A new study out of Germany's Max Planck Institute found that men who marry younger women tend to live longer. If a man marries a woman between 15 and 17 years his junior, his chances of dying early are cut by 1/5. The risk of premature death is reduced by 11 percent if he marries a woman seven to nine years younger. Interestingly, the study also found that men marrying older women are more likely to die early.

The study also suggests that women don't experience the same benefits of marrying a man either younger or older. Wives with husbands older or younger by between seven and nine years increase their chances of dying early by 20 percent. If the age difference is 15 to 17 years, this rises to 30 percent.

Researchers say that the figures for men could be the result of natural selection, and that only the healthiest, most successful older men are able to attract a younger mate.

While current statistics indicate that nearly one in nine women will get breast cancer at some point in their lives, a child getting breast cancer is virtually unheard of. However, in La Mirada, California, a 10-year-old girl is battling the disease and may be the youngest to have ever developed breast cancer.

Just last month, Hannah Powell-Auslam learned of her diagnosis. She told reporters that when she learned of her diagnosis, she wondered:

"'How could this happen? I'm ten.' I was really shocked."

Hannah discovered a lump, and doctors then did an ultrasound and discovered a tumor that spanned nearly two inches. She was diagnosed with secretory carcinoma, a slow-growing cancer.

At the age of ten, Hannah has a mastectomy. But now her doctor says that the cancer has spread to a lymph node, which will require more surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation, however, is out of the question because her breasts are still developing.

So far, Hannah has remained upbeat throughout the entire ordeal. She vows:

"I'm going to set an example. If there's something wrong with your body, you tell your parents."

Lawmakers in the Dominican Republic have voted to approve an amendment to their Constitution which would outlaw abortion. President Leonel Fernández initially proposed the measure, which has now passed 167 to 32.

Dominican Today reports:

"Despite the constant objections by feminist organizations, institutions and personalities who favor legalizing abortion in cases of incest, rape or when the pregnancy endangers a woman’s life, the Revisory Assembly Tuesday approved Executive Branch’s proposal 21, which states: “'The right to the life is inviolable from conception until death. The death penalty cannot be established, pronounced, nor applied, in any case'”

In addition to abolishing abortion, this law further reiterates the country's stance on the death penalty, which has been banned since 1924. The maximum penalty for a crime in the Dominican is 30 years in prison.

A new study out of Australian has found that a small portion of mushrooms every day may slash the risk of breast cancer by two-thirds. Researchers found that women who at about 1/3 of an ounce of fresh mushrooms daily were 64 percent less likely to develop a fatal tumor.

Dried mushrooms were found to have a slightly less protective effect, and reduced risk by around half.

Researchers at the University of Western Australia in Perth came to these conclusions after analyzing the eating habits of more than 2,000 women in China. Half of them suffered from breast cancer. They concluded that “Higher intake of mushrooms decreased cancer risk in both pre- and post-menopausal Chinese women.”

Some evidence suggests that mushrooms behave in a similar way to breast cancer drugs which are called aromatase inhibitors and block the body's production of oestogen, a cancer-feeding hormone.

Another recent study also showed that mushrooms may help significantly with weight loss. Researchers found that trading meat for fungus in four meals a week as a part of a balanced diet saw people shed an average of 12.7lbs. in just five weeks.

Hospital Is Using Popular Video Service to Promote Health and Wellness

The Cleveland Clinic has announced that they will be offering free weekly health tips via YouTube. The first video released is on walking for good health. The press release stated:

"Cleveland Clinic is committed to offering patients the most up-to-date information available, and the advent of video sharing sites makes this even more possible," said C. Martin Harris, M.D., Chief Information Officer, Cleveland Clinic. "Internet users can view videos 24 hours a day, and they have the opportunity to share these videos with their friends and family."

You can subscribe to world famous health care provider's videos at the following link http://www.youtube.com/clevelandclinic/.

Here is the an example of one of their free videos that they offering:

Cleveland will once again host the annual 3 day Breast Cancer 3-Day, a three-day, 60-mile walk this summer. This year the event will be in town from July 31-August 2nd. Fifteen cities will host the event which benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Last year, the event raised $100 million and since its start in 2003 has raised $400 million to help fight the disease that hits millions of women each year.

The 2009 Breast Cancer 3-Day series will take place in the following locations on the dates outlined below:

Agh, the benefits of having an influential area news website. Earlier this week, I was able to attend a great rock concert and an event that featured a number of music industry heavyweights. While those events might sound like a lot of fun, the most useful thing that came my way was an email from CVS which gave me the heads up to promote the drug store giving out flu shots at Cleveland area stores. After I wrote about the area stores who are offering the service, the good people at CVS offered a free flu shot at one of the stores and, considering I lived within walking distance to the store that was giving them out tonight, I decided to take them up on the offer. The pharmacist at the Berea CVS, Nancy Yates, was more than helpful to see that my needs were served in the store.

As the weather is beginning to turn and the holiday season gets ever so nearer, we are once again reminded of one of the perils of the season - the flu. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that all children between the ages of 6 months and 19-years-old, adults 50 and older, and those who work in the healthcare industry get an annual flu shot. If you do not fall into one of those categories, it still can't hurt to get one.

CVS offers flu shots without an appointment at more than 500 MinuteClinic locations and during flu shot clinic events in select CVS pharmacy stores nationwide. Consumers are encouraged to call 1-888-FLU-SHOT or go to www.cvs.com to view a list of flu shot clinics available.

Flu shots at CVS pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations are just $30 and may be covered by insurance.

Here's a list of upcoming flu shot clinic events in the greater Cleveland area:

November 4:

Mayfield Heights, 1451 Som Center Rd. (440) 937-4027 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

South Euclid, 4469 Mayfield Rd. (216) 382-6780. 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

November 5:

Berea, 212 West Bagley Rd. (440) 243-6676 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Mayfield Heights, 5901 Mayfield Rd. (440) 646-1555 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

The overall abortion rate in the United States is at its lowest level since 1974. The drop, however, has been much more dramatic for whites than for African-Americans and Latinas.

According to a report released Monday, in 2004 African-Americans had abortions at five times the rate of white women. Latinas were found to have had abortions at three times the rate of whites.

The New York-based research group known as the Guttmacher Institute analyzed 30 years worth of data since the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion.

Analyzing the data, researchers found that the disparity between races was partly reflected in varying pregnancy and childbearing patterns.

African-American women were found to have high rates of unintended pregnancy, with 70% compared to just 49% across all racial and ethnic groups. According to the report, about half of unintended pregnancies in the US end in abortion. Latinas were found to have higher pregnancy rates and higher birthrates than whites.

A list revealed Monday by the American Heart Association indicated that many Midwestern and Southern cities, including Cleveland, don't fair too well in terms of heart health for women. Meanwhile, the top heart healthiest places in the US for women were found to be in Minneapolis, Washington DC, and San Francisco.

The top ten most heart healthy US metropolitan areas for women were clearly dominated by western cities. The Midwest and South stood out as trouble spots, with Nashville, St. Louis and Detroit being named the least heart-friendly metro areas for women.

Dr. Jennifer Mieres, a spokeswoman for the AHA and director of nuclear cardiology at the New York University of Medicine, said, "It's fair to say that if you live in the least heart-healthy cities, there's a chance that you'll have a high (likelihood) of heart disease and stroke and may have a shortened lifespan."