European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 25, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Ble health practices increase ies a its to re from thus the Public attention to exercise May cause people to perceive a higher level of activity in the general population and thus tend to underrate their own amount of exercise in comparison. Men were More Likely than women to say they were More Active than their contemporaries and Whites reported exercising More than Blacks the study said. The study also found that 16 percent of americans were 30 recent or Mote Over their desirable body weight based on weight charts developed for life insurance purposes. While some health officials have questioned such charts they provided a comparison with a 1977 study when the same figures were used. By comparison about 14.5 percent of americans were 30 percent aver heir desirable weight in 1977. Young people were More Likely o be close to their desirable weight than older ones the study found and women were More Likely than men to be a the extremes either underweight or overweight. Tim to Tufty Alto looked at sleep and found an increase in the number of people who said they slept teas than six Hows daily. In 1983 some 24,3 percent fell in this category up irom about 21,6 percent in 1977, steeping habits were also related to income and education the report found with More Low income people steeping less than Sis hours and the share of people in this category declining with More years of education. There was a very slight change Between the two studies Rrt he frequency of eating breakfast. In 1983 some 27.1 percent said they never ate breakfast up from 26 percent in 1977. Women were More Likely to eat breakfast than men and the frequency of eating breakfast increased with age. The Agency reported a minor improvement in the likelihood of people to snack. Some 37 percent said thay snacked every Day in 1983, Down from 38 percent in 1977. Snacking is clearly related to age with about 40 percent of the youngest age groups reporting daily snacking and about 27 percent of the elderly aged 75 and Over reporting this practice the study concluded. The major improvement was in smoking where much emphasis has been placed in recent years. Declines in smoking prevalence Between 1977 and 1963 signify a Public health accomplishment the Agency said. Among people aged 20 and Over 32.4 percent of  office those surveyed reported being smokers in 1983, while 45.2 percent said they had never smoked and 22.5 percent had quit the Center found. That smoking Rale was 90 percent of the rate found in a 1977 study. Men were More Likely to smoke than women the study land. But men also had improved More since their rate was 87 percent of that found in 1977, while women were 92 percent As Likely. Declines in smoking were reported by All age groups except people aged 65 to 74, where the rate was identical to that e 1977, the study found Law income people making less than $7,000 a year increased their smoking slightly while All other income groups had a decline the report is based on the National health interview Survey which questioned 21.150 people aged 20 and Over about health practices during 1983 the results were then compared to a similar study made in 1977. Medicines May be dangerous a Bow by Rob Stein United press International group of natural medicines developed in the 1700s and still sold today in health food stores can be dangerous doctor 3 say the concoctions known As homeopathic medications can contain a variety of minerals and substances derived from plants including arsenic and strychnine that doctors say can be hazardous if taken in Large doses. It s widely believed to be a harmless innocuous Branch of Medicine said or. Harry Kerr of the medical College of Wisconsin. But these things can be  developed by or. Samuel Hanneman in the late 1700s, homeopathy is based on the idea that there is a curative effect of taking Smalt doses of a substance that in taken in Large doses could cause symptoms of whatever you Ore suffering from Kerr said. While largely abandoned by mainstream Medicine in the United states homeopathy is still practice in other countries and homeopathic medications Are still available and prescribed by some types of practitioners. In act the number of manufacturers of homeopathic medications in the United states increased from about is in 1980 to More than 55 today Kerr said. Kerr. Who believes such medications should be regulated wrote a letter to Tjie ate England journal of Medicine describing the Case of a 34-year-old Man who came to the Hospital Sumneng from pancreatitis an inflammation of the pancreas. The Man had been suffering from neck pain and Lack of Energy. He consulted a chiropractor who gave him 100 tablets of a homeopathic medication known As vhf regeneration tablets and told him to take two every 15 minutes. After taking 16 tablets Iho patient experienced severe stomach pain nausea and vomiting that continued Loi two Days until he went to the Hospital. He recovered alter receiving treatment. Tha company that makes the pills. Homeopathic industries of Albuquerque n.m., told Kerr that Many people who take Trie medication experience a Healing crisis that sometimes includes abdominal pain. Kerr said but Kerr said he believes the pills which contained 19 different ingredients caused his patient s pancreatitis which could have become site threatening. People die of pancreatitis that s a last said Keir. Since the ingredients in homeopathic medications Are usually in latin buyers Are unaware of what they Are taking he said. I Don t think most people Are aware of what s in these things Kerr said you go into a health food store and. They re labelled Lor bed wetting Lor asthma and so on you pick up the bottle and All you see is a Bunch in unintelligible ingredients the stars and strikes Page 15