The Most Embarrassing Medical Questions People Want Answers To

Home Biology The Most Embarrassing Medical Questions People Want Answers To

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By Joe Burgett - March 13, 2021

We get it, there is a lot of things you’d possibly like to ask about but fear doing so. This is especially common when it comes to medical issues. While most people feel comfortable with their doctors about pretty much any question, both men and women are a bit on edge with others. Truly, there are a lot of medical questions people are afraid to ask. The struggle here is that, even though it is now possible to Google things yourself, there is no way you could possibly know a lot about something.

Yes, we can all use the internet. However, some people do not know where to look. Moreover, people end up using unreliable sources. We wanted to help people avoid this issue. Therefore, we put our list together on the most common medical questions people are afraid to ask about. Since Science Sensei’s entire reason for being is to educate people on several science topics, we’re relatively easy to trust. However, we’ll also be linking to and referencing outside sources as well.

Can A Woman Get Pregnant During Her Period?

The Most Embarrassing Medical Questions People Want Answers To — *Mother and her newborn baby. Photo Credit: Marina Demidiuk/Shutterstock*

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This is a question that has been asked a lot, but it makes sense to think about. Can a woman get pregnant if she has sex with a man on her period? Most of the time, it is rare that a woman could get pregnant while on her period. However, pregnancy, in this case, has a lot to do with the time of the month it happens AND how far in the period happens to be. The likelihood a woman will get pregnant one to two days after she begins to bleed from a period is nearly zero percent.

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Yet with each passing day, the more likely she is to get pregnant. Not all periods are created equal. Some periods might last a week while some women could experience them for a few weeks. A day or two before her period ends, she can get pregnant but it’s still reduced. You’re looking at around a 10% possibility. Sometimes, mistakes happen. A woman could mistake ovulation for period blood. Then get pregnant after sex because this is a time when she has a MUCH higher chance to do so.

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My Hairline Is Receding, What Is Causing It?

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We’re not sure why it is, but this is one of the most common medical questions people are afraid to ask about. While men are more willing to discuss it than women, it is okay to ask your doctor about a receding hairline. Some might assume it is not medically related, but it actually is. For example, there are some medications that have been known to cause hair loss. You could have also been exposed to something that is causing it. Things like pesticides or radiation can be big causes.

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Your Family Medicine Doctor will want to do tests to see if your receding hairline is caused by something bigger. Usually, this will only require a little bit of bloodwork. If they do not find anything, they will likely refer you to a Dermatologist. These doctors happen to specialize in skincare but also help with hair loss too. A lot of people do not realize that they help with hair loss issues, for some reason. The reason for your hair loss or receding line could be as simple as your age, but there could be other issues as well, which take further examinations to help with.

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Why Is There Blood In My Urine?

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While most people might assume it is good to tell your doctor about something like blood in your urine, some don’t. Why? It’s apparently due to it being one of the medical questions people are afraid to ask about. Of course, blood in the urine can be caused by a lot of different things, for both men and women. Something as simple as a Urinary Tract Infection could be the cause of it. Other times, things like a kidney stone or STD could be the reason.

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Bladder infections among a sea of other things are known for creating bloody urine too. Therefore, due to the wide variety of possibilities, you’ll want to check on that. This means speaking up about it to your doctor, who will run the necessary tests or examinations to determine the possible culprit. Something like blood in the urine is not a thing to be playing around about and is ALWAYS worth discussing with a proper medical professional.

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Am I An Addict?

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Simply put, no one likes being told by anyone that they are an addict. No addict seems to ever believe they have addictive issues and will often choose to believe they can stop at any time. Therefore, this is going to be one of the top questions people are afraid to ask. They do not want to hear that they have a problem. If you do not ask, you cannot be told you have a problem, so problem solved, right? WRONG! If you have a major addiction of any kind, you need to address this.

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That might be taking someone with you to your Family Medicine Doctor to help discuss the extent of the problem. While your doctor cannot do much for you, they will likely be able to refer you to a great psychologist as well as Addiction Center. If you’re having an addiction to pain medication, for example, they might refer you to a Pain Specialist. It all depends on the issue and the severity of it. Addiction is tough to break, so talk about it with someone.

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Am I Clinically Depressed?

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Depression is very difficult to deal with, especially when it becomes severe. The ironic thing is that we’ll know we’re depressed, as our brain will let us in on this. We’ll know we need to do something about it, but we’ll be so unmotivated by the depression that we will not seek out the very aid we need to end said depression. The reasoning for depression can be incredibly difficult to pinpoint without knowing more about your specific issue.

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This is why it’s important to discuss with your doctor or with a trusted therapist, whom your doctor can refer you to. The issue is that asking about depression can be one of the most common medical questions people are afraid to ask. No one just wants to be known as a depressed person. Yet if we have depression issues, they can become problematic. If one does have clinical depression, it will be plainly obvious to medical professionals. If it is something lighter, doctors can write prescriptions to help you through it. However, none of this can begin until you speak to your doctor about the problem first.

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Does Piercing Genitals Open Them Up For Infections?

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This is one of the more rare medical questions people are afraid to ask, but it’s still noteworthy. While many women pierce parts of their body, one would assume piercing around the vagina would be off-limits. However, many women claim it’s great to do and makes intimate relations even better. Men pierce around the head of the penis for the same reason. Yet does piercing these areas open a man or woman up to possible infections? Honestly, infections happen all the time around these areas.

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Urinary Tract Infections can be the most common. Yet communicable diseases can potentially be a higher risk as well. A study in 2001 found that those without piercings seemed to catch STDs far less than those with genital piercings. Therefore, it is possible that STDs can be easier to get if your genitals are pierced. It’s possible that the person was not using protection in these studies, yet it is also possible that the piercing ripped said protection. That is something to consider.

