ad·dic·tion

Spelled [uh-dik-shuhn]

“the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.”

So what are we claiming society is addicted to today? Drugs? Gambling? Sex? Nope. iPhones.

Admit it. If you’re not already reading this off your iPhone (or your Samsung Galaxy, or your HTC Hero), you’re now itching to carry out that all too familiar act of pressing its lovely little button, swiping your finger across its beautiful screen and bringing it to life for reasons you can’t explain. The world can survive without you for 5 minutes, so why the obsessive need to constantly check up on it?

Here’s a little experiment for you, see if you can read this post all the way to the end without waking your phone up (or even looking at it) once. Go on, I dare you.

We have a lot to thank Martin Cooper for and while we might laugh now at his brick that could make the occasional wireless call, it was truly the beginning of a revolution.

you'd be pretty happy if you invented the mobile phone too...

More than 3 billion people worldwide own cell phones now compared with only 300,000 in 1984 but at what point did we start becoming really obsessed? Phones with functions beyond the standard calling and texting are nothing new these days. Instead, it’s the new breed of super Smartphones that are fighting for world domination and Apple is without a doubt, the heavyweight champion (although there are a number of pesky Android devices currently nipping at the heels of the iPhone behemoth).

Those black shirts at Apple and their brilliant minds have drastically changed our expectations of what features are deemed necessary for a mobile phone, and have created a device with so many functions that it truly is a wonder we can put them down for any length of time at all.

iPhones are taking over the world and while they can help us in so many ways, there must be drawbacks to owning a device which one can become so easily attached to.

So, feeling a little uneasy about how much time you’re spending with your iPhone? Here are the 5 areas of your life your iPhone has most likely already claimed.

Read more »

 People used to believe that earth was the center of the universe and sun revolved around it. Those at the time who did not concur with this belief were declared heretics, tortured and burned alive. Over time we have come to let go of many outdated notions and no longer have a habit of setting our neighbors on fire if they happen to have an opinion that differs from ours, usually. There is a slight residue of that ancient mentality when it comes to understanding the complex biochemical organism that is a human being. Whether it is due to a strong belief in intelligent design or simply collective memory loss of how helpless humans can be in the face of nature, there is a worrying trend of abandoning the weapons that our ancestors wish they had. Increasing amounts of young parents, who are probably too young to remember kids in iron lungs suffering from polio, are deciding against vaccinating their own kids from the horrific diseases that are vaccine preventable. What is even more shocking is that it tends to happen in countries that have historically benefited the most from the development of medical science and responsible socio-political systems. Taking for granted relatively recently acquired security from mass killer bugs, young parents do not seem to recognize how damaging viruses can be.

One fact that for some might take a while to wrap their heads around, is that viruses, bacteria and microbes are living organisms. They might not have arms and legs, talk, walk or think, but if we suppose that Darwin was right, we can safely assume that they are also, just like humans, fighting for survival. They multiply at a much faster pace than humans reproduce, and there is countless number of them. As a species, humans have adapted to living with all sorts of visible and invisible stuff floating around, but on occasion there comes along a virus or bacteria that is simply not compatible with the human immune system. The virus itself does not have a grand plan to mass murder everyone that comes into contact with it (we hope), however because it is foreign to the humans’ immune system the effect on person’s health and well being can be catastrophic.

The first vaccine that proved capable of preventing an epidemic was developed against small-pox back in the late 18^th century. The philosophy behind it was relatively simple: by introducing the human immune system to a particular virus in a small dose, thereby allowing the system to comprehend it and figure out a defense mechanism against the virus which can be used in the future, should the immune system encounter the virus again. The progress in immune technology has been immense since then. Recently licensed HPV vaccine for instance, by immunizing against human papilloma virus types 6, 11, 16 and 18 (most widely sexually transmitted infection) prevents 70% of cervical cancers in women. The third generation vaccines also called DNA vaccines are currently undergoing pre-clinical trials. If successful we could see preventive vaccines against Alzheimer’s, herpes and a whole range of other unpleasant conditions that affect millions of people around the world. Hard not to believe in medical science after that.

Now lets go back to the anti-vaccine conspiracy theory individuals who choose not to vaccinate their kids. No, we do not propose to burn them alive. Instead we would like to investigate some predominantly stated reasons for choosing not to vaccinate.

Time and again articles that link vaccination to autism surface on the internet. We do feel for the parents who had the misfortune of having their kids diagnosed with autism, it surely is a great struggle for the family. After Andrew Wakefield’s statement that MMR vaccine causes autism, which was based on falsified research, there have been numerous studies done that investigate that claim. Many man hours and even more dollars have been spent to find the link between vaccination and autism and none were found.

From an emotional perspective, it is much easier to either find hope in, or simply to blame something tangible like the supposed connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, as it provides a focal point for frustrations and wishes for cures. In that regard internet in the age of information has simultaneously been the greatest blessing and a curse, as there’s still so much ‘proof’ still supporting the vaccine-autism link. At this point in time any Tom, Dick or Harry could type out an argument (pro or against vaccination for instance) and their argument could have as much reach and persuasive power as scientific research and the experience of medical professionals over several decades. Long gone are the days when in the family of 12 children only 5 made it into adulthood; there are no vivid examples or memories of children helplessly gasping for air while dying of measles in many modernized countries. Has the advancement in science and technology blinded us to how fragile we still are?

The impact of the anti-vaccinationists on public health is shocking. For example 2000 confirmed cases of measles in the UK over 2 years (more than over a previous decade combined) occurred among children whose parents decided against the MMR vaccine due to the fear of autism. Similar situations occurred in the US, where one unvaccinated boy passed on measles to other 137 unvaccinated children causing an epidemic. The State of California is seeing a terrifying return of vaccine preventable diseases that were though to have been eradicated.

Interactive World Map of Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks

 The basic logic behind the mass vaccination of a population is referred to as “community immunity” or “herd immunity”; by minimizing the number of individuals susceptible to a particular virus the likelihood of an outbreak or an epidemic in the community remains low. Viruses are ultimately self-limiting – the infected person either recovers or dies. The main reason why we haven’t seen unvaccinated people dying right left and center is because the level of herd immunity is still high enough to prevent anything seriously tragic from happening like an outbreak of epidemic proportions.

Another common conspiracy theory revolves around vaccines as population growth control. In 2003 Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, a president of Nigeria’s Supreme Council of Sharia Law claimed that polio vaccines were laced with a drug that causes infertility (by the USA of course) with an agenda to slow the birth rate of Nigerian people. In a country where people are typically economically impaired and where the government feels insecure about its domestic support and international position this conspiracy theory flourished, and a polio outbreak followed soon after. Before long the Government realized the consequences of the propaganda lie and soon dropped the anti-vaccine program.

Whether it is a mother who can not come to grips with her child’s diagnosed condition, a government leader trying to find a control tactic through imaginary enemies and weapons or individuals who are convinced that humans are nature’s superior beings - they all have something in common. Namely the passion and conviction with which they spread a view, just like a virus, that has potentially irreversible consequences for those they are supposedly looking out for and care for the most. Polio, if contracted, can lead to disability, muscle paralysis and deformities in the legs, ankles and hips. Complications from mumps can leave boys sterile, deafness in not uncommon as a result of permanent nerve damage. Measles may lead to serious eye disorders as well as nervous system problems.

For the sake of a balanced argument, fine-tuning the immune system doesn’t always go as well as planned. Pandemrix, a H1N1 flu vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline is currently under investigation. After numerous cases of narcolepsy reported by the recipients of the vaccine, the European Medical Agency as of mid 2011 has advised against it. It was shown that those who received the vaccine were 6-13 times more likely to develop narcolepsy. The link between the condition and the vaccine has not been found, and representatives of the pharmaceutical company assure that the benefits of the vaccine largely surpass the risks.

It is important to point out the problems often encountered in the vaccine development process, in particular the issues that concern funding, investment and regulations around the development of vaccines. Up until about 1970’s, the procedure(development and distribution) was predominantly a governmental matter. The onset of postmodernist culture (often linked to departure from the international gold standard and rapid increase of the political and economical power of corporations) saw a new trend where healthcare matters such as medication, vaccine and medical device manufacturing and development have largely been taken over by commercial interests. The rationale being that this would provide an environment for healthy competition thus raising productivity and the quality of the healthcare products.

While it might have worked in certain areas, when it comes to development of vaccines the reality is that due to the lengthy development period and very strict yet understandable regulations around retention and distribution, often times pharmaceutical companies find it not profitable enough to continue on with the development or production of vaccines. For examples Pfeizer terminated its production of influenza vaccine Fluogen back in 1998 due to the above mentioned hurdles. Similarly the ongoing developments of two most awaited vaccines against cancer and AIDS are often running into barriers due to funding. As businesses aren’t typically interested in the greater good without a profit motive and no politician short of a dictator will be in power long enough to see the political pay-off, many potential vaccines and avenues of research often languish in development because of funding problems. At this point we should mention the recent news regarding the new Malaria vaccine. After development of the vaccine by GlaxoSmithKline came to a halt due to profitability issues, $200 million poured in by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation helped to revive the research. The vaccine is currently being tested, showing 50% drop in risk of infection after vaccination. 

Causes of Child Deaths in Low-Income Countries 2011

Human organisms while very similar are rarely identical. It is very difficult to foresee different micro variations in every person in a reaction to a particular vaccine, rather vaccines are designed as blanket prevention. One in a million might die from an unforeseen side-effect, and it is very sad. However, in the case of contracting that specific disease the person may have died anyway, but as a carrier of a virus could have infected many more. From the perspective of health in the broader human population, it is a minor cost. The Spanish flu pandemic in the early 20^th century took over 50 million lives world wide in the span of a year. There was no vaccine, people died in a horrible manner within hours of contracting a virus. As outlined above, problems with vaccines are not widespread, and tend to be limited to adverse reactions in a tiny fraction of humans or very rarely to production and distribution errors.

