ArcaMax

Your gluteus maximus muscles are among the body's strongest, but (there has to be a "butt") like the rest of you, they need care and maintenance. Long days of sitting at desks, on couches or in cars can wreak havoc, particularly in the form of a condition called gluteal amnesia.

Otherwise known as "dead butt syndrome."

DBS occurs when your rear-end muscles become weak from lack of activity and seem to forget their multiple functions, from stabilizing and helping other pelvic muscles do their jobs to acting as shock absorbers when walking or running or allowing you to stand upright.

When they no longer can do those jobs well, a cascade of bad things can happen, including hamstring tears, sciatica, shin splints and arthritis in the knees. Americans' sedentary lifestyles have exacerbated the spread of DBS. Some experts say that if you routinely spend multiple hours sitting at a stretch, those turned-off butt muscles progressively forget how to function.

The remedy: Make sure you remember to stand up every 30 to 50 minutes, walk around a bit and gently tap your cheeks with your fingertips. That last part provides a little stimulation to the brain, reminding it that those muscles are there.

Body of Knowledge

Every second, the human body produces 25 million new cells. In just 15 seconds, an individual generates more cells (375 million) than there are people in the United States (330 million).

Get Me That, Stat!

Between 2017 and 2020, roughly 25 million adults aged 20 and older in the U.S. had total cholesterol levels above 240 milligrams per deciliter, which is considered high (and unhealthy). Another 86 million had levels above 200 mg/dL or borderline high, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A health total cholesterol level is under 200 mg/dL.

Mark Your Calendar

October is awareness month for health lungs, ADHD, breast cancer, dental hygiene, Down syndrome, spina bifida, eye injuries, sudden cardiac arrest and sudden infant death syndrome.

Doc Talk

Orthostatic Hypotension: Getting dizzy from standing up too fast

Phobia of the Week

Turophobia: Fear of cheese (not a gouda thing)

Best Medicine

Q: At moment of death, what part of the body is last to die?

A: The pupils because they dilate.

Observation

"We are all much healthier than we were 20 years ago, but mentally, we're falling apart. The World Health Organization now estimates that one out of five people on the planet is clinically depressed." -- American writer Stephen Petranek

Medical History

This week in 2013, the Affordable Care Act, signed into law by then-President Barack Obama in March 2010, began open enrollment for individuals and families. The law was intended to provide new options for affordable health insurance. The need was glaring: Of 40 high-income countries, U.S. life expectancy ranked 27th. The vast majority of high-income countries had and have universal health coverage.

Ig Nobel Apprised

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

In 1997, the Ig Nobel Prize in biology went to a group of Japanese, Swiss and Czech scientists for measuring people's brainwave patterns while they chewed different flavors of gum. Subsequent research has found that chewing gum can enhance attention and promote well-being and work performance, proving you can work and chew gum at the same time.

Self-Exam

Q: How much does a median fart weigh (by volume)?

A) Medians don't fart

B) 33 milliliters

C) 90 milliliters

D) 125 milliliters

E) No one's has ever tried weighing a fart, for obvious reasons

A: C) 90 milliliters. Researchers have, in fact, attempted to measure the volume of flatus (the scientific name) by feeding test subjects 200 grams of baked beans on top of their normal diet and then monitoring the results via rectal catheters. They determined that the average adult produces a median 705 milliliters of gas every day, or roughly two soda cans' worth. Fart volume varied between 33 to 125 milliliters.

Medical Myths

Hats are good on cold days, but you do not lose a disproportionate amount of body heat through your head. That notion erroneously emerged in the 1970s based on limited Army research. It turns out the head was the only part of the body Army scientists actually assessed in their, uh, Cold War studies.

Subsequent research has found that any part of the body left uncovered releases similar amounts of heat.

Curtain Calls

In 2013, a sinkhole opened beneath the Seffner, Florida, home of Jeffrey Bush, who was asleep in his bedroom. Rescuers entered the bedroom to find Bush, his bed and dresser had disappeared down a deep hole. Bush's body was never recovered. The house was subsequently demolished and the sinkhole filled. The property was enclosed by a fence with a nearby memorial to Bush.

In 2015, the sinkhole reopened and was refilled.

In 2023, it reopened again and was refilled.

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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.

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