California Sober

The so-called "California sober" trend involves swapping alcohol in favor of cannabis consumption in the belief that it's less harmful to the body and reduces the danger of using more potent drugs like opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine.

A small published study suggests the approach actually does reduce alcohol consumption, at least in the short term. Researchers found that cannabis consumers experienced less craving for alcohol and a reduction in drinking.

"Cannabis reduced the urge for alcohol in the moment, lowered how much alcohol people consumed over a two-hour period, and even delayed when they started drinking once the alcohol was available," said Jane Metrik, a professor of behavioral and social sciences and of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University.

The researchers cautioned that study results don't mean cannabis should be recommended as a therapeutic substitute for alcohol. They emphasized that cannabis itself can be addictive and that, as with alcohol, there is risk of progressing to problematic use.

Body of Knowledge

The average duration of a single blink of the human eye is 0.3 seconds. The average person blinks 25 times per minute, or about 13,140,000 blinks per year. Over the course of an average lifespan, a person spends three to five years with their eyes closed from blinking. Some years, that's understandable.

Get Me That, Stat!

In 2025, the average annual premium for family health coverage reached $26,993, an increase of $1,408 (6%) from the previous year, according to data published in Health Affairs. Covered workers contributed an average of 16% ($1,440) toward premiums to enroll in single coverage and 26% ($6,850) for family coverage.

Counts

23: Percentage of U.S. college students who said they experienced severe depression in 2022

18: Percentage in 2025

15: Percentage of college students who said they thought about suicide in 2022

11: Percentage in 2025

Source: Healthy Minds Study, Boston University

Doc Talk

Babinski reflex: Also known as the plantar reflex. When the sole of the foot is stroked, it's the movement of the big toe upward with the other toes fanning out. In infants and children, this reaction is normal. In adults, the same response is considered abnormal and indicates an issue with the brain or spinal cord.

Mania of the Week

Catapedamania: An obsession with jumping from high places (if done without, say, a parachute, the mania tends to be short-lived)

Life in Big Macs

One hour of sitting or singing in church burns 102 calories (based on a 150-pound person) or the equivalent of 0.1 Big Macs with cheese. For the truly devout, a day in church can mean a guilt-free trip to the Golden Arches.

Food for Thought

Lecithin is a fatty substance that occurs in both plants and animals. Its defining characteristic is that it attracts both oil and water, which makes it a useful ingredient as an emulsifier in foods like salad dressings, margarine and chocolate because it keeps other ingredients like oil and water from separating.

Lecithin is used to create a smoother mouthfeel, stabilize mixtures and extend shelf life. It contains dietary precursors to choline, an essential nutrient formerly known as vitamin B4, but studies have found no evidence that taking lecithin supplements provides additional health benefits.

Best Medicine

Sam visits his doctor for his annual physical.

"Everything looks good," declares Sam's doctor. "You're doing OK for your age."

"For my age," exclaims Sam. "I'm only 75. I want to know if I'll make 80."

"Well," replies the doctor, "do you drink or smoke?"

"No," says Sam.

"Do you eat fatty meats or sweets?"

"No."

"What about activities? Do you engage in thrilling behaviors like racing cars or skiing?"

"Absolutely not," says Sam. "I would never engage in dangerously thrilling activities."

"In that case," the doctor says, "why would you want to live to be 80?"

Hypochondriac's Guide

Lingua villosa, or hairy tongue, happens when the tiny bumps on the tongue called papillae don't shed as they normally should, growing beyond their usual length. The resulting buildup of dead cells, bacteria and captured food debris can result in many colors besides green, such as brown, black, white and yellow. The condition can be caused by poor oral hygiene, a predominantly soft food diet, tobacco, medications and dry mouth. It is harmless, temporary and gross.

Perishable Publications

Many, if not most, published research papers have titles that defy comprehension. They use specialized jargon, complex words and opaque phrases like "nonlinear dynamics." Sometimes they don't, yet they're still hard to figure out. Here's an actual title of actual published research study: "Male dance moves that catch a woman's eye."

Published in the journal Biology Letters in 2010, the researchers created clips of professional male dancers and asked 39 females to rate them for dancer quality. Eleven key movement variables were identified, and three were determined to positively correlate with female attraction.

These were "variability and amplitude of movements of the neck and trunk, and speed of movements of the right knee."

Concluded the scientists: "We suggest that such movements may form honest signals of male quality in terms of health, vigor or strength, though this remains to be confirmed."

Observation

"A doctor's reputation is made by the number of eminent men who die under his care." -- Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Medical History

This week in 1952, after a dense four-day killer smog in London, sunshine returned with freshening winds and a rise in temperature. Over those four days, more than 4,000 people died. Many of the deaths involved the elderly, the very young and those with underlying medical problems. Transportation chaos also was a culprit, as visibility was reduced to a few hundred yards. The cause of the smog was coal-burning, resulting in England's Clear Air Act of 1956.

Med School

Q: If histology is the study of tissues at the microscopic level, what is the term for the study of tissues visible to the naked eye?

A) Visology

B) Gross anatomy

C) Eyeballogy

D) Macrology

A: B) Gross anatomy

Last Words

"Now why did I do that?" -- English general William Erskine (1770-1813) after jumping from the window of a tall building in Lisbon, Portugal. Earlier, Erskine had been cashiered from the army after being declared insane.

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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.