You may be seeing more patients with a long-ignored but serious problem: unconsummated marriage. The topic was presented at WONCA 2001, the conference of the World Organization of Family Doctors, reports Family Practice News. Treatment centers are disappearing because of the cost and usual length of sexual dysfunction therapy, according to the director of a clinic at Loyola University. But don't think that specialized clinics are the only places prepared to help couples deal with this knotty problem. The clinic director points out that because family physicians know their patients over long periods, they have a distinct advantage in counseling these couples.

Here's some food for thought. A survey described in Physician's Money Digest shows that a person's eating habits determine how and where they spend their vacations. The survey of more than 1,200 travelers found that those with large appetites are more likely to seek comfort in familiar and popular vacation spots close to home. Travelers wanting to maintain their figures are more likely to be spotted relaxing at a beach or spa. However, no matter the appetite, Italy pleases all travelers.

A study reported in Neurology shows that patients with Parkinson's disease who use alternative treatments such as vitamins and acupuncture are more likely to be younger and more educated, and to have higher incomes than patients who don't use them. Of the 201 patients interviewed for the study, 40 percent made use of alternative treatments. However, 58 percent of those choosing alternative treatments for Parkinson's disease did not consult their physician before using the alternative treatment.

Cleanliness is close to…success? A study conducted by University of Michigan researchers and recently reported in Psychology Today finds that children who grow up in clean homes complete more years of school and earn more money as adults than those raised in dirty homes. Between 1968 and 1972, researchers evaluated the cleanliness of 5,000 households. Twenty-five years later they interviewed the adults who had been raised in them. While it's true that those who grew up in clean homes completed more education and earn more money today, researchers urge caution when interpreting the results. Cleanliness alone doesn't predict success but is evidence of the merit of good clean values like organization and efficiency.

Researchers may be far from understanding the long-term effects of stimulant drugs like methamphetamine on the brain. But teenagers who use this drug at rave parties and their parents may want to take note of a study published in a recent issue of NeuroReport. University of Cambridge researchers in the United Kingdom exposed methamphetamine-drugged mice and non-drugged mice to silence or one of three types of sound: “white noise,” Bach's violin concerto in A minor, or music from The Prodigy, a group popular at raves. They found that mice exposed to the rave music/meth combination exhibited long-lasting repetitive movement, increased frequency of seizures, and signs of neurotoxicity up to five weeks after exposure.