Friday, September 13, 2024

12 THE WEEKEND STAR NEWS • September 13 - 15, 2024 @JamaicaStar www.facebook.com/JamaicaStar • www.jamaica-star.com Steamy Saturday nights Cuddling with dogs can reduce pain C ouples are most likely to have sex on a Saturday night. A sur- vey conducted by underwear company Pour Moi has re- vealed that couples around the world are most likely to get frisky at 10:09 p.m. on Saturdays – which was com- prehensively the preferred day for partners to romp. Pour Moi enlisted 2,000 adults from the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada for the survey, which found that over a third of respondents preferred to make love be- tween the late-night hours of 10 p.m. and midnight. Marina Nicoli, marketing manager at Pour Moi, said: “It is the weekend evenings that seem to be the most popular time for people to feel at their most relaxed and ready to enjoy time with their partner.” At the other end of the scale, Mondays were the least raunchiest day of the week, with 1:02 p.m. pin- pointed as the exact worst time for intimacy. Pour Moi said: “Any time before 6 p.m. is generally considered the least raun- chy time throughout the day, with the least sexy time of the week being revealed as 1:02 p.m. on Monday. “So if you’re partial to a lunchtime bedroom pit stop to kick the week off, you’re among the more unique cou- ples around the world.” B offins in Germany have discovered that the presence of a dog can minimise feelings of pain during recoveries from physical ordeals and is a more effective relief than having another human nearby. Two experiments carried out by experts at Germany’s Humboldt University involved more than 100 women placing their hands in icy water and found that the participants reported less pain in the company of dogs, compared to other people. Unsurprisingly, an even stronger reduction in pain was reported when the females were accompanied by their own pooches during the experiment. Experts have theorised that dogs offer “uncondi- tional” support for a person enduring pain, whereas humans tend to “socially judge” in such situations. The team said: “Participants accompanied by their dog reported less pain and showed lower physiological pain reactions, greater pain tolerance, and less intense facial displays of pain. “Pet dogs may help individuals to cope with painful situations, especially if the individual in pain generally feels affectionate towards dogs.” R esearchers have found that having a chuckle is just as effective as eye drops as a treatment for dry eye disease. Experts in the UK and China assessed the ef- fectiveness of laughter exercise in 283 people diagnosed with the disease — which causes red and itchy eyes — and found that those who underwent the treatment experienced less optical discomfort after an eight-week period. Laughing has been linked to a variety of health benefits, and experts think it could be prescribed as an alternative treatment for sufferers of dry eye disease. Scientists at Belfast University and Sun Yat- sen University wrote in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) : “ As a safe, environmentally friendly, and low-cost intervention, laughter exercise could serve as a first-line, home-based treatment for people with symptomatic dry eye disease and limited corneal staining.” Governor helps save man who choked during eating contest Laughter is the best medicine for dry eyes N ew Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu came to the aid of a contestant choking on a lob- ster roll at a seafood festival eating contest, using the Heimlich manoeuvre after the man sig- nalled for help. The contestant, Christian Moreno, recovered and resumed eating at the competition staged on Sunday. Moreno was one of six participants at the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival contest. They had 10 minutes to eat as many lobster rolls as they could. The New England sandwich is traditionally stuffed with lobster, celery and mayonnaise and served on a hot dog-style bun. “I’m shooting for at least 20,” Moreno, of Nashua, said in a video account before the contest started, saying he studied competitive eater Joey Chestnut of hot dog-contest eating fame. Moreno was at the end of a long table, close to where Sununu was watching on the side of the stage after speaking to the crowd a bit earlier. Standing, Moreno had downed about two lob- ster rolls when he started choking and tapped his chest, video showed. Sununu rushed out a short time later, put his arms around Moreno and started abdominal thrusts. He said he got in four or five compressions before first responders took over and assisted in dislodging the food. “I’m just glad I paid attention in my high school health class,” the Republican governor said in a statement on Monday.