The AnswerBank Articles

Do we work too hard

...Sporty asked:A. Yes - and that's official. New research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development discovered that Britain has an average working week of 43.6 hours, the longest in the01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

How does smell help us to choose who we marry

A. We're talking pheromones here. They are odours given off by animals and humans to affect the behaviour of others. It's generally believed that humans use them, subconsciously, to trigger sexual01:00 Mon 05th Mar 2001

What is a doula

Su Smith asked: Q. What is a doula ... A. The word 'doula' comes from a Greek word, meaning a woman who is experienced in childbirth. Although she is not medically qualified, she has been trained01:00 Mon 05th Mar 2001

How safe is Zyban

By Merill Haseen Is Zyban really dangerous ...asks JohnJo, after reports last week that 18 people on the drug had died. What is Zyban Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride) is an anti-smoking drug. It01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

How long will I live

By Merill Haseen What are my chances (or my children's chances) of living to 100 ...asks Su Smith. Not wonderful, is the answer. Despite all the predictions, new research by Dr Jay Olshansky of the01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

What happens when you drink your own urine asked Max

By Meril Haseen Any negative effects from drinking your own urine ...asked Max. Apparently, you shouldn't drink your own wee unless you are a vegetarian or vegan who abstains from drugs (meat-eaters01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

Going to a place of worship makes you healthy!

By Merill Haseen GOING to church or other places of worship regularly may be going out of fashion, but it's very good for you physically, as well as spiritually. American scientists have looked at01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

Indepth answer to Ollie's call for a cold cure

By Merill Haseen IF YOU get two or more colds a year, it could be because your immune system is weak. So the best way to prevent having colds all winter long is to build up your immune system... Get01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

Indepth reply to Penguin's question about arnica

By Merill Haseen SOME complementary remedies have become everyday choices for family health, and arnica is fast becoming one of the best-known and most-used homeopathic remedies in the country. 01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

Mobile phone mast fury

By Merill Haseen A COUNCIL in England has started legal proceedings against Orange, because the mobile phone company refused to remove a mobile phone mast from the grounds of a school. Orange placed01:00 Mon 12th Feb 2001

Alarming increase in food poisoning

By Merill Haseen A MAJOR new survey by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) showed that up to five million people in this country are hit by food poisoning every year. Until now, the official number of01:00 Mon 12th Feb 2001

Bog myrtle gets updated

By Merill Haseen YOU'D expect discoveries of ancient healing plants to come from the deepest Amazon or a mountain top in the Himalayas. Bog myrtle, however, which grows only in raised peaty wetlands01:00 Mon 12th Feb 2001

Big babies are brainier

By Merill Haseen IT SEEMS that brains are something you're born with, after all. New research shows that the bigger the baby when it's born, the brainier it is likely to be. Four thousand people who01:00 Mon 05th Feb 2001

British men are the cleanest in Europe

By Merill Haseen BEAUTY consultants are rubbing their well-moisturised hands with glee - the interest in male grooming is at an all-time high. A new study by Datamonitor shows that British men are01:00 Mon 05th Feb 2001

Going up in smoke

By Merill Haseen THE AMOUNT of tobacco smoked in this country has risen for the first time in 25 years. Trade figures show that 107.6 billion cigarettes were smoked last year - that's 6.6 billion01:00 Mon 05th Feb 2001

The best and worst body and soul questions

By Merill Haseen IT'S BEEN an interesting week for questions on Body & Soul. They split neatly into two - the very medical and the really alternative. Starting with the really alternative,01:00 Mon 29th Jan 2001

MMR controversy

By Merill Haseen THE MMR controversy has reared up again. Dr Andrew Wakefield, a consultant in gastroenterology at the Royal Free Hospital in north London, claims that he has identified nearly 17001:00 Mon 29th Jan 2001

The secret in a smile

By Merill Haseen A SMILE can be the key to your future happiness, according to a new US study. Researchers studied photographs of 21-year-old women and were able to predict their success in life for01:00 Mon 29th Jan 2001

Asthma and overweight children

By Merill Haseen A NEW study shows that children have a higher risk of getting asthma if they are overweight. Scientists from King's College, London, studied 15,000 children, aged between four and01:00 Mon 22nd Jan 2001

Economy class syndrome

By Merill Haseen DEEP vein thrombosis (DVT), also known as 'Economy Class Syndrome' can strike anyone who is immobile for long periods of time. It's caused by a blood clot which forms in the leg,01:00 Mon 22nd Jan 2001