How Green Is My Produce? Locally grown produce bought at the farmer's market may be delicious, nutritious, and good for the local economy, but it's probably not helping reduce the use of fossil fuels. Or so argues Brian Dunning over at Skeptic Blog "Locally grown produce is rarely efficient," he says. "Apply a little mathematics to the problem, and you’ll find that the ugly alternative of giant suburban distribution centers accomplishes the same thing - fresh produce into stores on the same day it’s picked - but with much less fuel burned."  (Skeptic Blog)

Nadia's Big Adventure Mother of 14 Nadia Sulyman has signed a television deal to create a "quasi-reality" show about her life. The controversial mom, who gave birth to octuplets (a word spell check doesn't even recognize) after what one might describe as "overzealous" in-vitro fertilization treatments, has made a move to trademark the name "Octomom." She also thinks "Jon and Kate Plus 8" is boring. We now return to reporting real news. (People)

The Slow Race Towards Stem Cell Breakthroughs: The good news for stem-cell therapy advocates: there's a pro-stem cell president in office,  restrictions on research are fewer and funding is more accessible. The bad news: it's still going to take a long, long time before we see any real results. Scientific America says not only will conclusive research take years, so will building up a bank of available stem cells for treatment. Most significantly, the battle over the ethics of stem cells is far from over, and research and advancements in this field will still be highly political. (Scientific America)

Disney's Princess Problem After unveiling their first black princess, who will be featured in the upcoming animated film "The Frog Prince," Disney is facing criticism for not being sensitive enough regarding the portrayal of an animated African American. This line of attack (which is not always off-base) happens whenever Disney strays away from lily-white heroes and heroines: remember the dust up over Mulain, Pocahontas, and Aladdin? Disney gets points for diversifying, but that shouldn't make them immune to criticism: if anything, it creates a dialog about all the associated issues around race and media representation. Of course, there are also all those conversations about the role of women and the influence of consumerism, but one meme at a time today, people. It's Monday.  (New York Times)

In between his media tour and duties as a teenage father, Levi Johnston has apparently been hitting the gym. 

Johnston is best known as baby daddy to Bristol Palin's son, Tripp, and author of such MySpace gems as "I'm a f---in' redneck" and "I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s--- and just f---in' chillin' I guess." (Kids, please remember that the Internet is forever. Pretend your mother is reading what you write at all times. You'll thank me in 10 years.)

As the media circus around Bristol's pregnancy and ensuing motherhood continues, however, it's Johnston that's speaking the most rationally about sex education and the realities of teenage parenting. (Bristol is back promoting abstinence after a brief stint where she said it was "unrealistic").

Citing Johnston as a beacon of clarity truth sounds a little crazy. Him taking his shirt of for GQ and hanging 24/7 with a bodyguard named Tank doesn't really help his credibility, either. But he did and he does, so all we can do now is post some photos, link to the GQ profile and remind everyone to abstain from sex until they're married always wear condoms.

What's that you say? Pouring over autism research is not how you want to spend the last  few hours of the work week? Fine: less medical debate, more videos about male hair removal.

In these troubled economic times, Gillette's working hard to sell more razors by encouraging more shaving—including that of the hair that dare not speak its name.

As Andrew Sullivan points out, however, Gillette is late to the party: Phillips has been addressing this important social issue for years now. They even have a catchy music video. (It appears that Phillips is concerned with the more modest art of 'manscaping', while Gillette is encouraging men to go all Chiklis down there. Think the difference between bonsai tress and clearcutting). 

Waste a few more minutes of your Friday afternoon comparing the two approaches: Gentlemen, are either of these videos likely to make you take a razor to your "undercarriage"—or do both make you want to put one to your wrists? Ladies (and other gentlemen), does the idea of a freshly-shorn fella make your heart go all atwitter, or do you find the whole thing kind of vain and creepy? Also, if we think this is ridiculous for men, can we lay off the pressure on women to exist as hairless Barbie clones?

Baseball's Dirty Secret: Jon Mooallem at Slate observes that the average baseball game sends up to 40 high-speed projectiles (foul balls and home runs) into the stands, which can lead to deadly consequences. He reviews a new book which aspires to serves as comprehensive chronicle of all deaths during baseball games since the 1862. The authors of Death At The Ballpark found 850 incidents; baseball fans have already alerted them to at least another 50. At what price Dollar Dog Night?  (Slate)

Lies Scientists Tell The data never lies—but sometimes the men and women manipulating the data do. That's what new research from online journal PLoS ONE finds. In the study,

2% of scientists admitted they had "fabricated" (made up), "falsified" or "altered" data to "improve the outcome" at least once, and up to 34% admitted to other questionable research practices including "failing to present data that contradict one's own previous research" and "dropping observations or data points from analyses based on a gut feeling that they were inaccurate."

The study authors also found that 14% of respondents said they knew someone who had fabricated, meaning that the two percent who owned up are either extremely popular, or the practice is even more widespread than the research indicates. (Eurekalert)

New Pregnancy Guidelines The Institute of Medicine yesterday codified how much weight women can safely gain while pregnant: too much, especially for women who already have weight-related health concerns, can lead to health problems for both the mother and the baby. Too little weight gain means the fetus may not be getting enough nutrition. Enough suspense! The new guidelines:

• Women who are underweight (BMI less than 18.5) should gain 28-40 pounds.
• Women of normal weight (BMI of 18.5-24.9) should gain 25-35 pounds.
• Women who are overweight (BMI of 25-29.9) should gain should gain 15-25 pounds.
• Women who are obese (BMI of 30 or more) should gain 11-20 pounds.

Swine Flu Vaccine By October?  As mainline China reports it's first domestic case of H1N1-caused flu, a representative from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that samples of the virus have been shipped to vaccine manufacturers. Depending on the quality of vaccine produced from those samples, they may be able to offer something to the public by October. (Washington Post)

Baltimore-based artist Hugh Pocock's new art exhibit, "My Food, My Poop," attempts to represent the complex relationship between the food we take in, the energy we expend, and the waste we create.

