Teachers are Hot for Viagra, Prayer Healing, and Test Tube Mommy: The ReportingonHealth Daily Briefing

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August 6, 2010

PRAYER: Is a new study on the apparent power of hands-on prayer to improve hearing and sight of disabled Africans really getting this much media attention? Say it ain't so! So far, the Los Angeles Times Booster Shots blogs offers the best context and caveats.

ORGAN DONORS: The OneLegacy site has an interesting roundup of the percentage of drivers in the most populous California counties who've signed up as organ donors. The high: San Diego County with 30.4 percent. The low: Los Angeles County with about 17.9 percent. (hat tip: California Watch's Christina Jewett)

TEST TUBE MOMMY: The world's first test-tube baby has her own (naturally conceived) baby. We're less amazed by the birth itself than that the mom, Boston Globe content producer Elizabeth Comeau, wrote a story about it before going into labor then updated it just after giving birth. Congrats!

TATTOOS: Maybe that rainbow-colored eagle tattoo covering your entire back wasn't such a great idea. A new meta-analysis shows that your risk of getting hepatitis C is directly related to how many tattoos you have. It's not just the needles but the ink that can pose health risks, University of British Columbia researchers found.  

VIAGRA: With all the pay and pension issues unionized teachers could fight about, you'd think that getting taxpayers to foot the bill for Viagra wouldn't be at the top of the wish list. Apparently, it is. (hat tip: ProPublica's Charles Ornstein)