The term "ura-waza" is defined in Kenkyusha's dictionary as "esoterics" or "tips." What confidential tips does Spa! (10/4) profess to convey to readers this time? Nothing less than inside secrets on health and beauty that your own doctor won't tell you. Perhaps because he's too embarrassed.

Let's take this example, from a post on the Internet by a high school girl.

"I'm a bit shy to say this, but I've found a diet that really works," says a post in one Weblog. "Thanks to this method, I lost two kilograms in two days!" she gushes. "And within a week, I'd found myself a boyfriend."

The technique, Spa! reports, is remarkably simple. First, run your fingers through your pubic hair. (The hair should be dry.) Then grab a fistful, and give it a vigorous tug. (Don't worry if a few hairs come out in the process.) This should be continued for one to two minutes.

And why would such a technique produce good results?

"Yanking on pubic hair promotes circulation around the genitals, causing release of pheromones," explains a person who goes by the name "Pheromone Bomber." "This puts a glow on the skin, and helps the muscles relax. But you shouldn't do it while in the bath, as your, er, parts might develop a chill if still wet. So please dry off first."

For males, another useful technique is to grip one's member by the fingernails while taking a whizz.

These and other techniques are introduced in Takashi Yasuda's book, "The Miracle Therapy of Ki" (Seishun Publishing).

Our reporter tells Spa! she promptly set about to give her short, not-so-curly ones a tug, and sure enough, when she weighed herself the next day she had lost one whole kilogram. Unfortunately, a day later she had put the weight back on.

Perhaps she should consider supplementing her hair-pulling regimen with the aspirin weight-loss technique. Gulping down painkillers, some say, will boost calorie consumption by 10 percent -- which means a person weighing, say, 60 kilograms can burn off an extra 180 kilocalories, the equivalent of swimming for half an hour.

The only problem, of course, is that aspirin can have side effects. Such as irritating the lining of the stomach. On the other hand, aspirin is believed to prevent hardening of the arteries, reduce LDL cholesterol, and stabilize blood pressure.

If you, uh, aspire to be a hunk with no shortage of spunk, then brewer's yeast, which is rich in zinc, is the supplement of choice. Spa! notes that the volume of semen produced by the male gonads, on the average from 2 to 3 grams per day, can be significantly boosted by ingesting 10 tablets of brewer's yeast after each meal.

The pseudonymous "Mr. X," an extra who provides the "dollar shot" in adult videos, swears by the stuff, going through three bottles of yeast a month.

"There's no clear explanation for this," he says. "But in addition to proteins and minerals, brewer's yeast contains large amounts of DNA and RNA. It's believed the body can easily convert these components into more sperm."

You can probably get the same results from consuming the hatchlings of fugu (blowfish), Spa! points out. But brewer's yeast is cheaper, as well as easier to come by.

Some of the other techniques Spa! introduces in the article include over-the-counter remedies for hangovers, stiff shoulders, normalizing low blood pressure, improving one's memory, making one's blood "thinner," i.e., "less sludgy."

But these cost money. If you can't afford them, or aren't willing to fork out the extra bread, then Spa! relays a method of improving one's resistance to infection, as suggested by an Austrian physician, F. Bischinger, in a Weblog. It's easy, and it's free. All you have to do is follow the good doctor's suggestion -- and Spa! hopes you won't accuse it of being in poor taste -- is to eat your own boogers.

"The nose serves as a filter for the body," Dr. Bischinger explains. "If the bacteria trapped therein reach the intestine, they act like a vaccine."

Ahem! Well, medical research findings to support such claims appear to be lacking. But heck, counters Spa!, how else can you explain why young kids who regularly engage in the practice are so healthy? And as there doesn't seem to be any harm in doing it, feel free to pull out a juicy one and chomp away. Just don't do it while we're watching, okay?