Good or Bad, celebrities continue to shock and amaze us, and 2011 was no exception.

From Charlie Sheen’s outburst in February, and Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliff admitting to being an alcoholic, to the tragic losses of Steve Jobs, Ryan Dunn, Amy Winehouse and others, 2011 was a year filled with shocking celebrity health moments that will not soon be forgotten.

Below you’ll find our list of the 2011′s 27 most shocking moments in celebrity health.

1. Charlie Sheen Will Make Your Face Melt Off

How could we forget Charlie Sheen‘s rant back in February?

In what was arguably one of the biggest celebrity meltdowns in since Britney Spears in 2008, Charlie Sheen simultaneously got fired from his role on Two and A Half Men, and became an internet sensation.

His comments in interviews with various media outlets raised questions as to whether or not he was using drugs again, but at the time of the infamous 20/20 interview, he was clean.

Dr. Drew Pinsky argued that Charlie Sheen was showing signs of mania at the time, and we detailed the symptoms of manic and depressive episodes.

In the end, Charlie’s outbursts gave him a huge spike in internet traffic, and spawned several items of Charlie Sheen branded Clothing & Accessories based on his outrageous comments.

And if you ask Mr. Sheen how he was able to come out “Winning” he’d simply say;

I’ve got Tiger Blood, bro.

2. Michael Douglas Beats Throat Cancer

Sheen’s “Wall Street” co-star Michael Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer in August of 2010, but, in January after 7 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy, he announced  ”The tumor is gone.”

Douglas lost about 35 lbs during his treatment, but regained 12 back by “eating like a pig.”

Perfect timing for Michael Douglas as he began preparing for the Steven Soderbergh directed Behind the Candelabra, an upcoming biopic that tells the story of the “tempestuous relationship” between famed singer Liberace (Douglas) and Scott Thorson (played by Matt Damon), his younger lover.

3. Bret Michaels Survives Heart Surgery

In April 2010, 10 days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, rocker Bret Michaels of Poison and Rock of Love fame suffered a major brain hemorrhage, which landed him in the intensive care unit.

His recovery was marked by a number of set-backs including suffering a “warning stroke” in May. Despite all this, he went on to win Celebrity Apprentice.

It was during the medical evaluation to determine why he had the stroke that physicians diagnosed Michaels with patent forale ovale, a congenital hole in his heart.

The hole in his heart was real, but it was surgery, not a VH1 reality show that was going to fix it. He underwent a successful repair in January 2011.

Michaels told People Magazine:

It was one thing after another…It has been rough. But I’m feeling pretty damn good. I’m really blessed to be here.

4. Barbara Walters Opens Her Heart to the World

What do Barbara Walters and Brett Michaels have in common?

At first glance, you wouldn’t think much, but on February 4th the 20/20 host aired “A Matter of Life and Death” where she spoke with the likes of Bill Clinton, David Letterman, Regis Philbin, Robin Willams, and Charlie Rose about their open heart surgery.

Walters also used her special to turn the cameras on herself to showcase a teachable moment in medicine and document her own surgical journey.

In the special, she talked to doctors, including her own to educate viewers, especially women, on what they need to know about cardiovascular disease (which kills more than 450,000 women a year)

She used her celebrity to promote public health awareness (something we’re a huge fan of at Cdx) and said,

“I didn’t want people to feel that this was going to be an hour lecture,”  “To have these very famous, and in some cases very funny people, meant that they [the viewers] would watch.”

5. Serena Williams Undergoes Treatment for Pulmonary Embolism

Tennis superstar Serena Williams had a rough year.

First her feet were deeply lacerated by a broken glass in 2010 for which she had two surgeries, then in March she had to undergo emergency surgery for a pulmonary embolism.

At the time of diagnosis, she was experiencing shortness of breath and swelling in her leg. She had also developed a hematoma the size of a grapefruit that had to be surgically removed.

Ultimately though, she did very well in the Wimbledon tournament and the US Open Final.

She was also named UNICEF’s international Goodwill Ambassador where she will use her popularity and personal interest in children’s issues to support UNICEF’s mission.

6. Matthew Morrison’s Sweet Potato Abs

Matthew Morrison (aka Will Schuester on Glee) revealed something very interesting about his diet this year.

Before a photo shoot, Morrison will only eat sweet potatoes and drink very little water.

“My trainer said eat nothing apart from sweet potato and very little water.The potato acts as a sponge and your body literally shrinks and gets ripped and tight.”

Of course, he also cycles 100 miles a week, and runs another 25 and does :08 min. Abs daily. He also works on a different muscle of his body for about 20 minutes every day and does resistance training four times a week, AND follows a strict diet that limits even healthy snacks like nuts, AND he doesn’t eat fruit after dark.

Not to mention all of the dancing he does on the set of Glee.

So, if you want abs like Matthew Morrison, be sure to follow all of the steps in his workout routine.

BTW, sweet potatoes and  little water is considered a semi starvation diet and is by no means sustainable.

Still, his abs aren’t all that bad to look at.

7. Keenan Cahill is Dynamite!

Keenan Cahill may very well be the only “non traditional” celebrity on this list, being that his claim to fame is lip syncing famous songs on YouTube and that he’s created his own celebrity status from a webcam in his bedroom.

Don’t let “lip syncing” fool you though, BeenerKeeKee19952 (as he’s known on YouTube) has 567,068 subscribers on YouTube and his videos have been viewed over 360 million times.  He is the 39th most subscribed musician of all time on YouTube.

Keenan frequently features celebrity guest stars in his videos, such as 50 Cent, Flo Rida, Cobra Starship, and Jennifer Aniston, just to name a few.

Now for the amazing thing, he’s only 16 years old.

He also has a rare genetic disorder called Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome which prevents his body from breaking down certain complex sugar molecules.

He undergoes weekly enzyme replacement therapy that doctors hope will stabilize his disorder and extend his life. But treatment is expensive which is why Keenan teamed up with members of the San Francisco Giants to start “Dynamite: A Fundraiser for Keenan Cahill”

He’s been involved in several other campaigns, working with NY Knicks, Smartwater, and Wrigley Gum  and he also runs his own clothing line Just Love Apparel.

All this from a kid in his room with a webcam. Amazing!

8.  Missy Elliot with Graves

Wonder why Missy Elliot has been absent from the music scene for the past few years?

In June, Missy Elliot told People Magazine that she had been diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, a thyroid condition, in 2008.

When she was diagnosed, she said the disease had “began affecting her motor skills, followed by a string of symptoms: dizzy spells, lumps in her throat, mood swings, hair loss, a fast heart rate and bulging eyes.”

