FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HEALTH

1

SEX FOR THE KOSHER SET

Kosher Sex opened last month in Tel Aviv. The owner says that in Judaism, sex is not meant only for procreation or recreation, but adding a healthy dose of intimacy and spirituality. One thing undeniably oldschool about Kosher Sex? It closes before sundown Fridays and does not open Saturdays in observance of the Sabbath.

2

SEX AND HICCUPS

The patient with the longest recorded case of hiccups was Charles Osborne of Iowa, who hiccuped for 68 years straight. An irritation anywhere along the hiccup reflex circuit, extending from the brain stem to the stomach, intestines, spleen, liver, lungs and kidneys, can cause hiccups. Remedies include having someone scare you, swallowing dry bread or peanut butter, sucking on a lemon wedge, making yourself gag, or pressing on your eyes.

One study, awarded the Ig Nobel Prize, reported hiccups stopping following digital rectal massage, and another study suggests orgasm. Extreme cases may need sedatives.

3

KEEP WORKING OUT

Olympic-style weightlifting isn’t just about strength or power. It’s about speed, co-ordination, focus. Now 85, Marcel Perron worked for years as a nightclub bouncer — “a small bouncer ... I was not big, but I was fast.” Now he’s at the World Masters Weightlifting championships in Montreal, where nearly 800 men and women over 34 are competing. The title of grandmaster is determined by a formula that accounts for age and weight, making the 71kg man the one to beat after he clean-and-jerked 61 kilograms — equivalent to almost two

La-Z-Boy recliners.

4 ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM

QUIET STRESS?

“Quiet stress” is an often-overlooked form of the more widely known version. It creates a form of emotional paralysis; inaction

is as much an inappropriate response to stress as overreaction is. It suppresses the immune system and contributes to a range of illnesses. A study found that seeing stress as a helpful part of life’s challenges was associated with better health, emotional well-being and productivity. Going through stress can make it easier to face

each new challenge.

5

IT’S KINDA HAZY

Court-ordered anti-smoking ads sponsored by the tobacco industry reached only around 40 per cent of adults and about half of all smokers in the U.S., a study suggests. A nationally representative sample of 3,484

adults was conducted while the ads ran. Only 40.6 per cent recalled seeing the ads, while just 37 per cent of people aged 18-34, 35 per cent of those with no more than a high school diploma, and 38 per cent of those with household income under $35,000 a year reported having

seen any of the ads.