Thus before embarking the bandwagon of natural medicine only, afraid of contaminating a young body with chemicals and other unnatural components, believing that vitamin C cures all, think about the reason why so much time and resources have been spent to research and produce vaccines. They might not be absolutely safe in every single case (neither is surgery or chemotherapy), but they have been protecting us from far greater threats, in terms of both severity and size, to the health and well being of humanity as a whole.

So, you might have no kids, yet you are still reading this article which to us clearly indicates that you are interested in masturbation. Who isn’t? Here we will tell you what your school teachers should have told you at some point, but was too shy or uptight to say. This article concerns sexual health, a topic that often times seems to be neglected by educators or misrepresented in the mainstream media.

Before we get the bible thumpers on our back let us clarify here that we are not merely talking about genital stimulation among young boys in their adolescence. We are looking at sexuality in a holistic sense, its perception and development through the lifespan. When we mention masturbation we again imply wider stimulation of erogenous zones (genital organs are just one of them).

Very little constructive educational dialogue has been dedicated to understanding the aspects of pleasure and desire (and pleasing one self involves just that). As it still largely remains a taboo subject, people are left to guess and figure out things on their own when it comes to understanding the body. Think of how you came to discover it. It probably wasn’t Mrs. Jones or your mum explaining why it feels nice when you touch yourself, giving pointers on what you could try, let alone ask you to go to your room and explore your body a little. Most likely it happened just before you hit full-on puberty, rubbing against the pillow in the middle of the night with an ear out for anybody who might be awake at the odd hour. In all likelihood you didn’t tell anybody who would have been able to give you any positive reinforcement or informed constructive advice.

When it comes to sexual education at school we hear the tail end of it. What is considered a more or less comprehensive sexual education at schools concerns the proper use of condoms and other contraception, an array of all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) one could possibly get and to top it off they talk about family planning, if you’re lucky. If you’re not, you’re probably stuck listening to an ineffective speech on how abstinence is the only way to prevent STDs and pregnancy. While this would technically be at least part true, is about as helpful as being told the only way not to get food poisoning or an upset stomach, is to not eat food.

Where do you start?

It starts from the misleading premise that children are asexual beings. Stemming from genuine concern for children, yet with tainted perception of sexuality (”sex as evil/dangerous/physically and emotionally harming/only for adults”) and with the “help” of the legal system, much of society has completely convinced themselves that people below a certain age lack the ability to holistically understand ones own body in relation to sexuality. The first and arguably most important sexual partner (ourselves) has been silenced and eliminated from sex education. Inability to provide adequate materials for learning of masturbation have long term and at times life lasting impending impacts on sexual behavior.

The point can not be stressed enough - a person is their own first and most important sexual partner. There is a school of thought in sexual philosophy that adds “only” to the above description, nothing perverted or abnormal mind you, just a matter of perception and approach. Another important fact to keep in mind, is that a number of sexual behaviors in humans start even before birth. Recent developments in technology have allowed doctors to follow the development of the child in its mother’s womb very closely. One of the things they discovered was that male fetuses are capable of having an erection and are not reluctant to touch it.

Lets not beat around the bush, but get to the point, below are arguments why as a parent your child’s bodily explorations and curiosities (plainly masturbation) should be encouraged. If you disagree with any of the points made below, we would love to hear from you why (with alternative suggestions, please).

1. It’s the safest sexual experience one can possibly have.

It might seem as plain common sense, but how often have you thought about it (or heard your teacher say that in a sex-ed class). Like it or not sex is a very strong drive, and no amount of convincing, threats or scare tactics can completely get it out of the system. If not addressed the issue could be profoundly damaging to an individual. After all, Norman Bates wasn’t a psycho because his mother had a reasonable outlook on sex.

Think about it, when engaging in a sexual activity with oneself , the person is highly unlikely to catch any STD (depending on your hand washing habits), and it is physically impossible to get pregnant or impregnate someone. There is no need to use condoms or contraception. Because it’s a solitary action, there is no necessity to compromise or do something that does not feel good or right. Nobody is likely to harm your child or cause any emotional damage. The issue is addressed and everybody is safe and happy.

2. In the adult life a healthy approach to sexuality that has been instilled since the childhood can dramatically reduce a large number of health problems and sexual dysfunctions.

Open attitude

To gain a wider perspective, let us go back in time a little bit. Consider the case of hysteria - a disorder not exclusively linked to sexual dysfunction, diagnosed primarily in women.

Starting from the mid 19th century this condition was treated by massaging the genitalia and pelvic area of the patient, bringing her to a climax that stimulated blood flow in the body (today we simply call it an orgasm). By the end of that century, the advent of electricity allowed the construction of a machine (basically an old school vibrator) that sent strong localized vibrations that effectively relieved the symptoms of great amount of women diagnosed with hysteria. Many poor souls were headed for asylums if they hadn’t been treated with something modern women have access to everyday, sometimes several times a day. I’m sure almost anyone would take a day of sexual stimulation over a Victorian mental asylum.

Thankfully the Victorian era is over, although sexually repressive mindsets persist in many places. With more liberal attitudes towards the body, its needs and expressions, more women have gained happier, healthier lives compared to their counterparts back in the 19th century. Of course one does not need a machine to satisfy oneself, in fact more skillful practitioners don’t even need the assistance of limbs let alone a doctor, its all about brain activity, muscle contraction and lots of practice. How’s that for a goal to aspire to?

Dysfunctions that stem from conditioning

Continuing on the help of hands and other limbs, when it comes to men there are plenty of dysfunctions that stem from wrong ways of masturbation. When experiencing erectile dysfunction (the inability to get it up) first thing is to do a full medical check-up, the causes might lie with internal organs such as the kidneys, liver, prostate etc. If the tests come back clean then its time to go and see a sexual therapist. The therapist will need to know every detail about a patient’s sex life. Important data points includes ways of masturbation, when, in what manner, how many times per day/week, under what conditions, what pornographic materials are used, attitudes towards sex and masturbation in the family, personal attitude. When, how often and under what circumstances does the dysfunction occur - the professional will go digging deep into the past and present.

The issue often times is that by conditioning oneself to a tube of lube, box of tissues and a computer screen the brain (that sends signals to the rest of the body) might not recognize a flesh and blood woman as a cue to pop an erection. Through therapy the patient eventually expands his excitement and arousal data points. The root of the problem often lies with feeling of shame and guilt that is associated with sexuality and its expressions.

Similarly a lot of women are incapable of reaching climax for the same reasons. An important factor in all of this is the attitude towards sexuality and sexual expression. A lot of times people are incapable of talking about issues simply because they have never been taught how to in an adult manner. In this case family and upbringing plays a crucial role.

Comprehensive material on masturbation education would simply advise the learner to make the experience resemble sexual intercourse as much as possible. A room with pleasant light, comfortable temperature, creating ambiance through music, scented candles or anything else that tickles your pickle. A relaxed state of mind and naked body are highly encouraged. Follow through all four phases of the sexual response cycle: excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution. It’s as simple as that.

3. Lack of Body Awareness and Its Image in the Media

Not the most obvious reason, yet valid nonetheless. Attitude towards sexuality directly correlates to the body image and perception. While casually flipping through an average Hong Kong tabloid, one cannot help but to notice the amount of ads that target young women, offering them variety of slimming programs. It is pointless to blame media for body image distortion that it presents and trends that it supports, after all the (media) market follows a supply and demand curve and everyone needs to make a living. What now seems as a deeply ingrained notion - that a certain body type is perceived as sexually appealing - makes little sense, given that sexual appeal is a sensation and not a body type or part thereof. Because there has been little attention to appreciating your own body from very young, herds of women and men falsely believe that attaining a certain body type would be sexually gratifying.

After staying with us thus far, you might be burning with curiosity, on what is the least awkward way one can teach healthy masturbation habits to their children. Contrary to what many of you might think, as a parent you don’t need to necessarily demonstrate, your kids wont understand it as they haven’t reached your level of sexual development yet. What is essential to do however is to keep an open conversation, laying the foundation that interaction with ones own body is good and healthy. When and where appropriate, of course. It should not be shamed, hushed away or given a judgmental look or a comment. However embarrassing a question might be for you a child is simply curious and deserves the most sincere, informative and well meaning answer. The key is not to set the list of rights and wrongs, but instead from day one provide the individual with a safe environment where exploration and play are supported, self-love is encouraged, leaving no subject that can not be discussed. Do ask questions. It is important to make sure that terms are well defined and understood. Given that the trust foundation is there you will be the first one to know of any possible plans of delinquencies that the media and other “educators” warn us about. You will also be ensuring that in their adult years, your offspring will be more informed and confident about his/her preferences, avoiding a full list of sexual, relationship and self image issues and disorders.

You might have a different view, experience or belief and that is entirely your prerogative. We do not mean to offend anybody, but feel obliged to share something that is not widely known or accepted yet could prove enormously valuable and beneficial in the long run. Health (in the case of this article on sexual health) is often thought of only when an issue arises. Just as brushing your teeth everyday might save you a small fortune on dental care bills down the road, a better understanding of your body will help you conserve on medical and therapy fees. Thus before you even think of initiating the talk about the birds and the bees, remember to ensure that your child is familiar with their own bee’s knees.

It seems to have been the flavor of 2011: the protest. We can hardly go a day without seeing a report about the latest mass protest somewhere in the world.

It began in the Middle East, and like the falling of a small pebble which goes on to start an avalanche, the years’ massive demonstrations began in a small, little known country called Tunisia. The pebbles gathered strength and swept across the Middle East with an avalanche’s speed and destructiveness, taking out dictators along the way.

The Middle East wasn’t the only place in which massive demonstrations were held this year: rioting took place for several days in the United Kingdom in August, in the United States the “Occupy” movements have become a household name, even peace-loving Canada was not spared from riots after the Vancouver Canucks won the Stanley Cup.

