Your Questions About Bodily Quirks - Answered!
By Krista Elliott
There's no doubt that the human body is extremely complex, and there's still a lot we don't know. Why is there still no cure for the common cold, and sadly, for more serious illnesses? How can a woman forget the agony of childbirth so easily, and go on to go through it again and again? Why are some people born right-handed, while others are born left? Sooooo many questions!
Even minor, quirky little things can have us wondering what's up. Here are some bodily quirks and foibles about which you might have wondered:
Why are My Ears Ringing? My Grandma Says it Means Someone's Talking About Me
Ringing in the ears, or tinnitus, can be as a result of hearing loss or environmental factors. Exposure to loud sound is the most common cause of tinnitus. A build-up of wax can also affect our hearing, as can a bump on the head. Surprisingly, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction can also cause you to hear abnormal sounds. Even some medications, at high doses, can affect your ears.
My Eyelid Won't Stop Twitching, and it's Driving me Crazy!
Eye twitching, spasms, and eyelid tics, while annoying, are quite common. Usually they affect the lower lid, but the upper lid is not immune to them. Twitches can be short lived, or they can go on for days. Some of the causes are stress, fatigue, eye strain, dry eyes, too much caffeine, and allergies.
Augh! I have a Charley Horse! What Causes Them?
Leg cramps are painful spasms that typically occur in the calf muscles; however, sometimes they occur in the arch of the foot. They tend to come on at night while you're sleeping, but can also be brought on by activities such as running or cycling. Some causes are dehydration, overuse of the muscle, medications, a lack of potassium or calcium, and even kidney disease.
I'm Sooo Sleepy. Why Do we Yawn, Anyway? And Why is Yawning Contagious?
A common explanation as to why we yawn is that it's our body's way of trying to take in more oxygen when we are tired. Another view is that yawning affects the process that allows your body to maintain its core internal temperature. Why we yawn when others do may have a lot to do with evolution. Mimicking behaviors and showing empathy,may have improved individuals' chance of survival.
The human body is a wild, wacky, and slightly mysterious thing. Medicine has made great strides in helping us understand our bodies. Some mysteries still remain (cure for the common cold, anybody?) but who knows what the future will bring?
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.