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Do I Go To The Restroom Enough? Too Much?

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You’d be surprised how often people need to discuss this with a medical professional but do not. It is one of the most well-known questions people are afraid to ask about. Men seem to be more open about their bathroom habits than women. Yet outside of a Gastrointestinal doctor’s office, it is not common to ask about restroom habits. If you feel like you’re going too much or not enough, you need to discuss this with your doctor.

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The reason for your restroom issue could be small, such as a medication that is causing problems for you. Then again, the issue could be your diet. It might be too high in fiber or not fibrous enough. There might even be a blockage that’s causing problems too. The severity will only get worse as time goes on, so you’d be wise to discuss this sooner rather than later. While discussing with a Gastro Doctor would be best, most Family Medicine Doctors will be able to pinpoint problems too.

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Is A Vasectomy Better Or Safer Than A Woman Getting Tubes Tied?

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This happens to be one of the most common medical questions people are afraid to ask. Specifically for men. Essentially, when a woman gets her “tubes tied,” a surgeon is basically cutting off the signals from the fallopian tubes to take eggs from the ovary and pass them to the uterus. Referred to as Tubal Ligation, this surgery can be painful and require significant time to recover. Also, some women still get pregnant. 1 out of every 200 women, in fact.

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Although it can be reversed, this too is a painful and complicated surgery that does not always lead to a woman being capable of pregnancy. Vasectomies are pretty easy. It stops sperm from getting into the semen, so he can ejaculate without the risk of impregnating a woman. To do this, a surgeon redirects sperm from the vas deferens. This is the tube that carries sperm from your testicles and prostate gland. It’s an outpatient procedure and can easily be reversed. Now, which do you think is better or safer? Seems pretty obvious, right?

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What Is Up With All This Acne?

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For teenagers, acne problems are expected. After all, their bodies are changing and that causes oily skin problems. Moreover, you’ll also see tons of hormone changes during this period. Most people tend to have clearer skin by the time they leave high school. Others, however, have acne trouble well into their adult years. Pregnant women might get acne problems due to obvious hormonal reasons, women might also get acne during their specific time of the month for the same reason.

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That might settle the basic reason for women but what about men? While hormone issues can also be a cause, one of the biggest issues for men is often stress. Of course, men deal with stress a bit differently compared to women. Thus, stress-related problems with acne take a bit more stress than for men. Yet specific food such as greasy or junk food cause also causes acne among both sexes. Bacteria issues can also be a problem. Most Dermatologists can help with this easily.

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Why Do I Wet The Bed, Even As An Adult?

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When a baby wets the bed, or even when a regular child does it, this is not a big deal. We know they could not help it most of the time. When an adult does it, there’s an issue. Therefore, we can understand why this is among the medical questions people are afraid to ask about. There must be a logical reason “why” you wet the bed, right? Technically yes, there most certainly is. While sometimes bladder problems can lead to a loss of bladder control, other reasons are more in-depth.

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Neurological problems can cause people to do it as adults. Both clearly make sense. Other issues include enlarged prostates in men, an obstruction in your urinary tract (such as a kidney/bladder stone), obstructive sleep apnea, and even diabetes. Of course, some medication can knock a person out so much that they do not wake up in time to pee, so they just go while still in bed. Regardless of the reason, your Family Medicine Doctor can help you get down to the problem and help you solve it.

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I Have A Cold Sore, Do I Have Herpes?

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This is an incredibly common question many are afraid to ask. It’s not hard to see why. For those unaware, cold sores are indeed the result of Herpes. However, this is not technically the STD version. It is part of the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 or HSV-1. This will usually affect a person’s lips but does not traditionally transmit via intimate genital contact. On the other end, HSV-2 is the STD version of Herpes.

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It’s more common for the bumps and potential rashes to show up around the genitals and not on the face with HSV-2. You should be aware that most people will come in contact with Herpes in some form during their life. In fact, it’s likely you even have a version of it. Around 500 million have the genital version while billions more have the HSV-1 version. Therefore, if you do not have some version of Herpes, you’re the minority on this one. Many live with it just fine, only having rare issues pop up.

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Why Do I Need This Antibiotic?

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When you’re in a doctor’s office, chances are that they might write you a prescription. It seems 9 times out 10, that’ll likely be for an antibiotic. Yet one of the most common medical questions people are afraid to ask is, well, why am I getting this antibiotic at all? Most of the time, a doctor will want to avoid giving you an antibiotic unless he or she believes you might need it for some reason. However, many also write them due to problems with patients thinking they need them when they don’t.

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This has created a problem in the medical community called “Antibiotic Resistance.” Where people are taking them so often that their body no longer recognizes many antibiotics as helping aids, so they pretty much do nothing. Of course, keep in mind that antibiotics are NOT designed to get rid of your infection. Their job is to help manage the symptoms of an infection while your body fights off the actual infection.

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Why Do My Feet Stink? What Can I Do About It?

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You do not know how often this question pops up. It’s one of those medical questions people are afraid to ask out of some fear that they might be made fun of. Sometimes, they fear it will cause rejection or something similar. It’s not a bad question to ask as many feet stink. The reason for your specific stank might differ compared to others, however. While one obvious issue might be hygiene, as in not washing your feet enough, it’s rarely the problem.

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If you like to walk around barefoot outside or around your home, you can expose your feet to a lot of things. If bacteria or even something like a fungus gets on there, it could cause some stinky issues. Many people also sweat easier or work in a job where they are their feet a lot. This causes sweat build-up, so when you take your socks and shoes off, a bad odor comes out. This is mostly due to wearing the same shoes. To help, there are inserts, powders, etc. you can try. Also, you can wear deodorant on your feet too. There’s no law against it!

