You've heard about it before, but what is Restless Legs Syndrome anyway?

Dr. Regis Langelier will speak about the condition which gives people a constant urge to move the limbs, disrupting sleep and other activities next Monday at the Kennebunk Free Library from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If interested, call 351-5352 by June 1.

Langelier will discuss the latest research out there and ways to communicate with family and friends about the condition.

Have you heard of Stephen Wiltshire? I hadn't until my mom sent me a YouTube video the other day that made my jaw drop.

Wiltshire, a British artist who is autistic, has this amazing gift to draw highly detailed, panoramic scenes of cities on massive canvasses from memory.

Here is footage of him etching Rome after a 45-minute helicopter ride over the city. He draws everything to scale and nails details like the number of columns on the Pantheon.

(Note: The video is about 5 mins. long. To skip to the part where he starts drawing like a fiend, go to 1:35.)

Wiltshire has also created giant cityscapes of Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai and London. He's been a bit of a celebrity in London since he was a child and was featured in a BBC documentary about autistic savants.

As you read this, Wiltshire is in the middle of working on a cityscape of Jerusalem, which will be auctioned off to help raise money for child education and autism research in Israel, according to his Web site.

Neurologist Oliver Sacks, writing about Wiltshire in his book An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales, challenges the notion that savants draw purely from photographic memory:

"...As I photocopied Stephen's drawings I thought how unlike a Xerox machine he was. His pictures in no sense resembled copies or photographs, something mechanical and impersonal - there were always additions, subtractions, revisions, and, of course, Stephen's unmistakable style. They were images and showed us some of the immensely complex neutral processes that are needed to make a visual and graphic image. Stephen's drawings were individual constructions, but could they be seen, in a deeper sense, as creations?"

Over the weekend, some U.K. newspapers broke the news about a UCLA study coming out this summer that is bound to make headlines Stateside: it shows that pregnant women who use cell phones increase the likelihood that their children will have behavioral problems.

According to the Independent article, the study will say that using a cell phone 2-3 times a day can lead to babies being hyper and having emotional problems by the time they hit school. Possible reason? Radiation has been shown in experiments to change brain structure in animals.

Giving the kids cell phones to use before they're 7 apparently heightens the risk.

The study followed about 13,000 Danish kids, and is especially interesting because one of the lead authors used to think that cell phones carried no serious health risks.

So non-ionizing radiation is not my forte, but if the baby is affected by cell phone use, I wonder what's happening to Mom, who's actually putting the phone against her head?

Study's supposed to come out in the July issue of Epidemiology.

Thanks, Noel

So maybe you know of a couple - maybe you're part of a couple - that seems to thrive off fighting, or at least do a lot of it, sometimes even getting physical.

Some call it passion. Psychologists use the word "aggressive." And almost a third of newlywed couples could be termed as such, according to a study in the Journal of Family Psychology.

The research found that 29 percent of newlywed couples use pushing, grabbing and shoving with one another. And that wives got more physical than husbands: 24 to 16 percent.

Also:
- Aggressive people tend to end up together; the same is true for non-aggressive people.

- Husbands' aggression has a more negative impact on marital satisfaction, but couples in which the wives are aggressive are more likely to divorce.

- Couples don't become aggressive because there are problems in the marriage. They were aggressive to begin with, the study said.

What's interesting is that the most physically aggressive couples - those who kick, bite or use fists - usually tone things down over time. After three years of marriage, they're as calm as couples described as non-aggressive. Because their fighting was so out there, it was easier to recognize as a problem, the study suggests.

Another possibility, the study raised, is that the extreme fighting has been so damaging to the relationship, that the wife and husband don't engage with one another as much, and therefore argue less.

Meanwhile, those couples who are moderately aggressive (throwing things, pushing, grabbing) don't see it as much of a problem, and pretty much keep up their level of fighting.

It's no surprise that different pharmacies charge different prices for the same drugs. But who has the time to shop around?

