Durian, the fruit that has the distinct reputation for its "bad smell but heavenly taste" (for some people) has been bantered around as one that increases sexual libido. There is no scientific evidence Durian is an aphrodisiac. If anything at all, the smell alone might turn off some lovers, or excite those who love its taste.

Yes, most definitely. A cup or two of regular coffee can raise the blood pressure even among those not predisposed to hypertension. For those who suffer from high blood pressure, drinking coffee, even only a cup a day, makes the blood pressure shoot up for at least four hours. There are studies that report "coffee helps reduce the risk of developing Diabetes type 2 and Alzheimer’s disease."

Yes, more specifically red wine. It is not the alcohol in it that is good for our heart. The ingredient in red wine called Resveratrol has been found to be cardio-protective. This comes from the skin of the grapes used to make these red wines. Pinot Noir has the highest Resveratrol content among red wines. Somehow, white wine does not confer the same significant health benefit. Neither does beer nor most liquor, which do not contain this special ingredient.

Only complete abstinence from sexual activity and from needle sharing (especially among addicts) can guarantee protection from AIDS. The use of condom, in general and to a great extent, may lessen the transmission of AIDS, but this is not a guarantee. A significant number (about 2 percent) of condoms come from the factory, defective or with tiny holes, or weak spots. There are more than 17 million people in the world who are HIV-infected. Don’t be one of these statistics.

In a study on patients with mild to moderately high cholesterol levels, who were given 3 glasses of orange juice a day to drink for three months, the level of good cholesterol (called HDL, or High Density Lipoprotein) increased by an amazing 21 percent. The anti-cholesterol drugs available today lower the total cholesterol and the bad cholesterol (LDL, or Low Density Lipoprotein) but does not significantly increase HDL. So, this preliminary report on orange juice is certainly most welcome. The good effect of orange juice could be from the flavonoids it contains, a component of plants. Grapefruit is also an aid in cholesterol control. More extensive studies are needed to make any final scientific conclusions, but this initial data are very encouraging.

Yes, there are several medications that should not be taken with grapefruit or grapefruit juice. This fruit or its juice inhibit a group of enzymes in our body (CYP3A4), resulting in higher level of the medications getting out of our intestines into our blood stream and the entire body. So, this can lead to overdose. One glass of grapefruit juice can inactivate these enzymes for half a day to 36 hours. Some of the groups of medications thus affected include certain calcium channel blockers, hormones, chemotherapeutic agents, sedatives and tranquilizers, some cholesterol lowering drugs, some psychiatric drugs, antiarrythmic heart medication called Amiodarone. The most prudent thing to do if you are on any medications and love grapefruit or grapefruit juice is to discuss this with your physician.

Brushing our teeth after each meal is an excellent idea, but it is not enough. Using the toothpick is not enough and could even hurt the gums. Brushing does not remove all food trapped in between our teeth. While toothpick helps get rid of the bigger particles, the smaller pieces caught in between the tighter spaces between our teeth can only be removed by dental flossing. If not removed, the trapped food particles decay, much like a rotten piece of dead meat, causing severe halitosis (bad breath). Using mouthwash should also be a part of the daily routine because this kills germs that cause bad breath. Chewing gums (sugarless) helps.

No, it is healthy to take a shower daily (or more often as needed), but taking a shower or bath daily rubs our skin of the essential moisture it needs to stay healthy and comfortable. The best thing to do is to use skin moisturizer after each shower or bath and repeated two or more times thereafter. Moisturizers keep our skin soft, comfortable, healthy, and younger-looking. The same thing with lip moisturizers.

Yes, it is not only expensive but very dangerous. In our body, there are so called "good bacteria" which help in the normal metabolism and function of our body, and are thus essential to our health. The bacteria we want to kill with antibiotics are the "bad bacteria" that cause diseases. If we have an infection that is properly diagnosed by a physician, he/she will prescribe the specific antibiotic that is effective for a particular bug or groups of bugs causing the malady. Not all germs are killed by the same antibiotics. If one takes antibiotics indiscriminately, the "good bacteria" in our body will die and fungus infection will emerge, because the normal (protective) balance is disrupted. Also, if antibiotics are used often, the "bad bacteria" will get used to them and become resistance to the antibiotics, making them ineffective in fighting infection.

There is currently no scientific proof that using body (armpit) deodorant causes cancer. If the person is not allergic to it, using deodorant, especially by those with body odor, can prevent the social disaster of offending people around them.