This post was initially going to be filed as a "Without Comment" because, come on: poop=funny.  But the exhibit does hit on some pretty intriguing themes. According to the Baltimore Sun, for 63 days Pocock measured everything he put into his body and all the waste that came out. The exhibit represents those numbers with wooden blocks of corresponding weight. Pocock's equation is pretty simplistic: there's a lot more going on with digestion besides Weight of Food-Weight of Waste=Energy Burned, and "energy" is a pretty ambiguous category. Still, it's interesting to see some of the observations he makes about his body's relationship with the calories it consumes:

"I really became aware of what it takes to fuel my daily life," he said. "A week I cut out carbs for Passover, my energy equivalent went way down. ...When I was working on sawing the wood blocks, my intake went way up. I've become aware of our intimate relationship with energy."

Keeping a food diary is one of the oldest tricks in the weight-loss book, but it's an good experiment for everyone, just because most Americans eat so mindlessly. (You can view some of Pocock's intake and outtake logs here). We tend to consume things without even realizing it, and aren't particularly aware of how our body processes the food we eat. Sure, some things give us heartburn and other things makes us collapse in an allergic fit, but what food makes us sleepy two hours after we eat them? What leave us hungry almost as soon as we're done?  What corresponds with a stellar performance on the basketball court or poor performance in the restroom?

Despite the initial ick factor, there's a lot you can learn about your body by studying its waste. Casually studying, that is—unless you're trying to get an art show, there's no need to weigh and measure. However, for you statistics fans out there, here's Pocock's final tally:

"My Food, My Poop" is on display at the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore until August 16, 2009. 

UPDATE: Trying to figure out if this is a credit card or just a gift card, per the comments below.  

Can't afford one of those anti-aging spermin facials? Eager to extend your credit limit while reducing your smile lines*? You're in luck: Botox has unveiled a credit card.

The Botox Cosmetic Benefits Card is now being offered to existing patients at select offices for credit towards their next purchase treatment. 

One of my favorite women—a smart, independent, self-described feminist—recently confided that she'd had some Juvederm injections (the facial filler made by Botox's parent company, Allergan). She wasn't afraid to admit that she loved it, that her new face made her feel a little more attractive and a lot more confident. She knew her younger self would be horrified—horrified!— to see her sitting in the chair getting all shot up with artificial fillers, but she worked hard for her money and she thought it was worth the expense (more than $300). I suppose if a smoother face is your idea of a reward, why shouldn't  "reward points" be able to buy you one? Not everyone wants a set of BOSE speakers or an espresso machine.

Still, can you imagine pulling out your Botox card to cover a business lunch? Maybe this card is part of a broader campaign to take the shame out of getting a little work done: Yes, I use Botox—and don't I look fabulous?

*Botox's site calls them "frown lines." Rather than the well-earned rewards after a long and happy life, "frown lines" sound like some sort of chronic condition resulting from crippling depression. I'm on to you, Botox copywriters. 

botoxcosmeticcard.com

The self-proclaimed "World's Oldest Blogger" passed away on May 20th. She was 97. (Philly.com)

Her blog (in Spanish).

Goodbye to All That Fiber Americans are over healthy living. So suggests a study from the American Journal of Medicine. Researchers measures how many Americans adhered to five "healthy habits," like eating fruits and vegetables and getting enough physical activity, and found that the number of health nuts who did all five has been cut in half over the past 20 years. Americans are now drinking more and moving less, as well.  Nice work, guys (she says, while eating her egg and cheese sandwich). (foodconsumer.com)

Silent Birth  Des Moines hospitals say they will no longer provide birth announcements to the area newspaper, citing concerns for newborn safety.  Though there have been no incidents of note wherein birth announcements played a role in endangering newborns, one hospital administrator emphasized the need to "do everything possible to protect our tiniest patients." The Des Moines register is trying tofind a new way to collect the information that ensures its accuracy. (Des Moines Register)

McDonald's Eggs-emption Yesterday, McDonald's shareholders voted "no" on a proposal to serve eggs only from free-range chickens. McDonalds has said it will continue to study the issue. I'm curious to see the logistics of raising free-range farming for a company that serves so many people (billions and billions, was it?) (The Street)

At The Human Condition, we like to provide commentary on the week's news and events as they relate to medicine, health, and life. Sometimes, however, there are news stories for which no comment is necessary. This is one such story.

From NYMag.com: 

There's lots of blame to go around in this current credit crisis: predatory lenders, borrowers outreaching their grasp, lax government regulators. President Obama and Congress are trying to pass legislation that makes it safer for consumers—and hopefully more stable for the future economy—by putting more stringent restrictions on credit companies.

However, all this benevolent legislation might not stand a chance against your brain. Or so says new research examined in the latest Newsweek.com health feature:

It turns out, in some cases our brains are wired to fall into these kind of financial traps. Study co-author, Duke cognitive neuroscientist Scott Huettel, says that when making risky financial decisions, "We do not consider all of the potential probabilities, benefits and costs." Instead, our brains seek out a way to simplify these complex problems. Oversimplifying, however, "may go against the most rational choice," says Baba Shiv, a marketing professor at Stanford's business school. For instance, we may shop for mortgages based solely on finding the best introductory rate, and then be vulnerable to exorbitant reset rates and other hidden fees down the road.

At first glance, the sad news of Exodus Tyson's accidental hanging via treadmill sounds like a bizarre, tragic freak accident. And while the severity of her story is extreme, it does highlight some of the dangers grown up tech toys can pose to small children. More importantly, it underscoring the sad fact that home can be one of the most dangerous places for kids. "Children are much more likely to be injured in the home than any other location," says Dawn Lee Garzon, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Nursing and child safety expert. "And injury is the leading cause of death, disability, and hospitalization of young kids."

