CAN EATING CHILLI PEPPERS CAUSE RCVS? Biting into the “world’s hottest pepper” sounds painful enough, but for one man who entered a chili-pepper-eating contest, the daring feat was followed by excruciating headaches known as “thunderclap” headaches. The 34-year-old man ate a Carolina Reaper, which is considered the hottest chili pepper in the world, according to…
CAN A NETI POT GIVE YOU A BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA? A woman in Seattle acquired a rare and fatal brain-eating amoeba infection, which may have been due to improper use of a neti pot. The 69-year-old woman had been using a neti pot to rinse her sinuses, but filled it with nonsterile tap water instead of…
LUNG-SHAPED BLOOD CLOT The New England Journal of Medicine recently published the strange tale of a man who coughed up an exact cast of his lung’s bronchial tree made of blood. The 36-year-old male was being treated for a heart condition with blood thinners which increased his risk of bleeding. During a bout of coughing…
MISSING CONTACT LENS FOUND 28-YEARS LATER While playing badminton one spring day in England, a 14-year-old girl discovered the vision in her one eye to be blurry. Later she discovered she had lost one of her contact lenses. She didn’t think much about it until three decades later, doctors found the contact lens embedded in…
Why Are Surgeons in the UK Called Mrs, Ms, Miss, or Mr? Generally speaking, in most parts of the world a doctor is a doctor once they graduate from medical school. Whether a physician or surgeon, they both use the title doctor. And most often times the title doctor is gender neutral. A key caveat…
The Barber Pole was Once a Symbol of Surgeons It’s probably no surprise that the history of medicine is a bit bloody and macabre at times. From stone age neurosurgeons who practiced trephination of the brain as a means to release evil spirits, and at the same time unwittingly relieve intracranial pressure; to the body…