New and emerging weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro can cut substantial poundage and have proved wildly popular — except with insurers who have been slow to grant wide access to the drugs for weight loss purposes.

The makers of the drugs say they are worth their high prices because they reduce health care costs in the long run, but currently the drugs sell at more than $10,000 per year and are meant to be taken indefinitely.

Body of Knowledge

Technically speaking, babies are born without kneecaps. However, they do have pieces of cartilage in place that will eventually become their bony kneecaps, or patellas. Cartilage provides structure where it's needed in the body, such as the nose, ears and joints, but is softer and more flexible than bone. Babies lack bony kneecaps because it makes the birthing process easier, reduces risk of injury and more easily aids in transition from crawling to walking.

Kneecaps begin to ossify — turn from cartilage to bone — between the ages of 2 and 6, becoming fully bone between the ages of 10 and 12.

Get Me That, Stat!

Cigarette consumption peaked in the United States in 1965, one year after the Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General held cigarette smoking responsible for a 70% increase in the mortality rate of smokers over nonsmokers. At that time, half of all men and 33% of women were smokers.

Today, it's estimated that 11.5% of U.S. adults smoke cigarettes, according to the CDC. More than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease.

Counts

15.4 — Amount, in billions of dollars, that women collectively pay more than men each year for out-of-pocket medical expenses. This is an example of the so-called "pink tax," in which similar products cost more when marketed to women than men. Only 2% of the additional medical costs could be accounted for by maternity care.

Source: Deloitte

Stories for the Waiting Room

If you get your health insurance through your employer, your costs went up over the past year. Average annual premiums for families and individuals rose by 7% in 2023, a substantial jump over last year's slight increase over 2021.

Inflation and labor costs appear to be factors, but both are expected to settle down over the next two years. Family premiums have grown 22% over the last five years, as reported STAT, which is close to the rate of inflation (21%) and a 27% increase in wages over that period.

Doc Talk

Parasomnias — sleep disorders, such as night terrors or sleep walking, that periodically interfere with sleep

Phobia of the Week

Neophobia — fear of the New Year (uh-oh, we've got bad news for you)

Best Medicine

Gingerbread man: "Doc, I have a sore knee. Do I need surgery?

Doctor: "I recommend icing it first."

Observation

"Health food may be good for the conscience, but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better." — Actor Robert Redford

Medical History

This week in 1960, Dr. Irving Cooper received a Christmas gift that inspired his invention of the first cryosurgery device (to freeze tissue). The gift was a wine bottle opener which lifted out the cork by injecting carbon dioxide gas into the bottle.

Cooper observed that the gas was very cold when released and he could direct small squirts from it to freeze tiny areas on the palm of his hand, then watch them thaw. He also observed the freezing effect was very localized and isolated from the surrounding tissue.

From this inspiration, he developed a technique in brain surgery in which he used liquid nitrogen flowing in a thin tube to first deaden and then freeze tremor-causing brain cells or tumors.

The invention created a new field of surgery with applications for other areas of the body as well.

Self-Exam

Q: How much skin does the average person shed in a lifetime?

A: Forty pounds. Think of it as a long-term weight loss program.

Sum Body

As you prepare your traditional get-more-exercise resolution for the New Year, here are 13 activities and the approximate number of calories they burn per half hour. As always, consult your doctor before you decide to go crazy. Or just lie down until the moment passes.

1. Running: 450 calories (based on an 8-minute mile)

2. Rock climbing: 371

3. Swimming: up to 360 (depending on stroke used)

4. Cycling: 300-400

5. Boxing: 325

6. Racquetball: 300

7. Basketball: 288

8. Rowing: 280

9. Tennis: 250-300

10. Cross-country skiing: 270

11. Ice skating: 252

12. Swing dancing: 180

13. Sleeping: 20-40

Curtain Calls

American distiller and businessman Jack Daniels (1849-1911) was angry, the story goes. He could not open his office safe and kicked it in frustration, injuring one of his toes. Infection set in, progressed to gangrene and Daniels died from sepsis or blood poisoning.

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: Thought Catalog at Unsplash