While we all have our own opinions of what seemed to be the year of the protest, this post is not here to comment on them. We are here to continue our duty of keeping you healthy and safe wherever you find yourself, even if the rebellious spirit seizes you and you find yourself picketing your neighborhood 7/11!

So what are some of the biggest health concerns when partaking in a mass demonstration?

1) Well let’s start with the obvious: Police (or Military)

The duty of the police is to keep order and uphold the law of the land. They are, for better or worse, the enforcers of said laws. While laws vary from country to country, particularly in regards to the freedom of assembly, expression and speech, the response of the law enforcement is pretty much the same where ever you go.

Police like order, safety, and most importantly, quiet. When any of these are infringed upon they take it seriously, and break out the dispersal gear.

While the arsenal of equipment in use for police forces in different countries around the world will vary, some of their favorite toys are:

- Tear Gas: A non-lethal chemical weapon that stimulates the corneal nerves in the eyes to cause tears, pain, and even blindness. It is popular for dispersal of large groups. Fire a few canisters into the crowd and even the toughest protesters will scatter.

- Pepper Spray: A chemical compound that attacks the ear, eyes and throat to cause tears, pain, temporary blindness and shortness of breath. A favorite for up close and personal dispersal of small groups; if used in large quantities, it could kill a super hero, or Keith Richards. Unlike tear gas in which your human instinct to flee takes over, pepper spray will take you down, and leave you rolling around in complete and utter agony.

If you have been unfortunate enough to have been subjected to one of the above “non-violent” crowd dispersal tactics, you will know that 1) it hurts like hell, and 2) you can not get enough water on the affected areas. The best relief to the eyes is said to be a mixture of liquid antacid and water, and for the skin: canola oil followed by alcohol (try to resist the temptation to guzzle the booze until you have taken a cold shower).

Some other “non-violent” protest-breaking favorites are:

- Sound Dispersal Devices: A relatively new technology, sound dispersal devices are used to scatter crowds by sending a concentrated, insanely annoying, noise towards your location. It is the police equivalent of that old teacher who used to run her nails on a chalkboard (you know I’m talking about you, Sister Mary Clarence) to quiet you down. Much like tear gas this is designed to disperse crowds and get you on the run.

- Rubber Bullets: As with the other devices on the above list, this is exactly how it sounds, a rubber projectile which is meant to disperse crowds, and particularly to take down violent or threatening protesters. As long as you don’t take one to the face you should be able to walk away from the incident, albeit with a large bruise. But it could be worse, previous incarnations of rubber bullets included solid wooden canisters, known as Baton Shells, fired out of a device similar to a grenade launcher. While a Baton Shell wouldn’t, technically, be used to kill someone, they tended to shatter on impact with the ground; sending wood splinters up at shin height to all the protesters in the vicinity. Non lethal, but very painful. Baton Shells are still in use by many police forces around the world.

For the last two, no explanation is needed, and while we would love to put a “snarky” comment to them, the fact is, stuff has just hit then fan when these gets busted out,

which is no laughing matter; people die.

- Real Bullets

- Tanks

The best advice is to get the hell out of there and live to fight another day.

2) You may have noticed that many of the above police “techniques” for dealing with large demonstrations is to get them to disperse. However, this leads to our next major health concern during a large protest: the crowd (the mob)

While you may think your fellow protesters are the best people in the entire world, the fact of the matter is that they can quickly turn into your worst nightmare, particularly when stuff starts to hit the fan. Like here (at 0:26).

- Stampede: It is a simple fact, when many people are crowded together, their “fight or flight” instinct takes over (thanks usually to the dispersals measures of the police); very little will stop a crowd’s instinct to get away from any potential harm. I am sure many of you are thinking, ‘oh, well I can handle the large crowd, I will just push my way through’. Well unfortunately, this is what everyone else in the crowd is thinking too, turning everyone into one massive tidal wave of pushing and shoving. And if you fall down, it is like getting sucked into a whirlpool, because all that energy pushing the crowd can not be stopped on a dime.

- Stuff on Fire: We’ve all seen the mob mentality that can turn a peaceful slow march into an end-of-days all out street battle. This is usually followed by pictures of cars and business ablaze. What many don’t realize is that while it can sometimes relieve a little stress to set something on fire, that fire doesn’t go out with the snap of a finger and will most likely catch on to anything that surrounds it.

The best advice is to try to avoid getting killed by your fellow protesters is to avoid the largest crowds, and look for side streets or other quick escape routes. When in doubt, climb; look for a street light or tree that will help you get above the herd (unless it is on fire).

3) The next major health concerns when demonstrating is yourself, that’s right, Self-harm:

Whether it is to make a political point or just to show off how badass you are, when you find yourself protesting you may feel the need to get carried away sticking it “to the man”, and that can lead to some serious problems. Some of the popular self-inflicted protest wounds are:

- Hunger Strikes: A tactic used by many political prisoners; hunger strikes are not uncommon in large protests. However many often forget the cardinal rule of a hunger strike: Tell somebody! You would be surprised, but if you don’t get the word out that you and your group of investment bankers are going on a hunger strike until the rest of the 99% is paid fairly, nobody will really notice.

- Drugs: Resist the peer-pressure to experiment with things that you never tried before, and especially in large doses. While the drug angle is often overplayed in the general media, there are still a number of cases of drug overdose, particularly if protests last for over a few days. So if some stranger offers you ‘the best trip of your life’, be wary.

- Self-immolation: This one is serious, and it is unlikely that you will be walking away from it. A popular one for Buddhist monks in China, Self immolation is currently coming back into vogue as a form of protest around the globe. The easiest way to avoid self-immolation is to not set yourself on fire. Glad we could be of help.

The best piece of advice is to take care of yourself (because no one else will), and don’t get too wrapped up in your cause that you think going out in a blaze of glory is the only way – it isn’t.

4) As we move away from the marches and on to the “occupiers”, that is to say protesters camping out for the long haul, a whole new bag of health issues crops up. The most common is Hygiene, or lack thereof.

No, we are not saying that protesters are dirty and unhygienic, but the simple fact of the matter is, when you get so many people congregated in a small space, in less than hospitable conditions, bacteria and viruses will be unleashed. Meaning that one of the biggest hygiene-related problems during a large and lengthy protest is:

- Communicable Diseases: While generally not life-threatening, disease can put a big dent in the will of any protest movement. Add to this a lack of proper toilets and showering facilities and the breeding ground for disease nearly triple ( not to mention a very uncomfortable situation particularly if you get struck down with the runs). It’s an interesting correlation that non-violent mass protest has only become a viable dissent tool in the age of modern sanitation; typhoid probably doesn’t care what your beef is, but it does see that commune of unwashed protesters as a great buffet.

The best advice to avoid catching (or spreading) disease is to stay as hygienic as possible. Yes, you may not be able (or want) to get a shower everyday, but there are plenty of anti-biotic soaps and gels that will do the trick. Also, try to eat healthy and get as much sleep as you possibly can (those drum circles can easily put you to sleep).

5) But perhaps the biggest health concerns during a march or occupation isn’t even man-made! It is Mother Nature:

Despite what any weatherman says, no one can really predict the weather. And when it comes to a protest, nothing can cause more chaos than a bit of nasty weather. Whether it is extreme weather like snowstorms, lightning, hail or dust storms, or just temperature extremes, weather can play a major factor in deterring even the most devout protester.

When you think about it, you do not generally see too many protests in the dead of winter. This is simply because exposure to snow or freezing rain can lead hypothermia, pneumonia or worse. Which spell major trouble for any protester.

You also do not see many protests during the middle of summer in hot climates, this is because heat and sun exposure will bring dehydration and eventually sun-stroke. Which can be life threatening.

While you will probably be labeled a “fair-weather” protester, play it smart and avoid the deadly weather, or at the very least, dress for the occasion.

Well there you have it, the top 5 biggest health concerns when demonstrating. While most of us in our lifetimes will have stood up against a viewed atrocity, particularly in that young, rebellious stage - the most important part is to be able to live to tell the tale. So take care of yourself, and one another.

We have all heard some of the most ridiculous items and ‘prized possessions’ that people will insure. A quick scan of the internet will show you that most musicians, celebrities and quirky millionaires insure voices, body parts or unusual possessions for countless millions of dollars. Strange insurance for “normal” people ranges for coverage for alien abductions to animals flatulence. However, what gets far less coverage are normal insurance policy claims that occur under some of the oddest circumstances.

Some of the following stories may be hard to believe, but these incredible insurance claims illustrate the fact that almost anything can happen to anyone at any time, making insurance necessary for all.

One thing to point out is that all of these items below were investigated by both police and insurance claim agents. It is a steadfast reminder that if you’re looking for a way to make money in tough times, we don’t recommend filing a claim as a route to riches, as typically, fraudulent claims can lead to a new lifestyle, but probably not the one you may have been hoping for – namely a new “home” behind bars and a burly roommate named Bubba.

1) Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire

We’ve all heard of, or have known, a Bridezilla and the path of destruction that can follow in their path. But can you imagine an actual fire-ridden path of destruction in her wake?! Well, this is exactly what happened at a couple’s dream wedding in the Caribbean.

The happy couple had just officially become man and wife, and they were ready to kick off their shoes while enjoying a picturesque sunset barbecue with family and friends; or so they thought.

While enjoying the bonfire, the bride got a little too close, catching fire to her wedding dress. The scene threatened to turn into the Corpse Bride, if it were not for the quick thinking of her new husband - who threw his lovely, burning bride, straight into the ocean.

Needless to say, the bride’s wedding dress was ruined, as was the groom’s tuxedo as he jumped in himself after launching her into the water. However, thankfully the smart, water logged couple, had taken out wedding insurance cover and were compensated for their ruined wedding outfits.