She was treated with radiation therapy and medication, and is apparently feeling much better.

After being featured on “Behind the Music” she was also voted the second favorite female rapper  by Power99 (though she only lost by .69% margin). She also remixed Last Friday Night by Katy Perry, was featured on Demi Lovato‘s All Night Long, and J. Cole’s Nobody’s Perfect.

It’s good to see the 39 year old rap innovator back in the game, and we hope to hear more from her in 2012.

 9. Harry Potter was an Alcoholic?!

Harry Potter fans may have received a shock when they read in GQ in July  that Daniel Radcliffe was heavily reliant on alcohol while filming Harry Potter in 2009.

“I became so reliant on (alcohol) to enjoy stuff…There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person’s lifestyle that really isn’t suited to me.”“As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn’t work for me. I do that very unsuccessfully. I’m actually enjoying the fact I can have a relationship with my girlfriend where I’m really pleasant and I’m not (expletive) up totally all the time.”

So, it’s good to know that he’s been able to kick the sauce, and Voldemort’s butt in this year’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

10. R. Kelly Has a Bump N’ Grind Removed (From His Throat)

In July, R. Kelly was likely saying “I Believe I Can Fly” not because he was feeling inspired, but from the drugs used during an emergency removal of an abscess in one of his tonsils.

He had been complaining of a sore throat but couldn’t get “The Best of Both Worlds” when it came to treatment. Physicians drained the abscess immediately at the hospital.

Though his publicist said he would be “laid up indefinitely” he was nominated for a Soul Train award for Best Male R&B/Soul Artist and received two Grammy nominations for  Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Album for his Album “Love Letter”

Surely, the singer doesn’t feel like he’s “Trapped in the Closet” anymore.

P.S. He sounded in great form last night on The X Factor-  he sand a duet with contestant Melanie Amaro!

11. Angelina Jolie Eats Bugs

That’s right, Angelina Jolie and her children have revealed that they love eating insects.

Specifically crickets. While shooting a Louis Vuitton ad in Cambodia, Jolie said;

“They ate them like Doritos and they wouldn’t stop. But they’re good. They are like a potato chip.”

Angie’s however has really acquired a taste for cockroaches.

“There’s this very pointy bit on their stomach you just can’t eat. You have to kind of pop that off.”

However strange this celebrity diet seems, eating certain insects can actually be good for you. They’re lower in fat, higher in protein, and have a better feed to meat ratio than beef, lamb, pork, or chicken.

They say you are what you eat, now if we could only stop getting stuck in fly traps, this diet would be great.

12. Kim Kardashian Gets a Nasty Rash

After a trip to the dermatologist, Kim discovers that the nasty rash on her legs is psoriasis.

Her doctor let her know that the disease can be influenced by “stress, food, water, diet. Travel has a lot to do with it” and while there’s no “cure” the condition can certainly be controlled and that she should “lead an easier, slower paced life.”

Of course, in an authentic Kim Kardashian moment, she became very flustered, saying;

“My career is doing ad campaigns and swimsuit photo shoots. People don’t understand the pressure on me to look perfect…Imagine what the tabloids would do to me if they saw all these spots”

Two words Kim, Photo. Shop.

Seriously.

13. I’ll take “Kick Ass Game Show Hosts For $100, Alex”

“He refused to let Lucinda Moyers take cash and the bracelet his mother gave him.”

“Who is Alex Trebek?”

“That is correct!”

Before hosting the National Geographic World Championship at the Googleplex, Trebek spotted a 56 year old woman leaving his hotel room.

His first reaction? Chase her down!

Unfortunately for the 71 year old Jeopardy host though, he tore his Achilles tendon while in pursuit .

“My Achilles tendon ruptured and I then fell on carpet, bruising the other leg in process. Surgery on Friday.”

Crazy part is, this story took place on a Wednesday. So Trebek toughed it out for the next three days while walking around on crutches.

Take that Pat Sajak!

14. Dianna Agron Gets a Broken Nose

And no, it’s not because somebody punched her (God, I hate Quinn this season!)

While on the “Glee Live! Tour” Dianna broke her nose for the second time.

The actress broke her nose for the first time at a high school dance when she was 13, causing her to have a deviated septum. She broke her nose again after going dancing with some friends the night before a day off.

”We were in the middle of doing this concert tour and we had gotten into New York and we had a day off the next day. So I met some of my friends out and we were dancing. And there was a collision of sorts – again… It’s fixed now!”

So now that it’s all fixed can Quinn stop being such a mess? Please?

15. Sean Kingston looks at Beautiful Girls – Crashes Jet Ski – Nearly Dies – Twice

After crashing into a bridge, Sean Kingston’s jet ski accident put the 21 year old singer in the ICU with a broken jaw, fractured wrist, and water in his lungs.

After 11 days in the hospital, as he was about to be released, Kingston complained of having a searing pain in his chest which turned out to be a torn aorta and was rushed in resulting in two open heart surgeries.

Now for the good news, Kingston lost 70 pounds, is living a healthier lifestyle, and even played a show with the Black Eyed Peas in September.

16. Steven Tyler Slips in the Tub

Got to hand it to Steven Tyler and the other aging rock stars who made the list.

They spit in the face of getting old. They rock crowds, fill stadiums, and… slip in the tub?

Yup, Steven Tyler, 63, slipped in his Paraguay hotel’s tub and broke two of his teeth and suffered some lacerations to his face.

Of course, everything was repaired within short order, and he was back to his American Idol hosting duties in no time.

17. Tanorexics Everywhere!

Peanut butter and jelly, ice cream and apple pie, celebrities and tanning; all perfect pairs.

But it turns out, being addicted to tanning could be a very real thing.

According to a study by UT Southwestern released this year, Tanorexia is a real condition. The study found that when frequent tanners are exposed to UV light, the reward and addiction centers of the brain light up like a Christmas tree, indicating increased blood flow to these areas.

What about when the UV rays are blocked?You guessed it… these centers become dim as blood flow decreases to these areas.Lead investigator, Dr. Bryon Adinoff, says:

Using tanning beds has rewarding effects in the brain so people may feel compelled to persist in the behavior even though it’s bad for them… The implication is, ‘If it’s rewarding, then could it also be addictive?’ It’s an important question in the field.

18. Bono’s Heart Skips a Beat

You know, Bono has a constitution unlike any other rock star.He’s a humanitarian, a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, an Honorary Knight, a Grammy winner, and was even once named Person of the Year.

So maybe it’s no surprise that he suffered some heart palpitations after wrapping up the 2 year long  360° Tour.Now let’s think about this for a second, Bono goes on tour for two years, films commercials, attends film festivals, oversees projects he founded like Product Red, DATA, EDUN, and the ONE Campaign…

And all he get’s are some heart palpitations? Heck, smokers who sit around and do nothing get heart palpitations.

