"Lucid dreaming" is when you are dreaming and you are aware that you are dreaming. Scientists now say there may be a form of "interactive dreaming" in which experimenters can communicate with lucid dreamers during dreaming.

In studies, they found that people in REM sleep could perceive and answer an experimenter's questions, including math problems, with eye movements or facial contractions. Some dreamers said the questions became part of the dream, like a voice on the radio.

The scientists suggest their findings raise the possibility that interactive dreams could be used to teach lessons or address psychological trauma.

Injectable 'Jell-O'

Ingestible gels have long been used to provide oral medicines that dispense their compounds over a period of time. Researchers are now looking at this approach for drugs that require an injection, the idea being that an injected gel would dissolve over several months and replace the need for daily or weekly shots.

The concept works on the same physical principles that inspired Jell-O. You add solid ingredients to water, heat until dissolved and, when cooled, the mixture becomes solid again. However, when reheated, Jell-O (or in this case, the drug-containing gel) re-liquifies.

Body of Knowledge

Your jugular vein is very important. It's the main drain for deoxygenated blood exiting the brain. If it gets plugged, pressure in the brain can rise, with catastrophic results. There are actually four jugular veins: an internal and external pair on each side of the neck. The internal veins largely drain the cerebral veins (coming from the brain), while the external pair drains structures closer to the surface of the head.

Get Me That, Stat!

In U.S. counties where legal cannabis stores operate, there are fewer deaths from opioid use, say researchers using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

When a county went from one to two dispensaries, for example, researchers estimated a 17% decline in opioid-related mortality rates and an estimated 21% drop for fentanyl.

However, the study cannot show cause and effect between stores and deaths, and experts said legal cannabis cannot be considered a remedy for the opioid crisis without more evidence.

Counts

96: percentage of cough particles blocked when you double-mask (wear a medical mask covered by a cloth mask).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Stories for the Waiting Room

As face mask mandates expanded, more Americans spent less time at home, according to a study that used anonymized data from smart devices. The study found that residents spent 11-24 more minutes outside after a mandate was issued, even as COVID-19 rates were rising. Trips increased. The question not answered was whether more time outside the house resulted in more risk of infection.

Doc Talk

Medial tibial stress syndrome: shin splints, which refer to pain along the shin bone (tibia) due to overwork of muscles, tendons and bone tissue.

Phobia of the Week

Kakorrhaphiophobia: fear of failure or defeat.

Best Medicine

Hello, and welcome to the Mental Health Hotline.

If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.

If you are co-dependent, ask someone to press 2 for you.

If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.

If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace your call.

If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be transferred to the mother ship.

If you are depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press — no one will answer.

If you are dyslexic, press 981759812.

If you have low self-esteem, hang up. All operators are too busy to talk to you.

If you have amnesia, press 8 and state your name, address, phone number, date of birth, credit card number and grandmother's maiden name.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

Observation

I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises." — American astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)

Medical History

This week in 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long of Jefferson, Georgia, was the first to use ether as an anesthetic during a minor operation. He placed an ether-soaked towel over the face of James Venable and removed a tumor from his neck. This event predated William Morton's public demonstration of inhaled ether by four years but was not disclosed until 1849 — three years after Morton's demonstration. However, Long's accomplishment in 1842 is now widely considered to represent the discovery of surgical anesthesia.

Self-Exam

Q: How many types of ribs do you have?

A: Humans have 12 pairs of ribs divided into three types. From the top down, ribs 1 through 7 are considered "true ribs," because they connect directly from the spine to the sternum. Ribs 8 through 10 are so-called false ribs because they don't connect directly but have cartilage attaching them to the sternum. Ribs 11 and 12 are so-called floating ribs that connect only to the spine in the back and are much shorter than the other ribs.

Curtain Calls

Basil Brown, a 48-year-old English health food advocate, died in 1974 from liver damage after consuming 70 million units of vitamin A and approximately 10 gallons of carrot juice over the course of 10 days. Carrots contain beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. Brown's skin was bright yellow at the time of his death. The recommended daily amount of vitamin A is 900 micrograms for adult men and 800 micrograms for adult women.

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: cuncon at Pixabay