I'm not sure how many people still read this blog after 150 posts, and I don't normally ask a lot of those of you who do. But if everyone who reads this post could do me a favor and take a few minutes out of your day to read this post on DoctorFishypants.com, I would really appreciate it. We don't need to start a long discussion about it, but I am curious how many people have ever heard of osteopathic medicine in the United States. I hadn't before I applied to medical school a few years ago.

I say United States, specifically, because osteopathic medicine outside of this country is a completely different entity. Most D.O.s that practice worldwide are trained only in osteopathic manipulative treatment. The scope of their practice does not usually include traditional medicine. (See the comments section of my previous post for more information.)

Anyway, thank you to those who take the time out to read the article or post a comment. I would post it here on GameSpot, but it doesn't really have anything to do with video games. I try to keep most of the posts on this blog at least somewhat related to the industry. And even if no one comments here or on DoctorFishypants, at least I'm getting the word out about osteopathic medicine for anyone who might have the slightest interest in applying to medical school

I was recently contacted by a representative of the American Osteopathic Association who thought I might be interested in the AOA's upcoming business and policy meeting. Representatives of the nation's more than 67,000 osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) will convene July 17-18 for the AOA's Annual House of Delegates Meeting in Chicago, IL. Delegates representing osteopathic state medical associations, specialty societies, interns, residents, and students will vote on organizational policies surrounding a variety of health care issues, such as prohibiting the advertisement and sale of raw milk and the recommendation that physically active video games could be considered as a component of a patient's fitness routine.

Here is an excerpt from the pre-meeting news release about the video games resolution:

Physically Active Video Games: After years of being blamed for contributing to America's childhood obesity problem, many video games are now incorporating a fitness component, such as exercising with a virtual trainer or following a dance routine. Delegates will vote on whether physicians should consider recommending physically active video games as an element of a patient's exercise program. The policy also would direct the AOA to encourage additional research about the health benefits of using physically active video games as part of both an exercise routine and a patient's rehabilitation.

As a medical student considering pediatrics as a career and as an avid video game player for over 20 years, I can't help but be excited about the potential for mutual benefit here. Patients have a hard time committing to long-term fitness goals because it's difficult to stay motivated when your exercise routine isn't particularly stimulating. And video games have long been one of the many scapegoats for America's childhood obesity epidemic. I am certainly guilty of blaming a lack of physical activity on a video game once or twice myself. But with new titles like Wii Fit and EA Sports Active introducing what seems to be a lasting trend of fitness-focused video games, the potential benefits to health care can't be overlooked. I'll be following developments on this front closely.

About D.O.s and Osteopathic Medicine

• What is a D.O.? - Information about the differences and similarities in training between an osteopathic physician (D.O.) and an M.D.
• Osteopathic Medical Profession Report - Statistical information about the osteopathic medical profession.

Now that I'm on summer break from med school, I thought it would be fun to get back into reviewing some games. My review for Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled went up on GameSpot yesterday. Basically, if you like any of the billion JRPG remakes that have already come out on the DS, you'll probably like Black Sigil.

Other than that, I've just been travelling during my free time. I went to Niagara Falls with Emily. Pictures are here for anyone interested. Right now I'm in Cincinnati visiting her family for the weekend, and I'll be back here next month to finally catch Video Games Live, which I've been dying to see since it started.

I finished Assassin's Creed, Too Human, and Bioshock. I can' wait for Bioshock 2 and Assassin's Creed 2, but I'll be perfectly fine if they never make another Too Human. That game is an exercise in tedium. I've started playing Lost Planet in preparation for the sequel. Mass Effect is probably next on my list, if I ever get tired of inFamous. I love having nothing to do over the summer.

Now that my first year of medical school is over (more on that later), I'm finding myself with absolutely no responsibility and plenty of free time. I decided to go back and catch up on a bunch of games I'd tried out a while ago and then never finished.

Starting with the game highest on my pile of shame this console generation, I restarted and finished Bioshock. What a great game. I only have two complaints. The audio diaries were an innovative way to tell Bioshock's narrative, but the garbled sound effects and combat craziness made it really difficult to understand what they were saying sometimes. Also, the plasmids were a lot of fun to use, but there were almost too many to choose from. I never used the bee plasmid, and I actually played through the majority of the game (except the final chapters) by shocking enemies and then running up to them with the wrench. Other than that, I loved it. I can't wait for the sequel.

Then I turned my attention to Too Human. I'd read all of the reviews and knew exactly what to expect going into the game, but I figured I should really see what a game that's been in development for 10 years looked like. Prey didn't turn out too bad. How much worse could Too Human be? That game is an exercise in tedium. The story is almost incomprehensible due to a complete lack of exposition, the combat is mindless, death is inevitable (so much so that they gave me 5 achievement points for my 100th dirt nap), and that infuriating death sequence is one of the most unfathomable design decisions I've ever seen. I don't think I'll ever play Too Human again.

Finally, I picked up Assassin's Creed again. I love that game. I can understand how its repetetive nature was a divisive point for a lot of people, but I really enjoyed it. I was very invested in the story and I think the presentation values were impressive (even the altered Ubisoft logo at the startup screen was a nice touch). Assassin's Creed 2 will be a day-one purchase for me.

I've started playing Lost Planet again, and when I'm done with that I'll probably give Mass Effect another shot. I want to get through the games that have sequels coming out so that I'm all caught up. In unrelated news, this may be the first year that I miss E3. The conference starts on my birthday when my dad and I will be heading out to a Porsche racetrack to get some free racing lessons. Then on June 3rd I'll be heading to Niagara Falls for a few days with my fiancee. I love having nothing to do!

I always seem to post new blog entries when I'm procrastinating studying. I'm having particular difficulty tonight studying for my last clinical neurology exam tomorrow because the fact that I'll be done with my first year of medical school on Thursday gives me very little motivation to do work now.

Anyway, I opened a bag of airline peanuts tonight that I had from an old flight and noticed that it had a warning printed on it saying, " Warning: Produced in a facility that processes peanuts and other nuts."

Really? You don't say. This presents two possibilities. Either there are far too many lawyers in this country or, perhaps more frightening, there are far too many people in this country who really are so stupid as to need that message on a bag of peanuts.