By Raina Kelley

If you had told me last week that I would see a reality TV show that had empathy as one of its main goals; I would have called you a knucklehead.  Empathy is the mortal enemy of reality shows:  if you feel bad for a person forced to live without arms and legs, your inability to help that person will eventually keep you from watching that show ever again.  Better to make your audience feel guilt instead.  Guilt is more easily managed, especially when it’s paired with pleasure.  A person could watch hours of Jerry Springer and not feel an iota of empathy.  That why I fear for the survival of  A&E’s new show, Obsessed.

Do Virtual Girls Face Real Danger? Here's a shocker: girls with sexier avatars, or online representations, are more likely to get sexual come-ons while online. Girls who design their online personas to have skimpy wardrobes and curvy figures are also more likely to be preoccupied with sex, according to the journal Pediatrics. The study also speculates—without studying—that these girls are more likely to experiment with sexual activity at an earlier age. That's a bold claim to make without testing: who's to say that a little online sexual role play isn't helping teenage girls curious about sex fulfill that curiosity in a safer way? The increased sexual attention is something to consider when talking with your daughter about her online persona, and it makes sense to educate kids on the main dos and don't of online conduct. And while I'm disheartened by how sexualized society is for even younger kids, I'd like to see more research before we universally clutch our pearls over the way kids these days themselves online, even if that expression sometimes comes in the form of pixilized T&A. It's not the computer, it's the culture, with a good dose of human nature thrown in: just ask Barbie, who for years has been playing out some of the weirdest sexual situations in suburban playrooms across the country.  (U.S. News and World Reports)

A Really  Useful Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is a favorite among children living with autism, thanks his broad facial expressions and simple plot lines. Now educators are trying to harness the popularity of the anthropomorphic engine to help children with autism better identify emotions. An Australian web site unveiled a new virtual Thomas the Tank Engine game that asks users to guess how characters from the popular TV show are feeling, based on the expressions on their faces. (CNN.com)

Women's Struggle With Prostate Cancer When men undergo treatment for prostate cancer, it's the women in their lives who face a long recovery. A new study from New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center find that partners of men with prostate cancer worry about the disease long after the men have moved on. Worrying women are part of the reason why married men live longer: it means there's someone on their case to make sure they make it to doctor's appointments and take their medication. But worrying can take a toll on the woman's health, since too much stress can lead to medical problems. Gentlemen: be willing to listen to your wives—and discuss your health with them—even after you've been treated and "cured" of a dangerous disease. Ladies: learn to let go, and realize there's only so much you can do. Everyone: maybe enjoy a nice glass of wine and a romantic dinner with your partner? (MSNBC) 

A Glass of Milk A Day Keeps Alzheimer's Away? An article in the latest issue of Journal of Alzheimer's Disease indicates that several risk factors for the disease may also be linked to a vitamin D deficiency. Scientists recommend  more research between that studying the link between Vitamin D, found in dairy products, and Alzheimer's, noting that a lack of vitamin D has "been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, depression, dental caries, osteoporosis, and periodontal disease, all of which are either considered risk factors for dementia or have preceded incidence of dementia." Vitamin D is believed to have a neuroprotective effect in humans. (With that, I feel I have fulfilled my obligations to the science news cycle. I like to think I fit somewhere between the newswires and "the Internets".) (Eurekalert)

Those of you who caught me on Public Radio International's The Takeaway earlier this morning may want to take a look at these articles, which discuss the issues surrounding Daniel Hauser and Alexander Draper more in-depth. (Those who missed me live can hear the segment by visiting The Takeaway's website: just click the first link). 

Towards the end of the interview, host Faria Chideya asked whether those living in poverty were more likely to be singled out for scrutiny by the Department of Social Services. In the car ride back (thanks, pledge dollars!) I had more time to think about her question, which seemed to ask whether or not there was a certain amount of discrimination against poorer, often African-American families. (The interview experience was kind of like giving birth; I've somehow blocked out most of it. When the broadcast replays around 8.40, I'll be sure to listen to clarify the question and her intent.)

It's true that families living in poverty are more likely to be brought up on charges of medical neglect. But I think that's in large part because these families are more likely to be working with social service organizations already, and therefor "on the radar" when things go wrong. The doctors they visit have significant experience dealing with social services, so are more likely to take steps—and know which steps to take—when it appears a child is being medically neglected.

In my mind, the major discrimination occurs in the resources available for struggling families to care for sick kids: government -provided health care can only do so much if you don't have a reliable means of transportation to get to the doctor's office, especially if the only doctor that will take your government-provided insurance is all the way across town. More importantly, since America is the only wealthy nation that doesn't guarantee any kind of paid sick leave, parents struggling to make ends meet often have to decide between taking their child to the doctors or missing a day's pay, and too many absences - even to take your child for necessary medical care—can lead to termination. It's hard to pay for medicine when you're unemployed.

Having a sick kid is a big job, one that requires time even more than money (since there are social services that can help fund the treatment of children if finances are an issue). And for parents working hard just to stay solvent, time is something they can't afford.  

In light of President Obama naming Sonia Sotomayor as the potential replacement for retiring Justice Stephen Breyer David Souter (yowza. Awful misstep. Apologies) I wanted to link back to an article on the Huffington Post about her medical history.

Sotomayor is a Type I Diabetic, and as the article points out:

[W]hile hardly a debilitating disease -- indeed, recent medical advancements have made it quite manageable to live with -- there remain enough late-in-life health implications to have sparked debate in legal, political and medical circles. Just how relevant are medical issues to Sotomayor's or any other potential Supreme Court nomination?

Author Sam Stein then quotes some political operatives who say yes, her diabetes is a very important consideration. However, none of them have MDs. The docs he speaks to are much more optimistic, noting that professional athletes with diabetes are still able to perform at their peak, and that medical advancements make the condition much more manageable.

The article mentions that the lifespan for people with Type I diabetes is about ten years less than that of average Americans. That's the stat offered by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, but because the advancements in diabetes care have happened quickly and recently, some advocates argue that the stats don't fully reflect the effect of these advancements on mortality.

