Health Highlights: Jan. 22, 2010
Sept. 17 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Regular Sex Benefits Men's Hearts: Study
Having sex at least twice a week can reduce a man's risk of serious heart disease by almost half, says a new study.
It included more than 1,000 men, aged 40 to 70, who had no history of heart disease and were followed for 16 years. Men who had sex twice a week were as much as 45 percent less likely to develop serious heart conditions than men who had sex less than once a month, CBS News reported.
The study appears in the American Journal of Cardiology. Women weren't part of the study, but experts believe the findings would be true for them too.
Sex could help heart health through its physical and emotional effects, said the researchers, CBS News reported. Sex can be good exercise and men who have regular sex are more likely to be in a healthy relationship that reduces stress and provides them with social support.
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No Medical Marijuana Limits: California Supreme Court
A California law that imposed limits on the amount of medical marijuana a patient can legally possess was overturned Thursday by the California Supreme Court.
In 1996, voters approved a measure to allow patients with a doctor's recommendation to possess an unspecified amount of marijuana. But in 2003, state lawmakers limited that amount to 8 ounces of dried marijuana, the Associated Press reported.
In its ruling, the court said only voters can alter amendments they've added to the state's constitution through the initiative process.
In related news, the Washington state Supreme Court ruled that police can arrest a patient or search a home even if a patient has a doctor's permission to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. In the ruling, the court upheld the conviction of a man who had a doctor's authorization and was arrested with 2 pounds of marijuana.
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