2) Blinded by the Moon(s)

Who hasn’t come across them on beach holiday - the beautiful group of women in scantly-clad bikinis. However, as Jerry Seinfeld famous quipped, ‘it is like looking at the sun, you don’t stare’; and here is a good reason why you should listen to Jerry.

A young British traveler was vacationing around the Greek isles, when he was fortunate enough to cross paths with a group of women in very skimpy bikinis while walking down the street. Unfortunately for the young man however, he continued to walk down the street; never taking his eyes off of the Greek goddesses, that was at least until his face went straight into a bus shelter that he claimed ‘came out of nowhere’. Unlike in the movies, the scene didn’t play out with just a bruise to the man’s pride; the man shattered his nose requiring a trip to the emergency room.

The young traveler was fortunate that his perverted peeping injury was paid for by his medical insurance company – although the doctor prescribed no more bikini watching for fear of further injury. We can not confirm if he followed this advice and he was likely to wear sunglasses for the remainder of this trip due to his two black eyes. One thing is certain, he will heed the advice of countless men who have come across this situation before; either stop and pretend you have just found the most interest piece of architecture conveniently near the ladies, or be aware of obstacles perv.

3) Raiders of the Lost Camera

Continuing with the beach theme that is emerging - many of us are guilty of thinking that we can trick potential thieves on the beach by hiding our valuables in our shoes or wrapped in our towel, which doesn’t fool anyone, especially those pesky beach-dwelling kleptomaniacs. However, two British children traveling with their family thought that they could out smart any potential thieves by burying their parents’ video camera in the sand to prevent it from being stolen whilst the family was swimming in the water.

Unfortunately for the children, and their parents, they could not remember the exact location of where they buried the camera. One wonders if perhaps they marked it with an X, only to have the tide wash it over, or even if the camera would have been in working condition (as we all know how sand gets into everything). Thankfully, the family’s property insurance felt for the parents and paid out for a new camera, and dad let his children live to see another day.

4) The Poseidon Ad-Denture

An elderly man vacationing on a cruise ship was prepared for a relaxing week under the sun. Unfortunately, a storm made for a few rough days at sea, which led to a bit of sea sickness for the elderly man. While at dinner with a few other patrons, the man felt his dinner was about to make a reappearance, so after excusing himself, the man quickly made his way to the adjoining deck to clear his head (and his supper).

The man however forgot to remove his false teeth prior to vomiting over the side of a cruise ship, causing them to end up at the bottom of the sea.

The man was fortunate enough to have taken out travel incurrence; claiming his new dentures under “lost baggage”.

It makes us wonder if there is a fish roaming the ocean with an extra set of teeth.

5) ‘Tis Not The Season

We have all gone a vacation only to have it spoiled by the weather. While in most cases you can come up pretty good “plan B”, one woman decided that she would put in an insurance claim because of the money she lost due to the uncooperative weather.

The woman was traveling for a week of snow skiing at a luxury Alpine resort, unfortunately for the woman; there was very little snow upon her arrival. The woman believing that she could get no use out of her vacation, and especially her new skis, filed an insurance claim for the trip, and the skis.

Her claims were rejected (we wonder why?).

6) Keeping Up With the Jones’

Every person going on holiday worries at some point that their house or car might get broken into while they are away. Well for one unfortunate family in the UK, this proved to be true. However, it wasn’t the jewelry case or the TV that was missing, it was their entire driveway.

While the family was away for several weeks, thieves walked away with their expensive paving brick by brick, leaving a muddy dirt track upon the families return. Thankfully, the family’s insurance company covered the missing drive way. One wonders though, where were the neighbors during all of this, as it clearly must have taken several days to steal the bricks.

7) ‘An Apple a Day…May Wreck Your Car

For one man in Europe, he really did think that the sky was falling.

I am sure we all know Chicken Little who famously quipped that the “sky is falling” after receiving a Galileo-like hit to the head by an apple. Well for this man, he must have truly begun to wonder if Chicken Little was on to something.

The man had pulled to the side of the road near an apple orchard to enjoy his lunch. This was when the man said that his vehicle became deluged by hundreds of apples. After the downpour of apples subsided, the man got out of his vehicle to see that an fork-lift on the other side of the apple trees had accidentally tipped over and knocked several trees.

The man was worried his auto insurance wouldn’t cover the unusual incident, but thankfully he didn’t upset the apple cart and his insurance covered the claim.

9) A Staining Situation

Perhaps it was the curry vindaloo that caused it! But for one unfortunate man his race to the bathroom didn’t quite work out.

A man in the UK submitted an insurance claim for a new pair of pants. The man wanted to be compensated after he unfortunately soiled them in a race to the toilet at a bus station which didn’t work out. The reason for the claim was that the man had said the bus authorities had shut the toilet without notifying the patrons. The man was not aware of this as he ‘raced to the loo’ only to find a locked door.’

Just be glad you weren’t passing by the man at the same moment, or that didn’t have to sit next to him on the 3 hour bus journey after.

The claim was rejected.

10) A Series of Oh So Unfortunate Events

Who hasn’t had “one of those days” where seemingly everything that could go wrong does. Well for one driver in the United States, their day was certainly going that direction after they braked too late and rear ended the car in front of them. Unfortunately the driver’s day was about to get a whole lot worse.

Their auto insurance claim read an account like this: “While going forward I smashed the rear light of the car in front of me. So I backed up, and in doing so smashed the front bumper of the car behind me. That’s when I stepped out of the car, but in doing so, I knocked down a bicyclist with my door”.

The details of the report did not speculate as to the sex or hair color of the driver, but it does cause from some speculation.

So there you have it, our list of the 10 most unusual insurance claims. What do you think? Have you heard any other wacky insurance stories? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

We all dread those doctors’ visits, especially as we get older. The worry which accompanies the trip to the local quack only increases with age, as does our risk of developing a severe disease or disability. However, we may be in luck due to the advancement in medical technology currently being made by scientists around the world; in the not too distant future our children may not have to worry about the same diseases, ailments or physical disabilities that we worry about today.

Why not? The answer, simply put, is Robots.

As Apple’s introduces their iPhone 4s with its new Siri voice assistant, which sounds frighteningly like a female version of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, it signals yet another advancement in the use and dependency of technology in our day-to-day life. Fans of sci-fi thrillers such as The Matrix, Terminator or Battlestar Galatica will now most certainly be preparing themselves for the A.I. apocalypse. But little do they, or the rest of the population, know that the machines have already been quietly taking over for some time, especially in the field of medical care.

Below we’ll take a look at the top 10 modern machines that are changing the medical industry (and preparing themselves to crush their human masters).

Hybrid Assistive Limb 5

The Hybrid Assistive Limb 5, or HAL 5 (this will really have sci-fi fans going) is an artificially powered ecoskeleton that helps double the amount of weight someone can carry unaided. The device was developed, like much of the other machines on this list, by researchers in Japan.

While this device has a long list of tasks that will greatly impact fields across all professions, it is being looked at in hospitals and in medical care for patients who are suffering from illness that make them weak and unable to perform daily tasks. It is also being used for workers in facilites to help lift items (or humans) that are overweight.

This device is currently on the market, but the thing that will most certainly revolutionize modern medicine which is still in development is cognitive responses, in the hopes that one day wheelchair-bound individuals may be able to “walk”.

Call us crazy, but we’re definitely looking forward to the day when we too can have our very own Luke Skywalker hand from Return of the Jedi.

Da Vinci Si HD Surgical System

The accolades for Da Vinci are numerous, from painter to inventor, to possible head of a secret society; Da Vinci would not have a problem lending his name to this robotic system which performs minimally invasive surgeries. The machine looks like a large and futuristic sewing machine, which it basically is.

Da Vinci gives superior visualization, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort to surgeons for a great range of surgeries, even those as complex as open-heart surgery. The system makes only small incisions of about 1 or 2 centimeters where needed, which can reduce hospital stays by half, reducing costs by about one-third and will mean less pain and a speedier recovery.

CyberKnife

The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System is quite the opposite of its name. The CyberKnife is a non-invasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors anywhere in the body. Developed by Accuray, CyberKnife uses continual image guidance technology and computer controlled robotic mobility to automatically track, detect, and attack tumors. The CyberKnife system precisely delivers high-dose radiation, reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissue and eliminating the need for invasive head or body stabilization frames. As a result, recovery rates are shorter and costs are lowered. Typically, patients require five or fewer visits. The device is relatively small and can therefore be used at smaller medical facilities.

This may be a great idea, until the CyberKnife develops full sentience and goes on the attack spree which will most definitely follow.

SOFI

While 20 years ago many thought that laser precision surgery would be the thing of the future, it is actually robot-assisted surgery that doctors say is going to make things much easier. For starters, aside from being far more precise it’s also steadier, less invasive and it could even be a lot less stressful for the surgeon who doesn’t even have to be in the same room. This is why SOFI (Surgeon’s Operating Force-feedback Interface) has taken this type of surgery to a more sophisticated level by adding haptic feedback that is received by the surgeon performing an operation form a remote location. The feedback is a critical part in the surgeons work and this will enable the surgeon to gauge the amount of pressure being applied to the tissues etc.

It will still be several years before SOFI makes its way into the operating tables but “she” will be one hell of a surgeon once there.

Nursebot

Yes, this is exactly as the name sounds. Nurses (the people) have seen a decline in their numbers in recent years, which has led to shortage in these much needed medical professionals. One of the least sought after, but most important roles in nursing is for the elderly. To help address the situation, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Michigan, and Carnegie Mellon University have been working on mobile robots that are specifically designed to help elderly people cope with day-to-day activities. This allows them to live at home and will help to reduce costs of nursing homes and rehab centers. The nurses can do things like temperature with laser beams and thermal camera imaging (which means no more rectal temperature-taking treatment for grandma). Some models have soft fingertips nimble enough to delicately grip a drinking straw and arms with the strength to lift an adult out of bed. The Nursebot can also respond to commands to do things like fetch medication or refreshments. Nursebot even comes equipped with telepresence capabilities, allowing live nurses or doctors to monitor medical conditions.