"There have been so many recent improvements in care," says Dr. Sue Kirkman, director of clinical affairs for the American Diabetic Association, who says that rates of diabetes-related complications are declining. "With modern care and with people taking good care of themselves, people have a really good prognosis. it’s not a reason to instantly say someone isn’t able do a long term position like this."

And while Sotomayor's condition may lead to complications that force her to retire after twenty years of hard work on the court, there's also the chance that if appointed, she could be hit by a bus on her second day and be forced to retire then. Or ten years from now, discoveries in stem-cell research could eliminate the more damaging health effects of diabetes. There are too many variables in medicine, government, and everyday life to make a hiring decision like this based on a two-decades long "what if"—though unfortunately, when it comes to diabetes, a lot of employers often do. Just last week, a Texas detective won a discrimination suit against the FBI, who didn't hire him because he managed his diabetes with insulin injections, not a pump. President Obama deserves credit for looking at Sotomayor's real qualifications—not her medical file—when making his choice.

NPR collects some more opinions here. 

Photo: afiler

What is it about diet soda that seems so naughty? Maybe it’s because enjoying something without any calories leads people to feel like they’re going to have to pay one way or another-if not with their waistline now, then with ambiguous bad health later (a tumor? osteoporosis?). Maybe it’s because it takes an already unnatural beverage-there’s no such thing as a soda tree-and fills it with even more foreign substances. Either way, people often have a complex, love-hate relationship with diet soda, especially when you throw some caffeine into the mix.

But it’s not good to fear your food. And while as adults we can eat whatever we want, it’s also nice to know what it is we’re eating. With that in mind, we set out to find the truth behind the biggest diet-soda myths.

The Benefits of Aging Besides a bigger bank account, better insurance, and crazy dinner specials if you go before 6, the elderly have another added perk: immunity to the "swine flu" (sorry: H1N1) virus. Researchers found that one third of people over sixty have antibodies that protect them from H1N1, which they hope will aid in developing a vaccine. (Washington Post)

...And The Drawbacks "Dowager's Hump" may predict early death in elderly women. Can we address what a horrible term "dowager's hump" is? I think it might be my second-least favorite, behind "incompetent cervix." Even though DH is not the official term for the slumped shoulders that can hit elderly (that's hyperkyphosis), the fact that it's still being used is shocking to me, even if it's just to give people a point of reference. It's like writing  "Patients with Downs Syndrome, often referred to as  'retards'..."  It's old fashioned, offensive, and demeaning: who wants to go to the doctors for care, only to be called a dowager, inadvertently or otherwise? (Newswise)

 What Will It Take To Fix Healthcare? A national healthcare plan used to be just a theoretical concept, but as the country moves closer to it becoming a reality, the discussion has moved from hypothetical debate to specific detail. So what are the keys to making healthcare happen? According to the Nation, there has to be a public plan to rein in costs, fix uncompetitive markets, and create a more cost-effective way to practice medicine. Easy, right?  (The Nation)

Bottle Shock If you're drinking from bottles made with bisphenol A, you could also be drinking some dangerous chemicals.  Last week, Chicago banned baby bottles made with the BPA, which is used in many hard plastic bottles and linked to increased risk of developmental problems in animals. Now, a Harvard study shows that BPA used in bottles does in fact leech into the water at a high rate, as evidenced by the high levels of BPA in the urine of those who drank from such bottles. (Boston)

The morning links are coming up in a second, but I wanted to give this it's own post:

The nation's second face transplant recipient went public yesterday.  James Maki, the first American man to receive the procedure, was disfigured four years ago in an electrical accident. The boston.com article about the transplant features a gallery with some pretty shocking photos—the accident left Maki without any nose to speak of, just a hole on his face.  It appears that the surgeons at Brigham and Women's Hospital replaced the bottom half of Maki's face with the new donor face.

The donor's wife, Susan Whitman, spoke out at the press conference, saying she was pleased to help someone else and encouraging people to consider becoming organ donors. The Globe ran a separate article—with an accompanying photo—about the donor, Joseph Helgot. (Here's another photo running with his obituary.)

When talking about face transplants, people are always curious whether the recipient "switched faces" with the donor: would the families of the donor feel like they 're seeing the ghost of their deceased loved one?  (I was going to say "looking into the eyes" when it occurred to me that I don't know if eyes are ever a part of face transplants; I'm checking into it and will post as soon as i know**). Obviously there are differences in the bone structure and head shape, but often doctors must recreate a lot of the structure under the skin of the face—do they create one that better matches the contours of the donor face? Maki said he was please that doctors were able to make him look something like he used to, but how much of Helgot is in his face now, as well?

Also: consider becoming an organ donor. It's an incredibly noble and selfless thing to do.

** Update: Eileen Sheil, the head of communications at the Cleveland Clinic confirmed that in face transplant surgeries the eyes, in fact, are not used. She also noted that the mannerisms and muscle movements—the animation that makes up much of the face's character—are still that of the living recipient.

Photo: Vancouver2010.com

Olympic Buzz The Toronto Star asks if the torch designed for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver looks like a marijuana cigarette.  The Stranger's David Schmader thinks it more closely resembles "a pregnancy test that reveals you're having Satan's baby." It reminds me of either an orange-peeling tool that I have in my kitchen but never use, or a fancy new razor that singes off hair in lieu of using blades. Your thoughts?   (Slog) 

Fossil Finds Just what I need before Memorial Day weekend—more relatives trying to lay claim to my (parent's) beach house: the 'missing link" has been found in Germany. Rather than further connecting man and monkey, this skeleton—in surprisingly good shape for being about 47 million years old— helps bridges that elusive gap between "monkeys and lemurs," providing clues about earlier stages of evolution.  (National Geographic)

GOP HMO As President Barack Obama presses forward with his health care agenda— soliciting his followers on Twitter to contact Congress and ask for quick action—Republicans are pushing a plan of their own. They want to eliminate the tax credit employers receive for providing insurance for employees, then give tax credits to individuals to help pay for private health insurance. The government would run a health plan "with the compassion of the IRS, the efficiency of the post office, and the incompetence of Katrina," write the Republicans in their plan summary. Why hate on the post office? For less than 50 cents, they will hand deliver your letter across the country, and the fact that they deliver mail too and from every city in America means that private mail services, like FedEx, are forced to provide more comprehensive service. (WSJ) 

