Your Health

By Janice M. Horowitz

Good News on Dental Visits

Before visiting the dentist, millions of Americans with heart-valve abnormalities take antibiotics to prevent a serious heart infection. That may be unnecessary. Research shows that the disease is extremely rare, striking only 2 out of a million, and that it occurs at the same rate among those who've had dental work and those who haven't.

Bad News on Smoking

Are college kids going up in smoke? An alarming report shows that smoking on campuses has shot up 28% since 1993. The habit is more widespread among whites than blacks or Asians and more prevalent at less academically competitive schools. But the older, the wiser: seniors are less likely than freshmen to indulge.

Good News on Hepatitis C

Taking their cue from AIDS research, doctors have discovered that a cocktail of drugs may be more effective than a single medication against hepatitis C. Until now interferon--injected three times a week--was the only treatment. But studies show that adding the antiviral pill ribavirin can more than double the odds of eradicating the liver disease. And for those who suffer a relapse, the combo increases the chances for a successful treatment fivefold.

Bad News on Breast Milk

Infants, hold your noses. Lactating moms who smoke seem to produce breast milk that tastes like, well, a dirty ashtray. One cigarette is enough to bring on the foul flavor--and it does so within half an hour of lighting up.

--By Janice M. Horowitz

Sources: New England Journal of Medicine; Journal of the American Medical Association; Annals of Internal Medicine; New England Journal of Medicine