Odds and Ends

Lollipops - I presented a tobacco prevention program to a summer camp class recently. In the kit of goodies I brought along were a bag of lollipops that had no-smoking symbols on them. I had not realized they were in the box or I would have left them behind. I said to the teacher, HOPING she'd decline, "Do you mind if I hand these out?" She didn't mind at all and after my presentation I gave the children a new pencil AND a chance at a Lollipop. I walked to each of the four tables with my open ziplock bag and said, "Would you like a Lollipop? It is okay if you don't." No one turned them down - dang it!

Leaving the Gym one morning a man slightly older than I walked out behind me. He said, "Now if I can just stay out of the refrigerator." Of course, if any of you had been along you would have thought - oh boy - great person to mention that to! So indeed, I said, "Well, best not to put things in there that you don't want to eat." He said, "My problem is sleep walking. I get up at 3 am and go for the fridge." I said, "That's a hard habit to break." Then he said, "Some people just have such fast metabolisms." WHAT?!?!??! Of course the "person" me - as opposed to the health educator me, was thinking, "DUDE stop eating so much." But I said, "Really few people have that issue. I certainly don't."

Standing Tickets- Some people were shocked when an airline, I believe out of Ireland, proposed to offer less expensive tickets for standing room only - i.e. no seats. I thought it was a marvelous idea. One thing we are advised to do while traveling is to get up and walk. One thing that too much sitting can lead to is deep vein thrombosis - or clotting. So this to me was a grand idea and I would be the first to get a standing ticket if a US airline offered one.

Chlorine Indeed - In a recent post I mentioned showering before and or after the pool. Just the next day on NPR's Science Friday the issue came up. There really is an interaction between chlorine and other chemicals that people bring into the pool as well as micro organisms and bacteria. So, it is paramount to shower both before and after entering. I now do both whether anyone is watching or not!

Lung Cancer Still kills the most. Recent CDC data highlighted incidence of breast cancer and colon cancer but the leading killer of both men and women - with regard to cancer is cancer of the lung. The main cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoking. At this time, we have more tools for prevention and treatment for colon and breast cancer and the CDC urges everyone to have mammograms and colon cancer screening when age or gender appropriate.

Speaking of Cancer. In a recent post I iterated on the pharmaceutical industry's quest to have drugs created for one condition approved to treat another. One such drug, Avastin, is approved for lung and colon cancer. The company that makes it was able to get it fast tracked for breast cancer also, but with continuing studies and final approval pending. The studies of Avastin in combination with chemotherapy are not showing a survival benefit. Without much change in the outcomes, but a slew of unwelcome side effects, the drug may lose its breast cancer indication and a billion dollars in sales.

Get sick already - don't you know that drug stores need you to buy flu and cold medicine. Yup, one of them, Walgreens I think, recently stated that they did not have as much revenue as expected because less people got the flu.

HATS OFF to the HATS ON. In this past week's season opener for The Closer on TNT, the detectives had to visit a sunny roof top to examine a crime scene. Lead character Brenda had on a lovely straw hat and one of the guys made a show of putting on a white hat, sailor type hat. NO visors, hats! AWESOME.