Daniel Hauser Headed To Mexico Is Daniel Hauser (or his mother) a secret PR genius? The 13-year old refusing western treatment for his cancer knows how to keep the media interested. First, his family was taken to court for denying their son chemo, which is an instant headline-generator. Then, he and his mother fled the area so that they wouldn't have to comply with the judge's ruling. Everyone knows that the best way to instantly extend interest in your news story is to add a police chase of some sort. MSNBC is currently reporting speculation that the two are headed to Mexico, thereby combining the two biggest health stories from the past two weeks into one giant super-story.  Now people can discuss both Hauser and swine flu in the same conversation with minimal transition. (MSNBC) 

Will Fast Suits Sink Swimmers? The international swimming federation has banned 146 types of high-performance racing suits from amateur competition: 10 suits were rejected outright, while 136, if modified within 30 days, will be reconsidered for approval. The suits improve buoyancy and reduce drag, leading to faster times - times that some officials think give competitors an unfair advantage. "There are some athletes that probably have fooled themselves that they are swimming faster, that it’s their own abilities, but technically there is so much evidence that it was the technology of the suits that has brought on a lot of these improvements," says one swim coach quoted in the New York Times. On the one hand, apparel can only do so much - were I to wear one of the illegal suits, I still wouldn't be breaking any world records. But in races that are often determined by fractions of a second, teams that can afford expensive high-tech suits (Speedo's LAZR suit, which made the approved list, can cost up to $550) take the sport out of competing against countries with less extravagant budgets (or sponsorship deals). (NY Times)

Epidemic Equations Why, wonders Slate's Jordan Ellenberg, if "36,000 Americans die of ordinary strains of flu every year...did we get so agitated over a bug whose victims worldwide, as of this writing, number just 65?" He's talking, of course, about swine flu. The 36,000 body count attributed to "regular" flu is based on a complex calculation; the 65 bodies counted as swine flu victims were the result of an actual body count.  Similar complex calculations as those applied to the standard-issue flu will probably prove that H1N1-caused influenza is more deadly than originally reported. While I continue to believe swine flu is not worth panicking over any more than any other virus, he ends his piece with this ominous little kicker:  "If you want to keep that face mask close at hand a few months longer, you've got my mathematical blessing." (Slate)

Stem Cell Success Scientists from the University College London have manipulated stem cells to kill cancer. In a treatment that's proven effective on mice, the researchers showed that adult stem cells could be altered to attack only cancerous tissue, leaving healthy tissue behind. Calling it a "seek and destroy" approach, the treatment eliminated tumors 38 percent of the time. Human trials may begin in two to three years (MSNBC)

Comedy or Commentary?  The trailer is up for HBO's newest comedy, "Hung". The show focuses on the exploits of a well-endowed man trying to make the most out of his gift - where "the most" means "the most money" and "gift" means "penis": our protagonist is a reluctant sex worker. The fact that he's a high school teacher looking to bulk up his income with an illegal revenue stream makes it sound like AMC's "Breaking Bad," but minus the terminal cancer (and thus the darkly comic edge) and plus a lot of anatomy jokes. Is it a commentary on American masculinity that the network of Tony Soprano is now all about manwhoring? Or is a sitcom about male prostitutes sometimes just a sitcom about male prostitutes? Double X discusses. (Double X)  

Last week, life was complicated enough for poor Daniel Hauser.  He was a 13-year old kid with Hodginks Lymphoma, stuck at the center of a heated court case. At issue: could his parents refuse chemotherapy and radiation in favor of nutritional supplements?

Now he's still all those things, plus a hostage—or a fugitive, depending on how much autonomy one gives a sick teenager. Either way, Daniel Hauser is dealing with a lot more stress then your average 13-year-old cancer patient should have to endure.

 Share your take on lines the state should never cross, plus a family's obligations to their faith after the jump

Mein Liebling: German scientists may have uncovered the first representation of modern woman, and they're pretty sure it's a sex toy. The figure - what the novelist Tom Harris might call "a woman and a half in every direction" - rocks some serious curves, and is thought to have been carved over 35,000 years ago. Pros: a testament to beauty and sex appeal in women of all sizes, throughout time. Cons: It's been over 35,000 years of women as porn objects. I need coffee.  (BBC)

The Color of Money: National Geographic released a survey of environmental consumer habits from across the globe. Anyone who's paying attention could predict that on the color-coded chart of greeness, Americans were more of a sickly, pale, yellow-y chartreuse. Surprisingly, Europeans were only  a light kelly hue, while the dark, rich, life-affirming green was found mostly in China and India. This suggests that communism and extreme poverty help shoppers make inadvertently smarter eco-choices. To wit: Indians get high scores for repairing things rather than throwing them out, while Americans are dinged for their high use of private cars. (National Geographic)

Sugar Shock When was your last physical? Feeling sluggish and thirsty? Maybe it's time to get your blood sugar checked. Twenty-three million Americans have diabetes, and one-quarter of them don't realize it. One of the experts for the piece cited people's fear of complications -- and their shame in having an "overweight disease" as part of the problem:

Some people fail to get tested because Type 2 diabetes is often associated with being overweight and sedentary. "People think it's their fault, but that's not true," Dr. Goland says. Roughly 20% of the people with Type 2 diabetes are thin, and 75% of obese people never get it.

