For most women, it's a given and an acceptable sacrifice: Joint and leg pain versus a pair of fabulous high heels by Alexander McQueen, Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik. After all, what was the alternative? Wearing a pair of horrendously thick-soled therapeutic clunkers?

Well, bad news for ugly shoe advocates: A new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine says hideousness isn't particularly helpful. Researchers split a group of 160 people over the age of 50, all with knee pain, into two groups: Half were given normal walking shoes and the other half shoes specifically designed to reduce the walking load on knees. There was no significant difference in pain improvement or walking function.

That might not justify wearing Manolos with 5-inch heels, but it does suggest that your old, battered, beloved Converses in the closet are OK.

H-2-Oh Go Ahead, Drink Some More

It's a common notion among dieters that drinking extra water with a meal will make one feel more full, reducing the consumption of foods containing actual calories. There's some new research to suggest the idea is empirically sound.

Scientists had 19 study participants drink a milkshake on an empty stomach, then either quaff a few sips of water or an entire large glass. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the stomachs of folks who drank the full glass of water stretched nearly twice as much as the sippers, boosting activity in the area of the brain that tells them they should be filling full.

Body of Knowledge

By age 60, 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women snore.

Life in Big Macs

One hour of moderate ice skating burns 476 calories (based on a 150-pound person) or the equivalent of 0.7 Big Macs. That's not to mention all of the calories expended trying to find a place to ice skate this time of year.

Counts

39,000: Average number of new cancer cases linked to human papilloma virus (HPV) in U.S. between 2008 and 2012

33,000: Average number of HPV cancer cases in U.S. between 2004 and 2008

Source: CDC

Doc Talk

Clip and strip: to remove surgical staples and adhesive sutures

Phobia of the Week

Phagophobia: fear of swallowing

Never Say Diet

The Major League Eating record for slugburgers is 41 in 10 minutes, held by Joey Chestnut. Slugburgers, a delicacy invented during the Great Depression in Corinth, MS, are not made with shell-free terrestrial gastropods, but rather feature a hamburger meat patty containing soybean grits, topped with mustard, dill pickles and onions on a small, 5-inch bun.

Observation

"Despite all our toil and progress, the art of medicine still falls somewhere between trout casting and spook writing."

—American novelist and playwright Ben Hecht (1894-1964)

Medical History

This week in 1938, the first nylon-bristle toothbrush in the United States was described in a New York Times business report. Dr. West's Miracle-Tuft toothbrush used synthetic DuPont nylon bristles instead of natural hog bristles. It was priced at 50 cents.

Med School

Q: What happens when you blush?

a) Your brain flushes with the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA

b) Your stomach blushes too

c) Your vocal chords temporarily swell, resulting in increased difficulty speaking

A: b. Your stomach lining turns red when you blush, a response caused by the sympathetic nervous system boosting blood flow throughout the body.

Epitaphs

"Lector, si monumentum requiris circumspice" or "Reader, if you seek his monument, look around."

—English architect and astronomer Christopher Wren (1632-1723). The epitaph was written by his son, noting his father's burial in St Paul's Cathedral, London, which the senior Wren designed

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: Mario Antonio Pena Zapatería