Author: Staff Writer

The Most Brilliant Life Hacks Ever Devised

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 25, 2017

1. Every DIY carpenter needs a good clothespin or two.

There’s nothing worse than hammering your fingers. Why not keep your tender digits away from the danger zone?

2. Outsmart your microwave with the ring technique.

You know how microwaved food always ends up freezing cold in the middle? Don’t let that happen to you.

Just make your food into a ring, with an empty space in the center, like a giant food-doughnut (assuming your food is not already a doughnut—and if it is, why are you microwaving it?)

The radiation waves won’t know what hit them. They’ll be like, “Well, we’d better just heat this evenly, we guess.”

Well done. Enjoy your Spaghetti-Os.

3. Hey, speaking of microwaves: Use vinegar and water to clean your microwave.

Put equal parts water and vinegar into a medium bowl (white vinegar works best), then turn on your microwave for five to 10 minutes, monitoring occasionally to make sure that the liquid doesn’t evaporate completely. Ideally, you should also put a wooden spoon or toothpick into the water, as this disturbs the composition enough to prevent an explosion (yes, that can really happen).

After some of the liquid has evaporated, you can clean up easily with a sponge.

4. Freeze sponges to make a much better ice pack.

The problem with typical ice packs is that they’re made of ice. No, seriously; that water gets everywhere when they melt, and they’re almost too cold to touch to your skin. Instead, try this trick: Rinse a sponge, then squeeze out excess water. Place into a bag and freeze. Voila! A much better ice pack.

By the way, you can also use jumbo marshmallows. This is a great way to get kids to stop crying really quickly after “ouchies.” However, it might give them weird ideas about the healing powers of marshmallows. You win some, you lose some, parents.

5. Cool down your coffee with coffee ice cubes.

Why didn’t we ever think of this before?

Whether you’re making iced coffee or cooling down a steaming hot cup of Joe, coffee ice cubes are the answer to all of your caffeine-related problems. This also works for tea, soda, and…well, any liquid, really. That’s sort of how ice works.

6. When you go on vacation, save some cash spy-style.

Chapstick is awesome at keeping your lips from flaking off, but did you know that those used-up tubes can also give you the pedigree of an international spy? Sort of?

Here’s what you do: Wait until your Chapstick tube is empty (or don’t, if you want to be wasteful about it). Then keep twisting the base until you can grab and extract the little plastic pedestal.

Once you’ve got an empty tube, roll up your emergency cash and store it away. Not even a Bond villain will think to check there.

7. Clean up your wooden furniture with a simple walnut.

Wooden furniture is both classy and classic, if you can believe that. Unfortunately, it’s also vulnerable to the occasional ding or dent, which is why all of our furniture is made out of plastic.

Still, it’s good to know that you can keep your living room presentable with a handful of walnuts. Rub the nut on an indentation in your wooden furniture to watch it disappear. If only the human heart were so easily reparable.

8. Loaning something to a friend? Have the friend take a picture with the object.

Sure, you might come off as a bit of a jerk, but you’ll always know who has your stuff.

Your friend will know that you know, too, and you can always prove it in court (okay, maybe this wouldn’t stand up in court, but it’d probably stand up pretty well in an episode of Judge Judy).

9. Here are two quick tricks for using your screwdriver. No, seriously.

Pesky screws not staying in place? Too small to hold? What about a stripped screw head? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered.

10. Use soda tabs to make the most out of limited closet space.

Soda tabs are perfectly sized for your wire hangers (provided that they’re actually made from metal and not a thick plastic).

You can essentially double your closet space, provided that you drink a soda for each of your favorite shirts. Hey, that sounds like a challenge.

11. Your phone will charge faster when it’s off or in airplane mode.

Forget the “fast-charging” apps. Those things are bunk. What you really want to do is put your phone in airplane mode while you’re charging it.

Better yet, turn the phone off. That allows the battery to fill without simultaneously depleting. You’ll be shocked how fast your phone charges when you can resist the urge to keep using it for just a few minutes.

12. Cover your razor heads with a binder clip before you travel.

Believe it or not, you can still travel with razors. The problem is, your Mach 3 might tear through your luggage as the plane shakes. That’s not a situation you want to explain to security.

Keep your razor and yourself safe by using a simple DIY razor cover. Just attach a common binder clip. That’ll act like a sheath to the Excalibur that is your razor. Everyone’s happy.

13. Sure, Coca-Cola can remove rust. But not as fast as vinegar and salt.

A lot of digital ink has been spilled over cola’s power to dissolve rust. If you really want to blast the oxidation, though, just soak that bit of rusty metal in a solution of vinegar and salt.

Leave it overnight. Then attack the object with a bit of steel wool. It’s not as exciting as using cola, maybe, but it works way, way better.

14. You don’t know how to copy and paste until you master Ctrl+Shift+V.

What would life be without keyboard commands? We know professionals who should really tattoo “Ctrl+C” and “Ctrl+V” onto their knuckles.

Actually, though, you should probably use Ctrl+Shift+V more often than not. This variation on the common “Ctrl+V” theme pastes text without retaining the original formatting. That makes it a must when going from one program to another, or when you don’t care for your quoted source’s italics, for instance.

15. If you have an indecisive S.O., use the “5-2-1” trick.

It’s a relationship saver. Say you want to pick a restaurant for dinner. Offer your partner five possible choices. Let them pick two. Once they’ve narrowed it down, you step in to make the decision final.

If you’re indecisive, too, you can always flip a coin once you narrow the options down to just two.

16. Is it too hot to walk your dog? Use the hand test.

Unlike you, your pooch doesn’t have an inch of shoe-leather between foot and ground. A blacktop walk on a hot day can be unwitting torture for your poor dog.

Luckily, your dog’s paw pads are about as sensitive as the back of your hand. If you want to know if the ground is too hot for a walk, just lay your fist down on the sidewalk. If you can’t stand it after a few seconds, stick to the park.

17. Break in your new shoes with a hairdryer and a pair of socks

If your new flats are a little tight you can break them in easily by putting on a pair of thick socks first and then blasting the shoes with a hairdryer. Leave them on till they cool down and voila!

Tags 50016271, balance, hemingway

Wellbeing

Bizarre Medical Cases That Are Stranger Than Fiction

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 21, 2017

All of us have gone on Web M.D. and diagnosed ourselves with a crazy disease, but in the cases that follow, you’ll read some of the most bizarre diagnoses that were actually true.

After slipping a disc in his back, Wisconsin man Dale Decker began to climax up to 100 times every day due to a condition called persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD).

Of course this affliction doesn’t sound all that bad, but when you think of it in real life terms it is quite debilitating.

This syndrome is in the family of restless leg syndrome and unfortunately, the people who have PGAD associate climaxing with release of pain rather than a feeling of pleasure. Often times they can’t maintain a relationship due to the disorder. PGAD is not a case of hypersexuality but more of a discomfort until the person is forced to either release it on their own or wait for their body to do it automatically, which can cause understandable embarrassment.

The cause is not 100 percent known but is believed to be an irregularity in the sensory nerves. It has a tendency to strike postmenopausal women and people who have undergone hormonal treatment.

A girl in Georgia has congenital insensitivity to pain because of anhidrosis, or CIPA, a rare genetic disorder that makes her unable to feel physical pain.

Ashlyn Blocker seemed like a normal toddler until her parents noticed that she wouldn’t cry when her eyes were bloodshot and swollen at eight months old. The doctor put drops in her eyes to reveal any abnormalities and Ashlyn just smiled as the drops revealed a giant scratch across her cornea. It turned out that Ashlyn was unable to feel any pain.

CIPA affects less than 100 people in the world and is incredibly dangerous as the person never knows if something is wrong. Feeling pain is our bodies’ way of letting us know that we are hurt, so when you can’t feel pain you’re constantly at risk.

Growing up Ashlyn would often have infections she didn’t know about, would cut her mouth with her teeth, and even chewed bits of her tongue. She had to be on constant watch at school and check in with the nurse daily. Now that she’s older, she knows about her condition and can watch out for herself, though she occasionally makes mistakes that she can’t feel at all.

So while sometimes we wish we could feel no pain, it’s like the lyrics of that emo Three Days Grace song go: “I’d rather feel pain than nothing at all.”

A Chilean woman has been carrying a fetus in her womb for more than 60 years, unknowingly.

Estela Melendez is 91 years old and recently discovered she had been living with a calcified fetus in her womb for more than 60 years. Melendez never thought she could become pregnant, and yet she found herself in this situation.

After she fell one day she went to the doctor, where they gave her a few X-rays and discovered a large mass. At first, they thought it was a tumor. Upon a second X-ray, however, doctors discovered it was a calcified fetus that was over six decades old.

Due to her age, they decided an operation would be more risky than to let her keep living with the small bump on her belly.

