SMOKING POT MAY NOT BE A CLEAR-HEADED DECISION

Q. I smoke pot sometimes and I have no desire to try any other drugs. Why do
people think that pot-smoking can lead to serious drug abuse?

A. Simple -- because it can and does. And it may for you, too, so be
careful.

A recent study of twins -- who often are studied because their shared
genetic background gives researchers an idea of how much of a problem is
inherited -- found that using any illicit drug, including marijuana,
increased your risk of using other drugs too.

But don't think that sticking just with pot means you're not seriously
abusing drugs. Pot is a drug too, and it can have serious side effects, like
causing damage to your DNA, the genetic material that makes up all your
cells. Damage to your DNA can ultimately lead to cancer, and damage to your
brain. And you probably know what that can do. In fact, if you think pot is
harmless, that damage may already be running its course.

(Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse)

Q. Is it dangerous to take creatine supplements? A couple of the guys on my
baseball team take them and I'd swear they bulked up and got better. I'd
like to improve my game, too.

A. Creatine got lots of press last summer when top slugger Mark McGwire
admitted he took the supplement for strength and endurance. He's quite a
poster boy for this supplement, which, unlike many others, actually does
what it claims to do.

Studies show that creatine supplementation can enhance performance,
especially related to strength and endurance. It can bulk you up, too. And
there seem to be no short-term side effects.

But there's a problem: The supplements haven't been studied much. No one
really knows if there are any long-term effects. So talk to your doctor
first and have yourself monitored to make sure you're not putting yourself
in harm's way just to hit a few more balls out of the park.

(Source: Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise)

BOD BONUS: Suicide rates have risen dramatically among black Americans.
Between 1980 and 1995, suicide rates doubled among young blacks between the
ages of 10 and 19. In the past, whites committed suicide about 2 1/2 times
more often than blacks, but by 1995 the rate for whites was only 42 percent
greater.

(Source: Pediatric News).

Eileen Nechas and Denise Foley are health columnists and authors of four
health books. E-mail health questions to them at bodsquadQ@aol.com or write
Bodsquad, P.O. Box 132, Oreland, PA 19075.