A Consumer Reports survey of drug prices at 163 pharmacies nationwide may be helpful. Researchers found that certain stores are consistently cheaper.
Cheapest: Costco, followed by AARP.com and Wal-Mart.
Priciest: Walgreens and Rite-Aid

Sometimes, people place more of a premium on service than prices. If that's the case with you, check out independent pharmacies which are known for their service and offer competitive, if not the lowest, prices.

Also, ask your pharmacy if there is a cost-saving program. People who are 50 and older, or uninsured typically qualify for discounts.

Kris Carr's claim to fame was showing up as a Bud girl in a Super Bowl commercial.

That was before she was diagnosed with an incurable cancer at age 31, and decided that she was not going to let that end her free-spirited life. Instead, the photographer-actress made a film documenting her experiences, called "Crazy, Sexy Cancer," which has since aired on The Learning Channel, and published a companion book, "Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips."

Carr, now 35, will be in town next month to help the Cancer Community Center ring in its 10-year anniversary. She'll be at a June 11 event at USM's Portland campus in Hannaford Hall at 7 p.m. While the event is free, seats are limited. To make a reservation, call 774-2200.

Here is Kris Carr sitting down with Oprah for an appearance last year. It runs about 8 minutes, so just watch to 4:03 if you're just interested in the trailer.

Then there's some couch time with the Big O, until the 6:00 mark. It ends with Oprah's protege, Dr. Mehmet Oz visting Carr at her home, and finding out her health secrets, which include juicing.

Oz: Oh, you didn't do it at all before?
Carr: No, I did martinis.

More than 56,000 people in Maine qualify for health insurance but don't know it.

That's according to a group called Foundation for Health Coverage Education , whose mission is to get as many uninsured people covered as possible.

They're rolling out some tools to help people figure out what to do.

•The 5-Question Eligibility Quiz tool, provides visitors with a customized profile of all public and private health coverage options in the U.S. for which family members may qualify. For example, women over 40 who make up to three times the poverty level can qualify for preventive care through the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program.

• The free U.S. Uninsured Help Line (1-800-234-1317) provides live, one-on-one assistance 24 hours a day. You talk with folks who will help you figure out whether you are qualified for private or public coverage.

• The Health Care Options Matrix brochure, which tells you about public and private health coverage options, including type of coverage, eligibility, and monthly costs.

Maybe the fantasy has crossed your mind before: Convince the bosses to give you a month or two off from work, climb into your car and take a cross-country ride, shout-singing the words to "Born to Run."

Gino Nalli, who teaches health policy at USM's Muskie School of Public Service, is following the dream, except he's going on his bike for the next 76 or so days. Starting today.

With a trailer attached to his Lemond Poprad, Nalli will be camping along the way to Washington, and trying to raise money. He's asking that donations go to the Maine organizations Konbit Sante, which tries to improve health care in Haiti; Safe Passage, which educates and feeds impoverished children in Guatemala; and Preble Street, which serves the homeless.

Interested in following his travels, and the people he'll meet along the way? Check out his blog,Crazy Guy On A Bike.

He writes: "My plans are to head directly west: Portland to Albany, New York; to Lackawanna, New York; to Muskegon, Michigan (through Ontario); to Milwaukee, Wisconsin (via the ferry); to Dalbo, Minnesota; to Fargo, North Dakota; to Cut Bank, Montana; to Sandpoint, Idaho and finally Anacortes, Washington, in the Seattle area. Total miles are approximately 3500 (not including the ferry ride)."

When's the last time you had a good belly-achin' laugh? The kind that makes you feel like you just worked out?

Well, more folks in the health community are saying that "laughter is the best medicine." (Laugh track here, please.)

A practice known as laughter yoga is becoming increasingly popular. There are more than 6,000 Laughter Yoga clubs in 60 countries. It hasn't caught on as fast in Maine; I found just one club based out of Boothbay Harbor.

