Several reasons why it is fascinating to study medicine or pursue any medical degree is because of the diverse branches of this field, the “many” intriguing and surprising treatment procedures and drug actions continuously evolving and the innumerable facts about human anatomy.
Here are some fun “Did you Knows” about the amazing piece of machinery that is the “Human Body”:
1. Did you know that the popping sound you hear every time you crack you knuckles are NITROGEN - GAS BUBBLES? The myths are not true; you will not have an ugly shape finger or get arthritis when you do this. Like motor oils, we have a certain fluid in our body that lubricates our joints, and this contains Nitrogen bubbles. After you make that crack, after 20 minutes, it reforms, and you can do that satisfying experience again.
2. Did you know that an average person can hold their breath for two minutes? Did you just hold your breathe and timed it? You can train yourself and get longer time by practicing some breathing exercises every morning or any time of the day. Hold your breathe for 10 seconds before inhalation and exhalation to improve and expand lung capacity.
3. Did you know that until now, medical researchers are not sure why we yawn? Basing from actual scientific facts, yawning is psychological and is triggered when you are exhausted or bored. Yawning is not necessarily associated with being sleepy. It is an involuntary mechanism of the body to regulate proper oxygenation and temperature. Between you and I, one thing is for sure: Yawning is very contagious. Did you just yawn?
4. Did you know that the EYES (extraocular eye muscle to be exact) have the fastest muscle in the body; Try moving it around comparing to your other muscles!
5. Did you know that there is a medical procedure that removes a person’s fear? Amygdalohippocampectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the Amygdala (part of the Brain that has a major role in emotions including fear). Unfortunately, this might also affect your memory and partly, your behavior.
6. Did you know that DIMPLES are anatomical defect? Yes! No matter how attractive this facial depression is, medically speaking, people with dimples have a shortened facial muscle that causes this dent.
7. Did you know your forearm is the same length as your foot? Did you also know that the distance from the middle fingertip of your eft hand to that of the right hand when stretching both arms out horizontally – in average people – is the same to your height? Human body is symmetrical. Go ahead and try measuring your features.
8. Did you know that SWEAT is odorless? It is the bacteria in our skin and some parts of the body if mixed with sweat, produces the distinctive odors.
9. Did you know that besides the fingerprint, you can leave your unique traces from your TONGUE and TEETH. So if you want to leave your trace, BITE or LICK on something.
10. Did you know that the dizziness you feel after abruptly standing up is called “Orthostatic Hypotension”? Generally, this is a normal body reaction unless the light headedness prolongs. What happens is, gravity causes blood to pool in the veins of your lower extremities thus lowering your blood pressure and amount of blood the heart pumps to your brain.
11. Did you know that the PAIN you feel on either side of your ribs when you start running is as runners call it, “side stitch”? This is your abdominal muscles screaming due to increased in breathing and pressure because of the activity you are doing. What you can do is slow down, slightly press the side that has pain, breathe in and shout as breathing out – you should be doing fine after that.
12. Did you know you are about 1cm taller in the morning than you are at night? Upon waking up, the cartilages in your knees and a part of your vertebrae (backbone) have rested and is in its original form whereas after a long day of activities and movement, these parts compress slowly that makes you smaller towards the end of the day.
13. Did you know that there is a reason why ORAL MEDICINES are in different forms? This is so they would be taken in the way that helps them to work most effectively. Swallow those capsules correctly and dissolve those powdered oral medication properly or else, it will delay its healing effect.
14. Did you know that your HEART DOES NOT STOP WHEN YOU SNEEZE? Saying “God Bless you” after someone sneeze originated from the belief that your soul went somewhere else and your heart stopped beating. From the body’s initiation and preparation for sneezing until you blow through nose, there is a sudden change in breathing and pressure in the chest that affects the heart rate. The electrical activity in the heart continues, it just changes its rhythm as you sneeze.
15. Did you know that HEART ATTACKS does not just take lives in a snap? A year or months leading to a heart attack, your body shows signs that something is wrong and something big is about to happen. We must always be aware of how (not just our heart) our body is doing. Adding to that, when you think you are having a mild attack, as you wait for help, combined DEEP BREATHING and force yourself to COUGH 3x repeatedly in sequence. This helps your heart to continuously pump.
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