It is not health concern, but it often makes Melendez sad because it reminds her of her husband who passed away after 71 years of marriage and the fact they were unable to ever have children.

A woman with hyperthymesia was the first person reported with this condition, in which you don’t have the ability to forget anything.

Jill Price can tell you anything about her life from 14 years old until today, and she is in her forties.

Doctors have studied her brain for years and, while they were skeptical at first, they realized she wasn’t lying when they did some tests and she actually outsmarted the books they were using.

Dr. James McGaugh, a memory specialist at the University of California, Irvine, led a team to study her memory and asked her questions like the dates of the last 20 Easters, which she recounted easily; she was only off by two days on one of them. And she is Jewish.

But the real moment came when he asked her about her favorite TV shows and their Christmas specials on Murphy Brown. She told the team the date it aired and they said she was wrong. It turned out their almanac was wrong and she was right—the almanac mixed up The Brady Bunch and Murphy Brown. Doctors have yet to determine the cause of her condition.

A child suffered from a rare brain condition called chiari malformation which essentially has an effect of sleeplessness.

Rhett Lamb was just 3 years old when doctors finally discovered what was keeping him awake for nights on end. His body would give out due to exhaustion but his mind would still be awake, and thus he would lay there restless.

This went on for a couple years until finally a doctor diagnosed him with this rare brain condition where part of the brain, the cerebellum, descends out of the bottom of the skull and onto the spinal cord. This applies pressure to both the spine and the brain and one effect of this is sleeplessness.

The doctors were able to perform surgery but there was only a 50/50 chance it would be successful. Luckily it worked and when Rhett recovered, he was able to sleep.

Due to the previous years of hardly sleeping, he was behind in his learning skills. After a few months of extra care, his parents said he was catching up to speed and making some new friends.

One Texas man lived for five weeks without an actual heart.

Craig Lewis was a 55-year-old man from Texas who received the first artificial heart transplant. He died due to another disease, but while he lived, the heart seemed to work just fine.

Prior to the surgery to give him a beatless heart, Lewis was in a coma. After the surgery, he woke and was able to sit up and talk. Eventually, though, the disease he had damaged his liver and kidneys to the point of no recovery and he was in excruciating pain. The family decided to let him die humanely and they turned off the heart.

The problem with these false hearts is that to compensate for not beating it has to do its rhythm to push and pull blood 100,000 times a day, 35 million times a year, and it wears out.

Therefore it’s a short term fix but couldn’t be used to fully replace a weak heart. That being said, if someone needs a placeholder until a full heart transplant is available, this has become an intriguing option.

A man suffers from hiccups for over two and a half years.

Chris Sands was a normal man pursuing his dream of being a professional musician when one day he woke up and began hiccuping. They lasted a few days and then seemed to go away until a couple months later they returned for good.

After two years and trying every idea known to man to rid himself of the hiccups, he appeared on a Japanese TV show and people began writing in their ideas to help.

One person had the right advice about getting an MRI on his brain; the problem was that if they were correct it meant Chris had a brain tumor. And he did.

Usually they do CT scans on the brain but in this case with this specific tumor it really only shows up if you do an MRI. He was, thankfully, diagnosed and soon had surgery to remove two-thirds of the tumor, which helped rid him of the hiccups as well.

A man oozed green blood before operation.

A man in Canada was in the hospital for an operation from compartment syndrome where he was at risk of losing one of his legs. While the nurse was going to take a blood sample she noticed the oddity of the color filling up the tube. It was green!

Surgeons came to take a look and throughout his whole body was this dark green blood. They diagnosed him with Sulfhemoglobinemia, a condition that forms when a sulphur atom is incorporated into the hemoglobin molecule.

In this particular case it was caused by the man taking medication with sulfonamides, which are used to cure severe migraines. The man was taking too much of the medication and therefore his blood turned green. Once doctors lowered his dosage his blood eventually returned to normal.

Interestingly, this also happens in an episode of Star Trek in which Spock’s blood is green. However in real life, it’s actually a dangerous symptom so he is lucky doctors caught it.

Tags 50015456, body, hemingway

Lifestyle

Here's The Real Difference Between Generic and Brand Name Drugs

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 15, 2017

Your doctor has given you a prescription. Now, you’re at the pharmacy.

You’re told that you can choose between the name-brand medication and its generic equivalent. If you’ve got insurance, there’s only a small price difference; if you don’t have insurance, the prices are a bit farther apart.
How much farther apart, exactly? The FDA says that, on average, generic drugs are 80 to 85 percent less expensive than their name-brand counterparts. Viagra, one of the most popular name-brand drugs, costs about $25 per 50-milligram tablet. Sildenafil, a generic alternative, costs less than $4 per 20-milligram tablet (recommended dosages vary between the two medications).

Given that information, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that nearly 8 out of 10 patients opt for the generic drugs. In 2010, these consumers saved about $158 billion—an average of $3 billion per week.
As the FDA notes, cheaper doesn’t mean lower quality, but there are key differences between generic and brand-name prescriptions.

Contrary to popular belief, generic drugs don’t use different active ingredients.

The FDA requires generic medications to have the same active ingredients, strength, route of administration, and dosage as name-brand medicines. While the administration allows some small variances in purity, these are carefully controlled.
Generic drug manufacturers are allowed to have different inactive ingredients. Of course, inactive ingredients are just that—inactive. They are only present to hold the medication together while it does its job.

Furthermore, the FDA monitors generic drugs closely, looking for “adverse events” that might imply an issue with the medication’s formula. That means that if a generic isn’t working as it’s supposed to, the administration will step in to force a change.
Name-brand drugs face the same high level of scrutiny, and they’re no more likely to have major variances in efficacy, patient comfort, or other important factors.

There is one important caveat to consider.

While the FDA requires drugs to be “biologically equivalent,” it allows some room for interpretation. The agency has a “bioequivalence range” of 80 to 125 percent.
Does this mean that generic drugs meet FDA requirements if they’re only 80 percent as effective as the alternatives? No, not quite. As the FDA says on its website, “There will always be a slight, but not medically important, level of natural variability—just as there is for one batch of brand name drug compared to the next batch of brand name product.”
In theory, generic drugs could be more than 80 percent dissimilar, but they would still have to contain the same active ingredients and present the same results in patients. Thanks to rigorous monitoring from the FDA, ineffective drugs don’t make it to market. Some generics may even work better than branded drugs for some patients.
Still, that’s what the FDA says. What about what patients say?

Some patients claim that name-brand drugs are more effective, but the science doesn’t back that up.

Numerous studies show that generic drugs are just as effective as branded drugs. A survey of 2,070 studies from 1996 to 2007 showed an average difference in absorption of less than 3.5 percent.
This wasn’t always in favor of branded drugs, as some generics were absorbed more readily. However, the small degree of difference is what’s most important; the FDA notes that the differences “would be expected and acceptable, whether for one batch of brand-name drug tested against another batch of the same brand, or for a generic tested against a name-brand drug.”

This is even true for biologics, a relatively new class of medications made from living cells.
While scientists were initially concerned that biologics couldn’t be replicated as easily as other medications, a 2016 study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that generic alternatives to a popular biologic drug were just as safe and effective.

So, why do some patients claim that certain branded drugs are more effective?

In some cases, they are more effective—for those patients, anyway. The minor differences in inactive ingredients might prompt a significant metabolic change for the individual. Once again, this is highly unlikely, but it does occur on occasion.
Even so, the more likely answer is the placebo effect. Changing from a purple pill to a dull blue pill could convince some patients that they’re getting a less effective drug. Doctors are often careful to point out the identical active ingredients, but even so, the placebo effect is a powerful thing.

Here’s how powerful placebos can be: In one study, Dr. Ted J. Kaptchuk presented half of a group of IBS patients with a placebo, telling them that the drug wasn’t functional, while the other half of the group received nothing at all.
The placebo group experienced noticeable improvements in their symptoms, despite the fact that they knew that they weren’t receiving a real drug.

Even if your insurance makes the price difference negligible, there’s a reason to go generic.

Let’s assume that your insurance provider covers most of the cost of your prescription. In fact, we’ll even assume that you’d pay the same co-pay, regardless of whether your drug is generic or brand name.
Generally, you should still choose generic. You’re only seeing part of the price, and the rest of the expense is passed on to your insurance provider. If you receive medicine at a hospital, the hospital may also cover some of the cost. In either case, you’re helping to drive up the cost of health care, and your insurance provider will likely pass on the expense to other customers.
This is part of the reason that insurance premiums have soared over the past several decades. Of course, that doesn’t make you a bad person if you opt for brand-name prescriptions, but remember: They contain the exact same active ingredients.

The bad news: some drugs don’t have generic alternatives, mainly due to patent protections.