Here's a list of the health benefits of laughter yoga, also known as hasya yoga, from the University of Michigan Health System:

• Helps to reduce stress
• Enhances the immune system
• Strengthens cardiovascular functions
• Oxygenates the body by boosting the respiratory system
• Improves circulation
• Tones muscles
• Helps with digestion and constipation

The following is a Discovery Channel segment on how Indian physician Dr. Madan Kataria invented laughing yoga. Apparently Dr. Kataria got together a group of people who told jokes to one another. They ran out of jokes after a few days.

Then, he came up with other ways that people could make each other laugh. One involves pretending to be a lion, by making googly eyes, and pawing at the air.

Another one has people acting like they are taking two imaginary glasses of milk and pouring milk from one glass to another, while making unintelligible sounds.

You've probably heard of Narcotics Anonymous, or NA, which offers support groups to recovering drug addicts.

Lesser known is the Nar-Anon family groups. They're for the friends and family of addicts whose lives are just as affected by drugs.

Nar-Anon has been holding meetings in Rockland and Belfast, but is only coming to southern Maine now. The first meeting will be tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the Dana Education Center at Maine Medical Center.

Jane Newcomb, who leads the Belfast group with her husband, is launching the Portland group. She will come down every Tuesday from her home in Owl's Head for the next few weeks in hopes that there will be enough participation at the end of the month for the group to be self-sustaining.

Newcomb, a special education technician, formed the Belfast group more than three years ago, after noticing people in her church were either struggling with addiction or had addicts in their lives.

Because NA meetings are more accessible, she decided to start a Nar-Anon group at the local library. Shortly after, she started receiving inquiries about the group from all over the state, but mostly from Portland.

The format in Portland will be the same as in other groups, says Newcomb.

"People will go around and say their first name, and tell their stories if they want," she says.

To learn more about Nar-Anon click here.

For more info about the Portland meeting, call Newcomb at 594-2801.

By this time of year, a lot of college freshmen are patting their stomachs and saying, "Yep, all-you-can-eat buffet."

But they're not necessarily packing on the hyped "Freshman 15." It's more like 3 or 4 pounds, according to a University of Vermont study published in the journal Health Psychology .

That may not sound like much but it's still three to four times more than the .9 pounds adults typically gain in a year – making freshman year a high-risk time for weight gain, researchers say.

Who is more vulnerable?

The study found that how healthfully you eat doesn't predict whether you'll gain weight. But your relationship with your folks may.

Women with good relationships with the 'rents are more likely to gain weight, while the same was true of men on bad terms with their folks.

Where you live during college can also affect weight gain. A study presented last month to the American Physiological Society found that calorie and sugar consumption was higher in students who lived on-campus (easy access to the cafeteria).

On the plus side, dorm students had a higher level of activity. Researchers suggested that this was because students are closer to intramural sports.

Watch "Law & Order" for all the oh-so-obvious signs that that the killer is lying – eyes darting like crazy, shifting in the seat, sweat beads on the forehead.

Certain facial expressions also are a giveaway, though they may be harder to pick up, according to a new study from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Researchers followed the case of Michael White, an Edmonton man convicted of killing his pregant wife - Canada's version of Scott Peterson. He initially generated a lot of public sympathy with his tearful pleas for help in finding his wife.

But in an analysis of White's T.V. appearances, frame by frame, researchers found traces of anger and disgust – so fleeting that many in the public never noticed.

Researchers went on to test subjects in the lab. They were showed images that elicit happiness (puppies frolicking), fear (open-mouthed rabid dog, a close-up to boot) and ewwws (a severed hand), and videotaped subjects' reactions.

The researchers' findings, published in Psychological Science, showed that happiness is easier to feign than fear or disgust. But none of their subjects were able to fake their feelings perfectly.

Researchers said certain facial muscles cannot be controlled, and that some muscles are not activated in the absence of genuine emotion.