RIBA

Taking one look at this photo you will probably have no problem guessing where RIBA was invented. RIBA, the Robot for Interactive Body Assistance, was created in Japan and designed to lift people who are too weak or ill to sit, walk, or stand by themselves. While similar to the Nursebot, RIBA is designed entirely to carry individuals. The robot can, at the moment, lift people of up to 135 pounds, although that weight limit is expected to increase. The machine has 454 sensors built into its arms, along with a motor for lifting people, as well as a soft foam skin for comfort. The robot responds to commands, and is trained to recognize both faces and voices, according to its developers. Its prospective markets are nursing homes, long- and short-term care facilities and hospitals, especially when the robot is able to lift heavier weights.

Remote Presence RP-7

This machine looks like the robot from Lost in Space, a talking head with a rectangular box shape. This remote presence robot allows doctors in different geographical locations to teleconference right by a patient’s bedside. Real-time video allows for detailed viewing, examination and digital image capture of human anatomy, bedside monitors and equipment, EKG strips and light box images. The system is currently used in remote areas of northwestern Pennsylvania, western New York, and eastern Ohio, and even provides coverage to 14 prisons in region.

Lokomat

After suffering a stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, or other harm to the central nervous system, there is a good possibility that one may lose the ability to walk or to use other motor functions.

This leads to an intensive rehabilitation regiment, which dispite the patient’s hard work can produces limited results. This is why researchers in Switzerland designed Lokomat, which combines medical and engineering approaches to help patients regain mobility faster, with less pain. The Lokomat uses a robot to automate treadmill training, giving patients longer and more frequent sessions and resulting in a faster and improved return to mobility. The robot intelligently adapts its behavior to the patient’s individual capabilities.

The walking with Lokomat is said to improve pelvis and hip actuation as the walking is more natural, and the virtual training environments can increase patients’ motivation and engagement.

IntelliFill I.V.Pharmacy

The IntelliFill i.v. is designed to automate hospital pharmacies’ intravenous drug preparation process. It uses bar code scanning, vision systems, and weight confirmation steps to identify final products to reduce medication errors. The robot-based system promotes long-term hospital cost savings by preparing the final intravenous products in a syringe instead of an IV bag, according to developer Baxa. Unfortunately, the machine doesn’t vend sodas.

Nanotechnolgy

Nanotechnology, or, as it is sometimes called, molecular manufacturing , is a branch of engineering that deals with the design and manufacture of extremely small electronic circuits and mechanical devices built at the molecular level of matter.

One application of nanotechnology in medicine currently being developed involves employing nanoparticles to deliver drugs, heat, light or other substances to specific types of cells (such as cancer cells). Particles are engineered so that they are attracted to diseased cells, which allows direct treatment of those cells. This technique reduces damage to healthy cells in the body and allows for earlier detection of disease. For example, nanoparticles that deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells are under development. Tests are in progress for targeted delivery of chemotherapy drugs and their final approval for their use with cancer patients is pending.

If you work in an office you will have most likely received an email in recent years about a man who died at his desk, while this can happen, the kicker was that he was not discovered to be dead for nearly five days. Although the validity of that story is debated, it highlights something that medical professionals have been telling us for years; sitting at a desk is killing us, literally. If you want to avoid an untimely demise under the florescent lights of that cubicle you love, read the top 10 biggest health problems that can come from working in an office, and the ways to prevent them.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

Yes, you may think that this condition only affects the heavyset woman in the cubicle next to you, but actually CTS is becoming a very common issue with today’s modern office worker.

First documented en-masse after World War II, the issue was not taken seriously until the 1970s.

Up to that point it was thought to be just another excuse used by wimpy office workers to miss a day on the job. Turn to the days of the desktop computer and CTS has become an increasingly serious issue. Medical professionals describe CTS as pressure on the median nerve - the nerve in the wrist that supplies feeling and movement to parts of the hand. It can lead to numbness, tingling, weakness, or muscle damage in the hand and fingers (at least it doesn’t make you go blind). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by performing a motion repeatedly over and over again; motions which may be familiar to male readers spending any amount of time on websites with dubious content.

Although other factors can play a part in CTS, in the workplace it is the endless hours spent on spreadsheets, word documents and emails that have led to the explosion of the condition in the last 20 years.

Prevention: Experts say that before you treat Carpal Tunnel with acupuncture, drugs or surgery, stretching and other exercises may help release tension in the wrist. Contrary to what many believe, your wrists shouldn’t actually rest on those cushy wrist pads that sit below your keyboard or mouse pad. They should actually be used as a guide for how high your wrists should be; i.e. The hands should hover over the wrist when at rest and the pads should only be used as a tool to rest your wrists in between bouts of typing.

Lower-Back Pain

While you may think that lower-back pain only affected your father after he “single-handedly wrestled with a full-grown grizzly bear”, it has become an increasing problem for office workers of all ages. Experts say that this is due to the increase in sedentary positions; namely, sitting on your ass for more than a few hours of the day. Add to that an increase in bad posture, and the result can be devastating to your body over time. Employers should be mindful of this as well since, according to Georgetown University, back pain is among the top reasons for employees having to miss work (at least that is what they claim to be missing work for). It isn’t just slouching either, sitting up straight but curving your back too much can also lead lower-back pain.

George Costanza had it right when he complained about back pain from his legendary wallet. Experts say that having large items in your back pocket such as a wallet, or smart phone, while sitting increases back pain as it puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Prevention: Besides being better aware of your posture as you’re sitting at your desk, getting regular exercise, including abdominal strengthening activities, should relieve some of the pressure on your lower back.

Make sure you stand often; the simple act of standing improves blood flow and engages your muscles from feet to trunk. If you do not have a reason to get up, make one! Moving your desk items such as printer, scotch tape, fax machine away from your desk, as well as getting up to talk to someone instead of sending them an email can help you get up and around more often.

The chair that you sit in is also very important; it should help support good posture and not reinforce bad ones.

Eyestrain

Those of us who have to look at spread sheets for hours on end will most certainly have felt, at some point, that the numbers were burning holes in our eyes.

Programmers sorting through thousands of lines of code on a mountain dew fuelled 3am coding binge are well aware of the melty eye phenomenon. Well, the feeling that your eyes may be, literally, melting out of your head isn’t too far off from reality; staring at a computer screen for long periods of time can lead to blurry and overly sensitive eyes, too-watery or too-dry eyes, headaches or a sore neck according to the Mayo Clinic.

Prevention: To prevent eyestrain at your computer, increase your font size so you don’t have to squint. You should also rest your eyes frequently by looking away from your computer screen, which, coincidentally, is a perfect excuse when your boss catches you taking a little catnap, “I was just resting my eyes to reduce eyestrain, boss.” If he doesn’t believe you, make sure he knows that as a worse case it can cause dizziness, fatigue or vomiting and is often attributed to learning and attention problems. Your office IT department may also recommend switching the text on your screen to white, while changing the background to black as a method to reduce eye strain; but if you’re using a CTR computer monitor, changing this set up often may cause the monitor to explode.

Viruses/Bacteria

When thinking about the world’s dirtiest jobs, working in an office generally doesn’t jump into most peoples minds, but “the office” in terms of bacteria and germs, is 400 times dirtier than your toilet. While generally not the breeding ground for the Ebola virus, desks are a rampant with germs, due in part to eating at your desk which can turn it into a bacteria cafeteria. It isn’t the fact that you’re eating food at your desk which is dirty, but rather the issue is that the aftermath of your delicious desk meal is rarely cleaned up; leaving lots of tasty crumbs for those hungry, hungry microbes. According to experts, the phone is the dirtiest item sitting on your desk, your keyboard is next, and the mouse and the computer follow. Food remnants can get into hard to reach areas of your desk and can attract rats, roaches and other creepy crawlers when the lights go out, which leads to unintended exposure to their germs. Add to this the coworker who never washes their hands after using the toilet and you don’t stand a chance. At the end of the day, your office is a bacterial battleground, and you are the most tempting target.

Prevention: If you frequently eat your lunch at your desk, you may want to make sure you have hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to wipe down your work surface daily. That can also protect you from germs sprayed into the air by your coughing and sneezing coworkers. If your office has a communal kitchen sink with a sponge, use paper towels instead, just to stay safe from bacteria. And tell that dirty non-hand washing salesman to wise up, or else.

Also, if you bring your own lunch, remember that raw and cooked foods need to remain refrigerated; leaving them out for two hours or more is a food safety no-no.

Noise stress

Phones ringing, loud printers, annoying coworkers and other office noises can, in fact, be a health risk. Cornell University environmental psychologist, Gary Evans, conducted a study that revealed office noise in open-style offices can lead to “higher levels of stress and lower task motivation.” There may be a reason why the hustle and bustle of a post office causes some employees to “go postal.” Evans and his colleagues believe that while some low-level noise can lead to workers becoming more focused on their tasks, the long term effects of noise stress affect decision making, as well as concentration, keeping workers from realizing that they need to take a break or change their posture, which as we already know can lead to detrimental health. Long-term exposure to noise stress may mean your coworker could be packing more than just his lunch one day.

Prevention: Quiet, enclosed rooms can alleviate the effects of low-level office noise. In lieu of private offices, noise reducing headphones can help. If you are unable to wear headphones in the office, a brief walk to the park or another quiet area throughout the day can help to reduce your stress level.

The bottom line? Be considerate to your colleagues, and refrain from blasting that epic Death Metal track straight after lunch; or ever, now that we think about it.

Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Electric and Magnetic Fields (say that five times fast)

Computer and cell phone emissions are so commonplace these days that they may seem harmless. But the radiation emitted from them has the potential to be hazardous. It is believed by some that high level EMF exposure can cause leukemia, cancers, reproductive and development problems, as well as depression. There is not much you can do to avoid EMF in the modern workplace, and even working at home will still result in exposure. So unless you’re ready to join the tin-foil hat brigade, with their shiny and stylish helmets, ELF and EMF exposure is here for a good long while to come.

Prevention: It is possible to minimize your contact with EMFs by keeping your distance from objects that put off emissions, including keeping your cell phone, tablet and other electronic devices in a far away desk drawer. Try also to place your computer hard drive as far away from your body as possible.

Pro Tip: Take your phone out of your pocket and put it on your desk as the first act of every day. You know, unless you want all that awesome radiation next to your junk. Mutant offspring For The Win?!

Obesity

Although not a new issue, the problem is becoming worse as lack of physical activities, increased levels of stress, and the growing prevalence of junk food contribute to an increase in obesity in workplaces around the world.

Colon cancer

While experts still debate on whether an office jobs can have a definitive link to colon cancer, it is certain that sitting for hours on end is a leading factor in the increase in colon cancer across the globe. According to the American Journal of Epidemiology, experts have found that people who work in the office for more than 10 years, and spend most of the time in sedentary work at a desk, have up to a 44 per cent increase in a risk of colon cancer.

Prevention: As with many of the other items on this list, getting up and moving around during the day, as well as a healthy diet can help to reduce this risk. Broccoli has been identified as a leading preventative agent in the fight against colon cancer, so it could be a good idea to load up on a lunch full of that green leafy vegetable.

However, broccoli also causes flatulence; if colon cancer doesn’t get you, your stinky farts may just turn the tables and give your coworkers the incentive they need to get there first.

Heart disease

Even if you heart is not in your work, it is certainly being exposed to it. According to British scientists, those who work for 10-11 hours in the office have up to 67 per cent higher risks to develop heart disease.

As well as the other contributing factors already listed, it is due in part to working long hours and having less time for exercise, healthy eating and physician’s visits. Working in an office can also expose workers to more stress, less sleep and engage in other behaviors which contribute to cardiovascular risk, particularly that much needed smoking break.

Prevention: Getting up from your desk every 30 minutes can decrease the risk of having a heart attack. Take time during your lunch break to go for a stroll at a brisk pace and drink more water. However, if you’re getting up for a cigarette, you’re not fooling anyone. Get back to work.

Office Obstacle Course

You do, after all, work in a space that is filled with objects that can cause you to slip, trip or even electrocute yourself. As one expert puts it “the modern office is a minefield of objects that can lead to bodily harm”. Add simpleminded coworkers who spill liquid, string cables improperly or put obstacles in public places to the mix and the results can be disastrous. In fact, it’s well known that the Kitchen is the most dangerous place in an individual’s home, so adding all the office obstacles to an office kitchen gives us the perfect threat for the modern employee.

Prevention: Keep your eyes open and don’t be stupid! While this may seem relatively simple, one can easily get distracted when negotiating the office or think that they can get that piece of toast stuck in the toaster out by using the metal knife in the drawer.

From vampires to hiccups to sensitive skin, we’ve identified 17 medical conditions that will have you wondering if we’ve stolen them from an article by The Onion.

Foreign Accent Syndrome: “Do British! Okay, now try German! Can you do Australian? Irish?” We’ve all met someone who is great at doing accents, and although amusing, its always a relief when your friend returns to their usual voice. But what if they couldn’t? Although extremely rare (only 60 reported cases since 1941), FAS is a condition in which a patient starts speaking their native language in a different accent, seemingly brought on due to severe brain trauma, such as a stroke or seizure, and in extremely rare cases, an intense migraine. Scientists have found that certain parts of the brain control linguistic functions, and if these parts are damaged in an accident, it can result in mispronounced syllables and changes in tone and pitch. In one case, an Australian man started speaking with an Irish and an American accent after having a stroke. A British woman started speaking with a Jamaican accent after a stroke. While seemingly amusing at first, the accents do not go away and are thus traumatizing to both the speaker and their friends who have to listen to what sounds like a new person in front of them.

Cotard Delusion or Walking Corpse Syndrome: No no, this is not a disease that causes people to return from the dead and walk around in the land of the living. However, the people that have this disorder do believe that they are, in fact, walking corpses. They think that they are dead, decaying, or have lost limbs. When they look in the mirror and see a reflection, they feel no connection between the face they see and their inner selves, making them think they do not even exist. Cotard Delusion emerges usually in patients that are bipolar, schizophrenic, or depressed, and can only be treated with antidepressants, anti-psychotics, mood stabilizers, and electroconvulsive therapy. After being brought home to South Africa after a motorcycle accident in 1990, one man believed that he was a dead man wandering through hell (affirmed by the intense heat). Freaky, right?

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain: Backaches. Headaches. Scrapes. Broken bones. There are so many times in our lives when we experience excruciating pain and simply wish we couldn’t feel it. For some, that is a reality. While seemingly awesome (the Jackass crew would surely be jealous of this inability), it means that people will not stop engaging in something that is harmful to them simply because they can’t feel it. Children and babies are especially in danger because they easily bite off the tips of their tongues or move even if they have fallen and fractured a bone. Adults may not notice even small things such as infections, or in more intense situations such as a car crash, they may try to get up and move without even realizing they are injured, potentially worsening their injuries. Most children have to wear protective goggles because they poke at their eyes continuously. For many cases there is no treatment, and thus people must take preventive measures, such as pulling their children’s teeth before they can hurt themselves.

Porphyria, or Vampire Disease: Been reading Twilight or watching Vampire Diaries? Well, now you can believe the hype, because vampires do exist. Fortunately for us, these people just look like vampires, not act like them, because of a series of unfortunate chemical reactions in their bodies. People suffering from poryphia can be extremely sensitive to sunlight and will get burns or abrasions easily under the sun, obviously preferring to stay inside. Their urine is purplish-red, which some think is a result of drinking blood. Lastly, their skin begins to tighten and shrink, and as this occurs around the mouth, the canine teeth become more visible and akin to fangs. Now the only problem is…how do we distinguish these “vampires” from the ones that actually drink blood?

Cataplexy: We’ve all laughed until we couldn’t breathe and had to sit down, but what if you actually collapsed? Cataplexy is a muscular weakness that is triggered by emotions such as anger, fear, awe, or embarrassment, or actions such as laughing. Cataplexy results in buckled knees, slurred speech, arm weakness, and more. People with Cataplexy can become extremely unemotional in order to not risk dropping things or collapsing, which can change and diminish their quality of life. It can be treated with antidepressants.

Argyria, or Blue Skin Disorder: If you’ve ever seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, surely you remember Violet, who chewed blueberry gum until her skin turned blue. Unfortunately for some, this is a reality. Argyria is a condition in which the skin becomes blue or blue-grey colored, caused by improper exposure to chemical forms of silver. While silver is generally not dangerous, ingesting or inhaling forms of it, especially colloidal silver, results in silver/sulphide particle deposits in the skin, causing the color distortion. Now, don’t go thinking that just because you touch your grandmother’s jewelry you’re going to end up looking like a smurf. The United States Environmental Protection Agency in 1991 said that the most colloidal silver a person could be exposed to without damage was about 1 liter of 10 ppm colloidal silver per month. Those who have Argyria tend to have consumed gallons of colloidal silver per week for years, to treat sinus and arthritis problems. Thankfully, modern medicine is always looking for new ways to cure things that don’t involve making you a cartoon character.

Hypertrichosis or Werewolf Syndrome is a disorder in which hair grows excessively on the body. Sometimes people are born with it; sometimes it develops later in life. It can be localized or grow all over the body, including the face, leading to the “werewolf” suspicion. Doctors are not certain about what causes hypertrichosis (no, its not the full moon), but one theory is that the anagen phase of the hair cycle, which is when the hair grows, continues on past a normal point, leading to an abnormal amount of hair. There are removal options, such as typical cosmetic procedures like plucking and waxing. Laser hair removal, although normally permanent, is a long-term solution but not a final one, as the hair sometimes continues to grow back. Most people with the condition are actually accepting of it, saying that it defines who they are. Kind of makes me feel ashamed for complaining about a pimple.

Pica: We all ate sand as toddlers on the playground once, but there are some people who never stop. Pica is a disorder in which sufferers have an appetite for basically everything that you are never supposed to eat: metal, dirt, sand, chalk, batteries, office supplies such as tacks, toothbrushes, and soap. Unfortunately, the classic children’s rhyme “God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt!” is not entirely true. People with pica can accidentally ingest animal feces and parasites from the soil, not to mention contracting lead poisoning (which leads to brain damage) from eating paint or plaster. For those who eat glass or other sharp objects such as metal, they risk tearing their stomach or obstructing their intestine. Here’s where it gets interesting: pica is caused by a mineral deficiency, so whatever the patient is eating usually contains the mineral their body is lacking in. Pica is most commonly found in children (usually those with mental developmental disorders) and women (caused by traumatic events, OCD, or schizophrenia). Moral of the story: if your ten year old is still eating dirt…it may be worth a trip to the doctor.

Musicogenic Epilepsy: If you’re at a concert and the guy next to you is dancing so crazily that he looks like he’s having a seizure-he very well may be. Musicogenic epilepsy is just that-musically induced seizures. Triggered by a certain song or type of music, a person can start seizing anytime, anywhere, even if they just hear a few notes of that certain song. It may seem improbable, however the part of the brain that processes music overlaps with the part that triggers seizures. The rhythm of the music and a person’s emotional response to it can cause a group of cells to become excited, and result in a seizure. Surgery is necessary for treatment; doctors identify the parts of the brain that the music is affecting, and attempt to successfully remove them.

