I caught a TV advertisement this morning about a sweepstakes for a “luxury colonoscopy” sponsored by CBS and the Loews Hotel chain. At first I thought it was a weird joke, but I checked and it is an actual sweepstakes!

I guess if you’re needing the procedure, you might as well receive some perks.

This is an actual sweepstakes and, if you are the grand prize winner, they will fly you and a companion to New York where you will receive a free colonoscopy. (I don’t know about the companion.) You will also be given three nights’ accommodation in a suite at the luxurious Loews Regency Hotel, which will include the night before you

Loews Regency in NYC above

are “awarded” the colonoscopy.

What should you expect if you are the lucky winner? The hardest part is the preparation the night before when you drink a horrible chalky substance. I’m hoping they give you champagne with which to chase it.

The colonoscopy at the Center for Specialty Care will be done by Dr. Paul Miskovitz — a leading gastro-enterologist in New York City and expert on colorectal cancer. When the colonoscopy is about to begin, you’ll be given drugs which will make you feel like you’re at Woodstock… only without the music.

If you start to believe that you actually are at Woodstock (for example, Dr. Miskovitz starts to look like Jimi Hendrix or you feel inclined to say “far out!” in response to questions), please report the side effect to Dr. Miskovitz or Jimi Hendrix (whomever you see first).   These aren’t my words – they were copied directly off the sweepstakes website! Makes me wonder if the writer wasn’t testing the drugs.

To read about the sweepstakes and register online, log onto www.cbscares.com. You will need to answer the true or false questions to qualify for entry — but please don’t worry if you get any wrong, because you’ll be part of the sweepstakes drawing anyway.

I have to say this is a novel idea for the network and Loews (which is the corporation my son works for in Nashville.) Who knows, this could open up a whole field of luxury  vacations and encourage us to be healthier.

We could have Mammograms and Moonlight in Monteray, Root Canals in old Venice, Knee Replacement in Nice, Botox in Chernobyl?  I’m game

Above: Root canal on one of Venice’s most beautiful canals perhaps?