Patents protect drugs for 20 years, and they’re awarded to the original drug manufacturer. They protect against generics that offer the same mechanism of action, and brand-name manufacturers can essentially charge whatever they’d like.
Because drugs take a tremendous amount of money to develop, drug companies keep their prices high, and generic manufacturers are forced to sit on the sidelines waiting for their turn to sell drugs to consumers. The tradeoff is that generic drugs can drastically undercut their competitors when they finally make it to the market.
You can find out whether your prescription drug has an approved generic alternative by checking out the Orange Book, which is maintained by the FDA.
There are also downloadable apps on the Apple App Store and on the Google Play store, although the simplest course of action is to simply ask your pharmacist.

Ultimately, you should talk to your doctor before switching from any medication.

Generic drugs are less expensive, and purchasing them can help to drive down costs in health care. If you’re picking up a new medication and you’ve got a choice, they’re almost always a smarter purchase. The FDA agrees, even if some pharmaceutical companies disagree.
But there’s one thing that doctors, drug manufacturers, and the FDA all agree on: Don’t trust the internet as your sole source of medical information. While generic drugs are usually a much better choice, your physician and pharmacist can help you determine whether you should switch medications.

In particular, you should take care when switching medications for mental disorders, as variances in inactive ingredients could potentially have profound effects.
Not to belabor the point, but this isn’t likely; the drugs are usually identical, but there’s no harm in consulting with a doctor before making the change.

Tags 50014611, care, hemingway

Motherhood

Mom Begs The Nurse To See The Sonogram Of Her Baby When She Recognizes A Familiar Face

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 13, 2017

Rebecca Melia never got to tell her mom she was pregnant.

Melia, 30, was overjoyed to conceive, but just as she began to plan for the new life entering the world, another life was about to exit.
At six months pregnant, Melia went to the doctor for a routine ultrasound. That’s when the emotional roller coaster of the past few months really came to a head.

At first, the procedure was totally normal.

Technicians operated the equipment. They collected the images. Nurses were supposed to bring out the pictures, but there was some sort of delay. Melia started to get nervous.
“They had me there for a long time and I could tell they had seen something on the scan,” she told the Daily Mail. In fact, they had, but Melia could never have guessed what it was.

Melia was beginning to panic.

“I was convinced it was something wrong with my boy,” she said. After what seemed like an eternity, a nurse emerged from the back room.

She had a peculiar smile on her face.

Melia peered at the ultrasound image.

It showed her healthy baby boy, curled up just like he was supposed to be. It also showed something else, something mysterious and maybe even a bit spooky.

In the upper left corner of the image, as if peering down protectively on the infant, there was a human face. Melia immediately recognized her mother.

In a strange way, this ultrasound was an answer to Melia’s prayers.

She and her seven siblings all agreed that they felt their mother’s presence after she passed, but what Melia truly wanted was to see her mom’s face one more time.

Melia felt that her mother was looking down on her.

Now she had proof, of a sort.

“I have a little area in my room with pictures of my mum on and before I went for my scan I was talking to her, saying I wish she was coming with me,” Melia said. “This is her 14th grandchild and she has been there for every one.”

Melia wants to tell the world about her miraculous ultrasound.

“I wanted to share this story to bring comfort to others who have lost their loved ones and show this is proof that loved ones who have died may not be seen, but they are still here,” she said.

It’s a beautiful sentiment, and it’s hard to argue with photographic evidence. Still, there are those who view Melia’s story with skepticism.

The main argument that this image is not actually evidence of spiritual intercession but is, instead, purely psychological.

Skeptics point to a strange mental phenomenon called pareidolia, in which the human mind resolves unclear images into something familiar, usually a face.

Face-like objects spark deeply rooted cognitive processes, allowing people to recognize them instantly.

Melia’s ultrasound is actually just the latest in a long string of strange prenatal images.

In 2014, a London couple, Jon and Lindsay McHale, went for a 4D scan of their unborn daughter, Madison. They saw something in the scan that they immediately identified as a “guardian angel.”

“I like to think there is a relative watching over Madison, and we think the face looks a lot like my grandma Kathy,” Lindsay told the Mirror.

The McHales tried to recreate the miracle when Lindsay got pregnant again.

But this seems to have been a one-time event.

In fact, angels pop up in ultrasounds all the time, if the internet is to be believed.
Kelly Lewis, 26, shared a picture of her ultrasound in January 2016. She wanted to offer an uplifting response to an ultrasound image then making the rounds on Reddit, in which a demonic figure seems to stand over a reclining baby.

The ultrasound image shows Lewis’ baby in grainy black and white. Above the infant’s stomach, there’s the clear image of an angel, wings and all. Waves of energy seem to pass from the angel’s face toward the baby’s.

Lewis reached out to the Mirror to give the image some context.

“It looks just like an angel is leaning over my baby, with a cherub face as well hovering over the baby,” Lewis said.

“It’s so clear, no one could believe their eyes when they saw it.”

About that “demon” image, by the way…

In 2016, Imgur users were confronted with a much more disturbing picture.

Like the others, it showed a healthy infant. Instead of an angel, though, an image that some describe as “demonic” stands over the baby.

Whether it’s pareidolia or magic, people are fascinated by the figures they perceive in ultrasounds.

Skeptics point to the powerful intersection of the mind’s tendency toward pareidolia and the emotional force of pregnancy to discount supernatural interpretations.

Strong emotions tend to strengthen the psychological processes behind pareidolia, skeptics argue.

When you care deeply for a certain being, whether that’s your unborn child or a religious figure, you’re more likely to look for hidden meanings and miracles surrounding your love object.

Tags 50014486, balance, hemingway

Lifestyle

16 Life Hacks That Are Actually Bogus

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 13, 2017

The Hack: Keep your unused batteries in the refrigerator. They’ll last longer that way!

The Flaw: First of all, it’s just bunk science. If anything, cold temperatures will actually damage your batteries. The cold air can cause condensation to form on contacts, which leads to corrosion, which leads to a ruined, leaky battery. Next to your food.

The Solution: Rechargeable batteries are available in pretty much any voltage these days. If you really want your batteries to last a long time, get the kind you can recharge.

The Hack: Fill an old ketchup bottle with pancake batter to pour perfect flapjacks every time!

The Flaw: First of all, there’s the intense scrubbing you’ll have to give these bottles to keep your pancakes from tasting like ketchup. Then there’s the fact that you have to somehow get your pancake batter through the quarter-sized mouth of the ketchup bottle, which always ends in a horrible mess. We’ll pass, thanks.

The Solution: Use a measuring cup to ensure uniform size. Then just carefully pour your half-cup of batter into a single spot on the hot griddle.

The Hack: Put your toaster on its side to make a great, effortless grilled-cheese sandwich.

The Flaw: Two words: fire hazard. A 66-year-old woman named Suzanne Dale recently figured this one out the hard way. She tried the grilled-cheese life hack and her toaster burst into flames. What about oily cheese and enclosed heating elements aren’t people getting?

The Solution: It’s called a frying pan, and trust us, it’s not that hard.

The Hack: Drill a few holes in the bottom of your kitchen trash can to prevent the suction that makes it hard to pull out the bag.

The Flaw: Garbage water is the flaw, and it’s the flaw to end all flaws. Picture a reeking stream of filth flowing through your kitchen, then reconsider this “life hack.”

The Solution: When you pull out a full trash bag, don’t try to pull straight up. Tug toward a single edge of the can. This will break the full seal between the bag and your can so you can finally take the trash out like you were supposed to do last week.

The Hack: Use a bunch of tension rods to make a DIY baby gate!

The Flaw: First of all, who has that many tension rods lying around? The whole point of a “life hack” is that you don’t have to go buy a bunch of products designed to make your life more convenient. Secondly, babies are often stronger than a tension rod’s hold. Watch what happens when little Joey uses one of those things to practice his standing. Just make sure you have your ear plugs in, because that kid is going to scream.

The Solution: Instead of buying 15 tension rods, just get a baby gate that’s designed for the job.

The Hack: Throw a cup of water into the microwave when you heat up day-old pizza. It will make the crust crisper!

The Flaw: In a word, science. The argument behind this hack is that the cup of water will somehow absorb moist air, leaving only “dry” air to heat your pizza. Neither physics nor microwaves work like that.

The Solution: Heat your pizza up in a toaster oven. It takes a little longer, but if you want a crisp slice, this is pretty much your only real option.

The Hack: Use an old CD spindle to store your lunch bagel.

The Flaw: CD spindles aren’t air tight. Save a bagel sandwich for lunch in one of those, and it’ll be stale by noon. Besides, bagel holes are inconsistent. There’s no guarantee you’ll even be able to fit your chosen bagel around that plastic spindle.

The Solution: You’d be amazed at the advances in Tupperware they’ve been making these days. It’s like they were DESIGNED to store food or something.

