"Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world." - Lily Tomlin

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A tidbit from 2004:

Veil could cut cancer risk, says doctor

RIYADH — Veiled women are protecting more than their modesty — they are also less prone to nose and throat cancers because their veils screen out viruses, a Canadian doctor was quoted yesterday as saying.

Professor Kamal Malaker said women in Saudi Arabia, many of whom wear a full face-covering veil, suffered a low rate of the Epstein Barr Virus which causes nasopharyngeal cancer.

“The hijab (veil) is a protection against upper respiratory tract infection,” the Saudi Gazette quoted Malaker as saying.

“In the kingdom, nasopharyngeal throat cancer ailment is very low among women as compared to men.”

“It is interesting how a very simple social custom can have a profound effect on a human’s life,” said Malaker, head of radiation oncology at King Abdul Aziz hospital in the kingdom.