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I t's that old saying?  If you don't like something, wait, and it will change?  Oh, wait.  That's the weather, and Mark Twain. But today it now applies to diet soda.  Wasn't it about a month ago that reports came out that diet soda made you, if not, gain weight, then not be able to lose it?  I think I wrote about it.  As much as I hate to give Fox News the credit, they reported that last year.   NOW a study says that diet soda will help you lose weight .  What? According to newswise.com, a new clinical trial says yes, diet sodas do help us lose weight.   My head is spinning. Cbsnews.com notes that the results contradict a number of other recent studies that indicated drinking diet soda may actually cause a person to gain weight. The new study, published in Obesity ,  randomly assigned study participants to one of two groups: those who were allowed to drink diet beverages, such as diet sodas, teas and flavored ...

In the past, men faced a daunting challenge.  Lower your cholesterol and downgrade your risk of a heart attack or stroke.  Or see your sexual health diminish.  Life, or sex?  Tough choice. But a new study gives men hope.  According to newswise.com, they may no longer have to make the choice.   Statins, the very medication that slashes your cholesterol levels, and prevents sudden cardiac death, may also improve your health in the bedroom.  “Older men who have poor cardiovascular health, diabetes or metabolic syndrome often experience erectile dysfunction (ED) and the prevalence of these diseases is expected to increase,” the Web site quotes John B. Kostis, MD, professor of medicine, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the study’s principal investigator. “Our research indicates that statins not only improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack, but also improve erectile ...

Coffee's topped the hit list again.  Now it's as a memory prod.  According to newswise.com, " Regardless of the routine, the consumption of caffeine is the energy boost of choice for millions to wake up or stay up. Now, however, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University have found another use for the stimulant: memory enhancer." Scientists have found that caffeine has a positive effect on long-term memory in humans. The study showed that  caffeine enhances certain memories at least up to 24 hours after it is consumed. I don't know about you but for years, seemed like coffee was the devil's brew. It was bad for pregnant women and those wanting to be; it caused sleeplessness; it raised blood pressure and cholesterol, and could speed up your heart. It can make you jittery and cause dehydration. Yes, it can do all these things.   But in recent years it's now become the elixir of -- well everything.   "Even though fruits and vegetables are both...

This will come as a big surprise.  Hospitals offer tests patients don't really need. According to a story by Julie Appleby, hoping to attract patients and promote good will in the community, hospitals "are teaming up with medical-screening companies to promote tests they say might prevent deadly strokes or heart disease." But they're not just offering them to people who might become sick but to those without symptoms or other risk factors.  In other words, these tests are totally useless for many and could prove harmful.  In a lot of cases, they're being given just to make money. Appleby quotes a government panel that notes that these tests find "too few problems" when weighed against the drawbacks -- unnecessary CT or MRI scans, biopsies, sometimes even surgeries. And guess what else?  The tests increase healthcare costs. “A lot that ends up being found is clinically of no importance at all,” Steven Weinberger, executive vice president and chi...