For The San Diego Union-Tribune It’s tough to be an American woman Women in the U.S. have worse health care access and outcomes than their peers in 13 other high-income countries, such as Australia, Japan, Canada and South Korea. For example, according to STAT: — Women in the U.S. have the lowest life expectancy and the highest rate of avoidable deaths. If prevention measures had been in place or the right treatment had been provided, 70 out of every 100,000 women who die in the U.S. could live. This rate is more than three times the rate of avoidable death in South Korea. — All 13 other countries in the analysis provide some form of government health care coverage to all residents. None have a substantial portion of people who are uninsured. In the U.S. last year, 14 percent of women ages 19 to 64 said they were uninsured, including more than a quarter of Hispanic women. — The U.S. and Australia are the two countries where women most often report having a mental health care need. But they’re also the two countries where women are most likely to skip getting mental health services due to the cost. Get me that. Stat! COVID rates are rising again in some parts of the country. The CDC projects infection rates are growing or likely to grow in 25 states; stable in 17 states and declining in five. One in 10 adults who get COVID are predicted to develop long COVID. (Adobe Stock) Stories for the waiting room Someday, scientists will figure out how to get humans to and back safely from Mars. But building a suitable rocket ship is just one hurdle. There’s also the problem of medicine expiration dates. A recent study found that more than half of the medicines currently stocked in space (i.e., the International Space Station), like pain relievers, antibiotics and sleep aids, would expire before Mars-bound astronauts could return to Earth. The quickest roundtrip to the Red Planet is currently estimated to require 34 months, with no layover. It’s also not known how well some medicines will work in reduced gravity or exposed to space radiation. Doc talk Gynomastia — an increase in the amount of breast gland tissue in boys and men. An imbalance in the hormones estrogen and testosterone causes it. The condition may go away on its own, though there are also drug and surgical treatments. Best medicine I told the doctor I didn’t want brain surgery, but he changed my mind. Observation “I recently had my annual physical examination, which I get once every seven years, and when the nurse weighed me, I was shocked to discover how much stronger the Earth’s gravitational pull has become since 1990.” — American humorist Dave Barry (Adobe Stock) Self-exam Q: In humans, the highest vertebra that supports the skull is known as the: a) Sacrum b) Atlas c) Coccyx d) Medulla A: b) Atlas. The skull is supported by the atlas vertebra, which permits nodding motion. The atlas turns on the next-lower vertebra, the axis, to allow for side-to-side movement of the skull. (Adobe Stock) Fit to be tried There are thousands of exercises and you’ve only got one body, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try them all: Wall sits are pretty much what they sound like, and an excellent way to work out the lower body, especially the quads. Proper form is crucial. Assume a position mimicking being seated in a chair with your back against a wall, feet flat, knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Hold the position for as long as you can, or until the wall falls the other way. (Adobe Stock) Medical myths Drinking soy milk does not cause men’s breasts to enlarge. The idea comes from the fact that soybeans and other legumes contain isoflavones, which are estrogen compounds structurally similar to human estrogen. But isoflavones have different biological properties than human estrogen and do not promote harmful estrogen effects on the body. In fact, they may be protective in terms of reducing the risk of breast cancer. Curtain calls Samuel Wardell was a lamplighter in Brooklyn, N.Y. In order to be up and ready for his  rounds, he attached a 10-pound rock to his alarm clock to help wake him up in the morning. When the alarm went off, the rock would crash to the floor, awakening him. On Christmas Eve in 1885, Wardell rearranged his furniture for a party, but forgot to change his room back afterwards. When the alarm mechanism released the rock in the morning, it fell on his head, killing him. LaFee is vice president of communications for the Sanford Burnham Prebys research institute.