In the end,  his doctors gave him a clean bill of health and told him to “Get some rest.”

It’s unlikely though.Knowing Bono, there are still too many issues in the world that haven’t been solved yet.

19. Venus Williams Leaves US Open

2011 was not good to the Williams sisters (remember Serena’s health scare above?)

Venus pulled out after winning one match of the US Open due to her diagnosis of Sjögren’s Syndrome.

Sjögren’s mainly affects the salivary glands and tear ducts along with other moisture-producing glands, and can affect other parts of the body including the skin, thyroid, and  joints and muscles.

“I altered my mind set completely because I was the person who always ate their steak first and their salad second. I changed my diet completely, so lots of vegetables”

But she reports being healthy again, and will resume playing professional tennis.Venus and sister Serena are planning to win their third Olympic gold together in London next year, after wins at the Sydney and Beijing Olympics. As Serena said:

We’re the defending champions and we want to defend our title and I don’t see why we wouldn’t.

20. Don’t Chew Anything Around Kelly Ripa

On a September episode of Live! With Regis and Kelly, Kelly Ripa told guest co-host Seth Meyers that she believes she suffers from misophonia which literally translates to “hatred of sound.”

She says ever since she was a child, the sound of chewing drives her nuts.

The most common reaction of someone with misophonia is extreme rage, meaning if you’re caught chewing gum or something else loudly near Kelly Ripa, she’s likely to haul of and deck you.

Chew on that for a minute.

21. John Mayer Silenced

Fans of John Mayer were saddened when told that Mayer had to cancel two shows, and delay the recording of his next album.

In September, John Mayer’s voice got the best of him when his granuloma became too much for him to handle.

What is a granuloma you ask?

It’s a noncancerous growth that occurs on the vocal cords at the back of the vocal fold. Leading causes of granuloma are excessive use of the voice when talking , smoking, coughing, yelling, or singing.

I wanted to give you an update on the granuloma just above my vocal cord. I had surgery this afternoon to remove it and am now on complete vocal rest for a month or more.

While on vocal rest, John decided that he was going to tour the country, just so he could “look and listen.”

Poetic, no?

22. Demi Lovato Does What Few Actresses Do

Well, actually she went into rehab last year for doing what many actresses do, which is suffer from aneroxia, but what set her apart from the rest of the starlets is that she decided to bring it to the public’s attention.In September, Lovato opened up on Ellen not only about her eating disorder, but about being bullied, being a cutter, and her own drug and alcohol experimentation.

“I would be lying to you , if I said that I never experimented or self-medicated with drugs and alcohol.”

It takes a lot of courage for anyone to admit these types of problems, and it’s especially courageous for someone who’s 19.

Hats off Demi. Hats off.

23. Wanda Sykes says Breast Cancer is No Laughing Matter

What started off as a routine breast reduction resulted in the discovery in a DCIS, which is basically stage zero cancer.

She kept very private about it at first, but in a September interview with Ellen, Wanda Sykes talked about having breast cancer and a bilateral mastectomy.

Sykes, 47, admits she was afraid of coming out about her Breast cancer saying,

How many things can I have? Black, lesbian and I’m like, I can’t be the poster child for everything… at least with the LGBT issues, we get a parade, and a float and all of that, but I was real hesitant about doing this because… I hate walking… and I got a lota walks coming up.

It’s great to see you good spirits Wanda!

24. Did Alternative Medicine Kill Steve Jobs?

Sadly, in 2011 we lost one the most innovative and creative geniuses of our time.

We started covering Steve Job’s story back in March of 2009 and tried to bring to light the major differences between pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) and the much more common, and deadly, pancreatic adenocarcinoma (“pancreatic cancer”).

This story brought major controversy because it explored the idea that while Steve Jobs was seeking alternative treatments for 9 months at the most critical point after diagnosis, his tumor had metasized, and was ultimately able to spread the cancer.

It was a tragic loss not only for the Tech World, but for the world as a whole as Jobs has influenced many aspects of our every day lives.

25. Adele Can’t Sing

Without a doubt, this has been Adele’s breakout year. Her hits “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You” have been an overwhelming success, being covered on Glee, and getting massive radio play.She was nominated for artist of the year, favorite female artist, favorite adult contemporary artist and favorite album for 21 for the American Music Awards.

Now for the bad news. Adele had to cancel the rest of her 2011 tour due to a vocal cord hemorrhage. But, she is working with Dr. Zeitels, the“Voicebox Hero”, as he has repaired some of the most famous voices in the world— including Steven Tyler, Julie Andrews,and ESPN sportscaster Dick Vitale. Dr. Zeitels is a pioneer when it comes to repairing vocal cords. He’s designed over 20 procedures and an instrument to perform them (and he uses special lasers).

So, fans of the singer, don’t worry Adele’s voice is in good hands.

26. Gabby Giffords learns to speak again

On January 8th,  U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen other people were shot during a public meeting; six of those shot died, including Arizona Chief Judge John Roll and one of Rep. Giffords’ staffers.

Giffords was critically wounded by a gunshot wound to the head. She survived, but many of her cognitive abilities became severely limited, including her ability to walk, speak, read and write.

With intense physical, occupational, and speech therapy however, Gabby has been showing signs of improvement, regaining the ability to speak through music therapy, where the language centers of her brain are being rebuilt through song.

Her will to recover is inspirational, and her treatment is fascinating.

We wish you a full recovery Gabby!

27. They’re letting Khloe Have a Baby?!

Yup, after hearing that big sister KourtneyKardashian and boyfriend Scott Disick are having their second child, Khloe started to get baby fever. 

Khloe Kardashian, 29, has been married to LA Lakers star Lamar Odom for two years, and she is reportedly desperate to have a child with him, but it seems as though they have been unable.

So they’ve announced they will begin IVF Treatments (which run between $10-15,000 per procedure) and are very hopeful to have a happy announcement soon.

“For two years, people have been wanting me to get pregnant. People keep saying, ‘Why aren’t you pregnant yet?’ That’s what scares me, when people are like, ‘Did you go to the doctor? Do you know if everything is working?… It’s nerve-wracking. Sometimes I feel like I’m letting everyone down.”

Don’t worry Khloe, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for you.

But this sure does give “Keeping up with the Kardashians” a whole new meaning! 

And that’s it, those were 2011′s 27 most shocking moments in Celebrity Health.

Was there one we missed?

What do you think will be in store for 2012?

What celebrity do you think will have a melt down next year?