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My [Insert Family Member] Died Of A Heart Attack, Will I Die From One Too?

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This might seem like a weird question, but it’s actually a great one to ask. While it is one of those medical questions people are afraid to ask, the fear is misplaced. It’s okay to be concerned about your health, and especially concerned about potential connections to hereditary diseases or problems. Heart problems are one of the most common things that run in families across the world. Yet other times, they are not connected to our family at all and simply just happen to specific members.

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When it specifically comes to the heart, if you are concerned about your heart health, see a specialist. You’ll want to see a Cardiologist, as it is their specialization to help with any heart-related problem. Your Family Medicine Doctor can help too, by ordering tests/bloodwork for you to do. As long as you keep a heart-healthy diet and exercise, heart problems are unlikely outside of old age. If they do run in the family, you’ll want to get checks on your heart at least once every 6 months.

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How Does A Person Transition Gender?

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We can understand why this is among the most common medical questions people are afraid to ask. Perhaps, you might feel like a man or woman trapped in the wrong type of body. The ire of the public toward transgender people can be an issue. We get it. Of course, we can sort of guide you through how it tends to work, for the most part. While you’ll never be able to completely transition your sex, you can change your gender. Meaning, this is more social and not biological. The way this is done is by first putting you on a hormone regimen. This will help to slowly give you a male/female appearance.

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For trans-women, it’ll grow breasts a bit, and hair might not be as common on your face as it used to be. For trans-men, that’ll be the opposite (more hair, breasts might reduce). Eventually, people might choose to have surgery to add/alter the known male/female genitalia. This is not something everyone chooses to do, of course. Since appearance is the main thing, dressing a specific way, growing/cutting hair, and making sure your loved ones know your pronouns will be key. Hormone treatment, however, only lasts a specific period of time. This takes between 18 to 24 months usually.

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Why Am I So Gassy?

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We certainly get why it’s awkward to ask about gassy problems. However, we can safely say that by the time they see you, doctors will have likely seen everything embarrassing a person could ever say. They spend years in medical school as well as in residency for a reason. Yet we get why this is one of the major medical questions people are afraid to ask about. There are likely numerous reasons for your gassy nature. In particular, the food you eat can play a large role. Such as dairy products.

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If your gallbladder is not working properly, gas might be a problem. Removing it can cause people to have gassy issues by just drinking a glass of water at times. There are a number of other causes too, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as well as conditions like Colitis, Diverticulitis, and many more. Sometimes, medications can cause this, such as some vitamins as well as Probiotics. In fact, probiotics help one get regular, so it’s common that gassy issues would come along with that.

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Should You Still Use Protection During Oral Relations?

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Another great question that a lot of people fear discussing with their doctor or other health professional. It’s good to discuss though. When engaging in intimate relations with someone, naturally it is good to wear protection to prevent a possible pregnancy issue from occurring. Yet the other reason to wear protection is to reduce your chance of catching an STD. Usually, the only way one can catch an STD is when the person they are engaging in intimate activity with has one.

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If you’re unsure about your partner’s status there, women especially should ask the man they are with to put protection on even during oral situations. Keep in mind, STDs can only pass when a person’s fluids make contact. Men can catch it by simply going inside a female (or via blood) whereas women will catch something once sperm or blood makes contact. That means it can be caught orally too. This is more of a problem for women than men, for fairly obvious reasons.

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Why Can’t I Lose Weight? Why Can’t I Stop Gaining Weight?

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Ultimately, losing weight can be hard and it can suck to do for many. Therefore, we totally understand how this could be among the most common medical questions people are afraid to ask about. Your normal Family Medicine Doctor will likely be able to help with a lot with this. However, they can only do so much. This is why the best people to talk with are usually going to be Nutritionists. They quite literally know the body’s most common problems when it comes to weight.

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This means they know how to alter a plan that will work well for you. The reasons most people cannot lose weight can be numerous. Such as a lack of will or desire, lack of motivation, a problem with early results, etc. It could also be that your body does not respond well to the specific plan you’re following. Gaining weight is VERY easy for most people to do. It is just a matter of eating and not engaging in physical activity. To lose weight, it is best to speak with a nutritionist who can help put a plan together that will more than likely work very well for you.

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Why Does It Take So Long To Use The Restroom?

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It is possible that women might be wondering why their man takes so long in the restroom. While long restroom habits can be an issue for women at times too, this seems to often be related to men. We can certainly understand why it’s one of those medical questions that people are afraid to ask about. Who wants to tell their doctor about their long restroom time unless it comes with some sort of sickness or pain?

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One reason it happens is psychological. The stress of the day that a man might experience makes him feel “the throne” is a sanctuary from life, and might choose to be in there for a while. Sometimes, constipation issues are a problem. However, diets for men tend to include far more calories and even more fiber at times. Due to this, more has to come out and that can, uh, “take a minute,” if you know what we mean. If stress or GI issues are indeed causing a problem, you’ll need to speak to your doctor. If it’s psychological, take your time, my man.

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How Much “Self-Love” Is Too Much In A Given Day Or Week?

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For both men and women, “self love” is a healthy thing to do. However, there are some limitations. Naturally, we get how it’s one of the medical questions people are afraid to ask about. On top of this, answers might be different depending on the person you ask. They can even differ by the doctor you ask. The doctors with the best knowledge on this subject are going to be Urologists, although Nephrologists might also know a good bit about it too.

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For men, having “a release” is important because it can cause potential pain below and you might even have mood issues. This is why it is recommended for them to have “self-love” or “release” at least 3 times a week. Once a day is also okay but not recommended. For women, there’s less “medical” need to do it. Yet due to the tremendous aid that it can offer for mood and even with menstrual pain, 3 times a week is also the recommendation. It’s just not recommended for either to “enjoy themselves” twice a day or anything.

