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Tag Archives: medical
FACT: a runny nose is for your own good
Many of my lessons here at LSNED are inspired by random curiosity. Yesterday the thought came to me, as I was standing outside in my wool jacket, scarf, mittens, and toque… why does my nose run when it’s cold? Being that November is an ideal month for general nose awareness, I thought it appropriate to [...]
FACT: penicillin owes everything to the cantaloupe
Penicillin remains one of the most significant medical advancements, umm, ever. Before its first use in 1940, infections from a skinned knee or a shaving cut could prove fatal. There was nothing doctors could do to fight bacteria. Until the P-bomb came along. Alexander Fleming is credited as the one who discovered penicillin while working [...]
FACT: abracadabra was once a prescribed cure for fever
So let’s say you had a fever and, for some crazy reason, you wanted to be rid of it. Perhaps you thought it would be nice if you could make it disappear with magic. Ta-da, you’re healed! Well once upon the time, that was the number one over-the-counter prescription. The wise doctor was Serenus Sammonicus [...]
FACT: vitamin C has no affect on the common cold
As I sit here, all sniffly, clinging to a tall glass of orange juice, I am somewhat surprised to discover that there is no evidence to support vitamin C as an effective protector against colds. Whether you take it as a regular supplement, or just pack it in after the cold hits, it doesn’t help [...]
FACT: only white paint contained poisonous lead
I’m sure you’ve heard of the dangers of lead paint, and that you shouldn’t lick old furniture. I was surprised to hear that it was only white paint that contained lead, which was in fact the pigment used to make the paint white. Through a chemical reaction, the dull gray lead would “grow” a covering [...]
FACT: your appendix is back in business
It has long been believed that the appendix, a small cul-de-sac thingy that hangs off your intestine, served no purpose. The theory was that it was merely a dried up evolutionary leftover of something that used to serve a purpose. Well not anymore! The appendix is finally getting the credit it has deserved (for the [...]
FACT: your Chapstick has the power to kill you