Sir: It has been a bad month health wise. Dodgy, steamy weather and perpetually overcast skies have created a still environment that appears to be choc-a-bloc with germs. In office we are surrounded by coughing, wheezing, sneezing colleagues. At home, I have an ailing mother, maid and myself to tend to. Tired of taking, giving and most importantly paying for medication, some days ago I turned to my favourite medical practitioner for advice and enlightenment. Here is what I learnt from Doctor Google. People have been going about their business and social interactions all wrong all these years. They should never have listened to parents, teachers and management who said, a firm and friendly handshake was the best way to make a good impression on strangers and reiterate feelings of warmth towards old associates. The fuddy-duddies may have found support from studies conducted as recently as 2012 that reaffirmed the neurological and emotional benefits of a handshake but they definitely ignored its unhealthy aspects. New research says a handshake spreads germs faster than greased lightning. The duration of the greeting and the intensity matters too. A long or strong shake can do more damage than an insipid clasp, and heaven help you if your hand-holder has been pushing elevator buttons or using door handles and worse still, if he or she is a doctor. It is time to embrace the fist-bump. Twenty times more hygienic than a handshake, it must become everyone’s greeting of choice. Those who have been shunning spicy food to protect their stomachs have been doing their body and sex life a great disservice. Not only does capsaicin, the spicy chemical in chillies, activate cell receptors in the intestinal lining, thereby cutting the risk of developing a tumour, it also improves your blood circulation and stimulates your nerve endings. Marijuana is the talk of the town. At least medical marijuana is. Toronto got its first two medical marijuana clinics this summer. The facilities do not keep the stuff on its premises but are staffed with physicians who assess patients suffering from chronic pain or debilitating illnesses and prescribe the drug as necessary. In the US, Florida has already passed a limited access cannabis law while California is looking at legalising its cultivation and safe distribution. TANIYA SAIFUDDINKarachi