Leave your thoughts and predictions in the comments below, and one lucky commenter will win a Celebrity Diagnosis Tee Shirt as well as a $25 gift card to Amazon!

I wrote the other day about the passing of breast cancer survivor and Pink Ribbon advocate Evelyn Lauder.

In a somewhat unfortunate twist, the iconic symbol that Ms. Lauder so tirelessly promoted, has recently come under attack.

Last month, which was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, several media outlets, including CBS and NPR ran articles about concerns that Pink Ribbon campaigns may be going too far. That “Pink Ribbon Fatigue” is setting in.

Now, before you start writing to me about how the National Cancer Institute estimates 40,000 women will die of breast cancer this year, and 230,000 new cases will be diagnosed, and isn’t breast cancer awareness an important issue, my answer is, of course, YES.

Is raising money to support breast cancer research important? YES.

But, as Karuna Jagger, of the group Breast Cancer Action, a San Francisco based group that has lead the campaign to question pink products, says:

“At one time, pink was the means. Now, it’s almost become the end in itself. In its most simplistic forms, pink has become a distraction. You put a pink ribbon on it, people stop asking questions.”

Activists have coined the expression “pinkwashing.” It’s when a company doing a pink breast cancer promotion is also selling and profiting from pink-themed products. Joanna Weiss  in a Boston Globe article “Turning PINK into GREEN” comments:

“The application of pink – in the name of raising money and steering women toward the radiologist’s office – does seem to get broader and cheerier each year. Now, we have NFL balls decorated with pink ribbons and world landmarks bathed in pink light, from the White House to the ancient Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza.”

Barbara Brenner, Executive Director of Breast Cancer Action, questions that with all the money being raised during these promotions, why haven’t we made more progress?  “If shopping could cure breast cancer, it would be cured by now.”

The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective (BWHBC), also known as Our Bodies, Ourselves, summarizes the concerns as fourfold:

1. Does the explosion of pink products promote a false sense of doing something about breast cancer?
2. Are the dollars collected being directed in the most effective way?
3. Does the pink campaign foster gender stereotypes in both its color focus and in which products it promotes?
4. Are some of the pink products actually harmful to women’s health?

This last point is probably most egregiously displayed in the KFC’s “Pink Bucket” campaign.

In Spring 2010, KFC, said it would donate 50 cents to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation for each specially pinkwashed bucket of KFC sold. Note that this was about  the same time it introduced the “Double Down” sandwich- where the bread is replaced by breaded chicken cutlets.

As obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer, is a bucket of fried chicken an appropriate way to earn money for the cause?

The Susan G. Komen Foundation, founded in 1982, is the largest breast cancer foundation in the world. It’s invested more than $685 million to breast cancer research and $1.3 billion to community programs that help with mammograms, transportation and other needs of breast cancer patients.
They were unrepentant regarding the KFC campaign. Spokesperson Katrina McGee told NPR:

In regards to the KFC program, listen, we believe in reaching people where they live, work and play. And KFC helps us do that in very small communities where they may be the only fast food restaurant in town, and in many large communities where the franchisees, and those are really the people who made the contribution, sent their commitment to breast cancer to race for the cure. They did education in their restaurants and a host of other things to support the partnership.

Watch here, as Stephen Colbert so “eloquently” puts it (The relevant section begins at about 1:14):

The Breast Cancer Action groups suggests that we “Think Before You Pink.” That is, that we ask ourselves some critical questions before deciding to purchase a pinkwashed product:

1. How much money from your purchase actually goes toward breast cancer? Is the amount clearly stated on the package?
2. What is the maximum amount that a company will donate?
3. How are the funds being raised?
4. To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?
5. What is the company doing to assure that its products are not actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?

Buy an Assault Rifle and Support Breast Cancer Awareness. Choose from:

AR-15 Pink Panther or “Hello Kitty” AK-47

Do you think the “pink ribbon” campaign has gone overboard?  Or, do you believe “the more money the better”?

Everyone knows what “pink ribbons” signify. Breast cancer.

But do you know who is responsible for making pink ribbons the so readily identifiable symbol it is?

That would be Evelyn Lauder, daughter-in-law of cosmetics giant Esteé Lauder. Ms. Lauder died yesterday at the age of 75 of non-genetic ovarian cancer.

Wife, Businesswoman, Cancer Survivor and Advocate

As a child, Evelyn and her family fled Nazi-occupied Austria and came to live in New York City. There she met her future husband, Leonard, son of Esteé Lauder. After their marriage, she became active in then fledgling cosmetics company, naming the Clinique line and becoming the Head of Fragrance Development Worldwide .

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989. That year, she spearheaded a fund-drive that brought in $18 million dollars to establish the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. The Center, which opened in 1992, was the first to incorporate both diagnostic and treatment services into one center.

In 1992, she and friend Alexandra Penney, the editor of Self Magazine, created the pink ribbon which has become the worldwide symbol of breast health.  And in 1993, she founded  The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a nonprofit which has since raised more than $350 million to fight the disease.

Ms. Lauder was diagnosed with non-genetic ovarian cancer in 2007. She died at home with her family in NYC. A statement on the BCRF website says:

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation mourns the loss of our visionary Founder and Chairman, Evelyn Lauder. Her passionate action and determination to imporve the health of women and their families led her to establish BCRF. Her single-minded dedication to finding a cure for breast cancer never wavered.

What do I need to know about Ovarian Cancer?

What is it?

The ovaries are a pair of oval shaped organs in a woman’s pelvis. They are responsible for the production of eggs, as well as the female reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. Ovarian cancer is a cancer which starts in the cells of the ovaries. There are three main types of ovarian cancer, based on the kind of ovarian cell in which the tumor begins:

• Epithelial cell cancer—Epithelial cells cover the surface of the ovary. Eighty-five to ninety percent of ovarian cancer cases are this type.
• Germ cell cancer—Germ cells are the cells in the ovary that develop into eggs. This type of cancer is more common in younger women and usually has a high cure rate.
• Stromal cell cancer—Stromal cell cancer occurs in the connective tissue, which provides the internal structure of the ovary. It also has a high cure rate.

Important statistics:

It is estimated that 21,990 women will be diagnosed with and 15,460 women will die of cancer of the ovary in 2011.

It accounts for approximately 3 percent of all cancers in women and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the United States.

It has the highest mortality of all cancers of the female reproductive system. This reflects, in part, a lack of early symptoms and effective ovarian cancer screening tests. Thus, ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, after the cancer has spread beyond the ovary. White women have higher incidence and mortality rates than women of other racial and ethnic groups.

What are the risk factors?

