Binge drinking is still a problem in the U.S. It's defined as consuming at least four drinks in one sitting for women and five drinks for men. A recent study found that 8 percent of women and 18 percent of men reported drinking at least twice that threshold in the past year. That translates to 32 million Americans.

Here's one downside, according to STAT: Even the lightest binge drinkers — those who reported having between four and seven drinks in one sitting — were 13 times more likely to have an alcohol-related ER visit than people who didn't binge drink at all.

Ninety

U.S. public health researchers have laid out an ambitious agenda toward ending the AIDS epidemic. By 2020, they want 90 percent of people living with HIV to know their status; 90 percent of those diagnosed to be receiving quality care and 90 percent of those on antiretroviral treatment would have their virus in check.

Squeeze Out The Juice

If you have a child under age 1, don't give him or her fruit juice. That's the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which says new research shows fruit juice provides no nutritional benefit to kids that young and packs excessive sugar and calories. The AAP recommendation was partly driven by rising rates of youthful obesity and declining dental health.

Body of Knowledge

The average lifespan of a human hair (provided it isn't yanked out) is three to seven years.

Life in Big Macs

One hour of having your nails done by someone else burns 68 calories (based on a 150-pound person or the equivalent of 0.1 Big Macs. On the plus side, if you simply chew your fingernails down (and swallow), that's largely a calorie-free endeavor. Nails are composed of keratin, a protein, but as far as anyone can determine, their calorie content appears to be almost non-existent.

Doc Talk

Bungee jumper: a patient who pulls on his catheter tube

Phobia of the Week

Xenoglossophobia: fear of foreign languages

Never Say Diet

The Major League Eating record for mayonnaise is four 32-ounce bowls in 8 minutes, held by Oleg Zhornitskiy. Later, it was reported, Zhornitskiy's demeanor assumed a sort of spiritual look, an a-mayonnaising gaze, so to speak.

Best Medicine

A man called a hospital to inquire about a friend whose wife was giving birth.

"I'm wondering if you can tell me whether the baby has arrived and if it's a boy or a girl," he asked the nurse on the phone.

"I'm sorry but it's against hospital policy to give out this information over the phone," the nurse replied.

"OK. Can you tell me what my friend's wife didn't have?"

"She didn't have a boy."

Observation

"When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane." —Swiss poet and novelist Herman Hesse (1877-1962)

Medical History

This week in 1972 the Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of the insecticide DDT in the United States.

Sum Body

Nobody likes waxy yellow build-up on furniture or inside ears. But while the former doesn't represent a health threat, the latter might. Below are three reasons, courtesy of the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, for why you shouldn't poke inside your ears with cotton-tipped swabs.

—It's unnecessary. Earwax naturally migrates from the inner ear to the outer, where it naturally and eventually dissipates and disappears. Swabbing your ears doesn't hasten the process and may make it worse.

— Inserting swabs (or anything else) into the ear can damage the ear canal or eardrum or even push earwax deeper into the canal, making it harder to remove. The result can be unpleasant added pressure inside your ear, higher risk of ear infections or even loss of hearing.

— Earwax (known medically as cerumen) is good. It's a natural moisturizer for skin inside the ear. It traps dirt and dust. It absorbs dead skin cells. It prevents bacteria and other infectious organisms from reaching the inner ear.

Production of earwax is an individualized sort of thing. Some people make more than others. But abundant earwax is not a sign of poor hygiene. Rather, it's an ear doing its job.

Med School

Q: Which part of your brain regulates sleep?

a) Medulla oblongata

b) Suprachiasmatic nucleus

c) Substantia nigra

A: Suprachiasmatic nucleus. So now you know.

Curtain Calls

James Betts was a student at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, England in 1667. He had been secretly courting Elizabeth Spencer, the daughter of the college's Master, John Spencer, a noted theologian and scholar. Elizabeth was the only woman at the college. One day, John Spencer returned home, surprising his daughter and Betts. Elizabeth hid James in a cupboard, but did not return for some hours. When she did, she discovered him dead by asphyxiation. Elizabeth later committed suicide.

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.