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How Do I Stop Feeling Sad Or Anxious?

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Like depression, this area is certainly one that can be tough to discuss. Some might say that depression and sadness are the same things, but this is not true. Sadness is an emotion, which can be triggered by several potential issues. Depression might cause it, but it could be other stuff too. Meanwhile, Anxiety is completely different from both. It tends to involve an inner fear or worry a person has about something.

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Some people have anxiety disorders, which sometimes require medication and/or therapy to control. Yes, both anxiety and sadness can be hard to discuss but doctors usually know how to help. If they cannot, they will know the right people for you to speak with. It is best to speak with a psychologist or therapist about these issues as they are completely mental. Therefore, speaking with the people who know that world best would be smart to do. Due to the wide variety of reasons for these issues, it would be far too difficult for us to give you specific ways to help either one here.

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Why Am I Getting So Many Headaches Or Migraines?

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We’re not sure why this is one of the most common medical questions people are afraid to ask about. However, it might mostly just come down to the fact that some do not feel it is relevant. Headaches can come from a variety of issues. One is high blood pressure, which tends to make you feel like your head is going to pop off. Yet most headaches are caused by issues with the neck. Therefore, if you fix the neck problem…you fix the headache. This is why anti-inflammatory drugs can help them.

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Your head is not being helped with the inflammatory drugs, it’s the neck. Migraines, however, will differ. They have a variety of causes. Usually, they are brought on by sensory issues, stress, as well as things like alcohol. Both can be treated by proper chiropractic neck adjustments. However, migraines might differ a bit. The reason for this is that they are brought on by other factors beyond musculoskeletal usually. Therefore, you’ll want to eliminate those issues too.

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Why Are My Breasts Different Sizes?

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Sorry guys, this particular section is mostly about the ladies. We totally get why this is one of the most obvious medical questions people are afraid to ask about. It’s awkward to ask about, especially if you have are a male doctor! We get it completely. The real question now, is, well, why do many women have breasts of two different sizes? Referred to as “Breast Asymmetry, size differences can be related to hormonal changes. In particular, an issue during puberty where one breast begins to grow before the other. The other is playing catch-up but might not completely make it.

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Trauma can also be a cause of this as well as an obviously botched breast augmentation surgery. It is likely you notice their difference during ovulation, as they might feel full or sensitive then. They retain water and blood flow during this point but return to normal during your period. Other reasons for uneven breasts are things like Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia, Hypoplastic Breasts, and Juvenile Hypertrophy. In very rare instances, cancerous lumps are the cause. Proper mammogram exams can keep a check on this, however.

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How Can I Stop Sweating So Much?

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While sweating is normal, especially when involved in physical activity, some people sweat a bit more than they likely should on a normal basis. The reason for sweating so much might be due to the job you’re involved in, the heat you experience daily, as well as issues like being overweight. Things like stress and anxiety can play a role, as well as potentially high blood pressure problems. Most of these things are normal and/or easy fixes.

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Yet there are more serious issues, such as Hyperhidrosis. This is a condition where your body sweats abnormally, unrelated to exercise or heat. This can be a bit embarrassing, so we can completely understand why you’d want to stop the problem as soon as possible. The best way to handle this is by using stronger deodorant and apply astringents daily. You also want to be sure you dress appropriately for the activity you’ll be involved in. Moreover, use relaxation techniques to keep your body from overreacting to cause sweat to occur.

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If I Have Been Diagnosed With HPV Before, Do I Still Have It? Is There A Risk For Cervical Cancer?

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A potentially serious condition known as the Human Papilloma Virus can be important to know about. Some people are embarrassed by the issue or simply do not want to bring it up. Thus causing it to be among the medical questions people are afraid to ask. You should first know that while HPV is an STD, it operates differently from Herpes or HIV. First and foremost, we have vaccinations to help against the HPV types that cause genital warts and cancers.

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Since it only spreads through unprotected sexual contact, it will operate the same way other STDs operate. What differentiates it from HIV is that it “CAN” go away. This all depends on the person. Many times, your body will create antibodies that remove the virus completely. Yet this might take many years, which is why if you have HPV, it is best to have sexual contact using protection only. If you have a version that goes away, your risk for cancer is reduced. Yet the type that sticks with you can truly be the most likely to cause cancer. Of all genital cancers diagnosed each year, HPV makes up well over 75% of cases.

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Home Biology These Questions Prove People Know Nothing About Human Anatomy

Biology

These Questions Prove People Know Nothing About Human Anatomy

By Joe Burgett - March 8, 2021

All over the internet, you will find medical questions being asked about pretty much everything. Yet there is no better outlet to find some of the most unique medical questions than Reddit. They have questions about pretty much everything from animal and plant biology to human anatomy and much more. We decided it would be pretty awesome to gather up some of the best human anatomy questions on Reddit and display them here. We also plan to give you the most popular answer that Reddit users voted for, as well as our take on the matter. Don’t worry, we’ll mark them in bold so you know which is which.

Since some of these answers can be quite massive (human anatomy is a big thing to explain), we did cut some down to display the main points the person gave. We’re also going to link you to the person who answered the question, so be sure to go to their profile and tell them that Science Sensei sent you! That said, let’s get started on our list of important questions about human anatomy, according to Reddit.

Why Can Your Body Have “Sleep Debt,” But Not A “Sleep Surplus?”