• Family history of cancer: Women who have a mother, daughter, or sister with ovarian cancer have an increased risk of the disease. Also, women with a family history of cancer of the breast, uterus, colon, or rectum may also have an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
• Personal history of cancer: Women who have had cancer of the breast, uterus, colon, or rectum have a higher risk.
• Age over 55: Most women are over age 55 when diagnosed.
• Never pregnant: Older women who have never been pregnant.
• Menopausal hormone therapy: Some studies have suggested that women who take estrogen by itself (estrogen without progesterone) for 10 or more years may have an increased risk.

What are the symptoms?

Early ovarian cancer may not cause obvious symptoms. But, as the cancer grows, symptoms may include:

• Pressure or pain in the abdomen, pelvis, back, or legs
• A swollen or bloated abdomen
• Nausea, indigestion, gas, constipation, or diarrhea
• Feeling very tired all the time

What is the role of genetics in Ovarian Cancer?

Some ovarian cancers are caused by inherited gene mutations (changes).

The genes in cells carry the hereditary information that is received from a person’s parents. Hereditary ovarian cancer makes up approximately 5% to 10% of all cases of ovarian cancer. Three hereditary patterns have been identified: ovarian cancer alone, ovarian and breast cancers, and ovarian and colon cancers.

Tests that can detect mutated genes have been developed. These genetic tests are sometimes done for members of families with a high risk of cancer.

Some women who have an increased risk of ovarian cancer may choose to have a prophylactic oophorectomy (the removal of healthy ovaries so that cancer cannot grow in them). In high-risk women, this procedure has been shown to greatly decrease the risk of developing ovarian cancer.

What is the treatment and prognosis?

The prognosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, like all other cancers, depends on the stage of the cancer at the time it is diagnosed. Tumors found early before they have spread have the best prognoses. Treatment typically includes surgery to remove the tumors and then chemotherapy to eliminate any microscopic tumor cells to prevent a recurrence.

Celebrities with Ovarian Cancer

 Surviving:

• Kathy Bates, 63, Oscar-winning American actress
• Carol Channing, 90, American stage and musical comedy actress
• Shannon Miller, 34, American Olympic gold-medalist gymnast
• Bess Myerson, 87, Miss America in 1945

Deceased:

• Ann Dunham (1942-1995), mother of Barack Obama (died age 52)
• Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958), British physical chemist and crystallographer, co-discoverer of the double helix shape of DNA (died age 37)
• Ella Grasso (1919-1981), American politician; first woman ever to be elected a state governor in the United States in her own right (died age 61)
• Madeline Kahn (1942-1999), American actress, singer and comedienne (died age 57)
• Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), American civil rights activist (died age 78)
• Gilda Radner (1946-1989), American actress/comedienne (Saturday Night Live) (died age 42)
• Dinah Shore (1916-1994), American singer and actress (died age 77)
• Jessica Tandy (1909-1994), Oscar-winning (Driving Miss Daisy) British-born American stage and film actress (died age 85)

Walter Isaacson‘s new biography of Steve Jobshas now filled in some of the missing medical details of Jobs’ 8-year battle with cancer. The three chapters describing different phases of his illness are:

• Chapter 35 Round One: Memento Mori (“Remember you will die”)
• Chapter 37 Round Two: The Cancer Recurs
• Chapter 41 Round Three: The Twilight Struggle

It’s very clear from the book that Jobs made a number of bad judgements about his health.  These judgements reflected deep-seated aspects of Jobs’ personality, belief system and thought processes that many people who knew him described as “magical thinking” and Jobs’ “reality distortion field.” Jobs had a lifelong eating disorder and at least one person thought that he met the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

We summarize key features of Jobs’ struggle with PNET (pancreatic or islet cell neuroendocrine tumor) in a timeline infographic that starts with the accidental discovery of his tumor during a check-up for kidney stones in October of 2003. As we’ve previously described, Jobs refused surgery deciding instead to first try alternative medicine treatments for nine months while the tumor continued to grow and spread inside him.

Jobs’ Docs

The table below contains information from Isaacson’s book describing some of the people and clinics involved in Jobs’ diagnosis and treatments.

“I’m a fruitarian and I will only eat leaves picked by virgins in the moonlight”

Jobs’ decision to pursue dietary treatments for his cancer undoubtedly were connected to a lifelong eating disorder which was well-known to his friends and of great concern to his family. His extreme, obsessive, compulsive and often bizarre dietary practices are extensively documented in Isaacson’s book. Jobs continued these practices, against medical advice, during the last eight years of his life and it’s likely that malnutrition complicated the struggle with his malignancy.

Andy Grove of Intel (himself a cancer survivor) reacted to Jobs’ decision to try diet instead of surgery and chemotherapy to treat his cancer this way:

Steve talked to me when he was trying to cure himself by eating horseshit and horseshit roots, and I told him he was crazy.

Medical Tourism and Steve’s DNA

In addition to naturopathic forms of unconventional therapy, Jobs also travel to Switzerland in 2008 to undergo experimental, scientific therapies not available in the U.S. These treatments included hormone-delivered radiotherapy and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. (Isaacson, p. 480) Such medical tourism is not uncommon among the rich and famous.

Based on cutting edge genome (DNA) research, Jobs was treated with drugs “targeted” at his unique cancer genes, apparently with some success. (Isaacson, pp. 476, 550)

“His treatment was fragmented rather than integrated”

If alternative medicine did not serve Steve Jobs well, neither did conventional medicine in some respects. Isaacson criticizes Jobs’ treatment (p. 549), particularly at Stanford, because his “myriad maladies” were being addressed in an uncoordinated manner by cancer doctors, pain doctors, liver doctors, blood doctors and nutritionists — a management process that Jobs would never have tolerated at Apple.

In contrast, Isaacson praises Jobs’ treatment in Memphis (pp. 485, 550) where Dr. James Eason took charge and not only coordinated Jobs’ overall care but also “managed Steve and forced him to do things…that were good for him” — not an easy task with a celebrity patient who was used to getting his own way.

In what ways is the case of Steve Jobs similar to and different from that of Michael Jackson?

For a PDF version of Jobs’ Cancer Timeline, click A Celebrity Diagnosis (TM) Infographic

Please note: We have written this article and constructed the timeline representing the history of Mr. Jobs’ illness based largely on information in Walter Isaacson’s recently published biography of Jobs. When specific dates, or durations, were not available, we used information derived from other published sources and/or estimates based on contemporaneous events. If there are any errors or important omissions in our story or timeline, we would appreciate corrections from authoritative sources via our contact page.

When they first discovered the tumor in his pancreas in October 2003, his doctors told him an immediate operation was necessary, and could lead to a cure.

