Can You 'Wash' Away Your Sins?

Sept. 8, 2006 <p> -- WASHING AWAY OUR SINS? Do people really feel "dirty" after sinning and feel morally "clean" after washing their hands? Two new studies in the journal Science suggest that yes, washing one's hands may also give the feeling of washing away sins or cleansing a dirty conscience.

In one study, scientists at Northwestern University asked volunteers to think about either ethical or unethical deeds before participating in some simple experiments. They found that the people thinking about dirty deeds were more likely to interpret W_ _ H as "wash" and to choose an antiseptic wipe over a pencil as a free gift.

While thinking about bad deeds made students feel dirty, the reverse was also true: Feeling dirty made students feel bad. A second study at the University of Toronto had people think about an unethical thing they had done in the past, and then let only some of the subjects wash their hands. Those that were unable to "wash their sins away" were then more likely to help another student in need. The researchers said it was as if they were trying to behave morally in an effort to get physically clean.

CAN PATIENTS IN A VEGETATIVE STATE STILL HEAR? The case of Terri Schiavo has reignited the debate about what is going on in the mind of a person who is in a persistent vegetative state. Unlike people in comas, people in PVS are thought to be essentially oblivious to the outside world with no hope of awakening.

But now provocative research in the journal Science suggests that the brain may still be able to respond to the human voice. Doctors in Belgium scanned the brain of a female patient in PVS while asking her to do things like imagine she was playing tennis.

Her brain responses matched the patterns of normal people's brains when they were asked to imagine the same thing, suggesting the PVS patient may be "conscious" on some level. A related editorial points out though that this patient is likely not typical and that it's important not to generalize this finding to all patients in vegetative states.

HELP FOR PREMATURE EJACULATION A test of more than 2,600 men with premature ejaculation issues finds a drug called dapoxetine could provide some help. Researchers at the University of Minnesota report that when the men took the drug one hour to two hours before sexual activity, they experienced a threefold to fourfold increase in performance time -- about one to two additional minutes. The report, in the British medical journal Lancet, says the men also felt they had more control over ejaculation, and both they and their partners reported better satisfaction.

The drug, which is currently under review by the FDA, is a new type of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors -- or SSRI -- a class of drugs that includes Prozac and Paxil. The researchers say that the drug is not expected to have antidepressant effects like its cousins. If approved, it would be the first medical treatment for premature ejaculation.

AMERICANS UNDER THE INFLUENCE SAMHSA -- the U.S. government's Substance Abuse and Metal Health Services Administration -- announced today the latest stats from its yearly United States drug/alcohol survey.

Illegal drug use has continued to drop in kids ages 12 to 17, down to just 9.9 percent in 2005. Drinking alcohol is also down in this group, but more than one-fifth of all adults and kids over 12 say they had binged with five or more drinks at least once in 2005.

SAMHSA officials say there is a fundamental shift in American teens. "They are getting the message that using drugs limits their future." Baby boomers are perhaps not as concerned about their future: Illicit drug use is up in adults age 50 to 59, from 2.7 in 2002 to 4.4 percent in 2005.

KIDS LIKE FREE FRUIT A simple school nutrition program in Mississippi finds that the way to a kid's health is through their wallet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that offering free fruits and vegetables to fifth, eighth and 10th graders could increase the amounts of fruits and veggies the kids ate -- and said they liked!

STAT is a brief look at the latest medical research. This version was compiled by Amy Malick, who works in the ABC News Medical Unit, evaluating medical studies, abstracts and news releases and holds a master's degree in medicine and a PhD in neurobiology.