These Questions Prove People Know Nothing About Human Anatomy — *Woman Sleeping. Photo Credit: Lia Koltyrina/Shutterstock*

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adp1314: Your brain is like a trash can. Throughout the day it fills up with garbage, and at night that garbage is slowly removed. If you don’t get enough sleep, only some of the garbage gets taken out. Over time, it builds up until your can is almost always full. A full can is bad and makes you fall asleep or hallucinate. However, if you sleep lots and lots, your trash-can can’t get under 0% full. It will always only hold a certain amount of garbage.

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SS: Sleep is important to our bodies for numerous reasons, but the main reason is the health of our brain and body overall. If one lacks sleep, they will end up having issues such as hallucinations. Yet those can happen for other specific reasons beyond sleep. Since your brain needs sleep to function properly, specific areas of the brain will be affected. That is what brings a lot of symptoms along. You cannot have a sleep surplus because a surplus would be like having a remainder amount that you can store. But brains do not work like that. You need sleep daily, and sleep hours cannot be stored for later.

Why Are Spinal Injuries (Even Minor Ones) Next To Impossible To Completely Fix?

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NERWAL85: Take one strand of an overcooked spaghetti noodle. Break it. Now put it back together. Not so bad. That’s a nerve in your arm. Now take a whole fistful of overcooked spaghetti noodles. Rip those in half. Now reconnect them to the correct noodles without mushing any other noodles up. And do it while still holding them in your fist. That’s your spine.

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SS: Basically. Of course, due to advancements in human anatomy, we’ve gotten far better at correcting spinal injuries. It used to be that even a minor spinal issue could turn into something that put you in a wheelchair for life. Now, we’re able to fix small stuff and even large problems are now a bit easier to control. There can be some major side effects, such as nerve problems, that spine surgeries can cause. However, we also now have medication to help that. While it is not perfect, things are getting better. Soon, this may no longer be an issue at all.

Why Can You Donate More Than Half Your Liver and It’ll Grow Back In a Few Months, But Excessive Alcohol Will Permanently Scar It?

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BlueShoeLover: Alcohol damages cells indiscriminately. So, I’m imagining a donated liver looks just like half of a healthy liver, and all the healthy cells can regrow normally. Then an alcohol-damaged liver is intact, but with random cells damaged. Now the cells around them can’t regrow because technically the damaged cells are still there and don’t need replacing.

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SS: This is pretty much true. When you drink alcohol, your body has built-in measures to help. It’s part of our human anatomy to evolve and we’ve been drinking alcohol for thousands of years. Our livers have something called alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down the booze you drink. However, too much drinking will damage it. Due to the damage, your liver will not grow back those cells most of the time. When you cut a portion out, surgeons are ONLY removing healthy amounts that can grow back. It’s all down to what you remove, where alcohol is like dropping a bomb on your liver.

If Our Brains Do Not Have Pain Receptors, How Does It Seem Like We Want To Split Our Skull When We Get Migraines or Headaches?

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Fullblackhabit: While the brain itself doesn’t have pain receptors, it is surrounded by networks of muscle, membranes, blood vessels, and the like. That’s what experiences the pain instead.

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SS: Essentially, that is true. Known human anatomy studies tell us that headaches are often caused by our neck or areas surrounding (often musculoskeletal), which can and will experience pain. If your neck is in a bad way, it can cause several issues that lead to headaches. This is why chiropractors are able to help with headache issues via adjustments. Migraines are different, however. They are often brought on by sensory issues, which then trigger a pain response. Like the Reddit responder said, this pain is then going to occur in other sectors.

When a Person Receives a Limb Donation, How Do Surgeons “Wire Up” The Nerves So That The Recipient Can Use The Limb and Feel Sensation From It?

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ThinImpression00: Recipient’s and new limb’s nerve fibers are connected => Recipient’s nerve fiber grows along with the new limb’s nerve fiber, and stimulates the surrounding muscles. This makes it functional (able to feel and move) => it takes months until the recipient’s nerve fibers have fully grown into the donated limb, making the whole new limb functional.

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SS: Exactly true. This can be a difficult area of human anatomy to fully explain. It is an incredibly complicated surgery because it involves the ability to use a brand new limb with all nerves able to “feel” the limb. For robotic limbs, there might not be a feeling but the concept is the same. Where you need to be able to move it, you must be able to send signals from your brain to the limb. For the other, you’re able to connect and literally make it part of you once your body adjusts to the new limb.

Why Do We Retain Memories If All Of Our Cells Replace Themselves After a Small Number of Years?

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Gnonthgol: The concept that all your cells regenerate within 7-10 years is based on some misconceptions. Different types of cells regenerate at different rates. Some only last a few weeks while others last your entire life. Most of your brain cells are in the latter category. The seven years is based on an estimated average of all your cells. While we do not know much about how memories work there is some evidence suggesting that memories are refreshed when you are asleep. Even if brain cells don’t last your entire life but get damaged somehow, the memories will be restored and refreshed from time to time.

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SS: This is mostly how it works. However, while we do know that cells do replace themselves, not all are replaced at the same level our skin cells are replaced. Memories are part of the brain itself, and if they did replace themselves the same way skin cells do, we’d never be able to remember things, think, move, or anything else. They do not operate in this format. Plus, cells do not fall off and restore at the same time. It’s a slow process, meaning in that 7 to 10 years, a complete area would have replaced itself. But they each did this over that specific period. That is also likely why memories are not affected.

If The Liquids We Drink End Up In The Stomach, How Does Our Stomach Acid Not Get Thinned Down By The Constant Flow of Liquid?

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Jkei: It does get diluted, but the stomach walls just add more concentrated acid back in. Even if you weren’t drinking anything, purely solid food is mixed with the acidic “liquidy” contents of the stomach and sent on to the small intestine together, so you “lose” acid over time regardless. The stomach would lose its function very, very quickly if it couldn’t maintain its contents’ proper acidity.

