Category Archives: Health
- May 22, 2008
- What is fart gas made of?
The composition of fart gas is highly variable.
Most of the air we swallow, especially the oxygen component, is absorbed by the body before the gas gets into the intestines. By the time the air reaches the large intestine, most of what is left is nitrogen. Chemical reactions between stomach acid and intestinal fluids may [...]
- May 21, 2008
- How does a fart travel to the anus?
One may wonder why fart gas travels downward toward the anus when gas has a lower density than liquids and solids, and should therefore travel upwards.
The intestine squeezes its contents toward the anus in a series of contractions, a process called peristalsis. The process is stimulated by eating, which is why we often need [...]
- May 20, 2008
- Is it harmful to hold in farts?
There are differences in opinion on this one. Certainly, people have believed for centuries that retaining flatulence is bad for the health. Emperor Claudius even passed a law legalizing farting at banquets out of concern for peoples’ health. There was a widespread belief that a person could be poisoned or catch a disease by [...]
- May 20, 2008
- Where does fart gas come from?
The gas in our intestines comes from the following sources:
air we swallow
gas seeping into our intestines from our blood
gas produced by chemical reactions in our guts
gas produced by bacteria living in our guts
- May 18, 2008
- What causes gum disease?
When dental plaque is not removed from the teeth, the bacteria in the plaque irritate the gums, causing inflammation. This is known as gingivitis.
Gingivitis is the most common form of gum disease. Over 90% of people have gingivitis somewhere in their mouth.
The symptoms of gingivitis include red, swollen gums that often bleed when tooth-brushing.
Thorough cleaning [...]
- May 16, 2008
- What causes tooth decay?
The bacteria in dental plaque rely on the sugars in our diet for energy and to grow. When bacteria metabolise these dietary sugars, they produce plaque acids. These acids etch and erode the enamel on our teeth, producing tooth decay.
We can measure the amount of acid in our mouth by testing the pH of our [...]
- May 16, 2008
- How can dental plaque be controlled?
Some dental plaque is removed by saliva or by movement of the tongue and cheeks over the teeth.
Brushing and flossing every day can help to control dental plaque.
Regular professional cleaning at your dentist office is the best way to keep plaque under control.
- May 16, 2008
- How does dental plaque grow?
Dental plaque germs feed on many of the foods we eat. Carbohydrates and sugars are their favorites. When these germs stay on the teeth, they grow in number and form into clumps. Plaque produces acid as it feeds. This acid is the major cause of tooth decay and gum disease.
- May 16, 2008
- What is dental plaque?
Dental plaque is a sticky, tooth coloured, soft, furry film which forms every day on our teeth. It is almost clear and can be hard to see unless you color it with a special dye. Dental plaque is found mostly between the teeth and near or under the gum line.
Dental plaque is made up mainly [...]
- May 11, 2008
- Are there more violent crimes when the moon is full?
We already dispelled a similar myth about more babies being conceived when the moon is full. This one has no basis in science either.
Several studies have examined lunar cycles and violent behavior. There is no scientific of statistical support for a connection between a full moon and aggressive or violent behavior.
Now, when Billy goes to [...]
- May 10, 2008
- Are you more likely to die in the passenger seat in a car accident?
In the emergency room where Dr. Billy works, it is extremely common to see patients after a motor vehicle crash. We use the term crash rather than accident because accidents should be avoidable. Seat belt use clearly reduces the number of serious injuries but is there a safer place to sit in the car?
The passenger [...]
- May 9, 2008
- Can you get Lyme disease from a reindeer?
It looks like Santa’s elves might need to start checking each other for ticks. Leyner and I were unable to find a case report of an elf afflicted with Lyme disease, but we offer the following scientific analysis and deductive reasoning- Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by the [...]
- May 8, 2008
- Why do Asians turn red after consuming alcohol?
We thought about cutting this question because of the risk of sounding racist, but before anyone jumps to conclusions, go do some reading about the metabolism of alcohol and specifically the low-Km mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrgenase (ALDH2) isoenzyme.
