Hicc-Away Heroes

The HiccAway product

I just can’t stop hic – hic – hiccupping!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… What’s YOUR favorite home remedy? A good scare? Upside-down drinking?  Hiccups are caused by spasms of the diaphragm — the muscle separating the chest and abdomen. This spasm forces

Continue reading

Bean-ough Stress

Image of young Black woman eating fruit salad.

Feeling stressed? Have a bubble bath, a glass of wine, and… an apple?   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What’s YOUR go-to snack for decompressing? Ice cream, donuts, pizza? While these foods comfort us, they won’t reduce our stress. So what SHOULD we eat? Enter

Continue reading

Step It Up!

Four young people in sneakers. Photo by Ben Weber on Unsplash.

My shoes are too tight! Knot again! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Time to buy new school shoes AGAIN? You blink and the kids have outgrown them! Is it okay to just squeeeeeeze their feet into last year’s pair? Elsa Matthias and colleagues at

Continue reading

Bite-time Story

Image of mosquitoes (Anopheles stephensi) which transmits malaria. Photo credit - Jim Gathany This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL).

Bugged by pesky mosquitoes? Try adjusting your ALTITUDE! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Malaria is a deadly disease spread by mosquitoes. And almost eighty percent of malaria mosquito bites occur indoors. BUT, these mosquitoes fly close to the ground. Could raising the height of

Continue reading

Course-Correcting

Image of fast food from mcdonald's take out

Burgers again? You have GUT to be kidding me! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Imagine you’re seven again. Mom’s in the drive through for fast food. Can’t wait for those fries and milkshakes!  By contrast, . . . “adulting” means avoiding such fatty, carby

Continue reading

Brain Unplugged

Schematic shows a man with the wireless recharging battery implanted in head

Is your brain’s battery wearing down? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Some folks with Parkinson’s disease get treatment by ZAPPING THEIR BRAINS! Seriously — a surgeon plants a battery-powered wire in their brain that continuously emits electrical pulses. Problem is, batteries wear out –

Continue reading

Big Screen, Small Sight

Person using a computer screen and tablet

Sometimes seeing the big picture. . . can lead to a BIG headache! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Watching the latest X-Men movie on a huge screen? Yes, please! But stare at TVs too long and our eyes and head begin to ache. Do

Continue reading

Heat Waves

Thermostat in the outdoors during summer

Is it just me, or is it warm in here?!? ? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Temperatures are heating up! According to NASA, the Earth’s global temperature has warmed two degrees since the eighteen eighties. BUT, what does two degrees REALLY mean? Global temperature

Continue reading