In 2012, not a single state had an adult obesity rate above 35 percent. According to 2017 data released by the CDC, now seven states do: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
It's not great news elsewhere. In every state, at least 1 in 5 adults are obese. Only Colorado; Washington, D.C.; and Hawaii had rates below 25 percent.
Obesity rates associated with education: The adult obesity rate was 36 percent for those without a high school degree, 32 percent for high school graduates and those with some college-level education and 23 percent for persons who graduated from college.
Black adults had a 39 percent obesity rate, compared to 32 percent for Hispanics and 29 percent for whites.
Body of Knowledge
An adult human spine compresses roughly 0.6 inches from morning to night, making it prudent to put your sleep aids on a lower shelf.
Get Me That, Stat!
The CDC estimates that 20 percent of adults in the U.S. have chronic pain, with 8 percent experiencing pain severe enough to prevent them from going about their daily lives on most days in the past six months.
Counts
12 million: Estimated number of diagnostic errors made annually in outpatient settings
Source: STAT
Stories for the Waiting Room
Researchers believe they have identified the gene that, when it goes awry, makes gentle touch feel painful — a condition known as tactile allodynia. Interestingly, the gene is also responsible for helping us sense our place in space.
Doc Talk
Embolectomy: Surgical removal of an embolus or blood clot
Mania of the Week
Pteridomania: An obsessive passion for ferns (most people can take them or leaf them)
Life in Big Macs
One hour of quietly sitting watching TV burns 68 calories (based on a 150-pound person), the equivalent of 0.1 Big Macs, two carrots or one-third of a 12-ounce can of Coke.
Never Say "Diet"
The Major League Eating record for cranberry sauce (jellied division) is 13.23 pounds in 8 minutes, held by Juliet Lee. Given the amount and time, it really should be called "cramberry sauce."
Best Medicine
Wife: So, how did your visit to the doctor go?
Husband: Well, apparently my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Wife: That's all?
Husband: Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Hypochondriac's Guide
Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome is a rare condition involving malformation of the venous system, both in the skin and visceral organs. Patients end up with extremely painful, constantly bleeding lesions.
Observation
"Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane." — Author Philip K. Dick (1928-1982)
Medical History
This week in 1939, a rabbit conceived by artificial impregnation was the first such animal in the U.S. to be displayed. Gregory Pincus, an American biologist, had removed an egg from the ovary of a female rabbit and fertilized it with a salt solution. The egg was then transferred to the uterus of a second rabbit, which functioned an "incubator." Pincus, of Clark University, conducted his experiments at Harvard University.
Med School
Q: According to a YouGov survey, 80 percent of Americans say they know what the letters in LGBT stand for. There's a longer abbreviation: LGBTQIAPK. What do these letters stand for?
A: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual, Polyamorous and Kink.
Last Words
"I've never felt better." — American actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (1883-1939), who then suffered a fatal heart attack
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.
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