If you listen to, say, a lot of sports radio, you will hear ads for treating low testosterone levels in men, which has been associated with ailments ranging from reduced libido and osteoporosis to heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Some of these associations are pretty inconclusive (at least for the moment), but testosterone treatments are nonetheless heavily and widely promoted. A new study by the National Institute on Aging finds that the benefits of testosterone treatment are mixed: Older men with low testosterone (a natural consequence of aging) received treatment for one year to boost levels. The result was improved bone density and corrected anemia problems, but also increased coronary artery plaque, a major risk factor for heart disease.

Testosterone treatment had no effect on memory or other cognitive function.

Do the findings mean the treatments are not valuable? No, but benefits appear limited and come with their own costs. Listen to your doctor, not the guy doing the radio commercial.

Vending Mom

At Children's Hospital in Boston, there's a novel vending machine by the main elevators.

It sells snacks, but also breastfeeding supplies: nipple shields, bottles, bras. The machine is popular with both employees who are nursing (and may have forgotten something at home) and new parents. "We're seeing more families arriving here with the intention of providing breast milk," lactation consultant Karen Sussman-Kartens told STAT.

What's the most popular item sold?

Candy bars, of course, because milk and chocolate go together.

"People want a nice treat," said Sussman-Kartens.

Body of Knowledge

There are 10 human body parts with only three-letter names: eye, hip, arm, leg, ear, toe, jaw, rib, lip and gum.

Stories for the Waiting Room

After every hospital visit comes the bill. There's that one number everyone looks at: the total to be paid, but among the myriad, confusing, itemized details are injury codes. The U.S. health care system uses a methodology called ICD-10, a massive index that includes 65,000 very specific codes for every possible ailment or accident, including:

—W11.XXXA: fall on or from a ladder

—T33.09XA: superficial frostbite

—Z73.819: behavioral insomnia of childhood

—W29.1XXA: contact with an electric knife

—V91.07: burn due to water skis on fire

Seriously. You can Google it.

Life in Big Macs

One hour of playing the piano burns 170 calories (based on a 150-pound person or the equivalent of 0.2 Big Macs. Presumably playing prestissimo burns more than playing adagio.

Counts

28: Proposed new limit, in continuous hours, for work shifts of first-year residency doctors

16: Current limit

Source: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Doc Talk

Rainbow draw: When a phlebotomist cannot read a doctor's blood draw order and so fills every color-coded tube with a sample, just in case.

Phobia of the Week

Merinthophobia: fear of being bound or tied up

Never Say Diet

The Major League Eating record for crinkle cut French fries is 4.46 pounds in 6 minutes, held by Cookie Jarvis. That's small potatoes compared to Bob Shoudt's record for consuming curly fries — 7.9 pounds — though to be fair, Shoudt had an extra four minutes. No doubt Jarvis could ketchup with the extra time.

Best Medicine

A physician sent an email reminding a patient to schedule his annual eye check-up. The patient wrote back that he would not be coming in because he had "a new obstetrician."

Observation

"Reality is the leading cause of stress among those in touch with it" —Comedian Lily Tomlin

Med School

Q: What's the difference between eccrine and apocrine sweat glands?

A: Eccrine glands are the major sweat glands of the human body, found in virtually all skin tissues, but with the highest densities in the palms, soles and head. The total number lies between 2 and 4 million. Apocrine sweat glands are a second type of sweat gland found only in certain locations of the body: armpits, nipples, groin area and around the nose. Modified apocrine glands are found in the ears, where they produce earwax, and in breasts, where they produce milk.

If you gathered up all of the sweat glands in your body, they would weigh roughly 100 grams, about 3.5 ounces or the weight of one kidney.

Last Words

"Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub."

—Hotel magnate Conrad Hilton (1887-1979) when asked if he had any last words of wisdom

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.