"Trick or Treat?" is not usually a question applied to health topics. But there's a first time for everything. Last night was the world premiere of a one-time-only quiz show with that name as part of "The Park Avenue Diet Show".
Using the format of "You Bet Your Life", a legendary television program starring Groucho Marks, the choice was expanded to the areas of nutrition, obesity, personal myths, food additives, and even Hollywood monsters. Noah Fleischman, my fantastic broadcast associate, channeled the spirit of George Fenneman, a legendary 1950's announcer.
"Trick or Treat" could be rephrased very simply "is it good for you or bad for you?" Here are some examples of things that are bad for you: margarine, Olestra, sugar-free creme brulee, a bmi of 40, taenia solium (pork tapeworm, definitely not a recommended treatment for obesity), GM (genetically modified) foods and ayahuasca tea (a psychadelic).
Some of the "treats" included: branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), dandelion tea, a blood pressure of 90/60, and positive personal myths.
Here are a few questions that were not used in the quiz. What's your answer? Trick or Treat? Quinoa; Turducken; Christmas pudding; Scotch Egg; Bulgaricum; Alfalfa; Borjomi water; Ectoplasm; Fugu; "Muffin Top"; leptin.
Our final caller amazingly knew two out of the three medical questions in the category of Hollywood movie monsters. Boris Karloff modeled the Frankenstein monster's walk from knowledge of tabes dorsalis, a sign of neurosyphilis. This would have been especially frightening in a pre-antibiotic era. Victims walk with extremely stiff legs, their arms outstretched to achieve balance. Imagine my surprise when Dr. David Grob demonstrated this walk during a lecture on neurology while I was a medical student at Maimonides Medical Center.
Our caller from Freehold, New Jersey also knew that Dracula has type AB-+ blood and is thus protected against "transfusion reactions". Did you ever think that you can learn so much medical information on Halloween? Of course "The Park Avenue Diet Show" is entertaining and informative every week of the year!
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