First Post

1. The longest living person was Jeanne Calment. She lived for 122 years and 164 days. Interestingly, she smoked cigarettes until she was 117 years old.

2. The consumption of dairy products in America is one of the highest in the world, but so is the occurence of osteoporosis and fractures. Many studies have been conducted to determine the real relationship between milk (and other dairy products) and bone health.

3. On average people spend 6 years of their life dreaming.

4. A tumor of the pituitary gland can cause excess secretion of growth hormone, making people incredibly tall, medically known as gigantism or acromegalic gigantism.

5. Children who grow up in homes without pets are more likely to have allergies as well as asthma compared to hildren who grow up in homes with pets.

6. Unintentional injuries were the 5th leading cause of death in 2006 in America.

7. A man in Oklahoma has been struck by lightning 6 times in the past 30 years and is still cognitively and physically capable of doing everyday activities.

8. Certain drugs can lower blood pressure in hypertensive people although they can't lower high blood pressure induced by stress and tension. A study on hypertensive New York stockbrokers discovered that the stockbrokers that owned either a cact or dog had lower blood pressures and heart rates than the ones that didn't own a pet.

9. Tongue piercings have a higher rate of infection and possible risks following the piercing than other areas of the body. This is due to the fact that the mouth is a moist environment that bacteria easily grow in. Also the tongue has major blood vessels that go to the brain, making spread of an infection relatively easy to infect the brain as well as other vital organs.

10. Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH) is secreted by the posterior pituitary gland; the secretion of this hormone stimulates the kidneys to conserve more water by preventing water loss from excessive urine output. The consumption of alcohol inhibits ADH from being secreted, thus making one who is drinking need to urinate more, despite the volume of alcohol that is consumed.