Could a jalapeno a day keep the doctor away? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. From Poblanos to Habañeros, hot peppers are the SPICE of life! But could they be a literal lifesaver? Sickle cell disease, which is inherited, causes misshapen red blood cells. This
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Need a PAIN pal? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When you got your first shot, did you squeeze Mom’s hand? Studies have shown that EMOTIONAL TOUCH, like hugging or holding hands, reduces pain. But if you find yourself ALONE at the doctor’s – who
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Can you eat more Ghost Peppers than a mole-rat? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The highveld mole-rat has a superpower. It can roll around in a colony of stinging ants without breaking a sweat! The ants sting with a chemical called AITC, the same
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Ten foot venomous tentacles lurking in the ocean? It’s the box jellyfish! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Box jellyfish stings could easily be something from a horror movie. Especially terrifying? The monstrous C. fleckeri! Its venom causes pain, tissue damage, and even death! Swimmers,
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Baby has an owie – what to do? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Seeing an infant in pain can break your heart. Mommy’s touch is the age-old remedy – but does it really work? Enter Deniz Gursul from the University of Oxford. Her team
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Pop, lock, and… ouch! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Over twenty million people in the U-S suffer from joint pain, or osteoarthritis. Our joints are cushioned by cartilage. As we age, this cushion wears down but doesn’t grow back. Current treatments manage the pain
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You stubbed your toe! Oh, fudge- Words you can’t say on the radio! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science asking: Why do we swear when we’re hurt? In 2009, that’s what psychologists of Keele University in the UK wondered. They led a study on the
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Will the next pain relief solution come in three-D? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For many patients, hospitals mean pain. Needle pricks! Broken bones! Tonsillectomies! Physicians want to make each stay more pleasant. But prescribing pain medication can backfire with severe side effects. Doctors
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Mosquitos! What a pain! Or…are they? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Mosquitos are a familiar foe. They bite and leave behind itchy reminders of their presence. But how is it we never notice them sucking our blood until it’s too late? At the Ohio
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Which hurts more—creeping barefoot across a bed of hot coals, or shoving razor sharp knives into your arms? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Neither! At least for members of certain street-performing family from Pakistan. All six members were born with the inability to
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