The Hack: If you get stung by a jellyfish, pee on the wound for quick relief.

The Flaw: First of all, gross. Secondly, jellyfish stings deposit angry little venom-delivery structures called nematocysts into your skin. When the salt concentration surrounding the nematocysts changes, they release even more venom. Is the salt content of your pee always identical to that of ocean water? Nope.

The Solution: Rinse a jellyfish sting with seawater (odds are, if you just got stung by a jellyfish, there’s plenty available). Then apply an oral analgesic, like benzocaine, which will take care of the pain much more effectively than your body’s waste products.

The Hack: Lay a wooden spoon across the top of pot to prevent water from boiling over.

The Flaw: Proponents of this patently false life hack (we’ve tried it; doesn’t work) say that the spoon pops bubbles on the surface of the water before they can spread. That might work if bubbles only formed in a straight line beneath the spoon, but unfortunately, they rise up all over the surface of the boiling water.

The Solution: When water reaches a rolling boil, turn the heat down a bit. Keep an eye on the pot. If the froth on the top starts to build, lose a little more heat. It’s that simple.

The Hack: Fill your stinky shoes with tea bags to get rid of the odor.

The Flaw: Tea bags aren’t any better at absorbing the bacteria that cause foul smells than a handful of fallen leaves. Plus, jeez, what a waste of perfectly good tea.

The Solution: Start by preventing stinky shoes in the first place. Alternate between sneakers so that each pair gets a chance to dry out fully before you put them back on. If smell becomes a problem, there are lots of odor-destroying powders on the market. They aren’t even that much more expensive than another box of tea bags.

The Hack: Boost the volume on your keyboard speakers with a plastic cup cut in half!

The Flaw: For this to work, you would have to reflect sound waves outwards, toward your ears. Half of a plastic cup will actually just send the volume straight back down into your computer. If anything, the sound will end up a bit more muffled.

The Solution: Pointing speakers at a rounded, open surface, like the inside of a bowl, will propel sound outwards. Unfortunately, most laptop speakers face upwards. Bowls are much more helpful when you’re trying to give your phone speaker a boost. If you really want more volume, though, there are lots of actual external computer speakers on the market.

The Hack: Serve condiments in a muffin tin at your next barbecue. It’s clean, organized, and easy to wash later!

The Flaw: If you’ve ever seen a spoon-based condiment station, you know that it always leaves a mess. Besides, there’s a much easier way to limit post-barbecue dishwashing duty.

The Solution: Most condiments are packaged in squeeze bottles these days. Why pour them into a muffin tin or anything else?

The Hack: The slot on your pot handle doubles as a holder for your cooking spoon!

The Flaw: Wooden spoons come in a wide variety of designs, so there’s no guarantee that yours will fit into the slot on your pot handle. Those slots are there so you can hang up your cookware, not to hold your utensils.

The Solution: You don’t have to run out and buy a fancy spoon holder. A saucer will do just fine.

The Hack: Cut up to 10 cherry tomatoes at once by sandwiching them between two Tupperware lids.

The Flaw: Where to start? First of all, your knife will have to be sharpened to a monomolecular edge to keep from pushing the tomatoes around while you “slice.” Secondly, cherry tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes, and leaving your cuts sloppy and uneven. Finally, it’s not much faster than simply slicing each tomato individually.

The Solution: Try using a serrated knife. They go through tomatoes like crazy. Just cut each tomato individually. It really doesn’t take that long.

The Hack: Store your towels on a wine rack. Who doesn’t have a spare wine rack laying around?

The Flaw: If you are a wine-rack-owner, you probably use it to store wine. If you own more than one wine-rack, you can probably also afford a towel rack. So, you know.

The Solution: How many towels do you need at a time? This is crazy, but we just leave our towels folded on a shelf in the bathroom closet. Now that’s a life hack.

The Hack: Use a shoe organizer to organize cleaning supplies! Or packaged foods! Or anything besides shoes!

The Flaw: To be fair, maybe this is our flaw, not the hack’s, but we had never heard of a “shoe organizer” before the internet came up with umpteen million ways to use them. Who’s hoarding all these shoe organizers?

The Solution: Just store your stuff where it fits. Humanity has gotten along for millennia with nothing but cabinets, shelves, and closets. Maybe the old ways are the best after all.
Maybe all this life hackery is just another way the internet tries to hold your attention. Some life hacks might really be game-changers. But from what we’ve seen today, life hacks are just another life hoax.

Tags 50014011, care, hemingway

Motherhood

14 Ways Your Body Will Never Be The Same After You Have A Baby

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 10, 2017

There’s no doubt that pregnancy puts your body through the wringer, but we can count on most of the changes to return to normal once the baby’s born.
You might be surprised to hear, though, that pregnancy can have a lasting impact on your body in ways you never expected.
Here’s a collection of 16 changes you might see after you deliver your first bundle of joy:

1. There’s a mental connection.

We all know that moms develop an incredibly special bond with their babies that’s unlike any other, but did you know that it can actually verge on the psychic?
We’re going out on a limb, here—never trust a writer who uses the word “psychic”—but it is true that one study found that cells from the baby’s body migrate all the way to the mother’s brain. We have no idea what those baby-cells do up there, but it’s tempting to think they could contribute to the connection between mom and baby.

What we do know is that the mom’s brain actually changes during and after pregnancy. The Atlantic reports that regions of the brain associated with empathy and almost obsessive-compulsive levels of anxiety are way more active in pregnant women, even before they give birth. Once the baby is born, moms get an extra dose of oxytocin—a hormone associated with love and bonding—when they look at their babies. In short, the mom’s brain turns into a baby-caring machine.

2. You could need new shoes.

Swollen feet are a pretty common part of pregnancy, but many moms are surprised to find out that their foot size can remain altered even after they’ve given birth. Apparently, all of the extra pressure put on your feet during pregnancy can actually alter the arch of your feet and make it flat.
With that little bit of additional length, you may need to start buying shoes a half-size larger than you did before you were pregnant.

3. Feelings just aren’t the same.

No, we’re not just talking about feeling super high one minute and super low the next, although we’re not saying that’s out of the question. After giving birth, many mothers begin to see and experience the world in a different way because they are their child’s ultimate protector, and this tends to make them feel the full weight of the world’s most tragic events.

Every car accident they pass is no longer just an inconvenience to their morning commute—the person in that car is someone’s baby who’s in trouble.
The child reported missing on the morning news could’ve been theirs, and the toddler who ran in front of a car while playing gives them a sense of dread and sadness they’ve never experienced before.
On the other hand, not all the emotional changes are bad. Remember that thing about the oxytocin? And some moms report increased joy after they give birth, at least some of the time.

4. The soreness is real.

We’re bringing this up with much difficulty because, even for those of us who won’t be experiencing childbirth soon, the very thought of this happening to our bodies is worthy of a good cry. We’re talking about the possibility of a perineal tear, which—prepare yourself—is a nice way of saying that the skin below your lady bits has split open while giving birth.

Sometimes doctors even have to perform a procedure called an episiotomy, in which they go ahead and make an incision before the tissues can tear.
Even if you don’t have a vaginal birth, there’s also the recovery required after having a c-section, which involves cutting through the muscles in your abdomen. Spoiler alert—either option is going to hurt for a while.

5. You could get a little leaky.

In addition to typical aches and pains—and possibly larger feet— women’s breasts also experience a lot of changes throughout and after pregnancy.
[pullquote align=”center”]“It is true they will never be exactly the same as they were before.”[/pullquote]
“Most of the changes to a mom’s breasts happen during pregnancy,” explains Molly Peterson, a certified lactation consultant at breastfeeding-equipment company Lansinoh.
“During pregnancy, your body is preparing to breastfeed your little one, and you may notice that your breasts get larger, your nipples and areola get larger and darker, and veins in your breasts become more noticeable. Many of these changes will reverse after you give birth and/or stop breastfeeding. However, it is true they will never be exactly the same as they were before.”

Also, there’s really just no other way to say it—hearing a baby cry, whether it’s yours or even someone else’s, might stimulate your milk production.
That’s because your brain may become conditioned to release oxytocin, which stimulates milk production, whenever you so much as think of your baby. Guess what can make you think of your baby? The sound of another baby crying, of course.
It can happen in a second and, if you’re not prepared, there’ll be no hiding it. Our advice? Disposable nursing pads that can be placed in your bra like a pantyliner are a thing—use them!

6. Modesty? What modesty?

We’re sure there are a lot of women out there who will agree that as you get older, going to the gynecologist becomes less and less of an awkward experience, though never what any of them would consider an enjoyable one.

Giving birth seems to be the point when many women decide modesty is no longer a thing, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an experience that women have no choice but to surrender to, both mentally, physically and emotionally.
Oh, did we also mention that pooping yourself during birth is an incredibly real possibility?