 In my ever-growing quest to figure out just how obesity affects health - and how shame affects healthcare - this stuck out at me. (WSJ)

Smoking Kills (Women) Last week, we linked to a report that associated darker skin color with nicotine addiction: melanin in the skin makes one more susceptible to the dangerous effects of cigarettes. Now, research presented at the American Thoracic Society's general meeting shows that "women who smoke develop lung damage earlier in life than men, and it takes less cigarette exposure to cause damage in women compared with men." In part, this could be because women on average are smaller than men, but smoke cigarettes of the same size, meaning they're absorbing more smoke and chemicals per cigarette. (MSNBC)

I am holding in my hot little hands the first issue of the new NEWSWEEK, and dig it before I even start reading. It seems like the trend in magazines is to get thinner, both in content and page stock. (Times are tough all over.)  This issue is thick and heavy and printed on a high quality, glossy paper, which makes the reading that much more pleasurable (and less likely that my thighs turn into an ink-stained mess when I take the magazine to the beach this weekend).

ALS, The FDA, and a Ticking Clock: ALS is a horrible disease: it promises a slow, undignified death with no real treatment options, but lots of false, straggling hopes that don't pan out in the end. The New York Times has a heartbreaking story about one family's fight to gain access to a drug that might - might - provide their son some relief. First the have to cut through corporate red tape, then government bureaucracy, then doctors reluctant to work with experimental treatments. It's a brutal story - and a long one, so you get a very small, fleeting sense of the panic and frustration the family must have felt as time went on, their son got worse, and the drug remained elusive. (The New York Times).

Six US Swine Flu Deaths:  The death of an assistant principal in Queens marks the first New York State death due to the H1N1 virus. The man worked at one of the schools now shuttered to prevent further spread of the disease. That brings the total number of closed NYC schools up to 11. I wrote earlier that swine flu is not that big of a deal - and I still don't believe it to be - but it  has brought immeasurable changes to at least six families, and serves as an instructive warning for future, more deadly outbreaks. (AP via the LA Times)

Hope For HIV Prevention: Today is HIV vaccine awareness day. Be aware: there is no vaccine for HIV. But researchers in Philadelphia may be closer. They found a way to prevent SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus) in monkeys: by injecting the animals with a genetically-altered antibodies for the disease, instead of trying to get the immune system to create it's own antibodies, they were able to prevent SIV from taking hold. Researchers caution that there's no telling how this treatment will work on humans, and that definitive answers to that question are still up to ten years away. (Philly.com)

The Hair Up There: Last week, Sharon Begley wrote that having an African-American president did not raise minority test scores, despite researcher's hope that the "the powerful effect of in-group role models" would impact academic performance. No telling whether this kid will ace his SATs in ten years, but there's definitely something powerful going on here. "President Barack Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a family visit to the Oval Office May 8, 2009. The youngster wanted to see if the President's haircut felt like his own." (White House Photostream, h/t to Shakesville)

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

by Dina Fine Maron

As if being subject to five minutes of hold Muzak wasn't bad enough, Americans looking to find a new doctor are likely hear something even more painful when the receptionist finally picks up the phone: "The doctor can see you…in December."
 
It’s not just bad luck or bad timing that can make it take weeks--and sometimes months – for new patients to land an appointment with a nearby doctor. New research from Merritt Hawkins & Associates, a physician recruitment firm, conducted a nationwide study of medical wait times, and found that when it comes to medical specialist, there’s no such thing as same-day service.

Their results - and how to get a better appointment time - after the jump. 

Last night, about 11 minutes into the season finale of  ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," the Chief surprises Dr. Bailey with a DaVinci Surgical System. In an effort to keep her from decamping from general surgery to pediatric surgery, he tempts her with the chance to perform a cutting-edge procedure. "You know, Doctor Chalikonda at Cleveland Clinic is doing single incision gallbladder removal through the belly button," he says. "Why should Dr. Chalikonda have all the fun?"

If you're like me, you spent the rest of the show wondering, "Who is this mysterious Dr. Chalikonda? Does he exist? Can he really perform a minimally-invasive gallbladder removal surgery through the navel such that there's almost no scarring and less patient discomfort?"

The answer, surgery fans, is YES. After a few furtive early-morning phone calls, my moles at the Cleveland Clinic confirm:  Dr. Sricharan Chalikonda is a general surgeon at the Clinic.  Says my source, "He uses the robot for many procedures that used to be done via open surgery so that we have minimally invasive options for patients, and yes, one of them is single port gall bladder removal." Apparently, Dr. Chalikonda was in surgery last night while the finale was airing, and only found out about his star turn sometime before 8.30 am this morning while in the O.R. (This also means Dr. C works crazy long hours).

So there you have it! Mystery solved. Take that, Ausiello. 

On a more serious note, I know some fans were disappointing by the non-wedding wedding of lead couple Meredith and Derrick. (They wrote their vows on a post-it note, then signed the note). In the EW.com interview linked to above, showrunner Shonda Rhimes said that no-fuss nuptials were appropriate for a woman like Meredith, and seemed to indicate that no future wedding will take place (though she is pretty wily, that Shonda). Perhaps the writers plan to use this plot point as a way to address the potential legal and medical complications that arise when your marriage isn't recognized by the state. Any thoughts?

When Animals Attack ABC takes an in-depth look at the worst animal bites and sting -- including a creature called a Tarrantula Hawk Wasp, which isn't so much a name as a list of scary animals. The article does a great job of describing the horrible pain caused by animals you didn't even know existed. For instance, did you know that a bite from something called the bullet ant feels like,  "pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch rusty nail in your heel"? And that some of the animals featured can be found in North America? Happy Weekend, everybody!  (ABCNews)

New Health Czar Barack Obama makes his pick to head the Centers for Disease Control today: sources say he'll name Thomas Frieden, the condom-handing-out, smoking-in-restaurants-forbidding, trans-fat banning, mandatory-HIV-testing New York City health commissioner.  Last month, he started a campaign to reduce sodium in restaurants meals and packaged foods, and he's advocated for taxing sugary drinks and sodas. An aggressive pick - but where's the surgeon general appointment?  (NYT)

RX Relief Pfizer is giving away 70 of it's most popular drugs - including Lipitor and Viagra - to customers who have lost their job and have been taking the medication for more than three months. There are jokes to be made about being unemployed, having free time, etc., but it's also going to be a huge relief for patients, with not much expense to the drug company: tax cuts should help cover the cost.  (Huffington Post)

We’re not religious people, but I think I can speak for my wife, Hilary, and I when I say we feel really blessed to have Ben.  So, that said, I want to talk about my second favorite son, Julian.  Just so you understand, I say “second favorite” only because I don’t love Julian as much as I love Ben.  And I say “son” because he’s not a daughter, which is what I really, really wanted.  Badly. 