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SS: A lot of this comes down to “pH balance” stuff. In human anatomy, we have the Acidic to Alkaline Scale or pH Scale. It goes from 0 to 14. Where 0 is Strongly Acidic and 14 is Strongly Alkaline. Stomach Acid happens to be at the 1 level. Meaning its acidic nature is incredibly high. Water is a 7, which is the neutral between acidic and alkaline. This makes stomach acid about 100 times more acidic than water. For your stomach acid to be affected, you’d have to literally drown yourself in water, drinking literal liters upon liters.

On a Cellular Level, How Does Exercise Make Us Healthy or Improve Our Health?

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bundt_chi: When your body is just sitting around, there’s still a lot of stuff your body is doing. When you exercise, your body has to be able to do those normal sitting-around things better and faster to be able to keep up with the demands of exercising. If you do that enough times, your body realizes it’s not doing a great job and needs to get better. It sends the signal to your body to start improving things. As this happens and your body gets a lot of practice operating at a higher level. In general, your body is less stressed just sitting around because it’s so much easier. [see the rest of this answer here]

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SS: This is true. Our human anatomy is a tricky thing. We need to be able to handle everything life brings our way, and exercise is certainly a way to do that. Moreover, exercise is not really a cellular thing. It is mostly about the musculoskeletal system, which then affects the rest of our body. Thus, also affecting the cells in that process. When you exercise, you’re helping areas like the lungs and heart. That then helps the blood, which helps the brain. That will then help the rest of the body. Therefore, it’s a graduated scale where everything helps something else.

In Ancient Times and Places Where Potable Water Was Scarce and People Drank Alcoholic Beverages For Substance, How Were People Not Dehydrated and Hungover All The Time?

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nnelson2330: That is almost entirely a modern-day myth. There were systems in place to ensure the town’s water supply wasn’t contaminated and drinking water in most of the world was perfectly fine. They even had a system where tanners and blacksmiths and such would be fined if their cast-offs made it into the water supply. They were only allowed to operate in certain areas of town to keep the water supply clean. The laborers DID drink a lot of ale and beer while working but it was because the alcohol content was so low that it kept them hydrated and helped give them calories to keep up their energy.

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SS: That is somewhat true. We’ve known that for thousands of years you could boil water to make it safer to drink. Of course, water was not filtered like today so humans did drink ale and wine a lot. The reason came down to filtration that this would go through. It was naturally safer to drink, and even kids drank wine back then. Why were they not dehydrated or hungover? Food also had water in it and bread could soak up the wine. Also, your body adjusts to the amount of alcohol you take in. Therefore, the more you have over time, the more you can consume without getting hungover.

How Do We Think About Moving Our Body Without Actually Moving It?

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TorakMcLaren: A lot of the brain activity is similar when we think about something as when we do it. Seems kinda obvious, but it goes deeper than you think. If you scan a musician’s brain when they actively listen to music, it will light up in a similar way as when they are playing the music. This differs in those who don’t play an instrument and listen to it. When you listen to someone speaking, part of your understanding comes from imagining yourself making those sounds, and working out what words you’d be saying if you did that. This is why you see some people mouthing along as they listen to someone speaking.

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SS: That is mostly true. Our brain is pretty advanced. Why do you think we’ve yet to find a way to truly remove consciousness from one being to another? Why do you think brain transplants aren’t a thing? We can easily think about moving without actually moving. Meanwhile, we can also move without telling our bodies to do so. Things like twitches or other nerve-related issues can cause movements that we ourselves do not trigger. It is the same principle here. I can think about moving my leg, but it takes me actually doing it for it this to happen.

Why Are Voices So Unique and Distinguishable? Even a Single Word Can Let You Recognize Someone?

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Zomunieo: When you hear someone speak vowel sounds in particular, the timbre (resonant characteristics) is determined by the physical dimensions of a person’s body, especially their throat, mouth, and nose. Your brain learns to decode this to learn about the speaker, just as reverberations provide clues about the room you’re in.

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SS: That is true. Several things impact how we sound. Many of us sound like our parents because we have recognized how they speak and copy it. This is especially true regarding vernacular and overall language. We separate to get our own distinct sound. But sound waves also operate differently when you record them or listen to them on a phone. This is why many people do not know how they truly sound without this. Some cannot even understand why they are told they cannot sing either. The way our ear catches things makes us adjust the way we speak. This is why deaf people sound as they do too.

Why Does Everyone Have a Unique Gait When Biologically Most Of Us Are All Pretty Similar?

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mrkedi: Basically, you always unconsciously walk while spending minimum energy (minimum potential energy) to do so. When they want to model someone’s gait, they model the dynamics of their body and calculate the most energy-efficient way to travel from point A to B. This will give super close results. Even when you have an injury, you will still take the minimum energy path within the limits of your injured joints. Since everyone’s body (and dynamics) is a little different, your gait will differ.

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SS: To be fair here, our gaits are less unique than people assume. For women, you will likely see them walk in a way that their hips swing back and forth left to right. Men usually walk with one leg straight moving forward, then the next. The difference is due to those three things in the middle of our legs. This explains why in gender/sex form. The next reason is due to our height and weight. Larger steps are taken by larger people. Weight makes one need to use their hips to move their legs, which is why you might see overweight people moving in a waddle format.

Why Do Older People Get Hurt More Often/Frequently/Easily Than Younger People?

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DaedricHamster: Old people’s cells grow back slower than young people’s. When you’re young, your body is still set up to be growing and to be very active, your cells regenerate quickly. So do your organs, muscles, and bones. They’re kept in top condition and heal quickly when damaged. As you age, your rate of cell regeneration reduces. This means your body and organs get weaker and more susceptible to injury over time and, if they are damaged, they heal slower.