7. Baby got [your] back.

It might not come as that much of a surprise that your back would hurt while pregnant, but don’t be surprised if it keeps hurting long after you’ve had your baby. One study found that 44 percent of women suffer from back pain a month or two after giving birth.

Your muscles can take quite some time to get back to their normal range of strength and flexibility, and it may even be awhile before you stand with the same posture again, too.

8. You might feel a bit…bound up.

By this point, you know that pregnancy has some sort of impact on every part of your body, whether it’s good or bad. Your digestive system is no different, as pregnancy can often slow your digestion down.
Instead of just suffering with it, try to do something to treat it beforehand by using a laxative or upping your fiber intake. It’ll help you avoid those dreaded hemorrhoids.

9. Did we mention getting leaky?

Pregnancy can place a lot of pressure on a lot of different parts of your body, and your bladder is one of them. We all know that pregnant women can have trouble staying away from the bathroom because of it, but did you also know that this could be caused by your baby’s head pushing on your bladder.

Unfortunately, it can often take awhile for them to return to their normal strength, so don’t hesitate to pay your doctor a visit to get some help

10. ‘Rhoid Rage

No, they’re not just for old people. Just like pregnancy can put some extra stress on your bladder, it can also add that same stress to your rectal area. Combine that pressure with the occasional constipation pregnancy can cause and you’ve got a perfect storm for swollen rectal veins—in other words, hemorrhoids.
You may not notice right away if you have an internal hemorrhoid, but you’ll definitely be able to tell if there’s one closer to the surface—you might be swollen, feel itchy, or even see blood when you go to the bathroom. Get thee to a physician.

11. The Downsides of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding doesn’t always work for every woman and, even when it does, it isn’t always that pleasant of an experience. Getting your baby to latch on and feed properly can feel really odd and can even hurt sometimes, and women often feel pain when they go too long between feedings or pumping their breast milk.

It can be especially painful for women who don’t breastfeed because they really have no way to alleviate the pressure. Breastfeeding also releases oxytocin which then causes the uterus to shrink, which can make women feel like they’re having bad period cramps.

12. It’s a hairy issue.

You know how they say pregnancy will make your hair thicker and longer than it’s ever been before? Sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but you shouldn’t get too used to it. The hormones that were making your extra thick and luxurious hair possible will start to fade away after you give birth, and it could make a lot of it fall out in the process.
Don’t worry, though. Everything will eventually even itself out and your hair production will start to go back to normal.

The hair growth you experience from that surge in pregnancy hormones isn’t just limited to your head, as unfortunate as that is.
While pregnant, you may begin to notice that new or extra hair starts to develop on your chest, stomach, back, upper lip, and even on your chin. Thankfully, your newfound body hair should also go back to being less noticeable after birth.

13. Get the maxipads ready.

You probably thought your days of using pads ended when you were 13 years old, but guess again. Aside from the possibility of a leaky bladder, there are lots of other things coming out of your body after having a baby, including blood.
In fact, many women underestimate how much blood they may pass after giving birth, and it can persist for as long as six weeks. Women who’ve had a c-section will likely have a lot less to deal with, but anyone going through a vaginal delivery should go ahead and stock up beforehand.

14. Learning to love the changes.

Consider the case of Kenna Cook, a sex educator, columnist, and mother of two.
“After I had my two sons (now ages 4 and 7), there was a huge focus on getting my ‘old body back. The idea [was] that my pre-baby body was somehow the ‘better’ body,” Cook tells HealthyWay.
However, Cook came to accept her “new” body over time. There are benefits to embracing the post-baby changes, she says.

“My new body had stretch marks and more cellulite but I also felt more connected to my body because I watched it grow and change in ways that I didn’t have total control over,” Cook explains.
You may already be thinking of ways to shrink down your belly after birth, but don’t be so quick to think you won’t like it. During pregnancy, the abdominal muscles actually separate to each side of your body and, for some women, they’re actually able to achieve more definition in that area than they were before.
“When I choose to love my post-baby body for myself, instead of how others see and value my body, it makes me feel more connected to accepting where I am in my body journey,” says Cook.

Tags 50014156, body, Commerce, hemingway

Wellbeing

Sperm Bank's "Perfect Donor" Is Mentally Ill…And He Fathered 36 Kids

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 10, 2017

According to the sperm bank, he was the “perfect donor.”
Originally known to prospective clients only by his handle, Donor 9623, this individual seemed like quite the biological catch. He appeared on the website of the Georgia-based firm Xytex Corp, where he was described as a healthy man who was pursuing a PhD in neuroscience engineering.

He had an IQ of 160, according to the website, and met or exceeded the firm’s strict physical and mental health standards.

Plot twist: It was all a lie.

This “genius donor” was actually 39-year-old college dropout James Christopher Aggeles. Not only had he been arrested for burglary—psychiatrists had diagnosed him with a litany of mental health issues including bipolar, schizophrenia, and narcissistic personality disorder.
What’s even worse is that the sperm bank claimed they didn’t have any of this information. Multiple families are alleging that the company representatives actually knew, yet decided to turn their heads the other way. Aggeles’ sperm was used not once, not twice, but in fact was used so often that he ended up having 36 children in 26 families.

Meet Angie Collins, the mother of one of those children—a 6-year-old boy.

One day her morning started like any other day. She got up, made coffee, and checked her email only to find a message from a complete stranger. Another woman had used the same man’s sperm to become pregnant.

However, what this woman had that Collins didn’t was the truth. Instantly Collins’ heart sunk as she read the horrendous realities that had come to light: her son was about to have a lifetime of struggles before him.
She immediately searched for information that could disprove the allegation, but, in fact, she found out so much more. The sperm donor she selected couldn’t hold down a job, kept going in and out of jail, and his schizophrenia was getting increasingly worse.

“It was like a dream turned nightmare in an instant,” she told The Star.

But many families discovered that their legal options were limited.

Collins sued Xytex in Georgia, but her claim was dismissed. The judge considered it a “wrongful birth” lawsuit, a type of claim that isn’t recognized in Georgia. So she appealed. Her appeal was also dismissed.

Now three families are suing Xytex in Canada, citing the misinformation on the company’s website regarding the identity of the donor. Xytex has stated that it will “vigorously defend” itself from lawsuits, claiming that its practices are in full compliance with industry standards.
Yes, this may seem like a parent’s worse nightmare, but for these families the outcome could have been a lot worse…

In fact, there’s a collection of sperm-donor stories that are much worse—stories you have to read to believe.
A doctor who inseminated patients with his own sperm instead of the selected donor’s?
Two different sperm samples being used on a woman at the same time, resulting in twins who are also half-siblings?
A donor who’s fathered over 150 children?
A child with the DNA of three different parents?
And what about this case involving a sperm donor being hit with $1,600 in back child support by the state of Kansas?

Clearly, sperm-donor cases can descend into the truly bizarre.

In 1993, an unusual error led to twins from separate fathers.

Koen and Tuen Stuart are fraternal twins, but due to a mix-up during in vitro fertilization, they have different fathers: one Caucasian and one African-American.

Naturally, the boys’ parents were shocked.
“I descend from French gypsies and he descends from Mongolian people so a little brown could be somewhere in the family,” said Wilma Stuart, the boys’ mother. “But it never eased my mind. It never did. [Koen] was too different.”

DNA testing proved that the boys had different fathers, but the same mother. While the issue has greatly complicated the boys’ lives—they were teased relentlessly at school, to the point that Koen wouldn’t admit to having a twin for a brief time—the family has remained strong, and the in vitro fertilization error seems unlikely to re-occur. In any case, the family has moved on.
“We have to go to work and school,” Stuart said to NBC News, “so our day to day life is not about this.”

Then there’s the case of one donor with 150 children.

When Cynthia Daily and her partner used a sperm donor to conceive, they decided to reach out through a web-based registry to find other parents who’d used the same donor. These registries help to provide parents with genetic information crucial to the health of their children (as was the case in the Xytex incident).

But Daily was surprised to find that the biological father of her child had fathered at least 150 other children. She’s been cataloging her son’s half-siblings and building relationships with other parents ever since.
“It’s wild when we see them all together—they all look alike,” Daily told The New York Times.

Still, this prompted some debate, as some experts believe that sperm donations should be limited to ensure biological diversity. Donor registries are designed, in part, to prevent accidental incest, which can be a significant issue.
“My daughter knows her donor’s number for this very reason,” one mother told The New York Times. “She’s been in school with numerous kids who were born through donors. She’s had crushes on boys who are donor children. It’s become part of sex education.”

Perhaps the most disturbing fertility case comes from Alexandria, Virginia.

