Medical

What Are The Lessor Known Implications of Hearing Loss?

May 27, 2022

Something a lot of people, especially younger people, don’t realize about hearing loss is how much MORE there is to it than just “needing to listen to things louder when you’re old” or “some ringing” to varying degrees.

My father has hearing loss which he incurred on the job – he was a radio DJ in the 60s/70s and between the sound levels at work and the sound levels at concerts he went to for reviewing purposes, he did permanent damage to his hearing. Tinnitus is one element, hearing loss of certain frequencies is another.

What Was The Craziest And Most Morally Dubious Invention Ever Designed?

May 23, 2022

Imagine being at the amusement park, climbing on a roller coaster and… dying. However, it was not an accident, but a form of euthanasia. This comes from the mind of a Lithuanian designer, in 2010, who presented a project called “Euthanasia Coaster”. It is precisely a roller coaster, designed with the aim of giving death, humanly and with “fun”, to those who get on board.

What is Pure OCD?

May 5, 2022

There are lesser-known forms of OCD (usually referred to as Pure O) which manifests itself in the form of repetitive unwanted and disturbing thoughts that goes against what you believe is morally correct. (Also known as intrusive thoughts, different from hearing voices).

Many of these are unwanted sexual and violent thoughts. These are distressing and often leaves the sufferer feeling guilty, ashamed, saddened, disgusted or frightened (or a combination of those feelings).

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Can You Catch HIV Through Cuts On Your Fingers?

May 2, 2022

No you can’t. There is absolutely NO RISK in fingering, even with recent cuts and bitten cuticles.

HIV cannot just “enter the bloodstream” like some swimming fish. It really needs to be injected there, and even then, it requires specific cells to latch onto, cells that you won’t find just anywhere in your body.

How Does Therapy Actually Work?

May 2, 2022

I’m going to vastly oversimplify how it works, but:

Me: shows up to therapy as a simmering cauldron of low self-esteem and negative self-talk

Therapist: gets me to talk about these things

What Would Happen If One Half Of A Conjoined Twin Died?

April 7, 2022 Leave a Comment

Conjoined twins always die very close to the other.

Our bodies are riddled with bacteria, and our immune systems keep them in check. We decompose because when we die, there’s no longer an immune system to fight this bacteria, so the population explodes and consumes the body. When one twin dies, half of the immune system is knocked out, and the system of the living twin and their organs are flooded with bacteria. This is worse if the twins are mostly separated but, say, joined at the hip – the living twin has an entire decomposing corpse and all of its microbes connected to their body. It would be a very nasty way to die.

Why are people with ADHD prescribed Stimulants like Adderral?

February 2, 2022 Leave a Comment

adhd

ADHD isn’t a matter of having too much energy – it’s actually the opposite. ADHD brains are actually sluggish and unable to stay locked on.

What happens is that psychological arousal – the ability for the brain to register something as important and interesting that it needs to pay attention to – needs a lot more stimulation in ADHD people.

How Does a Doctor Reveal To A Patient That They Have a Terminal Illness?

September 1, 2021 Leave a Comment

being mortal frontline

How does a doctor go about revealing to his patient that he has a terminal illness?

They teach us to get down to the patient’s level, so it doesn’t feel like you’re talking down to them (literally and figuratively). But, ideally you wouldn’t tell them bad news in the waiting room. You would want to do it in an exam room or your office, where both of you can sit comfortably facing each other.

I was surprised to learn there is actually a really structured way on how to tell a patient bad news. Literally a 6 step process that all physicians are taught to follow.

Why Is Exercise That Increases Heart Rate Considered Good, But Narcotics That Increase Heart Rate Considered Bad?

August 20, 2021 Leave a Comment

Narcotics like cocaine and meth increase the heart rate, as they cause a sympathetic surge (adrenaline rush).

It not only causes an increased heart rate but it can cause your coronary arteries (the blood vessels to your heart) to constrict (squeeze), resulting in heart attacks due to not enough blood and oxygen getting to the cardiac tissue.

Additionally, cocaine has been shown to accelerate the process of atherosclerosis (plaque build-up inside arteries) which can lead to heart attacks as well.

In other words, you can make your 20 year old arteries look like those of a 60 year old.

What Is Autism?

August 19, 2021 Leave a Comment

Autism is usually used to describe a difficulty in understanding social situations. People who have autism may have difficulty understanding what is appropriate in conversation, interpersonal relations, or interacting with large groups of people by displaying “strange” behaviors.

These can include talking for great lengths of time about certain subjects past the group’s interest, or being unable to pick up on social cues (being uninterested in a certain topic of conversation, subtle clues towards guiding the direction of a conversation, etc.).

Autistic people process information on people with the ‘objects’ part of the brain, instead of the ‘social’ part. Thus, social norms and effects of ones behaviour on others are not considered, relevant or even understood.

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