Your Health

By Janice M. Horowitz

Good News on Arsenic

Arsenic, the poison of choice in murder mysteries, may have a kinder, gentler role: treating cancer. A pilot study shows that when arsenic is given in low doses to patients with a rare form of leukemia known as APL, nearly all go into remission. The treatment has fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy.

Bad News on Alcohol

College-age kids have a new reason to lay off booze: research shows that in 21-to-24-year-olds, just two glasses of alcohol impairs the ability to learn significantly more than in adults just a few years older. Another new report suggests what causes some kids to start drinking: television. Perhaps because of the way drinking is portrayed on TV, kids who are glued to the tube--especially to music videos--are substantially more likely to become teenage drinkers.

Good News on Caffeine

More evidence that caffeine is the perfect drug: a study of healthy coffee drinkers shows that fairly large doses--three to four cups in one sitting--will not hurt your heart. Strong java can cause minor changes in heart rhythm, but they are entirely innocuous.

Bad News on Orange Juice

Looks as if unpasteurized orange juice is another no-no. A new report says at least 62 people were stricken with salmonella poisoning after drinking unpasteurized o.j. at Disney World. It has since stopped serving the stuff.

--By Janice M. Horowitz

Sources: New England Journal of Medicine; Alcoholism and Pediatrics; Journal of the American Medical Association