Cecil B. Jacobson, an infertility specialist, was found guilty of fraud in 1992. During testimony, prosecutors revealed that he used his own sperm to impregnate patients without their knowledge.
Jacobson, who was 55 when he was convicted, was one of the country’s leading infertility specialists. He introduced amniocentesis, a test that allows physicians to diagnose certain birth defects by extracting fluid from the womb during a pregnancy.

“I spent my life trying to help women have children,” Jacobson said. “If I felt I was a criminal or broke the law, I would never have done it.”
But his former patients say that he combined his own sperm with legitimate samples. Prosecutors said that he may have fathered as many as 75 children by claiming that the sperm used in his treatments came from anonymous sources.

While the case was well covered, Jacobson did not face charges for inseminating patients with his own sperm, as there was no law against that practice. Instead, he faced various criminal fraud charges.

The Xytex case has prompted a fierce debate over sperm-donation law.

Canada has laws that prevent sperm donors from receiving money for their donations. The United States has no such laws. But regulation advocates claim that these cases demonstrate why donor payments are unethical. They argue that removing payments would also remove the incentive to lie on applications.

However, donor payment regulations have caused a sperm shortage in Canada, where some lawmakers are calling for changes. They believe that proper vetting from the sperm banks would remove the most egregious mistakes, such as the one that affected the parents in the Xytex case.
Fulton County, Georgia, Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney pointed out the inherent difficulties of legislation when denying Collins’ claim in the first Xytex lawsuit.

“Science has once again—as it always does—outstripped the law,” he wrote. “Plaintiffs make a compelling argument that there should be a way for parties aggrieved as these Plaintiffs are to pursue negligence claims against a service provider in pre-conception services.”

Part of the issue is that at many insemination clinics, requirements are lax.

Sperm banks require their donors to be legal U.S. workers, and all donors must undergo basic STD testing, drug screening, and semen analysis.

But while many clinics test for genetic diseases, comprehensive testing doesn’t exist, and clinics rely on donors’ honesty when evaluating for many psychological disorders.
A healthy donor can make up to $1,000 per month, so for donors, there’s a strong incentive to gain a “qualified” designation by any means necessary. That’s not to say that the process itself is easy. Donors typically undergo blood tests and must wait six months before being paid for their “donations.” Reputable banks also require their donors to complete exhaustive questionnaires with medical staff present.

But for parents looking into sperm donation, the Xytex incident and similar cases show how mistakes can affect the health of children—and for many prospective parents, current standards don’t go far enough in preventing these types of occurrences.

Tags 50014006, balance, hemingway

Sweat

Primitive Forms Of Birth Control That Our Ancestors Relied On

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 3, 2017

The birth control method: Dried crocodile dung. Yes, seriously.
As we’ll quickly establish in this article, ancient civilizations used what was around them for contraception. In Ancient Egypt, crocodile dung was common, and women used them as pessaries; think of it as sort of an IUD, but much more disgusting. Women would often wrap the dung in honey before, ahem, inserting it.

So, did it work? Probably, in a limited sense. Setting aside the obvious risks of bacterial infections, reptile droppings are slightly alkaline, so they could alter a woman’s pH enough to act as a mild spermicide.
However, we should note that modern spermicides aren’t especially effective, so crocodile dung probably didn’t provide anything close to perfect protection from pregnancy. It wouldn’t provide any protection from most sexually transmitted infections.

For some reason, scientists haven’t really tested this one out—we can’t imagine why.
The birth control method: Weasel testicles and black cat bones.
According to medieval folklore, you could avoid pregnancy by tying a weasel’s testicles around your neck (hopefully after the weasel had been disconnected from them). You could also carry the bones of a black cat, wear an amulet with the earwax of a mule, or hang a mule’s uterus in your home.

The last two actually make some kind of sense, as mules (the offspring of a donkey and horse) are unable to produce viable offspring. As for the other “remedies,” they came from a place of total ignorance.
So, did they work? Yes, actually, all of these methods were 100 percent effective. Weasel’s testicles are still widely recommended by leading gynecologists.

Actually, no, sorry; none of these methods worked, as they didn’t actually do anything to inhibit insemination or implantation. We can only assume that thousands of weasels, mules, and black cats died in vain.
The birth control method: Honey, linen flax, and date paste.
This one dates back to 1550 B.C. Women would soak linen flax or cotton in date paste, then cover it in honey. The device acted as a very basic diaphragm. Since some of these ingredients were fairly expensive, women would often re-use the same device.

In fact, some archaeological evidence suggests that women were buried with these diaphragms, likely to prevent pregnancy in the afterlife. After all, nobody wants a ghost baby.
So, did it work? It was probably better than nothing. The date paste would be slightly spermicidal, while the cotton or linen flax would prevent insemination. The honey could also reduce sperm mobility.

Once again, we’d really doubt that this method was especially effective, and the risks of infection would have been extremely high, particularly if the device was re-used over and over again. Plus, untreated cotton and linen flax wouldn’t have been very comfortable for either partner.
The birth control method: Ginger or pomegranate.
If you want great birth control, you’d better ask a gynecologist, and Soranus of Ephesus was one of the most respected physicians living in Greece around the 10th century B.C. He recommended rubbing ginger or pomegranate around the genitals.

Ginger, of course, is a mild irritant, and pomegranate juice is quite acidic. Both substances probably acted as spermicides. Incidentally, the Ancient Greeks believed that the woman merely acted as an incubator for the “seed” of the child, as they didn’t know about eggs, so they were working with limited information.
So, did it work? Probably not. Soranus recommended rubbing the chemicals on the outside of the genitals, where they wouldn’t be especially effective, and neither substance is a truly effective spermicide.

However, they might have worked in a sense: These treatments likely caused burning, itching, and other irritation, which might have compelled lovers to avoid sex altogether.
The birth control method: Lemons.
Believe it or not, many cultures used parts of lemons to prevent conception.
The Talmud describes using sponges dipped in lemon juice to kill sperm, while Casanova, the world-famous lover, allegedly used lemon peel as a sort of contraceptive barrier. The peel was placed near the woman’s cervix, where it would prevent impregnation.

Medieval peoples probably used other citrus fruits, too, since it’s not hard to make the logical connection between lemons and grapefruit, for instance, but lemons were fairly common. Oh, and they have a higher acidity than most other fruits, so they were also probably the most effective option.

So, did it work? Remarkably, yes. While lemons couldn’t possibly compare to modern contraceptives, they were apparently effective at soaking up sperm, and the fruit’s natural acidity would act as a functional spermicide. However, we doubt that the juice was anything close to an aphrodisiac.
The birth control method: A plant called laserwort (also known as silphion).
Harvested in the African city of Cyrene, laserwort was used throughout Libya, Rome, and Greece for its purported medicinal properties. According to Hippocrates of Kos, one of the founders of modern medicine, the plant caused menstruation and could be used as a sort of proto-Plan B contraceptive. However, it was also commonly used for sore throats, fevers, warts, and much more.

So, did it work?

Apparently, yes. Modern scientists believe that it had estrogenic properties, which might have been strong enough to terminate early-stage pregnancies or disrupt a woman’s cycle and prevent egg implantation.
It was also delicious, apparently, and was frequently used as a condiment (given that this article is about contraceptives, be sure to read that last word carefully.)

Alas, laserwort was a little too useful for its own good. The plant was harvested to extinction. Oh, and one more interesting note: its seed pod may have been the inspiration for the modern heart symbol. Ancient Greek coins frequently pictured the stalk of laserwort on the front and the seed pod—a heart—on the back.
The birth control method: Mercury.
In Ancient China, women drank hot mercury to prevent conception. Sometimes, the mercury was part of a potion with arsenic, strychnine, and other poisons.
Obviously, this could eventually lead to mercury poisoning, which is characterized by numbness, muscle weakness, and brain damage. Still, what’s a little brain damage between lovers?

Mercury was actually a common medication through the 20th century. The element has antimicrobial properties, so it was used as a topical treatment for scrapes and burns. People also drank it to treat everything from dental issues to cancer, and mercury was found in eye drops, laxatives, and nasal spray. Today, physicians occasionally use medicines with mercury, although safer alternatives are much more common.

So, did it work? Well, probably, but the risk was certainly greater than the potential reward. We’re not sure whether it was palatable, but we can’t imagine that anyone was looking forward to a hot, steaming mug of mercury after sex.
The birth control method: Animal intestines. In Japan and China, animal intestines were fashioned into rudimentary condoms. The practice eventually spread through parts of Europe, proving once again that people will do just about anything to enjoy safe sex.

We should note that these condoms were quite disgusting by modern standards; they were likely quite rough, and because animal intestine was expensive, they were commonly reused after being soaked in raw milk. They could also rot and break, and infections were common.
While we’re on the subject, some cultures made condoms out of animal horns and bones, so the animal intestine people didn’t have it that bad.
So, did it work? Provided that the condom didn’t break, yes, for the most part. People were pretty good at making condoms, since the process was quite similar to sausage stuffing (go ahead and make your own joke here).

