1

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Total material replacement?

« on: 27/07/2007 22:40:44 »

I think I read somewhere long ago that people are a form of wave (not speaking in the quantum mechanics sense).  The example was that you can remember stuff that happened to you when you were a kid, but no part of you remains from when you were that age, because all of your tissues have been replaced.

Is this really true?  Obviously many tissues are replaced (skin, intestinal walls, blood), but are they all replaced?  I find it hard to believe that my femur has totally different tissue than it used to have, for example.

Obvously it's likely that a molecule or two has stuck around, but I'm just speaking in the general sense.

2

Physiology & Medicine / What is Reversed Altitude sickness? (sickness at low altitudes)

« on: 19/09/2005 07:26:57 »

I know most people get elevation sickness going up to 8000-12000 feet, but what about elevation changes that go down?

My wife suffers terribly when we drop elevations.  We live at 5100 feet and a drop of 3000 feet or more makes her sore, tired, achy, and generally miserable.  She has diabetes, but it is in good control -- with sugars that range barely off normal (6.1 hba1c).  Her sugars remain in good control with these elevation changes, too. Additionally, as soon as we get home, she feels fine again.

Is this common?  What is this?  Is there a way to prevent it?  Heat seemed to help immediately, but once removed lost its positive influences.  Any ideas or suggestions?  Should she be seeing her doctor before vacations?

3

Physiology & Medicine / Arm sleeping while I am.

« on: 17/11/2004 17:03:46 »

I sleep on my side.  When I wake up in the morning, whichever arm is on top is usually "asleep."  I could understand it if the one on the bottom were asleep instead, since I could be cutting off its circulation.

Is this a symptom of poor circulation (weak heart or something)?  I don't get cold all the time like old ladies with poor circulation do, so maybe it's something else?

4

Physiology & Medicine / Do nuts pass through the intestine undigested?

« on: 29/03/2004 23:26:02 »

I've heard from many places that faeces has peanuts in it, which I'm guessing is because people don't digest peanuts (so that they can plant peanut plants).

I tried eating nothing but peanuts for 3 days straight, and I didn't find any peanuts at all in my crap.  They were all just dark brown.  Why is that?

5

Physiology & Medicine / Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?

« on: 26/03/2004 23:05:33 »

I've heard that when the ambient temperature is cold, people tend to want to urinate because their bladders shrink.  Sometimes when I urinate, I shiver a little bit.  I think this is because my body has built up a response to my shrinking bladder.  That is, my body detects that my bladder has shrunken (because I'm urinating), so it reacts with a shiver because it thinks I'm getting cold.

Is this probably true, or does the urine just keep me warm before I urinate?

Kindest regards,
MooseHole