As first reported by Peter Elkind in 2008, Jobs decided to think different, declined surgery, and explored alternative medicine treatments for his disease.

Nine months later, in July 2004, the tumor had grown. Only then would he allow his doctors to operate.

Would Steve Jobs be alive today had he consented to surgery when they first discovered his tumor?

Without knowing more details about his case, such as the grade and stage of the tumor, it is hard to say.

However, Dr. Roderich Schwartz, an experienced cancer surgeon has said waiting more than a few weeks to take action on such a rare diagnosis “makes no sense because you don’t know what the potential for growth or spread is.”

Steve Jobs is not the first public figure to seek answers outside conventional medical science.

• Steve McQueen (1930-1980) was probably the first modern celebrity to attract widespread public attention with his efforts to cure asbestos-related cancer through unorthodox treatments in Mexico, where he died.
• Farrah Fawcett (1947-2009) and Bret Hudson (1953- ) sought unconventional treatments for anal and throat cancers, respectively. They even underwent treatment at the same German cancer clinic. Even after her cancer regressed following alternative treatments, Farrah eventually lost her battle with anal cancer on June 24, 2009. Bret however was declared cancer free after completing a conventional chemotherapy and radiation regimen.
• Beastie Boyz’s Adam Yauch (1964- ) developed, and beat, cancer of the salivary gland. He attributes his success to augmenting his treatments of conventional surgery and radiation therapy, with becoming a vegan at the recommendation of Tibetan doctors (augmenting conventional therapy is technically called complementary medicine). Yauch’s introduction to Tibetan medicine came after converting from Judaism to Buddhism.

Steve Jobs, also a Buddhist, was reportedly skeptical about mainstream medicine.

While his uncompromising personality and dedication to unconventional-ism undoubtedly changed the way interact with technology forever, that same stubbornness may have also lead to his demise.

Arthur D. Levinson, Apple’s Director who is a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and a biotechnology executive at Genentech, along with other board members pleaded with Jobs to have the surgery. ”There was genuine concern on the part of several board members that he may not have been doing the best thing for his health,”says an Apple insider.”But Steve is Steve. He can be pretty stubborn.”

“Surgery is the only treatment modality that can result in cure,” Dr. Jeffrey A. Norton, chief of surgical oncology at Stanford, wrote in a 2006 medical journal article about this kind of pancreatic cancer.

While it was Norton, who is one of the foremost experts in the field, ultimately removed the tumor, Jobs decision to seek alternate forms of treatment, such as a special diet, among other alternative treatments could have been what cost him his life.

Dr. Roderich Schwarz (quoted earlier) says he is unaware of any evidence that a special diet can be helpful. “But the patient decides. If they believe an herbal diet can do miracles, they have to make the decision. Every once in a while you have somebody who decides something you wish they wouldn’t.”

Furthermore, to date, there is no evidence that indicates successful “alternative treatments” for Jobs’ form of tumor.

According to Dr. Edzard Ernst, an international authority on alternative medicine and author of the book Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine

 “There are far too many charlatans who manage to convince desperate patients to abandon effective treatments in favour of ineffective alternative treatments. This often hastens or even causes death. In my view, this behavior is outright criminal.”

Could it be that Steve Jobs was so committed to the concept of “think different” that he was unable to “think clearly” until it was too late?

Is it possible that his need to defy convention left him vulnerable to alternative medicine practitioners in need of a major endorsement to validate their “alternative” treatment? Was their success more important than Job’s health at the most critical moment of his treatment?

Buddhist theories of medicine say the reason people get sick is through one of  “three poisons:” greed, anger and ignorance.

That’s like saying the iPad is made from earth, wind, fire and water.

Why would someone as technologically sophisticated as Jobs base life-and-death decisions about his health on ancient philosophy, especially when there have recently been more breakthroughs in cancer research than at any other point in history?

Perhaps Watler Isaacson’s new biographywill shed more light on the medical history of Jobs’ tumor including details of the alternative medicine treatments he pursued.

Until then, we are left with the conclusion that Steve Jobs died just as he lived — thinking differently.

A friend of the family said the cause was complications of pancreatic cancer.
-New York Times

…[In] recent years Jobs had fought a form of pancreatic cancer and had a liver transplant.
-ABCNews

In 2004, he announced to his employees that he was being treated for pancreatic cancer.
-CNN

These quotes are just three of the hundreds, if not thousands, of statements made by news media about the cause of death of Apple founder Steve Jobs.

For a public figure as well-known as Jobs, the media had a responsibility to “get it right” and to explain the medical facts behind the headlines to increase the health literacy of the public.  With one exception, the mainstream media had a very poor showing in both regards.

Our mission at Celebrity Diagnosis is to use the unique circumstances surrounding the health and illnesses of those in the public eye as “teachable moments in medicine,” and in so doing, increase your health awareness and medical knowledge.

When people hear the term “pancreatic cancer,” they think of the disease that killed Patrick Swayze, Pernell Roberts, William Saffire and others: One day you’re fine, next you feel a little off and go to the doctor who gives you the horrendous diagnosis, and you’re dead within weeks or months.

This is the most common kind of cancer, that doctors call pancreatic adenocarcinoma. It is NOT the kind of cancer Steve Jobs had – he had a much rarer type of tumor called an neuroendocrine tumor. Although it did arise in the pancreas, it originated from a different pancreatic cell and had a different prognosis and treatment.

So let’s start at the beginning…

What is the pancreas and what does it do?

The pancreas is a fish-shaped organ (with a head to the right and tail to the left) which lies behind the stomach. It is made up of two types of cells:

1. Exocrine cells: These cells produce a pancreatic juice that includes enzymes which aid in the digestion of food in the small intestine, breaking up proteins,carbohydrates and fats.
2. Endocrine cells: These are clustered in small groups (called the Islets of Langerhans) scattered throughout the pancreas. These cells produce important hormones such as insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin.

Islet Cell (Neuroendocrine) Cancer of the Pancreas

An islet cell tumor is a mass of abnormal cells that forms in the endocrine (hormone -producing) tissues of the pancreas. Islet cell tumors may be benign (noncancer) or malignant (cancerous). Islet cell cancer is rare- only about 5% of pancreatic cancers start here.