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SS: Our knowledge of human anatomy tells us that as we age, our body slows down. Yet injuries are worse for the elderly because they are not keeping muscle on naturally or from working out regularly. Many also lose a lot of fat they once had. This means that without muscle or fat to break falls, bones are what’s impacted. As well as blood. Moreover, slower reflexes might cause them to have trouble bracing or stopping a fall. Some stuff happens frequently for older people due to various reasons, such as bad eyesight, bad hearing, medication, fatigue, etc.

What Is The Anatomy Of a Boob and How Do Boob Jobs Work?

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Catthew-Mahogany: [Breasts are] fatty tissue that comes equipped with glands for lactation. A breast implant involves a silicone implant being inserted into the breast to push that fatty tissue further away from the chest and make the skin of the breast stretch to become larger. Like when you make a mud pie in the backyard and your friend mushes his smaller mud pie into yours. The first mud pie is now bigger because it has more mud in it. Only it turns out your friend was using a different kind of mud than you used to make the original mud pie yourself.

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SS: Breasts certainly are fatty tissue. Also, “boob jobs” are actually called “breast augmentation surgeries.” Yet what people think about breasts tends to be off-base. Women have larger breasts than men due to the estrogen hormone. When men take a lot of estrogen pills, they too will grow larger breasts. That is how many do it for gender transitioning. Also, ALL breasts can lactate… not just women’s. It is easier for women to do, especially naturally, because pregnancy will help trigger lactation (again, estrogen). Men do not have larger breasts or nipples for the baby to latch onto, making it harder to breastfeed.

From Neanderthal To Homo sapiens: Did The Human Brain Develop In Order To Make People Think More or Did People Think More So That Their Anatomy Changed?

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ipatimo: [The] Brain accidentally changed multiple times due to mutations in DNA. Species with changed brains had a small advantage to think better, which helped them to outlive others. And again, and again.

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SS: The reason our brains changed was certainly evolutionary. All versions of human beings from the small spec to what we are today would develop and adjust for millions of years. The real major change in our brains developed during the Ardipithecus Era just under 6 million years ago. This was when we first began walking on two legs. We used stone tools in the Australopithecus Era around 2 million years ago. Our brains altered here the most which took us into the Neanderthal Era. Brains have since actually gotten smaller but more efficient, a lot like cell phones. All due to evolutionary adjustments. For a frame of reference, scholars generally agree that the earliest form of writing appeared almost 5,500 years ago in Mesopotamia.

How Is Everyone’s Smile So Different Yet Everyone Has Relatively The Same Facial Muscular Anatomy?

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mikeofarabia17: Everyone’s smile is incredibly similar, it’s just that our brains are set up to detect the small differences in human faces quickly and easily. Similarly, we can pick up on minute muscle tensions in faces to quickly assess the thoughts/moods/intentions of others.

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SS: Exactly. This is just like the “gait” question. We’re more similar in our human anatomy than we assume. A smile is something that will differ a bit. However, faces look different more often than not. Therefore, we assume that a person’s smile is very different because we connect their face to their smile too. You and a friend could have the same smile but look different doing it, yet people might say your smiles differ when they really don’t. Your faces differ; the smile is the same. However, when they do differ, this is often due to the teeth and jaw. They are what truly determines a smile.

What Happens When Fat Is Burned?

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Verence17: Oxygen (which you gain from breathing) plus organic matter (which mainly consists of carbon and hydrogen atoms) produces water (oxygen plus hydrogen) and carbon dioxide (oxygen plus carbon). The former is used in your body alongside the water you drink, and excess water is ejected as urine. The latter is ejected when you breathe.

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SS: Sooo… fat burning is often misunderstood. Fat cells actually give us our energy to fuel new activities and even work out. When you use a lot of this by working out or exercising regularly, fat cells cannot be stored as frequently. Obviously, you’re using them up. Since you are not storing fat as much, you begin to lose the fat you have on your body. This is good but it also means you need to eat more to give yourself the energy you used to get from stored fat. This is why you might see people like The Rock eat a lot, and somehow remain extremely muscular. He must eat a lot, there’s very little fat stored up to use.

Why Do Most Animals (including humans) Have Some Duplicate Organs (lungs, kidneys) But Only One Of Our Most Important Organ (heart)?

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stecarr1: Your most important organ would most likely be your brain and central nervous system as it’s the only part that can’t be replaced. For the sake of the argument, the heart is almost a duplicate organ in itself. It has two sides that provide blood to different parts of the body. These two sides are separated by the septum. Why do we have two of some organs? Evolution, having two of some organs has given us an evolutionary survival advantage over having one. These genes are more likely to survive and get passed down to offspring. Human anatomy today is the anatomy that was most likely to survive throughout our evolution.

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SS: This is true. We even have proof of this. From an evolutionary perspective, we developed these extra organs as back-ups or to lead to efficiency. Many believe we developed two lungs as part of our beginning stage to help us grow. Considering oxygen levels were much higher millions of years ago, developing duplicate lungs only ensured we’d grow into larger beings. It worked, obviously. We then realized we needed two kidneys to help filter out potential problems, like poisons we might drink accidentally. However, humans can live normal lives with just one kidney and live just fine with one lung too!

Why Do People Pass Out On Thrill Rides Like Slingshots or Roller Coasters?

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Skusci: The main reason is due to Vasovagal syncope, which is where your heart rate and blood pressure suddenly drops from certain triggers. Anxiety/fear/excitement that comes with roller coasters tends to set it off. With the sudden drop in blood pressure, your brain gets less blood, and that leads to unconsciousness. G-force alone causing blood to rush to your feet doesn’t usually do it (unless you aren’t healthy), but a smaller drop in blood pressure is needed for you to pass out.

