Nothing ruins a trip like the sight of a police car about to pull you over. One minute you’re blissfully cruising along, and the next you’re miserably watching other cars go by while you wait to find out if the officer will write you a speeding ticket—and how much it will cost you. And tickets … Read more
In 2007, Gabourey Sidibe was studying for a nursing exam in Dobbs Ferry, NY, when her phone rang. Ms. Sidibe had been chosen out of hundreds of young women to play the leading role in a movie called Precious. She’d never acted on film before. Today, she is up for an Academy Award. Just how unlikely … Read more
It is a story almost too good to be true. Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, accompanied by Linda Ruth Tosetti, granddaughter of legendary slugger Babe Ruth, visited New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital on May 15, 2009, to read books to sick children. The visit was sponsored by Project Sunshine, and when 18-year-old Alyssa Esposito heard … Read more
Evolution has not been kind to millions of back pain sufferers. The physical stress of modern life as a biped is often more than the spine is engineered to handle, leading to painful spasms that range from irritating to debilitating. The odds an adult has had lower back pain in the past 3 months are 1 … Read more
Television loves its medical dramas and every TV medical drama loves its AED, or automated external defibrillator. Aside from nurses yelling “Stat!” the most common exclamation on ER or Grey’s Anatomy or House is the command to “Clear,” as a doctor uses those two metal paddles to shock a patient back to life. But, as with … Read more
We often think of medical science as being cutting edge, focused on exploring the unknown and uncovering the most deadly secrets of the human body. More mundane conditions can fall by the wayside, with doctors and patients falling back on diagnoses and treatments that may be decades old. Such was the case with peptic ulcers, … Read more
“Phoenix’s problem: he seemed to see flashes like lightning in his eye, mostly the right. And when he had suffered that a short time, a terrible pain developed toward his right temple and around his whole head…” reads an account of ancient Hippocratic medical writings. Not until the late 19th century did these symptoms come … Read more
By now you’ve probably heard a lot about the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine. Everything from meditation and acupuncture to vitamin supplements and herbal extracts have been shown to make documented, and often quite dramatic, inroads against conditions as varied as high blood pressure, arthritis, depression, and even cancer. How far out would you go … Read more
Take a moment to think of the names of any 5 prescription drugs. Your list may read something like: Viagra®, Nexium®, Vioxx®, Zyrtec®, and Lunesta®. Or, if pressed for another 5, maybe Yaz®, Xyzal®, Elidel®, Prozac®, and Paxil®. Notice anything unusual? Topomax®, Prevacid®, Oxycontin®, Celexa®, Botox®. Flomax®, Valtrex®, Zoloft®, Zantac®, Xanax®. How about now? If … Read more
A football is often referred to as a “pigskin,” though it’s been a long time since that term was accurate. Modern day footballs are made out of cow leather, which is manufactured from the hides of slaughtered cattle. That got us at Book of Odds wondering: Forget human beings, what are the odds a cow will … Read more