Disease of the week

While flipping through Woman's Day magazine today in the Jiffy Lube waiting room, I wondered: Where do they get these stories?

Each issue features a first-person account by a woman suffering from a disease. The disease is usually rare and the account is a heroic one, outlining the struggle and suffering of the woman who, inevitably, goes from doctor to doctor unable to find relief. Eventually, the cause is found. But not before the woman starts a support group for fellow sufferers and becomes the world's foremost authority on her particular ailment. The moral: Take charge of your life, Never give up, Win one for the gipper. The story is heavy on sidebars: "See your doctor when..." "Alternative therapies," etc., etc.

This week was a twofer: A first-person account of a woman suffering chronic pain (from I don't know what, those Jiffy Lube guys are fast), and Cindy McCain discussing her stroke.

It's not just Women's Day that has a weekly disease; all the supermarket women's magazines have them. Where do they get them? Do they approach women on the street who look ill? Troll MEDLINE for strange syndromes? Plant agents in doctors' offices?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Cross-posted at Blogcritics.