Why Men Have Nipples

Today's Medical Topic:  Why do men have nipples?

Off the Top of My Head:  Often a common question, I am not sure why men have nipples.  What would we use them for?

My Research Today:  According to Scientific American nipples in male mammals "illustrate a constrained evolutionary result."  A child inherits one copy of every gene from each parent.  The difference between the genetic traits inherited between male and female differ based on optimal traits for reproduction.

At least we don't have these.

So genetic traits differ to maximize the potential for reproduction between males and females.  Nipples on women are obviously important for reproduction but are vestigial remnants of the genetic trait for men.  Men having nipples is a structural and physical by-product of women having nipples.

Simply put:  Men have nipples because women do.

Quest to 180:

Activity Today:A little over 10 miles biking.
Diet today:  Too many doughnuts.


The MAN:
Confidence Level:  Better.
Social Engineering Tactics:  Secret hair tactics.

Questions or comments can be submitted to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.

Chronic Pruritis

Today's Medical Topic:  Chronic Pruritis

Off the Top of My Head:  My friend Ben wants to know what chronic pruritis is and how you treat it so I will give it a shot.  Pruritis is itching by the way.  I assume it has something to do with a continual release of histamines but I don't know.

My Research Today:  Chronic itching is defined as an unpleasant sensation with an accompanying desire to scratch the effected area that is greater than six weeks in duration.  The most common cause of itching that is not related to an allergic response is dry skin.

She is either itchy or about to be stabbed.  I can't tell.

Itching sensations that are chronic can stem from many different diseases of dermatological, systemic, or neurological origin.  Most of the time it is difficult to diagnose and cannot be simply treated.

Why does this show up on a Google
image search for itching?

Some medication can cause itching as a side effect especially opioids like morphine.  Itching that is diffuse throughout your body can be caused by anything from physical stimuli like wool to diabetic neuropathy which is a central nervous system dysfunction.  Itching in specific locations is usually dermatological in origin and should be investigated by a dermatologist.  It is also possible that there could be something in your skin like fiberglass strands that are not visible.

I'm sorry, Ben, that probably wasn't helpful at all, but I tried.

Quest to 180:

Activity Today: Kyaking 2 miles, yay!
Diet today:  Thumbs up!


The MAN:
Confidence Level:  Better.
Social Engineering Tactics:  Secret hair tactics.

Questions or comments can be submitted to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.

Neuromodulators.

Today's Medical Topic:  Neuromodulators

Off the Top of My Head:  I assume they modulate neurological activity but I am not entirely sure exactly what they do so let's find out.

My Research Today:  A neuromodulator is defined as any substance other than a meurotransmitter, that is released by a neuron to transmit information to other neurons and alter their activity.  So in plain English a neuromodulator fucks with your normal information transfer between neurons.

Yeah, all this stuff.

Many things are neuromodulators, not all of them bad, however, some can be devestating.  THC, the active ingredient in marijuana is a neruomodulator that effects synaptic plasticity, motor learning, appetite and pain sensation.  Synaptic plasticity is the strength of transmission between neurons.  Basically THC slows everything down and over time can cause permanent damage to synaptic plasticity with chronic use.

Neuromodulators do not breakdown easily and spend a significant amount of time in your spinal fluid continuously affecting brain activity.  This could be a good thing, like affecting your serotonin system and acting as an antidepressant.  Alternately it could be a bad thing and effect your cholinergic system and ruin your motor control or make it so you can't pee.

Well, I am keeping this brief because I barely understand this topic.  It is very complicated and I don't have the time to really dissect it.  Have a good night and don't smoke weed.  It's bad for you.

Quest to 180:

Activity Today: Spent 4 hours moving furniture and finishing up the room I painted.  Looks totally different.
Diet today:  Thumbs up!


The MAN:
Confidence Level:  Better.
Social Engineering Tactics:  Secret hair tactics.

Questions or comments can be submitted to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.

Why Pee Is Yellow

Today's Medical Topic:  Why is pee yellow?

Off the Top of My Head:  You can tell a lot about someone's health simply by the color of their urine. Typically pee is yellowish but can be other colors depending on diet and disease.  Let's explore this topic.

The yellow m&m isn't naturally yellow;
he actually just has hepatitis.

My Research Today:  Pee is naturally somewhat yellow in healthy individuals.  The reason for this is the way our body breaks down old red blood cells, specifically hemoglobin, which is the molecule responsible for the transport of oxygen.  A byproduct of this process is a yellow pigment produced called urochrome which is filtered by the kidneys and secreted as waste.

This pigment is of course watered down.  Well hydrated people will have lighter colored or clear urine.  Dark urine is a sign of fairly significant dehydration.  Other things that can make your pee appear brighter yellow or even orange are multivitamins or some medicines.  Any water-soluble vitamins or minerals that our body cannot immediately use or store is filtered out in the kidneys.

I assure you your body cannot use all of this at once.

Well short article today.  I am pretty tired.  Have a good night.

Quest to 180:

Activity Today: Another three hours painting and 3 hours moving furniture.  That should count for something.
Diet today:  I had a cheeseburger and some tater tots but I did pretty good otherwise,


The MAN:
Confidence Level:  Better.
Social Engineering Tactics:  Secret hat tactics.

Questions or comments can be submitted to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.

Nose Hair

Today's Medical Topic:  A very misunderstood body part, nose hair is typically treated with disdain.  But why do we have it and what does it do?

Off the Top of My Head:  Nose hair seems thicker than the hair you find on most of your body.  I assume it's primary function is to keep dust and other particles from entering your trachea and lungs.  It probably does some other stuff too.  Perhaps like you ear hair the follicles secrete mucus or something?