Exploding Head Syndrome: The name is misleading. Sufferers of EHS hear explosions, roars, gunshots, screams inside their heads, usually while they are asleep but sometimes while they are awake too. Patients will wake up and think someone has broken into their house, called their name, or that they are in the middle of an attack. EHS is more than “just a bad dream” though; the sufferer’s body responds immediately with fear, anxiety, elevated heart rate, and adrenaline, commonly leading to insomnia because patients are too scared to sleep. There’s no known cause (although there is a correlation to extreme stress) or treatment, though three people were cured by taking clomipramine, an antidepressant. One theory is that a mild seizure occurs in the temporal lobe where the nerve cells for hearing are. Sounds like this is a disorder Dr. House needs to study.

Progeria: If you’ve seen Benjamin Button, you’ve gotten a fair idea of what Progeria might look like. Born a health baby, a child will start rapidly displaying symptoms of aging around the age of 2 years old. Skin becomes wrinkled, joints become stiff, and arthritic, respiratory, and cardiovascular problems can even arise. There is no known cure, and sadly, few children with Progeria live beyond 13 years of age.

Capgras Delusion: We’ve all accidentally not recognized people from our past; old friends or teachers that we coincidentally see on the street as we temporarily forget their names. Some people, however, can’t even recognize a member of their own family. The Capgras Delusion is a disorder in which someone believes that a significant other or a member of their family has been replaced by an identical imposter. One scientist has a theory that it is caused by a disconnection between the temporal cortex and the limbic system. The temporal cortex is where faces are recognized, while the limbic system is associated with emotions. If there is a disconnect, the person cannot synthesize memories and feelings, and thus does not recognize their loved one. It may be found in patients who have had brain trauma or are schizophrenic.

Stendhal Syndrome: Ever seen a piece of art so beautiful it took your breath away? Well, apparently there is a condition in which sufferers have a rapid heartbeat, get dizzy, faint, and even hallucinate when exposed to a particularly breathtaking piece of art, or are in a place where there are many pieces of art, such as a museum. Stendhal Syndrome is commonly referred to as Florence Syndrome, as it often occurs in museums in Florence where many great works are housed.

Medical Students Syndrome: Although it sounds like it should be a plot-line on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Medical Students Syndrome is a type of hypochondria in which medical students who study patients with certain diseases come to think that they too have those medical conditions. For example, after learning that pneumonia causes pain in a certain spot, the students will concentrate on that spot on their bodies and begin to think that even innocent symptoms are evidence of their own pneumonia, or they may temporarily develop the symptoms they have studied. Talk about mind over matter.

Synthesthesia is a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to stimulation of another sensory or cognitive pathway. For example, patients might picture colors when they read or see letters or numbers. Days of the week and months of the year can have personalities. People also hear sounds when they see certain colors. It often arises after a stroke, while under the influence of psychedelic drugs, during a temporal lobe epilepsy seizure, or in people who are blind/deaf.

Dermotographia: What if you could write on your skin without any writing utensil but your fingernail? Dermotographia is a skin condition in which the skin becomes raised and inflamed when scratched or rubbed. It can be induced by anything that has an effect on one’s skin, such as certain fabrics or temperatures. Mast cells surrounded by a a weak membrane release histamines, resulting in the membrane breaking down and a red reaction appearing on the skin. Although it can be treated with antihistamines, one patient, Ariana Page Russell, decided to use her skin as her canvas, drawing different designs on herself and photographing them to make art.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is a neurological condition which distorts people’s perceptions. They may see objects as smaller or larger than they actually are, lose their sense of time, and also lack spacial perspective. So all things considered, its a lot like LSD. It is treated with antidepressants and other medicines used to cure migraines, as it is often caused by migraines and brain tumors.

Can’t be bothered to work out? Don’t have enough time to cook healthy foods? No problem. If you want to shed major pounds quickly, try any of these diet/detox fads. (Disclaimer: As soon as you go off the cleanse and eat normal food, all weight and more will be gained back. Good luck!)

10.) Blue Glasses Diet: If you’re trying to shed pounds for the summer, this may be the diet for you.

If Johnny Depp swears by the Blue Glasses Diet, then maybe this is a fad we can get behind.

Instead of taking off your sunglasses when you get inside, leave ‘em on-on the one condition that they are blue. Not only does a blue tint make food look repulsive, inevitably making you less inclined to eat, but the color blue also suppresses the brain’s appetite center, while also blocking red rays of light, which stimulate the brain’s appetite center. If you’ve ever noticed how fast food signs are in warm colors like red, orange, and yellow, this is the reason why. In fact, when Burger King changed its logo to include blue, sales went down. Side effects of the blue glasses diet may include looking ridiculous.

9.) Piercing Diet: If you’re simply unable to resist sweets, ear stapling may be the best procedure for you. A specialist staples a small, stainless steel ring to your inner cartilage, targeting pressure points that release endorphins, reducing stress and thus, reducing emotional eating. This is also known as a placebo. The tongue piercing diet is a bit more straightforward; for two weeks after the piercing you are unable to eat solid foods, and sometimes even swallowing liquid food can hurt. This diet is more commonly known as starvation. Side effects may include paralysis of one side of your face if the piercing technician pierces too close to the vein. Get skinny or die tryin’, right? .

8.) Blood Type Diet: On this diet, your blood type supposedly corresponds to what food you should be eating. For example, Type O’s apparently need less grains, while Type A’s apparently need a fresh vegetarian diet. Nevermind the fact that everyone needs to eat a balanced diet, or that everyone’s bodies would do better with consumption of fresh, organic veggies. Side effects may include cravings, as well as fatigue due to lack of nutrients, or, if you’re “supposed” to eat less meat, your hair will start falling out because of lack of iron.

7.) Chewing Diet: Relatively simple, the chewing diet consists of chewing

Didn't your mother ever tell you to chew with your mouth closed? No seriously, you sound like a cow.

each bite of food at least 32 times. Once food is chewed, you must tip your head back and allow it to slide down your throat. If there are any pieces that are too big to slide down your throat, you must pick them out and either throw them away. Side effects may include wanting a new jaw, being blacklisted from dinner parties, rearrangement of your schedule because dinner takes twice as long, and a general feelings of dread towards all meals.

6.) Babyfood Diet: If you’re a working mom with not enough time for your newborn child, not to worry. This is the perfect diet; not only can you sit down and eat with your baby, but you can eat what they eat too. Think of it as a bonding experience. On this diet, you can either eat the canned baby food that can be bought in the supermarket, or make your own purees. No bread, salt, dairy, or sweets allowed–only pureed veggies and fruit, up to 14 times a day. Just know before beginning this diet that your only dining companion will be your baby (jars of babyfood aren’t exactly welcome in four-star restaurants with friends), and that other friend we call a bowel movement won’t be visiting for a very, very long time.

Mmm. Looks delicous.

5.) CottonBall Diet: We’ve all sat in the kitchen with a bag of chips, eating and eating but never feeling full. However, next time you’ve got the munchies, head to the bathroom instead of the kitchen. Instead of dipping your hand into the cookie jar, try cotton balls. Low in calories, but high in fiber and super filling. If you’ve really got a sweet tooth, you can dip them in gelatin beforehand to make them a bit tastier (although they’d obviously taste great with or without the added sweetener). You may have digestive problems and suffer headaches, dizziness, and fatigue from a severe lack of nutrients as a result, but what’s all that compared to a rich, flavorful meal of cotton?

4.) Cookie Diet: If you really can’t keep your hand in the cotton ball jar and out of the junk food drawer, there is still hope for you. On this diet, you eat six of Dr. Sanford Siegal’s special cookies per day, with one meal of lean protein and one cup of vegetables in the evening, totaling a grand 800 calories per day. These special cookies are only available to patients at Siegal’s weight loss treatment centers, with a cost of $400 per month.

It's obviously effective.

Why spend an exorbitant amount of money just on cookies from Dr. Siegal when you can just pick up a box of Oreos at the grocery store, you ask? Well, because Dr. Siegal’s cookies have appetite suppressing enzymes in them, of course! Not only does the diet prevent you from getting your required nutritional amounts per day (at least 1,500 calories are recommended, and 5-9 cups of veggies), but you’re also adding unnecessary and unwanted chemicals into your body. Just look at Snooki from Jersey Shore, an obvious success story who has recently spoken to the media about her love of the diet.

3.) TapeWorm Diet: Ever been afraid to kill one of the massive bugs lurking in your bathroom? Well, how about eating one? For this diet, people willingly ingest tapeworm cysts (think of it as an egg–a cute baby tapeworm egg waiting to hatch) that will grow in their intestinal tract. The tapeworm interferes with digestion, enabling the host to eat as much as they want without the calories affecting their weight. After a loss of about 2 pounds per week, the tapeworm is killed with antibiotics as soon as the desired weight is achieved. Sounds pretty simple, right? Except for the fact that the tapeworms can grow up to 25 feet in length and then must be excreted. Also, seeing as they are illegal to buy or sell in the US, you will have to take a flight to Mexico and pay around US$2,000 for the ingestion procedure and purchase of the tapeworm.

25 feet isn't that long...right?!

Possible side effects may include anemia (as the tapeworm absorbs not just food, but also vitamins), bloating, headaches, weakness, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain. Oh, and death. If the tapeworm moves through the bloodstream up to the brain or its eggs prevent organs from functioning correctly, the host will die. The best part is that you can when you excrete the tapeworm, it can either be alive, or dead! It’s lived in you, so why not have it live with you as a pet? It probably won’t want to leave you either–they don’t call it a parasite for nothin’.

2.) The Photoshop + Facebook Diet: If all of these diet fads aren’t working for you, and you’re still not seeing the results you like, try this one. Take one photo of yourself per week, and each week edit the photo on Photoshop to make it look like you’ve lost five pounds. Upload the photo to Facebook profile pictures. Encouraging comments will ensue. “Looking great!” “Keep it up!” Follow their advice, and upload a newly edited profile picture each week, until your Facebook profile shows you at your desired weight. Side effects may include not being able to leave the house for fear of your friends actually seeing what you look like, as well as feelings of loneliness, inadequacy, and general anthropophobia.

