Surprising Body Facts Doctors Want You To Know
"Ejaculating blood happens to most people at least once in their lives. In 99% of cases, it resolves within a week without taking any action. Peeing blood (for both sexes) is a serious medical emergency, and you should immediately go to the ER. People think it's the other way around."
"Administering CPR compressions ASAP is one of the greatest indicators of successful outcomes."
"Your kidneys and liver cheerfully do all the toxin elimination you'll ever need. Cleanses and other 'detoxifying' products are bullshit and a waste of money."
"So many people don't know where the orifice each gender urinates through really is. Urine exits the body of people with vaginas through the urethra, a small tube located in the vulva, between the clitoris and the vaginal opening. In people with penises, the urethra passes through the prostate gland and the penis, and opens at the tip of the penis.
"Please do not use soap or douching products inside your vagina. It has a delicate pH balance, and this is how you get yeast infections. Wash your labia, but do not clean internally. The vagina is self-cleaning just like your eyeballs. Do you wash your eyeballs? No. Do you wash your face? Yes."
"You often will feel normal with high blood pressure. It's often found incidentally. So, don't wait until it gives you symptoms you don't want to go through. To figure out if you're asymptomatic, get checked at least once a year if you're over 35 years old."
"Mental health IS AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH. A mental illness can kill you, just like a physical illness. And no, you can't 'snap out of it.' News flash, parents: This includes gender dysphoria. For fuck's sake, if your kids are trans, let them be themselves."
"The immune system is an incredibly complex and nuanced organization of cells that communicates readily to destroy anything deemed hostile within the body. It helps explain why vaccines are supposed to work, why allergies come and go, and why transfusions/transplants are hard to successfully pull off."
"I'm a dentist. If you don't take care of your gums, your teeth will fall out of your head, and you'll get pissed at me when your jawbone atrophies and your denture doesn't fit anymore. Essentially, periodontitis causes inflammation and recession of the gums, which in turn causes inflammation and recession of the bone. After that, teeth start getting mobile and falling out."
"How to self-check for skin cancer: If you see any moles that are asymmetrical, have a border (odd, like they're jagged), are different colors, grow in diameter, or evolve, go get them checked out. It might be skin cancer."
"GET SLEEP! Psychosis can happen if someone hasn't slept or hasn't had good sleep for extended periods of time. AND DON'T JUST RANDOMLY STOP YOUR MEDICATION BECAUSE YOU FEEL BETTER. You feel better because you have a consistent amount of whatever is leveled in your body now. And now that your body is hitting equilibrium, everything is going great, so KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I've seen people go on and off their medications for years, and it really starts to mess up your body if you do that for too long."
"The frequency of bowel movements can range from every three days to three times per day and be considered normal. Having three soft stools per day does not mean you have chronic diarrhea."
"Type 2 diabetes is more serious than most people realize. I work as a doctor in hemodialysis, and most of them are due to diabetic nephropathy. It also affects your eyes, nerves, immune system, etc. Simple life changes can help you."
"The colon is, in general, air-tight. Therefore, your dildo ALWAYS needs a flared base. Once it gets up past the point that I can grab it out, it's vacuum sealed in."
"I'm a vet. Amputated limbs do not grow back. I've had far too many people asking how long it will take for their pet's amputated limb to grow back, so I'm assuming a few doctors out there will have had patients asking the same of their own missing limbs."
"Earwax is normal. You shouldn't try to remove it. People cause all sorts of problems with Q-tips and (god forbid) ear candles. They don't work and can cause you harm. If you genuinely need wax removed, go to a professional."
"Many simpler diseases in the body can be compared to a car. When you don't get regular checkups and take regular care, it's not like you'll notice something bad happening right away. Just like how you won't notice a missed oil change a couple of thousand miles later. But diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, alcohol dependence, etc., sneak up on you. Just like how eventually, that engine won't run as smoothly."
"Period blood doesn't come from the egg itself, but from the shedding of the uterus lining. I have talked to way too many people who believe that the blood comes from the egg itself, and I just think it goes to show how much the sex ed program needs to be modified."
"Injuries accumulate. I cannot stress this enough. Little kids have no business lifting heavy weights or getting pushed so hard in sports by some of these 'coaches' who seem to have little knowledge of physiology or don't care about the long-term impact of the regimens. Stuff like this really changes people's lives."
"You can't EVER get teeth enamel back."
"That there is a wide range of 'normal'. Don't be embarrassed by your body. Having said that, if you are concerned about anything, ask your doctor. We have generally heard it all before, and trust me, we have (nearly always) seen it all before. Maybe you have something that has been bothering you for ages, but you were too scared or embarrassed to ask about it...Just ask! It might be 'nothing' and you have been stressing about it for no reason. If not, then you are at least one step closer to getting it fixed. No one can help if they don't know. There are no dumb questions. YOU know your body best. So speak up! Don't wait for the doctor to 'ask the right question.'"
"Smoking is one of the absolute worst things you can do for your body. It is a risk factor for almost every preventable disease, including heart disease and heart attacks, strokes, almost every type of cancer, diabetes, COPD, kidney disease, macular degeneration (blindness), and so much more. I know quitting smoking is hard, but please give it a try, for your body's sake!"
"Your body needs water. DRINK IT."
And lastly: "You only have ONE body and your behavior now (drinking, smoking, not taking medicines, etc.) will impact your life quality and expectancy. It sounds logical, but very few patients really realize it."
Do you know something we missed on this list as a medical expert? If you have a lesser-known fact about the human body that you think more people should know, add it in the anonymous comments form below and your response may be featured in a follow-up post!
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