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SS: This is pretty much on the mark. We pass out for numerous reasons, but it is almost always related to blood pressure. There are times our heart rate will cause this, but that in turn still triggers blood pressure differences. A person’s brain has randomly caused them to pass out, but this is extremely rare. A neurally-mediated syncope is almost the reverse of Vasovagal, as it lowers the heart rate and blood pressure. Yet it, too, triggers a pass-out or fainting episode. This tends to be something people can experience under G-Force pressure compared to thrill rides that raise both heart rate and blood pressure.

What Are T-Cells and B-Cells In Medical Or Anatomy Terms and How Are They Different When Dealing With Viruses?

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gamevideo113: B and T-cells are part of the adaptive immune system. They are lymphocytes that are activated to fight infection. T-cells can be divided into three main kinds: cytotoxic T-cells, which recognize and kill infected cells, T helper cells, which produce molecules called cytokines to control the immune response to a pathogen, and T reg cells, which inhibit the immune response. B-cells instead only produce antibodies, which can neutralize a pathogen and help macrophages in killing it. Some of these belong to innate immunity, others belong to adaptive immunity, while others allow an intersection between the two.

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SS: Very spot on here. B-Cells are at the very center of the adaptive humoral immune system. They are responsible for being the middleman in our production of antigen-specific immunoglobulin, which is then directed to face off with invasive pathogens. T-Cells are responsible for trying to kill the infected host cells and then activate other immune cells with the hope of regulating our immune response in the body. Both are important to our immune system and help to keep us alive, literally.

What Happens If Our Internal Organs Get Rearranged?

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Tomato_On_Uranus: As long as nothing is damaged or twisted up, it’ll basically go right back where it was. Your organs don’t flop around loose in your torso, they’re attached all over the place to the inside of your thoracic cavity. If an organ is permanently removed from the torso, the others just kinda shift around to fill the space. A kidney specifically is different because it’s in a separate “pocket” than the rest, but end result is similar. There’s not an empty hole or anything.

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SS: We know the person asking the question was asking it specifically in reference to c-sections. When you have one, it is true that surgeons will need to remove your organs to take out the child. For many, they are actually awake during this but are incredibly numbed up. Naturally, removing organs to get a child out is dangerous. Of course, this is why surgeons and nurses are so well trained. They know where to put them back. But even if they put them back in the wrong place, it’s not exactly a bad thing. Some people are born with their organs on the opposite side, it’s called Situs Inversus.

How Does The Anatomy Of Conjoined Twins Work?

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Straight-faced_solo: It’s different depending on each case. Usually, they have separate organs but share a circulatory system. It’s not uncommon for them to only have one heart and liver shared between the two.

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SS: This is true, and the human anatomy of conjoined twins can be wildly different depending on the case. In fact, many conjoined twins are able to be separated without it causing an issue these days. The ones that cannot be “detached” are those who share an important organ such as a brain or heart. Other stuff can be cut in half and grow back or they can live with just half. This includes both having one lung, one kidney, or half a liver. Regarding those sharing a heart, they’ll be added to a transplant list. But this can take years and there is no guarantee a new heart will work. So splitting is very risky.

Why, After a Good Long Cry, Can’t We Take A Big Deep Breath Without That Huh-Huh-Huh Tracheal Contraction?

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Gynoceros: Those “tracheal contractions” are probably either diaphragmatic or congressional intra-abdominal muscle spasms, due to the strain that had been placed on them during the crying jag. Do you know how your legs get wobbly after doing a bunch of squats? Your breathing muscles get wobbly after being worked hard too.

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SS: It essentially works exactly like this. A great example was given here. Yes, your diaphragm or other areas of your throat are working overtime when you cry a lot. On top of this, so are your lungs and even your sinuses. This is why when you cry, you might see a lot of “green stuff” come out. The human anatomy is interesting in this area, as we do not all cry the same but we ALL have an affected sinus or breathing issue. The same sort of thing can occur when we laugh very hard too. You’ve likely seen people who laugh so hard they cry or cough before. It’s the same principle involved.

Why Does It Hurt When You Can’t Start/Finish a Sneeze?

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AtlasTradeM: When you sneeze, it’s because your body detected bad stuff that it wants to remove from the body. This could be something irritating or something you’re allergic to. Sometimes your body tries to sneeze but fails because bodies aren’t perfect. When this happens, that sneezing feeling stays and can be painful because the allergen never left.

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SS: This is mostly true. Basically, and your human anatomy textbooks will tell you this too, your sinus cavity affects a ton of things. As a result, if you feel you have to sneeze then you will very well end up sneezing usually. Some people like to stop themselves from doing so and that stoppage will hurt pretty bad. If you hurt when you’re about to sneeze but stop, it is all down to the nerves you have throughout your face and sinus cavity. These will be activated and that sends pain signals to the brain.

Before We Had a Basic Concept Of Human Anatomy, Did We Use To Think That “Thought” Came From Our Heads?

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[deleted-user] No. According to my psych book, across history, different cultures have thought that the “mind” existed in the liver or the heart. I would say that yes it is just placebo (to your 2nd question). I have no idea why we think love comes from the heart, maybe someone else can help?

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SS: Human Anatomy assumptions were pretty wild. Socrates notably claimed the heart was the center of thought. We wrote a big article about how the human heart works and killed off some assumptions. In that, we referenced how Hippocrates was genius with his original assumptions of the heart and never believed it held thought. That said, we did not really believe the brain was the center of thought until after 100 AD. Yet people like Pythagorean Alcmaeon of Croton claimed in the 5th Century BCE that the brain was the center of thought. It just took a while for the rest of us to catch on.

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