Researchers have calculated that two employed people die each working day because of exposure to passive smoking at work (617 deaths a year). Those worst affected were in the hospitality industry (54 deaths a year). Nearly 11,000 more people die each year in the UK as a result of passive smoking at home, say the researchers in the BMJ (2005; 330: 812-815).
Echinacea is a popular herbal remedy for colds, but scientists say that research showing its effectiveness is flawed. Reviewers identified nine trials and evaluated them against 11 criteria for accuracy, chance and bias. Only two research trials met all the criteria and these were negative, they say in Clinical Infectious Diseases (2005; 40: 807-10).
A woman’s chances of giving birth to twins increases