he first came across the practice last year when an apprehended thief named Juliana Mukasa made a clean breast of the matter.
"She is a very dangerous lady," he said.
While early investigations suggest that the gang may consist of dozens of members, the source of the sedatives remains unknown.
"We don't know exactly how they get these materials," Mr Enanga said. "That is something that our investigations must crack."
He called on men, particularly travelling businessmen who tend to carry a lot of cash, to take caution.
"It's a serious situation and people have to be aware."
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