19th March 2006
Ever wondered why old people get hairy ears, why your teeth chatter when you’re cold or if it’s true that holding in a sneeze is bad for you? A new book, ‘Why Do Men Have Nipples?’, has the answers to these and other questions which may seem too trivial or embarrassing to ask a doctor.
There are many puzzling questions about our bodies or our health that lots of us would love to ask but don’t because we haven’t got the nerve. They’re the sort of queries that we fear could make us look plain daft, are too embarrassing to voice or are a combination of both. Now doctor Billy Goldberg and writer Mark Leyner have solved the problem by compiling hundreds of these questions – some predictable and some wacky – with the answers in a new book, Why Do Men Have Nipples?” Goldberg says he knows from experience that people can’t resist asking doctors about embarrassing problems when they’re emboldened by a glass of wine at social occasions. “When you’re at a cocktail party, someone inevitably asks what you do for a living. If you say that you are a doctor the barrage begins!”Soon you’re looking at someone’s mole, consulting someone else on his brother-in-law’s painful flatulence, or racking your brains over your hostess’ strange complaint. The sad fact is that one of the medical establishment’s great shortcomings is its failure to teach what the general public really wants to know about medicine,” he says. The pair have attempted to put that right – read on to find out some of their questions and answers.
Can you lose a contact lense in the back of your head?
It is common for people to go to hospital or an optician because they can’t find their contact lens. Sometimes it’s found folded and tucked beneath the eyelid, but other times it is nowhere to be found, so where is it? Probably on the bathroom floor at home. A little anatomy lesson: there is nowhere else for it to go.
Why do men have nipples?
Although females have mammary glands in the breasts, we all start out in a similar way in the embryo. During development the embryo follows a female template until about six weeks when the male sex chromosome kicks in for a male embryo. The embryo then begins to develop all of its male characteristics. Men are thus left with nipples and also some breast tissue.
Does wet or cold weather cause a cold?
Many people ask if they can catch a cold by sleeping in front of an open window, getting a chill, sleeping in front of a fan, getting caught in the rain. The answer is: no. Cold or wet weather does not cause a cold, but nobody seems to want to accept this. In fact the common cold is caused by a virus. These viruses are everywhere and it’s difficult to avoid them. When you’re exposed to someone who has a cold you’re more likely to get ill yourself, so be careful about close contact and definitely wash your hands. Not enough sleep or eating poorly also reduces your resistance to infection.
Is it dangerous to hold in a sneeze?
The old wives’ tale warns us that if you hold in a sneeze, your head might explode. That won’t happen, but you can do yourself some harm. The air expelled by sneezes is said to travel at up to 100 miles per hour. Holding in a sneeze can potentially cause fractures in the nasal cartilage, nosebleeds, burst eardrums, hearing loss, vertigo, detached retinas or temporary swelling called facial emphysema. So it’s best to let your sneeze fly, but please cover your nose and mouth.
Is there really a wrinkle cure?
The only way to prevent wrinkles is to avoid ageing or to freeze yourself like Austin Powers, otherwise you will have to stick with sunscreen and moisturisers. Tretinoin (Retin-A) is the only topical medication that has been clearly proven to improve wrinkles in controlled clinical studies. Hydroxy acids are also present in many over-the-counter creams and there is some evidence that they may help with minor wrinkles.
Does spicy food cause ulcers?
No, spicy foods do not cause ulcers. Stomach ulcers can be aggravated by a nice dash of Tabasco sauce. Drinking alcohol, smoking, or experiencing stress can also make ulcers worse. Most stomach ulcers are caused either by infection from a bacterium called Helicobacter Pylori, or by overuse of anti-inflammatory pain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Why do some people have an ‘outie’ belly button and some people have an ‘innie’? I used to believe that you had an ‘innie’ if the doctor tied a good knot, and if he didn’t you were cursed with a funny looking ‘outie’. Well, there’s no knot tying at all. We just put on a clip, cut and wait for the umbilical cord to dry up and fall off. It’s all random. Sometimes someone can develop an ‘outie’ because they have a hernia at this site. This also has nothing to do with the doctor’s Boy Scout skills.
Is it dangerous to pop spots?
It can lead to some complications. Squeezing pimples can actually push the zit-causing bacteria farther into the skin, causing more redness and swelling. It is also the most common cause of acne scarring. There is one more deadly complication from zit popping, which is called cavernous sinus thrombosis, a blood clot in the sinus cavity that runs between the sphenoid bone, the large bone at the base of the skull, and the temporal bone located near the temple. The real danger zone for zit popping is an area that some people refer to as the triangle of death, an area stretching from the bridge of the nose to the corner of the mouth to the width of the jaw. The veins in this area drain into the cavernous sinus and any severe infection in this area can cause cavernous sinus thrombosis. Squeezing spots in this part of your face can cause an infection and start this dangerous process.
Does cranberry juice cure urinary tract infections?
Maybe. A study in JAMA, or The Journal Of The American
Medical Association demonstrated a significant reduction in the rate of urinary tract infections in older people who drank cranberry juice daily. The most likely explanation is that some chemical in the juice prevents bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder.
Why do you laugh when tickled?
Tickling-induced laughter is actually a reflex. Scientists don’t fully understand how this works, but because you cannot tickle yourself, the reflex seems to require an element of surprise.
A Slovakian woman said she cut into a loaf of freshly baked bread only to find a condom inside.
London born-Brooklyn raised Miller is part African-American, Jamaican, English, German, French, Dutch, Syrian, and Lebanese. He graduated Quaker Valley Senior High School in Leetsdale, PA (Just outside Pittsburgh) in 1990 and went on to Princeton, where he traveled the world with the school’s a capella group. After graduating Princeton with a degree in English literature, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the background of the entertainment industry, and later acting.
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Scientists at the University of Helsinki claim they have solved the mystery of global warming.