In fact, some modern condom manufacturers still offer animal intestine condoms for people who are allergic to latex, although these new products are obviously much more reliable than their medieval counterparts.

Tags 50013246, body, hemingway

Sweat

Baby Hailed As Miracle In Unique Birth That Leaves Doctors In True Awe

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date February 3, 2017

A Modern-Day Miracle Birth
Silas Philips was born three months premature, but that’s not the most astonishing thing about his birth. Silas’ mother, Chelsea Philips, was admitted to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after just 26 weeks of pregnancy. Her doctors decided that, for the baby’s health and her own, it was time to deliver her baby via cesarean section.

The surgeon made the first cut and pulled baby Silas into the world for the first time. But the infant would have to wait to take his first breath of air. Contrast that with the medical staff in the room, who gave a collective gasp.
Doctors Can’t Believe Their Eyes
“Even though it sounds cliched, we caught our breath,” the presiding doctor, William Binder, later told the Daily Mail. “It really felt like a moment of awe…and one that will stick in my moment for some time.”

Despite his premature birth, Silas was born relatively healthy. In fact, the detail that shocked these experienced doctors was once regarded as a sign of good luck.
One in 80,000
Silas emerged into the doctor’s waiting hands still enclosed in his amniotic sac. Infants develop inside this bag of amniotic fluid, from which developing babies absorb oxygen. They also drink small amounts of the fluid, and, on the grosser side of the miracle of birth, begin urinating into it at about 10 weeks.

It is extremely rare to be born “en caul,” as the condition is known. Only one out of every 80,000 births leaves the amniotic sac unbroken.
A Dry Birth
In fact, the breaking of the sac is part of most births. You might know it as the “water breaking.” In most births, the sac ruptures shortly before the birth begins.

It seems that Silas wasn’t in a hurry to meet the open air! Interestingly, he was still absorbing oxygen through the placenta, a flat organ that helped to transfer nutrients into the developing baby.
Cutting the Cord
Silas entered the world protected by the sac of fluid that kept him safe from bumps and vibrations when he was in his mother’s womb. But he couldn’t stay there for long.

“He was seconds old and still in the water bag, with the placenta and umbilical cord tucked inside,” Binder said. The doctor actually had to tear the sac to pull Silas into the world. The infant started breathing without too much trouble.
Mom Is Last to Know
Silas’ mom was a little too busy undergoing surgery to experience the moment herself. Thankfully, Binder thought fast. He was able to snap a picture of the incredible infant—arms and legs and head fully visible through the thin tissue of the sac—before he cut the umbilical cord.

Mom got to see the photos later. “It was definitely like a clear film where you could definitely make out his head and his hair,” she told CBS News. “It was actually really cool to see.”
A Baby Unlike Any Other
When she saw the images of her sweet baby just after his birth, Philips knew she had something special.

“He was kind of in a fetal position and you could see like his arms and his legs curled up…And when I heard that was actually really rare, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re a special little baby.'”
En Caul Company
Silas was born at only 26 weeks, but he grew healthier by the day. Doctors told his mom he’d be able to go home from the hospital after just a few weeks in the NICU.

Rather than being shocked or upset by her son’s unusual birth, Philips grasped just how special it was. And this mom is in good company. Jessica Alba’s daughter Haven was also born en caul. The actress conveyed her excitement when she said, “The doctor had never seen anything like it before. He grabbed the nurse and said, ‘Look at this!'”
Extra Protection for a Premature Birth
In a way, it makes sense that this unusual birth happened to Silas. Most babies born with an unbroken amniotic sac are premature. In fact, some doctors have suggested that an en caul birth is safest for premature babies.

After all, the amniotic sac protected these infants the whole time they developed. Premature births can be dangerous. The extra level of protection—to say nothing of the extra oxygen being supplied by an intact placenta—can help keep these fragile babies safe.
A Mysterious Historical Phenomenon
Babies born en caul, or with a fragment of amniotic sac still clinging to their faces, have a long and storied history. In Medieval Europe, babies born with cauls were considered to be extremely lucky.

On the other hand, one Romanian superstition held that babies born with cauls would turn into vampires one day. We think we’ll go with the more standard European myth on this one.
Cauls as a Sign of Greatness
We already mentioned that Silas’ mom joined the hallowed company of Jessica Alba when her son was born in the amniotic sac. Well, they’re not alone. Both women are part of a long line of famous historical figures who were born en caul, or at least with a caul over their faces.

Such notables include Sigmund Freud, Liberace, Napoleon, Lord Byron, and the Dark Ages king of the Francs, Charlemagne.
Many Names, Many Destinies
Historically, different cultures have used a variety of names to describe babies born en caul or with cauls over their faces. Some in the English-speaking world call them “veiled births,” and name the babies born with this sign of luck “caulbearers.”

The Yoruba people of West Africa call the amniotic sac the Oke, and it is considered a good omen to be born with one. In Russia, people describe en caul births with a phrase meaning “born in a shirt.” This phrase has become synonymous with luck.
More Caulbearer Myths
If Silas had been born in a seafaring town a few hundred years ago, his mother could have made some decent gold selling his caul. One common superstition held that babies born with facial cauls were immune from drowning.

Midwifes would place a sheet of paper over a caulbearer’s face. The thin tissue of the amniotic sac would stick to the paper, and the midwife could then present it to the mother as a good luck charm.
Given the caul’s mythic importance as a token against drowning, sailors would pay a hefty price if they could get their hands on one.

In some circles, the myths about caulbearers have continued on to this day. New Age websites proclaim that the products of a veiled birth have the power of Remote Healing. Others say that these children are gifted with psychic powers. Still others say they’re born to a lifetime of frustrating deja vu.
Rare, Fascinating, and Ultimately Harmless
Whatever you believe about babies born with part or all of the amniotic sac intact, you should know that cauls are generally harmless for the infants lucky enough to be born with them. As we’ve mentioned, premature infants may even benefit from the extra few moments of oxygen derived from the placenta.

Some parents are alarmed at the sight of a newborn with a caul over her face. But the tissue is easily removed. Doctors or midwifes simply pull on the thin veil of flesh and it slides right off. Very few families keep their cauls anymore.
Some cauls are a bit trickier to remove than others. When a baby is born with a thick sheet of tissue over its face, doctors will make incisions to get the infant breathing. Then they’ll gently peel the rest of the caul away.

Silas, born inside an entirely unbroken amniotic sac, was among the rarest of the rare. We can’t wait to see how his destiny treats him as he grows up!

Tags 50013236, body, hemingway

Sweat

They Call This Iranian Weightlifter A Persian Hercules But He's Even More Impressive

Post author By Staff Writer
Post date January 19, 2017

There’s something eerily familiar about Sajad Gharibi, 24, who must be Iran’s biggest bodybuilder.

When you browse through the jaw-dropping images on his Instagram page, which boasts more than 235,000 followers, you’ll get the feeling you’ve seen him somewhere before.

If you spent your childhood reading Marvel comics, you stand a way better chance of recognizing him. Look again. Now picture him with green skin. Yep. This man is a dead ringer for the Incredible Hulk. ( If you paint him grey, he would look like Grey Hulk, but that’s getting a little too deep into fandom, even for us).

Oh, some people also call him the Persian Hercules.

But comic books are today’s mythology, and we’re willing to bet that the Hulk is a more familiar touchstone than the classical son of Zeus these days.

Don’t believe us? Just take a look at these photos. That’s more than 335 pounds of pure solid muscle right there. Read on to learn more about Iran’s most “incredible” athlete.

Guess what Gharibi’s preferred sport is?

If you guessed golf, you’re wrong. This guy is Iran’s premier power lifter.

Technically, he’s a weight lifter, not a body builder, but he definitely ended up doing some incidental body building during his substantial training time.

In addition to competing in a sport that he dominates, Gharibi spends a lot of time taking selfies for Instagram.

Sometimes his pictures tend toward whimsy, like when he holds a regular soda can to show how tiny it looks in his giant fist. Or when he stands next to a normal-sized friend, making the poor guy look like a child in his shadow.

Other times he flexes at the camera. We wouldn’t get into a ring with this guy. We wouldn’t even try to go up against him with a tank. We’ve seen that movie before. Actually, there have been a few movies, including The Incredible Hulk, Ang Lee’s Hulk, and, of course, the entire Avengers franchise.

Luckily, we do have one statement from the man himself that helps us understand who he really is.

“I am an Iranian citizen with traditional values of Persian upbringing surrounded with a close-knit family and also many great friends from all around the world who have supported me every step of the way in these difficult times,” he wrote in a particularly revealing Instagram post.

He also takes a moment to thank all the news organizations that helped to make him the viral star he is.

