Wellnews by Scott LaFee

There is not yet a drug for everything, but there is one now for "hypotrichosis of the eyelashes," a fancy way of describing the condition in which you have too few or inadequate eyelashes.

Allergan, the Irvine-based pharmaceutical company better known for making Botox, has received FDA approval to begin selling its prescription drug Latisse to the eyelash-impaired.

Latisse is already sold under the name Lumigan to treat glaucoma, an eye disease. Allergan scientists noticed during clinical trials for Lumigan that one of the drug's side effects was making eyelashes longer, thicker and darker.

Allergan predicts global sales of Latisse, which would need to be applied daily (like Rogaine), could exceed more than $500 million annually.

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

The temporomandibular joint is the most frequently used joint in the body, moving 2,000 to 3,000 times a day. It's your jaw.

GET ME THAT. STAT!

A Kansas State University study found that hospital patients who received flowers or plants in their rooms recovered faster and better than patients who did not. The patients also appreciated the gesture: 93 percent said the presence of plants was the most positive quality of their hospital room, whereas patients without plants in their rooms rated a TV to be the best thing about their rooms.

NUMBER CRUNCHER

An order of Frings (half french fries, half onion rings) from Ruby's Diner (326 grams) contains 920 calories, 441 from fat. That's 75 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet.

It also contains 939 milligrams of sodium (39 percent), 113 grams of total carbohydrates (38 percent), 5g of dietary fiber (20 percent), 6g of sugar and 13g of protein.

MEDTRONICA

Health video

healthvideo.com

Part of NBC's digital health network, this site offers a variety of video reports on serious subjects (fat, cancer and heart failure) and not-so-serious subjects (eyebrow transplants and hula hoops).

DOC TALK

Dose sponge — a radiology worker

PHOBIA OF THE WEEK

Nostophobia — fear of returning home

BEST MEDICINE

Doctor: What seems to be the matter?

Patient: I have a sore throat.

I ache. I have a fever.

Doctor: Sounds like some kind of virus.

Patient: Everybody in the office has it.

Doctor: Well then, maybe it's a staff infection.

MEET GERM

The mumps virus, which peaks in the winter and spring, is transmitted via respiratory droplets on skin or on fomites (inanimate objects that can transmit infectious organisms). It enters the body through the mouth and upper respiratory tract. Incubation period: Two to three weeks. Childhood vaccination is very effective, though immunity declines with age.

Interesting fact: The word "mumps" is from the old English "to mump," meaning to grimace.

EPITAPHS

Here is where friend Starkwether lies

Nobody laughs, nobody cries

Where he goes, how he fares

Nobody knows, nobody cares

— John Starkwether's gravestone at Silver Lake cemetery in Portage, Wis.

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.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.