Yes, that’s right. There is a physiological reason that some Asians, including Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, get flushed in [...]
- May 8, 2008
- Does it mean you are crazy if you dream in color?
I dream in color. Mark, on the other hand, dreams in high-definition IMAX, and the dialogue in his dreams is dubbed in poorly synchronized staccato Portuguese. But this doesn’t mean that either of us is crazy.
Dreaming in color is a perfectly normal phenomenon. Scientist have always reported that people dream in both color and black [...]
- May 8, 2008
- What was wrong with tiny Tim in a Christmas carol?
Tiny Tim Cratchit is one of the most poignant characters in the history of Christmas literature and movies. For many people he is the very embodiment of physical disability, and few can forget his sweet and saintly disposition. He represented for author Charles Dickens the wretched state of children in Victorian England. What Dickens the [...]
- May 7, 2008
- What if Santa were lactose intolerant?
So you sneak downstairs to get a glimpse of Santa scarfing the cookies and milk you so lovingly left for him. Instead, you see an empty plate and glass, and you hear a groaning coming from behind the half-closed door of the powder room. You approach the room and peek in … There’s Santa, his [...]
- May 7, 2008
- Are there more suicides during the holiday season?
We hate to say this as writers, but you shouldn’t always believe what you read. The press and electronic media have persistently promulgated the myth that people are more likely to kill themselves at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s than at any other time of the year. Over 30 percent of news reports on the [...]
- May 7, 2008
- Can your tongue get stuck on a frozen pole?
Do you remember the classic 1983 movie A Christmas Story, in which nine-year-old Ralph “Ralphie” Parker and his loyal friend Flick are faced with a “triple-dog-dare,” and poor Flick ends up sticking his tongue to a frozen flagpole until the fire department comes to the rescue?
What’s the scientific explanation for this classic frozen faux pas? [...]
- May 5, 2008
- Can you get drunk from eating rum cake?
A couple of shots of Jack Daniels and a beer will do the trick much more efficiently. But if you want to drown your sorrows in rum cake, it all depends on how you prepare it and how much you eat. Here’s a chart of the percentage of alcohol left in dishes following various methods [...]
- May 5, 2008
- What would happen if a morbidly obese man got stuck in a chimney?
This question is an obvious attempt to diss Santa Claus.
First of all, Santa’s ability to nimbly traverse rooftops, and maneuver himself down and then back up chimney stacks and through flues, hearths, and fireplaces of all sorts – all the while carrying an enormously heavy bag of gifts – obviously demonstrates an athleticism and an [...]
- May 5, 2008
- Why do your eyes water when you poop?
Okay, well maybe it doesn’t happen to everyone when they poop, but someone who will remain nameless is known to get teary during a good movement. For the rest of you, yawning may make your eyes water and the reason is probably the same.
The theory is that during a yawn or a good poo, you [...]
- May 2, 2008
- Can excessive farting cause impotence?
That depends on the tolerance level of the person with whom one is trying to be potent!
Fortunately for humans, farting doesn’t cause tissue damage. Other animals aren’t so lucky. Soldier termites can actually turn themselves into bombs by detonating themselves via the explosive release of gas and feces, a process called “autothysis.”
- May 1, 2008
- Are your eyeballs the size at birth that they will be your whole life?
Babies seem to have enormous eyes so it is not surprising that people ask this question. Newborn eyes are about 18 millimeters in diameter. Depending on the source, this is anywhere from two thirds t three quarters of the fully grown adult size. So, no, they are not the adult size at birth.
Most eye growth [...]
- April 29, 2008
- Do humans really use only 10 to 20 percent of their brains?
There are many different nonscientific answers to this question. A wife might argue that her husband uses less than 10 percent of his brain at times, a coach often tells his players that they aren’t using their heads enough, and we often think that our politicians don’t use their brains at all. The truth is [...]
- April 27, 2008
- Does your heart stop when you sneeze?