When islet cells in the pancreas become cancerous, they may make too many hormones. Islet cell cancers that make too many hormones are called functioning tumors. Other islet cell cancers may not make extra hormones and are called nonfunctioning tumors. Seventy-five percent of islet cell tumors are functioning tumors.
Functional Islet Cell Tumors are often named after the hormone they produce:

• Gastrinoma -The tumor makes large amounts of a hormone called gastrin, which causes too much acid to be made in the stomach. Ulcers may develop as a result of too much stomach acid.
• Symptoms:  Abdominal pain, diarrhea, ulcers in the stomach and small bowel and occasionally vomiting blood
• Insulinoma -Overproduction of the hormone insulin and causes the body to store sugar instead of burning the sugar for energy. This causes too little sugar in the blood, a condition called hypoglycemia.
• Symptoms: Feeling tired or weak, shakiness, sweating, headache, hunger, nervousness, double or blurry vision, and fast or pounding heartbeat
• If your blood sugar gets too low, you may faint, have a seizure, or even go into a coma.
• Glucagonoma – This tumor makes too much of the hormone glucagon and causes too much sugar in the blood, a condition called hyperglycemia.
• Symptoms: Diabetes (present in most of the patients), inflamed mouth and tongue, and a crusty or scaly skin rash on the face, abdomen, buttocks, or feet – which may be filled with clear fluid or pus

Surgery is the most common treatment of islet cell cancer. The doctor may take out the cancer and most or part of the pancreas. Sometimes the stomach is taken out (gastrectomy) because of ulcers. Lymph nodes in the area may also be removed and looked at under a microscope to see if they contain cancer.

If malignant cancer cells spread , they tend to go to the liver, and  a portion of the liver may also be removed, if possible. Research has suggested that since the tumor is slow growing, even when present in the liver, that liver transplantation is a reasonable option for islet cell cancer patients with spread to the liver. (Steve Jobs underwent a liver transplant in 2009)

If the cancer is widespread, various forms of chemotherapy may be used to try and shrink the tumors.

The prognosis for islet cell tumors is generally better than adenocarcinomas. Average life expectancy has been stated as 5-10 years. They tend to be slower growing tumors.  Also, because the hormones they produce cause symptoms, they are often caught at an earlier stage. Surgery may be curative if found before there is any spread elsewhere.

Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a cancerous overgrowth of exocrine pancreatic cells (see above).

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death for both men and women.

• Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly of all types of cancer.
• This year 44,030 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and about 37,660 will die from it.
• Despite the high mortality rate, the federal government spends woefully little money on pancreatic cancer research.

Pancreatic cancer is treatable when caught early; the vast majority of cases are not diagnosed until too late.

• Five-year survival rates approach 40% if the cancers are surgically removed while they are still small and have not spread to the lymph nodes.

Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose

• There is no reliable screening test for the early detection of pancreatic cancer.
• Symptoms are often vague and easily confused with other diseases:
• Dark urine and clay-colored stools
• Fatigue and weakness
• Jaundice (a yellow color in the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes)
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain or discomfort in the upper part of the belly or abdomen
•  Back pain
• Blood clots
• Diarrhea
• Indigestion

Who Has the Greatest Risk?

Inherited genetic disorders cause 5-10% of cases of pancreatic cancer and certain genes can inrease the lifetime risk up 80%.

• People with two or more relatives who have had pancreatic cancer
• Cigarette smokers
• People of Ashkenazi Jewish descent
• Have the BRCA2, p16, STK11 gene mutation or chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
• Are over the age of 50

Because pancreatic cancer is often advanced when it is first found, very few pancreatic tumors can be removed by surgery. The standard surgical procedure is called a pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure).

When the tumor has not spread out of the pancreas but cannot be removed, radiation therapy and chemotherapy together may be recommended.

When the tumor has spread (metastasized) to other organs such as the liver, chemotherapy alone is usually used. The standard chemotherapy drug is gemcitabine, but other drugs may be used. Gemcitabine can help about 25% of patients.

Managing pain and other symptoms is an important part of treating advanced pancreatic cancer. Palliative care tams and hospice can help with pain and symptom management, and provide psychological support for patients and their families during the illness.

More extensive information is available by visiting these Resounding Health Casebooks:

Resounding Health(tm) Neuroendocrine (islet cell) tumor

RESOUNDING HEALTH(tm) Pancreas Cancer

If our headline describes you, you could be a psychopath. Really.

Our title is actually part of a classified newspaper ad that researchers used to recruit potential psychopaths from non-jailed populations. The goal of the research was to study the differences between “successful” and “unsuccessful psychopaths.” Successful psychopaths are people that who would flunk The Psychopath Test, but who have managed to stay out of the criminal justice system.

Researches compared 5 different groups of psychopaths:

1. Pyschopaths living in the community
2. Psychopaths working for temporary employment agencies
3. College students with psychopathic traits
4. Corporate psychopaths in business, politics and other “white collar” jobs
5. Serial killers

The bottom line: Successful psychopaths are smarter and sneakier than unsuccessful ones who are more likely to use violence to achieve their goals.

Both groups are superficially charming, manipulative, self-important liars who are callous, parasitic, prone to boredom and sexually promiscuous.

You can find more information on corporate psychopaths (“Snakes in Suits”) here.

Who are your favorite psychopaths? Most people these days would think of

• Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) in The Silence of the Lambs
• Dexter played by Michael C. Hall and
• Christian Bale in the movie adaptationof the book American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

But there are some lesser-known and more interesting possibilities

• Burt Lancaster (shown seducing Jean Simmons, above) in his title role as Elmer Gantry
• Sissy Spacek in Badlands
• Nicole Kidman in Malice

To prepare for her tole in Malice, Nicole Kidman consulted with Dr. Robert Hare, the Canadian psychologist who invented The Psychopath Test. “How,” Ms. Kidman wondered, “could she show the audience there was something fundamentally wrong with her character?”

Dr. Hare said, “Here’s a scene that you can use. You’re walking down a street and there’s an accident. A car has hit a child in the crosswalk. A crowd of people gather round. You walk up, the child’s lying on the ground and there’s blood running all over the place. You get a little blood on your shoes and you look down and say, ‘Oh shit.’ You look over at the child, kind of interested, but you’re not repelled or horrified. You’re just interested. Then you look at the mother, and you’re really fascinated by the mother, who’s emoting, crying out, doing all these different things. After a few minutes you turn away and go back to your house. You go into the bathroom and practice mimicking the facial expressions of the mother. ”

Hare says, “That’s the psychopath: somebody who doesn’t understand what’s going on emotionally, but understands that something important has happened.”

When it comes to movie psychos, Dr. Hare recommends Sissy Spacek‘s performance as Holly in the Terrence Malick film Badlands. As he says in his book Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us , Spacek’s character Holly gives viewers a firsthand experience of that skin-crawling feeling that both lay people and professionals report following their interactions with psychopaths. According to Hare, Holly narrates the film in a monotone, using phrases straight out of teen magazines telling young girls what they should feel. But she does this in a way that makes viewers feel she has no real experience with the emotions she reports, like “knowing the words, but not the music.”