It is a veritable forest in there.

My Research Today:  Nose hair indeed stops particles from entering your trachea and lungs but it does more than that.  It also, with the help of snot, can trap spores, toxins, and even bacteria and viruses.

Damn, girl!

The thickness of nose hair varies from person to person but there is a link to lower incidences of asthma with thicker nose hair.  So if you have dense thickets of hair it is actually a blessing in disguise.

Your nose hair does one more important thing.  The mucus on your nasal hair humidifies incoming air for your lungs and larynx.  You shouldn't pluck your nose hair.  For one, your nose is not a sterile place, please refer to the bacteria trapping mentioned above.  The other reason is that you can damage your nasal mucosa.

Maybe should do something
with that though.

If you need to trim your nose hair because it is sticking out leave some behind.  It might keep you from getting the next cold going around.

Quest to 180:

Activity Today: I painted a room for three hours.  That should count for something.
Diet today:  My gum is getting better.


The MAN:
Confidence Level:  Better.
Social Engineering Tactics:  Secret hat tactics.

Questions or comments can be submitted to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.

Bone Saws

Today's Medical Topic:  A history of bone saws.

Off the Top of My Head:  Bone saws have evolved in medicine over time from something you would find in your shed to the latest state-of-the-art stainless steel power tools used today.  Let's take a look at some of the highlights in the history of sawing through bone and flesh.

My Research Today:  The earliest known bone saws were probably bronze and developed by the Romans in the 4th Century A.D.  A notable saw was a cylinder with teeth on one end driven by a bow used to put holes in skulls.  Trepanation used to be much more popular than it is these days.

That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me.

In the 1600's steel bone saws came into popularity especially for battlefield amputations.  They came in all shapes and sizes but rarely differed from something you might cut wood with.  With improvements in metallurgy in the 1700's steel strength increased and lighter more delicate saws allowed for slightly less brutality.  More specialized saws for different tasks and surgeries were also created.

Still is pretty much a hack saw.

An interesting variant is a hand chain saw which first appeared in the 1850's or 60's.  A modern type is still sometimes used today.  They are used for limb amputations for crush injuries when the limb cannot be saved and the patient cannot otherwise be removed from the situation.  The chain is wrapped around the limb and quickly pulled back and forth with the handles.  It makes the amputation as quick as possible and saws though the flesh muscle and bone at the same time.

That's an 1860's model.

With better understanding of sterile procedure bone saws became stainless steel that could be autoclaved by the 1900's.  The overall shapes of the saws did not change a lot but the manufacturing of them became much less expensive and saws could be replaced easily instead of resharpened.

Still looks like you would cut wood with it.

The design above is called a Saterlee Saw and is a design that has existed since the Civil War. The first powered surgical bone saw was developed in 1880 but was expensive to produce and not available to most surgeons.  Saterlee saws were used well into the 1900's and may still be used today.

Ooh, Harvest Jet, that really
inspires confidence.

New state-of-the-art saws are actually lasers and high speed water jets that shoot sterile saline to cut bone and flesh.  The one above there is used for cutting out fat.  I am sure it is really cool and expensive.  They don't list the price so if you have to ask you can't afford it.  It does come in three different colors though.

Well, I am done for the night, have a good one.

Quest to 180:

Activity Today: Lots of walking today.  Over 12K steps.
Diet today:  My gum is getting better.


The MAN:
Confidence Level:  Better.
Social Engineering Tactics:  I bought a hat with hair already in it.

Questions or comments can be submitted to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.

Needle Drivers.

Today's Medical Topic:  Needle Drivers

Off the Top of My Head:  It sounds like something bad ass but somehow I think I will be disappointed.  I know it is a surgical tool but am not entirely sure what it is.  Since I am trying to learn how to suture and you use them to hold suture needles, I would like to know more and see what kinds of them there are.

My Research Today:  Also called a needle holder, a needle driver is a surgical instrument that are forcep-like and used to hold and pass a needle though tissue.  Like most surgical instruments they come in various sizes and shapes depending on the use and type of tissue being sewn.

That is some really thick nylon right there.

This is a basic needle driver for suturing most external lacerations and wounds.  They are pretty much forceps except some of them have a little notch in the end to better hold the needle.  These are pretty boring but I promise it will get more interesting.

It probably looks cooler than it is.

This is a fine needle driver for extremely delicate work with very tiny needles.  This model is called a "Castro Locking Driver"  It is used for eye surgery or precise plastic surgery.  They are spring loaded so the doctor can adjust tension on the needle as needed.  I will spare you the pictures of eye surgery associated with them.

Ortho guys always know how to ruin a party.

Heavy duty needle drivers are pretty damn big and used mostly for orthopedic work.  They jam gigantic needles through tough tissue like cartilage and tendons.  They are way less pointy too probably to reduce the chance of the tips breaking.  I don't know if you've ever seen ortho guys work but framing a house is more delicate than most orthopedic procedures.

Probably also used in the Spanish Inquisition.

This one is really cool but looks horrifying.  That is a laproscopic needle driver.  The a close up is of the tiny grippy part that holds the needle.  The big end stays outside of your body, at least I hope it does.  It works like those things they make for old people to get stuff off of high shelves.  This one is probably more expensive and much smaller.

There are some other very specialized needle drivers but I do not think it would further my edification of the subject to discuss them.  I hope you found this interesting.  If you'd like more articles on surgical instruments then please send me a message.

Quest to 180:

Activity Today: Nothing
Diet today:  My gum is still killing me, I really can't eat much.


The MAN:
Confidence Level:  Meh.
Social Engineering Tactics:  Nothing

Questions or comments can be submitted to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.