Your Life

Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

BRIEFLY

@BI Label yourlife:HEALTH

Things to know

The Mississippi State Department of Health reports these studies:

n The Center for Science in the Public Interest has compiled 10 years of CDC data, listing eggs and tuna at the top for causes of outbreaks of food-borne illness.

n Children age 4 to 8 in car safety seats are 45 percent less likely to suffer a serious injury in an accident compared with children using a seat belt alone, a nine-year study of 6,500 car accidents reported in Pediatrics says.

n Adults treated for the skin disease shingles were at a 30 percent higher risk for stroke a year later, and at four times higher risk when shingles affected the area around the eyes, reports a study of 7,000 Taiwanese adults in the journal Stroke.

n An 18-year study finds men who consumed the highest amounts of whole grains were 19 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than men who consumed the least whole grains, as reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

TRIVIA

What day is it?

When you call long distance today, sing happy birthday to the 10 numbers you dial. On this date in 1951, the 10-Digit North American Numbering Plan was introduced to the U.S., Canada and Caribbean nations. It simplified the telephone process.

Actually, according to Chase’s Calendar of Events, AT&T and Bell Labs four years earlier devised the area code for 48 different areas, but the calls were still assisted by operators.

The 10-digit plan allowed for direct dialing.

TIPS

Don’t forget the rug

You might be surprised to know door mats have a role more important than appearance.

In “Who Knew?” Jeanne and Bruce Lubin say the investment in a good-quality entrance mat, both outside and inside your door, is well worth it. The mats can capture more than a pound of dirt per square foot, which would otherwise have been on your floors and carpets.

— Sun Herald