Read the whole story after the jump...

Basketball Diaries: In various corners of the web, Malcom Gladwell and Bill Simmons argue about the strategic uses of the full-court press. In this corner of the web, my heart melts a little.  (New Yorker, ESPN) 

Insulin Shock: Does federal judge Sonia Sotamoyer's diabetes mean she wouldn't be able to serve a long term, were she to be appointed to the Supreme Court? Huffington Post author Sam Stein does some digging: we're better able to care for diabetes then ever before, but the life expectancy of a diabetic is still 10 years less than average. Of course, it's possible President Barack Obama could appoint a justice with a perfect bill of health, who then gets hit by a bus the day after she's sworn in. "There is one constant in Supreme Court history, and that is the inconstancy of the appointees," says a source. (HuffPo)

 The End of Eroticism:  Craigslist eliminates "Erotic Services" category, replaces with more closely monitored "Adult Services." Designed to weed out prostitution, posters will now have to pay for the ads. Irony! Both Erotic Services and Adult Services categories are currently live on the site, with "Erotic Service" postings expiring after 7 days.  However, the "Adult Services" page lacks the both categorization of services by gender and the explicit warning against human trafficking.  (Boston Post)

Chemical Complications: Chicago bans the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles. Used to harden plastic, BPA in plastics can eventually leech into the liquids the bottles contain.  The FDA ruled BPA safe, but according to the Chicago Tribune, "hundreds of other studies have linked the chemical to breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other health problems. The harmful effects appear to start early in life, when small doses of BPA, a synthetic estrogen, subtly wreak havoc on the developing bodies of fetuses and young children. 'The science is very clear: We can't say this chemical is safe,' said Laura Vandenberg, a developmental biologist at Tufts University who has been studying BPA."  Last week Minnesota became the first state to ban BPA.  (Chicago Tribune)

Yesterday, the gang at Slate launched a new website,  Double X,  described as, "mostly by women but not just for women." The online magazine-sized version of Slate's incredibly popular XX Blog is already full of thoughtful and entertaining content: discussions on the state of modern feminism (or, conversely, why modern feminism can suck it), astonishment at the mystery that is "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" star Kate Gosselin's hair, and a fantastic essay by blogger Marie Myung-Ok Lee, who writes about the decisions and difficulties associated with using marijuana to medicate her autistic son. (I'll have some more to say on that later.) It's enough to make any other newly-launched website feel a little intimidated. More importantly, it's enough to keep you reading, thinking, and laughing for a good, long, time. Welcome, Double X!

Editor's note: You may know Raina Kelly from her very sensible breakdown of the Chris Brown/Rihanna discussion, or the powerful letter to her son written on election night, or any of the myriad other smart and funny pieces she's done online and in the pages of NEWSWEEK. She'll be chiming in on this blog as often as we can get her.

There has to be some kind of explanation for the reams of nonsense news streaming across the web and the airwaves. Maybe it's that we're weary of bad news and need a break from reality. Or maybe it's just too hard to produce features and break news when you can pop a few talking heads on the screen and let them try to out-snark each other.

Watching cable news nowadays is a bit like sitting all day in a Starbucks: both provide the chance to listen in on legions of self-appointed experts talking about nothing. At least at Starbucks, the subject matter changes as the day goes on. On the news, it's the same two or three stupid stories over and over again. As we speak, the story of Miss California is making the rounds. Again. Still.  And thus, I will stick to newspapers until this nonsense blows over.
 
But first, let me just say a couple of things and then I'll move on to more important matters, like what I want for dinner.

1. Can there possibly be a more tawdry way to focus attention on the pros and cons of gay marriage? Perez Hilton should be ashamed for using a pageant contestant as a launching pad to get his views in favor of gay marriage out there. It's kinda like going on a news blitz to attack children for believing Columbus discovered America. It just demeans any cogent and well-thought arguments one might have on the topic. If you're in the business of convincing people you're right, don't go up against a 21-year old blonde beauty queen. Why give Miss California a platform to promote her views? She could speak in tongues (and it sometimes seems as if she is) and still get more airtime than Hilton. Sorry Perez, I think you scored one for the other team.

2. Even if Carrie Prejean had posed completely naked for Maxim while holding a sign that read "I hate Raina Kelley;" I would not care if she kept her crown or not. Beauty queens are like butterfly collectors to me: I respect their right to exist; but I don't want to know anything about them.

3. I want a piece of chicken Parmesan, some baked ziti and a salad for dinner. It's the exact same thing I had for dinner last night; but I'm streaky like that.

Another Reason to Hate Cigarettes. They're kind of racist. The darker your coloring, the more likely you succeptible to smoking addiction. That's what Penn State researchers found when they studied the connection between melanin, responsible for skin and hair pigmentation, and nicotine dependency in African Americans. Scientists already knew that nicotine liked to bind with melanin on a cellular level; this study shows that darker skin color is also related to the amount of cigarettes smoked and the level of carcinogens absorbed from those cigarettes.  (Science Daily)

Flat Tax?  The Senate is considering a tax on soda and other sugary drinks to help fund President Barack Obama's health care plans. If approved as-is, the tax could generate 24 billion dollars in 4 years. At three cents a can - an extra 36 cents per FridgePak - the tax won't likely dissuade soda consumption (and the weight gain it may cause) so much as capitalize on the popularity of sugary drinks. Still, while full-calorie soda and other sugary drinks would be subject to the tax, diet sodas would be tax-free. (Consumer Affairs) 

Medicare on Life Support: Medicare could be broke by 2017, two years earlier than previously predicted. The 8.6 percent unemployment rate means fewer American workers are contributing to the system; the aging boomer population means more Americans than ever are in need of Medicare. Let's all take a break to eat a banana an pop a multivitamin. (NY Times)

The Last Biggest Loser Post For A While, I Promse:  The over-40 crowd ruled at last night's live finale of the NBC reality show. The teeny, tiny, thirsty-looking Helen, 47, bested her 24- and 18-year old competitors, while 64-year old Jerry won the At Home prize, losing almost half of his body fat and the six medications he had been taking previously. Maybe the Senate should consider producing reality health shows with remaining Medicare funds?   (MSNBC)

Photo:Trae Patton/NBC

Break out the Kleenex and the cookie dough. Tonight is NBC’s  weight loss reality show mega-hit The Biggest Loser’s seventh season finale, which means three hours of jaw-dropping transformations, tear-inducing montages, and Jenny-O turkey product placement (plus about 90 minutes of filler).