The last film we’ll mention is Elmer Gantry, starring Burt Lancaster, based on the 1926 novel by Nobel Prize-winner Sinclair Lewis. Elmer Gantry is a narcissistic, womanizing, manipulative con man who makes his living as an evangelical minister.

Do you remember Tom Cruise‘s rant against psychiatry on the Today Show with Matt Lauer in 2007? Mr. Cruise, a member of the Church of Scientology, has been so consistently outspoken against psychiatry that the International Association of Scientology awarded him the Freedom Medal of Valor in 2004, in part for “eradicating the very thought of psychiatry.”

During his quest to learn about the impact of madness on society, author Jon Ronson (pictured at microphone) became confused and disoriented while trying to diagnose himself using the standard manual of mental disorders, DSM-IV. So he sought guidance from from organizations dedicated to documenting examples in which psychiatry had become “overzealous” in diagnosing and treating mental illness. Ronson ended up consulting Brian Daniels who works for an international network of Scientologists called the CCHR (Citizens Commission on Human Rights) aimed at documenting psychiatry’s “inhumane and often lethal practices.”

As described in Chapter 2 of his book The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness IndustryRonson learned about “Tony” (not his real name) whom Scientologist Daniels believed was completely sane but incarcerated against his will in the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Broadmoor had also housed the real Hannibal Lecter. Tony had been diagnosed with DSPD (Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder) after flunking the 20 question Psychopath Test, otherwise known as PCL-R or the Hare Checklist after it’s developer, Canadian psychologist Robert D. Hare (pictured at left).

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here because Ronson doesn’t fully describe the Hare Checklist for another 45 pages in Chapter 3. First we are given a brief history of Dianetics, Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard (or LRH to Scientology insiders) described in Ronson’s flippant narrative style. Chapter 2 ends with the author’s first encounter with Tony who doesn’t at all fit the picture of what most people imagine to be a psychopath but rather more resembles a typical contestant on Donald Trump‘s The Apprentice.

In an apparent attempt to balance his mocking account of Scientology against some of the nuttier theories and practices from the history of psychiatry, Ronson recounts some cases from the 1960s. For example, California psychotherapist Paul Bindrim had patients remove their “tower of clothes” and participate in nude therapy sessions to facilitate “emotional nakedness” using a technique called “crotch eye-balling.” Nude psychotherapy was not restricted to California and Ronson also describes Elliott Barker‘s practice at the Oak Ridge Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Ontario. In the late 1960s, marathon nude therapy sessions, fueled by LSD, were conducted in a “Total Encounter Capsule,” a small room painted bright green.

In our next installment, we’ll cover the development and use of the Hare Psychopath Checklist as describe in Ronson’s book. We’ll also tell you about the differences between “successful” vs. “unsuccessful” psychopaths and some of the influences they’ve had on American business.

Photo Credit: BLISSTREE and Sarah White Therapy

Advertisement

Grant Achatz, at age 33, was well on his way; Gourmet magazine named his Chicago restaurant Alinea the best in the nation in 2006, and Achatz received the James Beard Foundation’s award for outstanding chef in 2008. Then came the devastating news: Achatz had advanced cancer of the tongue. The standard treatment would involve radical surgery, with removal of his tongue, lymph nodes and a portion of his jaw, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. He might survive the disease, but his career as a chef would be over. However, Achatz rejected this idea, and with his business partner, Nick Kokonas, finally found a pioneering program at the University of Chicago, which would use intensive chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the tumor first, so that radical surgery would not be necessary. The regimen was grueling, but it worked and now Achatz has been cancer-free for three years. Although the treatment completely destroyed his sense of taste, it has been coming back slowly, one flavor at a time. In an interview with NPR, Achatz says:

“I started from zero, and the first thing back was sweet,” he says. “So my palate developed just as a newborn — but I was 32 years old. So I could understand how flavors were coming back and how they synergized together. … It was very educational for me. I don’t recommend it, but I think it made me a better chef because now I really understand how flavor works.”

Achatz, with partner Kokonas, has written a book recounting his battle with cancer and difficult road back.  Life, on the Line: A Chef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat hit bookstores yesterday.

How does our sense of taste work?

Our ability to taste occurs when tiny molecules released by chewing, drinking, or digesting our food stimulates special sensory cells in the mouth and throat. These taste cells, or gustatory cells, are clustered within the taste buds of the tongue and roof of the mouth, and along the lining of the throat. Many of the small bumps on the tip of your tongue contain taste buds. At birth, we have about 10,000 taste buds, but after age 50, we may start to lose them.

When the taste cells are stimulated, they send messages through three specialized taste nerves to the brain, where specific tastes are identified. Each taste cell expresses a receptor, which responds to one of at least five basic taste qualities: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami.

Umami, or savory, is the taste we get from glutamate, which is found in chicken broth, meat extracts, and some cheeses. A common misconception is that taste cells that respond to different tastes are found in separate regions of the tongue. In humans, the different types of taste cells are scattered throughout the tongue.

Taste quality is just one aspect of how we experience a certain food. Another chemosensory mechanism, called the common chemical sense, involves thousands of nerve endings, especially on the moist surfaces of the eyes, nose, mouth, and throat. These nerve endings give rise to sensations such as the coolness of mint and the burning or irritation of chili peppers. Other specialized nerves give rise to the sensations of heat, cold, and texture. When we eat, the sensations from the five taste qualities, together with the sensations from the common chemical sense and the sensations of heat, cold, and texture, combine with a food’s aroma to produce a perception of flavor. It is flavor that lets us know whether we are eating a pear or an apple.

Many people who think they have a taste disorder actually have a problem with smell. When we chew, aromas are released that activate our sense of smell by way of a special channel that connects the roof of the throat to the nose. If this channel is blocked, such as when our noses are stuffed up by a cold or flu, odors cannot reach sensory cells in the nose that are stimulated by smells. As a result, much of our enjoyment of flavor is lost. Without smell, foods tend to taste bland and have no flavor.

Today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that he will be turning the reins over to Apple COO Tim Cook while he takes a medical leave of absence.  In a note to Apple employees, Jobs wrote:

Team,

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Steve

Medical Specifics

The  medical specifics of Jobs’ current medical condition were not revealed but, as we reported, Jobs underwent a liver transplant in June 2009. He also underwent treatment for a islet cell neuroendocrine tumor in 2004. This bit of health news is frequently reported as him having had pancreatic cancer, but as we have reported on several occasions, these are two completely different tumors. Although they both originate in pancreatic cells,  the cells are look and function differently, and have different prognoses.

For more details see our article :