strange facts – Hello Doctor

5 personality quirks that are medical conditions

May 3rd, 2017 by The Hello Doctor Team

Do you have one of these strange personality quirks?

We all have that small tic or odd habit that makes us unique. But yours may, in fact, be a medical disorder. Read below and find out whether you check any of these boxes!

1. Paruresis

You’re standing next to another guy at the urinal, and…nothing. You start feeling self-conscious, try to relax, but still: nothing. Your bladder has stage-fright, also known as paruresis.

Paruresis is also called ‘shy bladder syndrome’, and it means that you’re not able to urinate when people are around. This has nothing to do with your urinary system. It’s social anxiety that causes your sphincter muscles to lock up when others are nearby.

Paruresis is more common in men, but can also happen in women. It can be triggered by a lack of privacy or being surrounded by people you don’t know. Anxiety, fear, or a sense of being pressured can also make it difficult to go.

2. Onychophagia

This fancy term describes good old basic nail biting. It’s one of the most common medical conditions in the world.

The medical term for nail biting is onychophagia, and is classified as an impulse control disorder. This means that those with the condition can’t control their urge to bite their nails. Onychophagia can affect anyone of any age, but most often develops during puberty.

Onychophagia can be triggered by stress, boredom, or nervousness. It can cause your fingertips to become red and sore, and your cuticles to bleed. In the long run, it can increase your risk for infection and may interfere with normal nail growth.

3. Misophonia

Loud chewing, gum snapping, pencil tapping: do these sounds drive you up the wall? Chances are you have misophonia, a strong dislike or hatred for normal, generally inoffensive sounds.

Misophonia, also known as selective sound sensitivity syndrome, usually starts between the ages of nine and 13 and is more common in girls. People with this lifelong condition have specific triggers, and are sensitive to certain sounds. When they hear these sounds, they become irritated, agitated, enraged, anxious, or panicked.

There is no known cause for misophonia. It has nothing to do with your hearing, but it could be related to how sound affects your brain and sets off automatic responses in your body.

4. Involuntary Emotional Expression Disorder

Your best friend’s mother just passed away, but you can’t resist laughing at the news. No, you’re not insensitive or crazy: You have Involuntary Emotional Expression Disorder (IEED).

IEED is when you have the opposite response to what is expected. People with this condition have episodes of crying, laughter, or anger that’s out of line with their present mood. For example, you may giggle during an argument or feel sad when something good happens.

IEED is caused by an injury to the neurological pathways that control your emotions. It’s common in people who have had a stroke, sustained a traumatic brain injury, or have a neurological disorder like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or dementia.

IEED is underdiagnosed and undertreated as it’s often confused with other mood disorders like depression.

5. Alexithymia

Does your partner accuse you of being distant or emotionless? Alexithymia may be the reason for your seemingly lack of feeling.

Alexithymia is the medical term for not being able to understand and express your emotions fully. Everyone has some level of alexithymia, but it can become frustrating if yours is severe. Not knowing how to verbalise your feelings may cause people to think you’re lying or hiding something.

Alexithymia is more common in men. It’s often considered a personality trait, but has also been linked to post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic childhood events like abuse.

References:

The ugly origins of Valentine’s day

February 14th, 2016 by The Hello Doctor Team

Roses? Check! Chocolates? Check! Table at restaurant? Check! Absolutely no money left in your bank account? Check! Before you start having a go at the price of sweets and flowers on the day of love, be grateful that that’s all you have to worry about. Why? Because there’s a dark side to the 14th of February we hope you never have to face… Continue reading “The ugly origins of Valentine’s day”

4 More weird medical facts

November 7th, 2015 by The Hello Doctor Team

We may think we know ourselves better than everyone else, but that doesn’t always mean we know or understand our bodies. Are you ready to find out some more weird facts about your body?

You are taller in the morning!

Your height is one of those things that just doesn’t change after you’ve hit a certain age. No cream, exercise or medicine can make you taller.

Surgery is possible, but it’s painful, expensive and comes with complications. There is one time that you are taller though, and it’s right after you climb out of bed. When you sleep, the little cushions filled with fluid, between the of your spine are repaired. This makes your spine slightly longer, giving you a few centimetres of height. As the day goes on, the fluid reduces and your spine shortens a little bit.

Certain nails grow faster than others

Need a manicure? Some nails need more work than others, because they don’t all grow at the same speed. The nails on your longer fingers grow faster, and the nails on your dominant hand grow faster than the other. So, if you’re right handed, the nail on your middle finger will grow faster than all the other nails.

Woman have more blood in their bodies when pregnant

This is quite an obvious fact, but we’d take a guess and say that you’ve never thought about it before. According to studies, healthy pregnant women with an average sized baby will have 50% more blood; this is needed for placenta and uterus.

Not all bones are connected

Ever heard the song about bones? Maybe this will jog your memory: “The hip bone’s connected to the backbone.” Although the song doesn’t get the name of bones right, it does show that they are all connected, well, except for one. There’s a “throat bone” called the hyoid and it’s not connected to any bone in the body.

Now you know more about your body! These four facts may help break an awkward silence in a chat or help the next time you go for a quiz night.

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4075604
http://www.livescience.com/44137-skeletal-system-surprising-facts.html

Strange, but true health factoids

January 18th, 2015 by The Hello Doctor Team

So, you thought the minds of writers of medical TV shows had brought you all of the strangest medical facts and conditions on the planet? Think again! Continue reading “Strange, but true health factoids”

5 Weird pain facts

November 18th, 2014 by The Hello Doctor Team

We all think we know what pain is, but the truth of the matter is that we actually don’t. While we can feel physical and emotional pain, scientists don’t really know how to explain it. Pain isn’t just something that hurts and it’s more than just electrical impulses sent through our nerves. Here’re five lesser-known facts about pain. Continue reading “5 Weird pain facts”

Is “man-flu” an actual thing?

August 5th, 2014 by The Hello Doctor Team

It’s been a joke for years, but when researchers started looking into this strange condition, it turned out that man-flu might be an actual thing after all!

Researchers first conducted a long study with mice, which found that oestrogen levels in women might help them recover from flu more quickly. Hopefully there’ll be further studies on this – in humans.
Scientists then discovered that men have more temperature receptors in their brains, which means that the fevers they experience do tend to be hotter.
Lastly, research hints that the “live-fast-die-young” strategy men have evolved for breeding purposes means that they don’t take enough time to properly recover. So, they tend to get re-infected, which makes the flu they’re suffering from that much worse.

So, next time he’s lying shivering on the couch, too weak to lift the remote, make sure he gets enough fluid, break that fever, and get him to stay in bed for at least a couple of days. To give you that little extra edge, here’s a fabulous chicken soup recipe. Oh, and remember to ask your doctor about flu shots for next winter!

Watch the famous Man Cold clip.

Sources: NHS.UK, Daily Mail