Most people who should be getting annual lung cancer screenings, specifically current and former smokers, aren't, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials recommend annual screenings for current smokers or those who quit in the past 15 years and who have a history of smoking at least 30 packs of cigarettes a year.

However, new data on screening, collected in 10 states in 2017, shows that only 12% of adults met the recommended frequency.

Body of Knowledge

Our ability to see objects in the distance varies considerably. For example, the average person can see campers at the bottom of the Grand Canyon one mile down, an unobstructed city building 50 miles away on a clear day and, conditions permitting, reflected light from Saturn, 746 million miles away.

Get Me That, Stat!

Noncommunicable diseases, such as most cancers and heart diseases, diabetes, osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's disease, are not transmissible directly from one person to another. They are not selective. They affect men and women in all countries and all socioeconomic classes, albeit with regional variations.

They also weigh heavily upon the global economy. It's estimated that between 2010 and 2030, the total global burden of NCDs will reach $47 trillion. That's more than half of the current combined gross domestic product of the world.

Counts

20: Percentage of U.S. children living in rural areas who are more likely to be diagnosed with developmental disabilities and less likely to get treatment.

17: Percentage of children in urban areas likely to be diagnosed with a developmental disability, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder.

Source: CDC

Stories for the Waiting Room

A report from the medical insurance company Converys says more than one-quarter of malpractice claims related to surgical procedures allege a failure in clinical judgment or communication.

Nearly 80% of complaints about surgical procedures involved surgeons and how they performed; a minority involved a foreign object being left behind in the body or an unnecessary procedure. Roughly 10% of claims resulted in a death.

Doc Talk

Jamais vu: a term used in psychiatry to describe an abnormal experience where a patient feels that a routine or familiar event has never happened before.

Best Medicine

First woman: "Did you hear that health experts say 25% of all men are on some form of medication for mental illness?"

Second woman: "That's horrible!"

First woman: "Yes, that means 75% are going around untreated."

Observation

"The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good health lies in successful adjustment to changing stresses on the body." — American physician Harry J. Johnson (1902-1993)

Medical History

This week in 1998, it was revealed in Oslo, Norway, that in experiments conducted for decades until 1994, Norwegian and American researchers had used mentally ill or developmentally disabled Norwegians in tests of the biological and genetic effects of X-ray radiation on the human body.

Ig Nobel Apprised

The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh and then think, a look at real science that's hard to take seriously and even harder to ignore.

In 2009, the Ig Nobel Prize in Public Health went to a trio of American researchers for inventing a brassiere that could be quickly converted into a pair of protective face masks in an emergency. Lately, the idea has gone viral, so to speak, but health officials caution that such DIY masks are unlikely to have the same protective qualities as masks actually designed for that purpose.

Fit to Be Tried

There are thousands of exercises, and you've only got one body, but that doesn't mean you can't try them all. A strong core is essential. The "runner's crunch" is one way to develop all of your core, not just elements like the abdominal muscles.

Lie flat on your back. Place your hands lightly behind your head, and open your elbows out wide to the sides.

Sit all the way up so your back is off the floor. As you sit up, bring your right knee to your chest and your left elbow to meet it (or as close as you can get it). Keep your left leg extended straight and hovering a few inches off the floor.

Lower your back and leg down (without letting your legs come all the way to the floor, if you can), and repeat on the other side.

Try to do 10 reps in three sets. Or set a time for 30 seconds and do as many reps as possible. Rest for 30 seconds, and repeat two more times.

Epitaphs

"I was just resting my eyes." — Gloria M. Russell (1926-2000)

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: Free-Photos at Pixabay