When you sneeze, it changes the pressure inside your chest (intrathoracic pressure) and this affects blood flow to the heart. This alteration in blood flow can temporarily affect the beating of the heart, but it most definitely will not stop.
By the way, the medical term for a sneeze is sternutation. Throw that one around and [...]
- April 21, 2008
- Do copper bracelets help with rheumatism?
This was a question from Billy’s wife’s grandmother. We love the term rheumatism. It’s so old-fashioned and dramatic and makes you think about other illnesses like lumbago, dropsy, or the fits. Rheumatism isn’t a term that is used in hospitals, but is generally used to refer to arthritis.
Arthritis doesn’t refer to one specific condition, but [...]
- April 20, 2008
- Do men experience menopause too?
The concept of male menopause and the need for hormone replacement therapy as a treatment is a highly controversial topic. The many names that are used to describe these changes in an aging male include andropause, viropause, male climacteric, ADAM (Androgen Decline in the Aging Male) syndrome, Aging Male Syndrome (AMS), or late-onset hypogonadism. Some [...]
- April 16, 2008
- Is it dangerous to hold it when you have to pee?
My junior high school biology teacher instilled fear in our young hearts when he told us that if we got into a car accident with a full bladder, the bladder could rupture. He was right. In general, a full bladder ruptures more easily than an empty bladder.
This doesn’t mean that your bladder will explode if [...]
- April 14, 2008
- Can diets high in fat throw off the body’s internal clock?
Diets high in fat can throw off the body’s internal clock, a new study by researchers at Northwestern University has found.
The study, published in Cell Metabolism, found that mice fed a fatty diet for two weeks showed significant behavioural changes. Their sleep/wake cycle lengthened suggesting the brain mechanism that controls the timing of activity and [...]
- April 13, 2008
- Is coffee a health drink?
Coffee is not usually thought of as health food, but a number of recent studies suggest that it can be a highly beneficial drink. Researchers have found strong evidence that coffee reduces the risk of several serious ailments, including diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.
Among them is a systematic review of studies published [...]
- April 12, 2008
- Why is listeriosis especially dangerous for pregnant women and their children?
Hormonal changes during pregnancy have an effect on the mother’s immune system, which leads to an increased susceptibility to listeriosis in the mother. According to the American Centre for Disease Control, pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis. In fact, about one-third of listeriosis cases result during [...]
- April 11, 2008
- Does internet use cause a decline in psychological well-being?
Internet use appears to cause a decline in psychological well-being, according to research at Carnegie Mellon University.
Even people who spent just a few hours a week on the Internet experienced more depression and loneliness than those who logged on less frequently, the two-year study showed. And it wasn’t that people who were already feeling bad [...]
- April 11, 2008
- What is the difference between food infection and food poisoning?
Food borne diseases can be divided into food infection and food poisoning. The popular media tends to describe all food-related illnesses as “food poisoning”, but strictly speaking, this is incorrect.
Food poisoning is caused by consuming foods that contain toxins. These toxins can be produced by micro organisms, can occur naturally in the food (for [...]
- April 9, 2008
- Is there a risk for Enterobacter sakazakii when breast-feeding?
In the current state of knowledge, no exclusively breastfed infants have been reported to have Enterobacter sakazakii infections. Based on the available information, in 50-80 % of cases, powdered infant formula is both the vehicle and the source (direct or indirect) of E. sakazakii induced illness.
- April 9, 2008
- How does water go bad?
Many people store water for emergencies. This is especially true in rural areas where drinking water comes from private wells. These wells are useless unless there is power to run the pump. If you are trying to store water safely, today’s question is a great one!
It turns out that there are two ways for water [...]
- April 9, 2008
- Can vitamin D lower risk of major cancers?
Cancer researchers urged people on Wednesday to take more vitamin D to lower their risk of colon, breast and ovarian cancer, saying studies showed a clear link.
“Our suggestion is for people to increase their intake,” through diet or a vitamin supplement, Dr. Cedric Garland said in a telephone interview.
Garland’s research team reviewed 63 [...]