1.) The Common Sense Diet: On this diet, you eat 5 small meals per day, drink water regularly, and exercise for 20-30 minutes a day. Meals should consist of whole grains, veggies, and lean protein, with sweets once in a while for good measure. Workouts should consist of a balance between cardio and weightlifting. Side effects may include feeling energetic and happy, having a toned physique and healthy cardiovascular system, and being able to maintain your new and improved figure in the future.

As I’m sure many of us have heard Tiger Woods (Real name: Eldrick Tont Woods) has run into some problems in recent years. During the U.S. Open in June 2008, Woods seemed to be in pain, occasionally wincing after tee shots and favoring the left foot to keep weight off of it. Despite the pain, Woods managed to force the game into a sudden death playoff with Rocco Mediate which Woods won when Mediate missed his putt for par.

Now I’ll grant you that the phrase ‘sudden death’ can make anything more interesting, even golf, but what everyone considers the most impressive feat of that day is the fact that Tiger Woods managed to win while suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a double-stress fracture of his left tibia. Or as fellow PGA golfer Kenny Perry so succinctly put it, “He beat everyone on one leg.”

For those of you familiar with sports, you may not be surprised to hear of an ACL injury in basketball, football, rugby or American football since most injuries of that kind are due to quick acceleration, deceleration or changing direction (especially in contact sports), but a torn ACL in golf? Unpossible. And in this case, you’d be right. Although chronic problems may have contributed to the injury, the actual ACL injury happened while running near his Florida home sometime after the British Open in 2007, according to Woods.

This injury left Woods conspicuously absent from the world of golf for the latter part of 2008 (it also left spectators conspicuously absent from golf), and although he seemed to be getting back into the swing of things since he started playing tournaments again in February 2009 before taking a break at the end of this year. But is this injury going to intensify his chronic knee problems and continue to handicap him, or are there ways to manage the condition? Furthermore, where the heck is an ACL and what does it do?

Glad you asked, because the ACL plays an important role in stabilizing your knee so the lower leg doesn’t wobble around under you like a pirate’s poorly fitted peg leg. In order to more fully understand the impact of Tiger’s injury on his golfing performance, we’ll take a look at some basic knee anatomy.

The knee is often considered the most complex joint in the body because it allows for flexion and extension (right leg in, right leg out) as well as slight rotation (shake it all about), and it has to do all this while supporting the full weight of the human body. The complexity of the joint is not manifested in the bones as the knee is comprised of only 3 bones; the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (big, weight bearing shin bone in the lower leg) and the patella (kneecap). The fibula (little bone in the lower leg that runs down the calf) connects to the tibia below the joint and is thus not included in the actual joint functioning.

The way these bones are shaped and fit together is integral to the joint’s function. As you’ll see from the diagrams, the bottom end of the femur and the top end of the tibia where they form the knee joint, are formed into two rounded knuckles which are referred to as the Medial and Lateral condyles. This doesn’t make a whole lot of sense until you do what the medical profession did and think of an imaginary vertical plane bisecting your body equally into left and right halves, otherwise known as the median plane or midsagittal plane. In reference to this imaginary plane, the condyle on the outside of either knee is referred to as the Lateral condyle because it is further away from the median plane and the condyle on the inside of the knee is called the Medial condyle for obvious reasons.

These condyles are incredibly important because they function as a point of attachment for the many tendons and ligaments necessary for the function of the knee, while the space in between the condyles of the femur creates a groove for the patella (kneecap) to slide through. The condyles of the femur and tibia are what support the weight of the entire human body, which in some cases, can be considerable.

In order to prevent these bones grinding together during joint movement, there are pads of fibrous cartilage-like tissue between each condyle of the femur and tibia called menisci (plural), if you couldn’t guess already, they’re referred to as the Lateral meniscus and the Medial meniscus. The menisci of the knee are attached to each other as well as to surrounding parts of the knee by fibers of varying strength. Despite being anchored firmly in the knee, the menisci are sufficiently free moving to allow them to slide over the top of the tibia when the knee is rotated, while also being able to move over the condyles of the femur during extension or flexion of the knee.

Other forms of protection against wear and tear in the knees come in the shape of bursae, which are saclike structures that are strategically placed to reduce friction between soft tissues as well as around prominent bone structures in joints. There are at least 13 bursa in and around the knee, I told you it was a complicated joint. While usually not a problem, any of these bursae may become irritated, and possibly fill with fluid, becoming a cystic mass putting pressure on the joint instead of reducing friction.

Actually linking the bones together are the ligaments of the knee. The ones least relevant to us today are the patellar ligament joining the patella to the tibia, and the quadriceps tendon which connects the quadriceps muscle to the patella. Today we’ll focus on the four major ligaments of the knee; the cruciate ligaments and the collateral ligaments which are there for the purpose of stabilizing the knee.

The medial collateral ligament (MCL) runs from the medial epicondyle of the femur (fancy terminology for the outside of the femur’s medial condyle) to the medial condyle of the tibia, it prevents the knee from bending inwards towards the median plane by forces applied to the lateral side of the knee, which are called valgus forces. The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) runs from the lateral epicondyle of the femur to the top of the fibula and protects against varus forces which push the knee away from the median plane. If you’re an avid sports watcher, you may have seen a football, rugby or American football video where someone gets tackled hard and comes out with a knee bending to the side. That would be strong evidence for a collateral ligament injury.

Now while the collateral ligaments protect the knee from bending the wrong direction, i.e. sideways, the cruciate ligaments are there to protect your tibia from sliding out from under your knee either forwards or backwards. The posterior cruciate ligament, or PCL, (posterior refers to it being located towards the back) is attached between the medial condyle of the femur to the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia (in between the condyles), it prevents the lower leg from moving too far backwards relative to the femur and can usually only be damaged by direct trauma. The anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL (posterior/back, anterior/front) runs between the lateral condyle of the femur and the anterior intercondylar area. This ligament prevents the tibia from moving too far forward relative to the femur and is unfortunately easy to injure, usually while the knee is being twisted or bent.

Now we’ve waded through that terminally exciting parcel of medical academia, we can move onto more Tiger-centric knee information. Woods has had a string of surgeries on his left knee throughout the years, starting in 1994 with a surgery to remove a benign tumor. During this surgery doctors discovered substantial scar tissue related to childhood injuries from skateboarding, crashing dirt bikes, etc. Although it makes me wonder, if Woods had practiced skateboarding as much as golf when he was a kid, maybe he could’ve given Tony Hawk a run for his money? At least the games would’ve been better.

In 2002, Tiger went in for arthroscopic knee surgery, which is a minimally invasive surgery procedure where the arthroscope and other surgical tools are inserted through holes made in the skin in order to reduce the amount of anesthetics, cutting and recovery time of the surgery. The 2002 arthroscopic knee surgery was done to drain fluid around the ACL and remove a benign cyst. Apparently Woods enjoys surprising his doctors because this time during surgery, it was discovered Woods’ ACL was overly stretched.

Now, golfing can be fairly inimical to your knees, depending on your swing. For right handed players, on the back swing your left foot is planted as you rotate your hips to the right, this means that your tibia rotates externally relative to the femur and the rest of your body. On the swing and follow through golfers transfer the weight to the outside of their left foot, rotating the tibia inwards while the femur rotates externally bringing the hips and trunk around in rotation to the left. This can put a lot of stress on the knee joint if you don’t carry the kinetic force generated by your swing into the trunk and arms, leading to rotational overload of the knee.

Before his surgery in 2002, while many people stood in awe of Tiger’s swing, although he did have a nasty habit of forcing his knee into hyperextension for more distance. This puts an incredible amount of force on your knee, and when the knee is in hypertension it puts a much greater force on your ACL relative to the PCL, which could have contributed to the worrying stretching that doctors found in the ligament during the arthroscopic surgery in 2002.

For those who either really like golf or just enjoy stalking Tiger Woods, you’ll probably know that in 2003-4 after having recovered from his surgery, Woods decided to change his swing. After a period of time, he drifted away from his previous swing coach, Butch Harmon and ended up working with Hank Haney as his swing coach from early 2004.

Now, I understand nothing about keeping the golf club in the same ‘plane’ on the upswing and down, but both Haney and Woods consider this important as it will allow the body a tighter swing. What they’re really talking about is making sure when Tiger swings the club, he’s taking full advantage of the kinetic chain effect where energy is more efficiently transferred from the feet, through the knees and hips, up into the rotating shoulders, down the arms and through the club into the ball. The less energy lost in transfer through the chain means less stress put on the joints, so the smoother the swing, the less wear and tear on Tiger’s knee.

While Tiger’s game started to improve in 2008, meaning the new swing was working for him, something had gone wrong as he was once again limping on the green during the U.S. Open. A few days after the tournament, Tiger announced he would be undergoing surgery once more. This time it would be for a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a double stress fracture in his left tibia.

When Tiger found that his ACL had been stretched after his previous surgery in 2002, he may have started training his legs hard to compensate, as having strong quadriceps and hamstrings lends extra support to the knee. However, repeated overworking after the surgery may have contributed to or even caused the stress fractures in his shin. As for the ACL injury he picked up while running, it is entirely possible that with his history of knee problems and an already stretched ligament, he may have just put his foot down wrong, forcing his knee into hyperextension which caused the tear in his ACL.

Now in 2009, Tiger seems to have rehabbed well after the 2008 surgery on his knee as he has been doing fairly well this year, winning a number of tournaments. However, assuming Woods intends to keep playing the game into the SPGA, or at least keep walking without pain for the rest of his life, he’ll need to look after his knee. In order to do this, he’ll need to condition his legs so that the leg muscles help support the knee, he’ll also have to avoid underestimating the power of a proper warm up and stretching regimen. Then again, he plays sports for large sums of money, so we’re probably not springing any surprises on him.