“I am endlessly would like to thank and appreciated it for all you kind words and supports from all around the world,” [sic] he wrote. “It means a lot to me and my family and I’m truly appreciated it from the bottom of my heart” [sic].

He sounds like a super-nice guy. But we wonder what the future holds for the Iranian Hulk. It’s difficult to gather news on him, considering the language barrier. Here’s what we know so far.

Gharibi became an internet superstar when his Instagram page went viral a few years ago. That’s all due to his incredible body.

His shoulders are about as wide as we are tall. His legs could double as tree trunks. Even his fingers are packed full of solid muscle.

But what exactly does the Iranian Hulk plan to do with all his strength? He’s already won a few power lifting competitions. He’s already gotten famous on the internet.

Considering those two things, an idea he once flirted with makes perfect sense.

During the summer of 2016, Gharibi suggested that he might like to join the WWE.

He went so far as to call out Triple-H. Somehow, nothing ever came of that. Vince McMahon must be sleeping on the job. This guy was totally built for the ring! We would love to see him take on any WWE star, past, present, or future.

Unfortunately, we don’t speak Farsi.

If we did, maybe we would be able to gain from Gharibi’s knowledge. Most weight lifters and body builders who keep social media accounts post tips and pointers for their chosen sport.

His social media presence seems to be more based on the simple grandeur of his enormous muscles. There isn’t a protein drink in sight on his Instagram page.

He could be endorsing products, but we would never know. The only English on his page is on his hashtags, which—say what you will about them—are never that informative.

So how did he get that big? Your guess is as good as ours. We’re going to go with barbell squats and bench presses. He probably throws in a few back extensions and calf raises for good measure.

There’s one claim about the Iranian Hulk that seems kind of hard to believe.

Multiple reports on the guy claim that he can lift more than his own body weight. That doesn’t even seem possible. Like, don’t you need enough counterbalance to avoid being flipped by an object heavier than you are?

Actually, it is possible. Contestants in competitions like the World’s Strongest Man pull off the feat every year. But it isn’t easy, and only the strongest of them all can do it.

Some reports have it that the Iranian Hulk can lift more than 50 pounds over his actual body weight. If that’s true, it is totally incredible. And incredible things have a tendency to be true around Gharibi, one of the world’s biggest men, so we don’t find it that hard to believe claims of his incredible strength, even when they seem a bit overblown at first glance.

At age 24, Gharibi has taken on a frightening new challenge.

He posted a video to his Instagram page explaining his plans. He’s going to become a soldier in the Iranian armed forces, he said. After Ramadan, he will start training. Then he’ll enter a branch of the Iranian military.

That’s always been his goal, he explained in his video. He’s always wanted to serve his country.

For an Iranian soldier in 2016, that means he will eventually end up in the bloody conflict with Islamic State in Syria.

It also means crushing a rebellion that is generally supported by Western nations, including the United States. That’s a dark turn in an otherwise inspiring story, and we don’t really want to end up in that tragic and contentious field of weeds just now.

So let’s focus on the thing that brought us all here in the first place: this dude’s unbelievable physique.

You don’t get shoulders like that from reading comic books.

It’s clear that Gharibi works out. Hard. But unless you speak Farsi, good luck reading his workout tips.

The Iranian Hulk offers us more than lessons in lifting (and, again, those are all in Farsi).

He shows us the true limits of our relationship with internet superstars. Gharibi’s Instagram page went viral and we immediately celebrated a single facet of the man. We felt like we had him pegged.

But we didn’t. And we won’t. The man who we met as a careless meme, shared for shock value and social currency, is in fact a complex and deeply patriotic human being who is willing to kill and to die for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Iranian Hulk might soon find himself in the middle of a seemingly intractable humanitarian disaster. And that kind of virality is something else entirely.

Tags 50011581, body, hemingway

1. Every DIY carpenter needs a good clothespin or two.

2. Outsmart your microwave with the ring technique.

3. Hey, speaking of microwaves: Use vinegar and water to clean your microwave.

4. Freeze sponges to make a much better ice pack.

5. Cool down your coffee with coffee ice cubes.

6. When you go on vacation, save some cash spy-style.

7. Clean up your wooden furniture with a simple walnut.

8. Loaning something to a friend? Have the friend take a picture with the object.

9. Here are two quick tricks for using your screwdriver. No, seriously.

10. Use soda tabs to make the most out of limited closet space.

11. Your phone will charge faster when it’s off or in airplane mode.

12. Cover your razor heads with a binder clip before you travel.

13. Sure, Coca-Cola can remove rust. But not as fast as vinegar and salt.

14. You don’t know how to copy and paste until you master Ctrl+Shift+V.

15. If you have an indecisive S.O., use the “5-2-1” trick.

16. Is it too hot to walk your dog? Use the hand test.

17. Break in your new shoes with a hairdryer and a pair of socks

After slipping a disc in his back, Wisconsin man Dale Decker began to climax up to 100 times every day due to a condition called persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD).

A girl in Georgia has congenital insensitivity to pain because of anhidrosis, or CIPA, a rare genetic disorder that makes her unable to feel physical pain.

A Chilean woman has been carrying a fetus in her womb for more than 60 years, unknowingly.

A woman with hyperthymesia was the first person reported with this condition, in which you don’t have the ability to forget anything.

A child suffered from a rare brain condition called chiari malformation which essentially has an effect of sleeplessness.

One Texas man lived for five weeks without an actual heart.

A man suffers from hiccups for over two and a half years.

A man oozed green blood before operation.

Your doctor has given you a prescription. Now, you’re at the pharmacy.

Contrary to popular belief, generic drugs don’t use different active ingredients.

There is one important caveat to consider.

Some patients claim that name-brand drugs are more effective, but the science doesn’t back that up.

So, why do some patients claim that certain branded drugs are more effective?

Even if your insurance makes the price difference negligible, there’s a reason to go generic.

The bad news: some drugs don’t have generic alternatives, mainly due to patent protections.

Ultimately, you should talk to your doctor before switching from any medication.

At first, the procedure was totally normal.

Melia was beginning to panic.

Melia peered at the ultrasound image.

In a strange way, this ultrasound was an answer to Melia’s prayers.

Now she had proof, of a sort.

Melia wants to tell the world about her miraculous ultrasound.

The main argument that this image is not actually evidence of spiritual intercession but is, instead, purely psychological.

Melia’s ultrasound is actually just the latest in a long string of strange prenatal images.

The McHales tried to recreate the miracle when Lindsay got pregnant again.

Lewis reached out to the Mirror to give the image some context.

About that “demon” image, by the way…

More than a few readers had a theory that would dispel the unpleasant association with an evil creature.

Whether it’s pareidolia or magic, people are fascinated by the figures they perceive in ultrasounds.

Strong emotions tend to strengthen the psychological processes behind pareidolia, skeptics argue.

The Hack: Keep your unused batteries in the refrigerator. They’ll last longer that way!

The Hack: Fill an old ketchup bottle with pancake batter to pour perfect flapjacks every time!

The Hack: Put your toaster on its side to make a great, effortless grilled-cheese sandwich.

The Hack: Drill a few holes in the bottom of your kitchen trash can to prevent the suction that makes it hard to pull out the bag.

The Hack: Use a bunch of tension rods to make a DIY baby gate!

The Hack: Throw a cup of water into the microwave when you heat up day-old pizza. It will make the crust crisper!

The Hack: Use an old CD spindle to store your lunch bagel.

The Hack: If you get stung by a jellyfish, pee on the wound for quick relief.

The Hack: Lay a wooden spoon across the top of pot to prevent water from boiling over.

The Hack: Fill your stinky shoes with tea bags to get rid of the odor.

The Hack: Boost the volume on your keyboard speakers with a plastic cup cut in half!

The Hack: Serve condiments in a muffin tin at your next barbecue. It’s clean, organized, and easy to wash later!

The Hack: The slot on your pot handle doubles as a holder for your cooking spoon!

The Hack: Cut up to 10 cherry tomatoes at once by sandwiching them between two Tupperware lids.

The Hack: Store your towels on a wine rack. Who doesn’t have a spare wine rack laying around?

The Hack: Use a shoe organizer to organize cleaning supplies! Or packaged foods! Or anything besides shoes!

1. There’s a mental connection.

2. You could need new shoes.

3. Feelings just aren’t the same.

4. The soreness is real.

5. You could get a little leaky.

6. Modesty? What modesty?

7. Baby got [your] back.

8. You might feel a bit…bound up.

9. Did we mention getting leaky?

10. ‘Rhoid Rage

11. The Downsides of Breastfeeding

12. It’s a hairy issue.

13. Get the maxipads ready.

14. Learning to love the changes.

Plot twist: It was all a lie.

Meet Angie Collins, the mother of one of those children—a 6-year-old boy.

But many families discovered that their legal options were limited.