To commemorate the occasion, NEWSWEEK’s Kate Dailey sat down with Bob Harper, one of the trainers charged with getting Biggest Loser contestants in shape—at least for the duration of the season. He answered critics who say the show is too rigorous for its overweight contestants, explained why so many “losers” gain the weight back after the show wraps, and updated us on the fate of Max Morelli, the overweight teenager who rose to sudden national attention on the show—even though he wasn’t one of the contestants. Max’s father Ron, and brother, Mike, have made it to the final four – and the reunion scenes where Max struggled with being the last of the overweight Morelli men were some of the most emotional of the series. (Expect to see Max – as well as all slimmer versions of the season’s entire cast -- at the finale.) 

Excerpts after the jump.

The Story of Os: :The Food and Drug administration is cracking down on General Mills for claiming that eating Cheerios once a day for six weeks can lower cholesterol by 4 percent. According to a letter from the FDA, these benefits would make the cereal a drug, and an application to be considered as such would be required in order to advertise those health claims. (Dow Jones via CNN)

Falling Ratings: New researching indicates at 41 percent increase in injuries to children caused by furniture since 1991. The culprit? Flat screen televisions. With their top-heavy construction, extreme weight, and often precarious placement on walls and TV stands, these TVs pose dangers to any little legs, arms and heads that happen to be sitting below. (MSNBC)

Point of Fact: Acupuncture works - even without the needles. A new study shows that people with chronic back pain who received either acupuncture or "simulated acupuncture" (being poked with toothpicks) reported relief and a decrease in back pain. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Slow and Steady: Walking for longer periods at a slower pace is better for the heart than walking short distances quickly. So say researchers writing in Circulation, the Journal of The American Heart Association. They found that overweight cardiac rehabilitation patients who walked at a moderate pace for an hour a day burned more calories and showed more heart-healthy benefits than those who walked briskly for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week.  (Eurekalert)

Their sites--along with several other pro-fat blogs--make up the “fat-o-sphere,” an online world dedicated to fighting anti-fat bias and promoting “Health At Every Size”, a weight-neutral approach that advocates healthy behavior over an obsessive focus on the scale.

In their new book, Lessons From the Fat-o-Sphere: Stop Dieting and Declare a Truce With Your Body, (Perigee Books, 2009), Harding and Kirby try to help men and women learn to love the bodies they've got--even in a world that pushes them in the other direction. NEWSWEEK’s Kate Dailey spoke to the authors about life in the “Fat-o-Sphere” and what they mean by the term “death fat.” Excerpts: 

Dailey: Before we get started, let's talk about language. You don't say "overweight," you just say "fat." Why?
Kate Harding: Overweight implies that there is a particular weight that I should be or that anyone should be, and we don't think that it's as simple as a BMI [Body Mass Index] chart, or an insurance health and weight chart. If this is the weight that your body consistently ends up at, if you're eating a balanced diet and exercising moderately, then that's probably the weight that your body was meant to be.
Marianne Kirby: Fat is such a loaded term. There are so many negative connotations, and it's kind of ridiculous. Fat means fat. It doesn't mean ugly, smelly, lazy. It means fat.

Your morning health highlights from around the Web:

Polio Personnel:  As polio survivors age, they face new complications - but the doctors who understand the complexities of the disease are aging, too. (NPR)

A Malignant Growth:  One third of major cancer studies have a conflict of interest; researchers say the ways studies are funded and organized need to be re-evaluated. (MSN)

Swine Flu Still Squealing The H1N1 virus hits China. In the US, there have been 2500 cases and three deaths. Don't freak out: all US fatalities had underlying health conditions. Most American cases are mild, and respond well to treatment. (AFP via Google)

Premium Savings: President Obama seeking to save trillions in healthcare by encouraging efficiency; health trade groups will present him with a plan to reduce costs by 1.5 percent annually. (Reuters)

Ladies Sing the Blues: A new government report highlights gender differences in mental health—women are twice as likely to be depressed and three times more likely to commit suicide - and explores the role gender might play in both illness and treatment. (CNN)

Welcome to The Human Condition: a blog about the bodies we inhabit and how our culture is changing the way we care for them.  It's about maintaining a sense of perspective and a sense of humor despite a daily onslaught of contradictory medical, nutritional and psychological news. In this space, we'll give you tools to process all that information--whether it comes via an important New England Journal of Medicine study, the Discovery Health channel or an article on TMZ. 

Why look for medical and psychological issues on reality TV or in the latest celebrity scandal?  Because most of us get our health news from television, and it's not always straightforward. Sometimes we have questions about a medical procedure we saw on a fictional drama like "Grey's Anatomy." Sometimes we need help interpreting a CDC report on the Swine Flu.  This blog will help bring clarity to both. We'll also give you a daily dose of medical news each morning--without the hype. We'll fill you in on the top medical trends and expose the truth behind the latest nutrition fads. We'll dish on what people really eat while watching weight-loss shows, or what Sarah Jessica Parker's pregnancy teaches us about modern surrogacy arrangements.  It's pop culture meets Popular Science; America's top doctors meets "America's Next Top Model."  And it begins today.