A growing number of women facing a mastectomy in one breast are opting for removal of the other, non-cancerous breast at the same time. The procedure doesn't reduce breast cancer deaths, but advocates say it can translate into a better quality of life for some affected women.

A new study of almost 4,000 women, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggests otherwise. Researchers found that women who underwent prophylactic double mastectomies reported only slightly better social, physical and sexual well-being than those who opted for a single procedure. The authors concluded that the effect was too small to be clinically meaningful.

High Sees

The hepatitis C drug Harvoni (ledipasir-sofosbuvir) is expensive. A single pill costs $1,125 — and standard treatment consists of a pill-a-day for 12 weeks or a total cost of $94,500. You might think that would be enough to persuade patients to seek less expensive alternatives, but demand for Harvoni remains high.

One reason (aside from its touted benefits over other drugs, such as ease-of-use and minor side effects) is the massive advertising campaign behind it. Pharmaceutical maker Gilead Sciences has pumped $100 million into promoting Harvoni, according to the news site STAT, resulting in more than 11,000 ads.

The pill may make you feel better; the incessant advertising, not so much.

Body of Knowledge

Dreams range in length, from a few seconds to perhaps half an hour. The average number of dreams per night is three to five, with the most memorable (or best remembered) being those when dreamers are awakened during REM phase sleep.

Get Me That, Stat!

Retail health clinics — those storefronts you see tucked inside places like Walmart and Target, offering simple medical services — are broadening health care access. A new report published in Health Affairs found that in 58 percent of retail clinic visits, patients said they wouldn't have sought medical care elsewhere.

Number Cruncher

A Lean Pocket with bacon, egg and cheese (252 grams) contains 655 calories, 204 from fat. It has 22.7 grams of total fat or 35 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet, according to the website Calorie Count.

It also contains 126 milligrams of cholesterol (42 percent); 1411 mg of sodium (59 percent); 93.2 grams of total carbohydrates (31 percent); 7.6 g of dietary fiber; 12.6 g of sugar and 27.7 g of protein.

Counts

15.1: Average number of hours per week that physicians say they spend gathering information to help insurers keep tab on quality of care

27: Percentage of physicians who say the information-gathering measures strongly or moderately represent the actual quality of care

Source: Health Affairs

Stories for the Waiting Room

According to the Centers for Disease Control, roughly one in 10 American patients claim to have an allergic reaction to penicillin class antibiotics (which measurably reduces their therapeutic options). In fact, researchers say 80 percent of people who might have been allergic to penicillin in past lose the reaction after 10 years. The real number of person with penicillin allergies is closer to 1 in 100. The CDC recommends getting a skin test if you're unsure.

Doc Talk

Claudication: limping caused by impaired blood supply to the legs

Phobia of the Week

Anuptaphobia: fear of remaining single

Observation

"The biggest drawback to fasting for seven days is that it makes one weak." — Anonymous

Medical History

This week in 1886, Dr. John Pemberton brewed his first batch of Coca Cola over a backyard fire in Atlanta, Georgia. Pemberton created the concoction as a cure for hangovers, stomachaches and headaches. He advertised it as a "brain tonic and intellectual beverage," and began selling the concoction publicly a few weeks later. Coke contained cocaine as an ingredient until 1904, when the drug was banned by Congress.

Self-Exam

What is the average length of a visit with a primary care doctor?

a) 5 minutes

b) 12 minutes

c) 18 minutes

d) 27 minutes

Answer: c) 18 minutes — with doctors interrupting patients within 23 seconds, on average, from the time they begin explaining symptoms

Sum Body

These are all in your head — 5 names for different kinds of headaches:

1. Tension (most common)

2. Cluster

3. Sinus

4. Rebound

5. Migraine

Med School

How frequently does your skeleton completely renew itself?

a) Every year

b) Every 5 years

c) Every 12 years

d) Every 20 years

Answer: c) every 12 years

Epitaphs

"I will not be right back after this message."

—Headstone of American TV host Merv Griffin, Jr. (1925-2007)

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: Tony Webster