A new study published in JAMA found that one-third of cancer patients have used alternative therapies. Most popular were herbal supplements, followed by visits to a chiropractor or osteopath.

Approximately 30% of the patients who tried alternative approaches said they did not inform their physician, mostly because their doctor didn't ask.

The study did not address whether the alternative therapies measurably impacted patients' quality of life or health.

Body of Knowledge (Hippo Edition)

In a typical bowel movement, roughly three-quarters of stool volume is water. The remaining 25% is a mixture of bacteria (live and dead), undigested food (such as seeds, nuts, corn and beans) and substances contributed by the intestines and liver, such as mucus and bile, which aids in the digestion of fats.

And this fact, just so you know: Hippos poop so much that sometimes all the fish die. Not for the obvious reason, but rather because fecal bacteria consume all of the surrounding oxygen in the water, essentially suffocating nearby or downstream fish.

Get Me That, Stat!

Worldwide, 1 in 5 deaths are associated with a poor diet. Roughly 55 million people died in 2017, one-fifth due to diseases or conditions linked to an unhealthy or nutritionally inadequate diet, according to an international team of scientists writing in The Lancet.

Counts

365: Average annual cost, in dollars, of a generic drug in 2017

6,800: Average annual cost of brand-name equivalents

18: The number of times more expensive brand-name drugs were in 2017, on average, compared to their generic counterparts

Source: AARP Public Policy Institute

Doc Talk

Crepitus: From the Latin for "rattle, crack," the word refers to abnormal popping, creaking and cracking sounds occurring in joints, like when you "crack your knuckles" or get out of bed in the morning. The word decrepit comes from the same root.

Mania of the Week

Choreomania: An excessive enthusiasm for dancing

Best Medicine

"How many psychoanalysts does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"How long have you been having this fantasy?"

Observation

"I hate it when my foot falls asleep during the day because that means it's going to be up all night." — Comedian Steven Wright

Ig Nobel Apprised

The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh and then think — a look at real science that's hard to take seriously and even harder to ignore.

In 2008, the Ig Nobel Prize in biology went to researchers at Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse for discovering that fleas living on dogs jump higher than fleas living on cats.

One point for dogs; minus one point for their flea-infested owners.

No points for cats, but they couldn't care less.

Sum Body

Eight ways to help prevent a stroke:

1. Monitor your blood pressure.

2. Control your cholesterol.

3. Keep your blood sugar down.

4. Get active.

5. Eat better.

6. Lose weight if you need to.

7. Don't smoke, period.

8. Talk to your doctor about aspirin or other preventive medications.

Med School

Q: What fraction of the human body is made up of blood?

a) 1/12

b) 1/4

c) 1/3

d) 1/2

A: c) 1/3. That works out to 1.2 to 1.5 gallons for the average adult.

Curtain Calls

Mike Edwards, the 62-year-old cellist and founding member of the band Electric Light Orchestra, died Sept. 3, 2010, when a cylindrical hay bale weighing 1,300 pounds rolled down a hill and collided with the van he was driving.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: kerdkanno at Pixabay