n I enjoyed Tami Swartz’s article on healthy sex promoting well-being (“Fornication Furthers Fitness” page 5, Oct. 15) but found it ironic that the photo that accompanied the piece was of St. John’s Wort, which can render oral contraceptives, which are normally over 99 percent effective, virtually 100 percent ineffective! The piece briefly mentions the risks of STDs, AIDS and pregnancy, but I would have liked to have seen the article focus not just on the benefits of sex, but of safe sex. Not enough people are informed about drug interactions (like St. John’s Wort), STDs that can be contracted even when using condoms, such as HPV, and new and rarely used forms of contraception such as the female condom and IUDs, respectively. I encourage Ms. Swartz and the rest of the Free Press staff to take responsibility in their writing by digging deeper into issues such as these. When it comes to our health, we don’t just want a story, we want the whole story.

Julie Otis MET ’07