Yet this 1953 "Tosca" sends chills down my spine no matter how often I listen to it.

WSJ: Maria Callas | Puccini's Tosca | The Measure of a Diva | Masterpiece by David Mermelstein

Two landmark studies last year in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a similar spine procedure (vertebroplasty) was no better than a fake operation--raising serious questions over whether the pain relief patients report from kyphoplasty is nothing more than an expensive placebo effect.

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Josh Sommer, the founder of the Chordoma Foundation, was diagnosed with chordoma, a rare cancer of the skull and spine with a 30% cure rate and no approved drugs.

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In an announcement last week leading up to the launch of its Centers of Excellence program, Walmart announced it will offer its associates quality healthcare with no out-of-pocket cost for heart, spine and transplant surgeries at six hand-selected leading hospitals in the United States.

FORBES: What We Can Learn From Walmart: How Our Healthcare System Can Save Lives and Dollars

The Uprightsleeper looks like a neck brace the kind worn to immobilize the cervical spine after a traumatic injury (although it "makes no medical claims") and facilitates sleeping while sitting straight up.

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But critics who assert there is no data supporting back surgery are "flat-out wrong, " says spine surgeon John Peloza of Dallas.

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Approx. three weeks ago the sister of a guy I know was involved in a horrific traffic accident, broken spine, multiple broken bones, massive internal injuries, commatosed with no observable brain activity.

FORBES: Why Rising Health Care Spending Can Be A Good Thing

The Joker wreaks havoc across Gotham City with no apparent aim, leading to spectacular explosions, high-rise confrontations and a spine-chilling character study from Ledger.

BBC: Batman's nemesis crowns dark tale