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“Irritabelle,” the Viberzi Woman…

July 10, 2017


I find people with their internal organs visible disquieting, unless of course they are zombies, in which case you expect that kind of thing, and it’s part of the desired effect.  When said people with visible internal organs jabber and cling, they can be downright annoying, however.  Zombies at least just growl and make noises while they’re trying to eat you.

Submitted for your approval is Irritabelle, the Viberzi commercial woman. Now Irritabelle wears a flesh-colored body suit that’s non-descript except for the imprint of her lower gastrointestinal tract.  Yes, I know, pretty soon all of the young and fashion-conscious will be wearing them.  Irritabelle hangs around her greater self at such places as the market, the office, the bedroom, the beach,  the store, and the doctor’s office, promising the woman she’s part of such sought-after things as abdominal pain and diarrhea, and almost gleefully dragging the woman she dogs off to the bathroom.  She’s a bit of a cut-up too, even wearing an improvised cape at the doctor’s office like a demented superhero…colon girl, perhaps.  Irritabelle and the Lactaide cow whose milk messes with you would probably get along famously.  A show starring the Cow and the Colon would probably beat most reality television.

At any rate, as the personification for Irritable Bowel Sydrome in a commercial for a remedial medication, Irritabelle seems to have plenty of get-up-and-go.  Never has a “gut leotard” looked this good!

 

Categories: absurdities, medical, strange, television
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Body Parts Online…

October 24, 2010

– – Did you know it’s legal to buy real plastinated body parts online?–Yuppers, a German anatomist famous for his controversial Body World exhibition is selling both human and animal body parts which have had water and fat replaced with plastic for preservation purposes.   One of the tamer examples of such a process is pictured, but you can get a whole body, torso, or just a head.  For the budget-conscious, transparent body slices are also available…

Only “qualified users” who can provide written proof that they intend to use the parts for research, teaching, or medical purposes can place an order, however.  This doesn’t mean that the general public can’t buy jewelry crafted from animal corpses or reproductions of the real human body parts.- -I swear I am not making this up!

A bit of the ghoulish submitted for your approval as we approach Halloween…

Categories: medical, science, strange, strange happenings, weird
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Sweatin’ Bullets…

October 16, 2010

– – Someone once said that animals sweat, men perspire, and women have a rosy glow.–Well, a study performed at Osaka International University in Japan and reported in the journal Experimental Physiology indicated that men sweat more and more efficiently than women, with men who are physically fit sweating more than anyone else!

Physically fit people begin to sweat at a lower core body temperature, which is adaptive since sweating is the body’s way of cooling off and preventing overheating.    A sweating person can then perform longer and better at whatever it is that they are doing.  Fit men tended to sweat the most, whereas  fit women had higher sweat rates than inactive men or inactive women.

Sweating may be the manly thing to do, too, as prior research has shown a link between the male-sex hormone testosterone, physical training, and an increase in sweat rate…so sweat proudly, knowing that you are a manly man, and that the proof is in the nostrils!

Categories: medical, research, science
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The Caveman in You…

May 11, 2010

– – Neanderthals had for many years been regarded as primitive and ape-like, but like modern humans, they had developed a culture, used tools, and probably spoke a rudimentary language.  Although their culture was less rich than that of modern man and they were less able to adapt, a recent study of DNA evidence has suggested that there were also less than 10,000 Neanderthals in existence at any one time, making them more vulnerable to diseases or sudden climatic changes.

An international team of scientists recently decoded the complete Neanderthal genome, and found that roughly 1 to 4 percent of the genomes of non-African people derive from these extinct relatives.  This would suggest that modern man and Neanderthals interbred, so there’s a little caveman in all of us!

Categories: extinct species, medical, science
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Tasering Animals…

April 17, 2010

– – It may come as a shock to hear that animals have been used as test subjects for Tasers to determine if being subjected to the stun guns can lead to ventricular fibrillation, a highly abnormal heart rhythm that can become fatal.  In a bizarre experiment, sixteen sheep were anesthetized, administered methamphetamine, and then given repeated shocks with Tasers to simulate what might happen when drug-addled humans were hit with the stun guns!   Some of the smaller sheep suffered elevated heart rates, but none experienced a potentially lethal heart condition.   “It’s not so baaad,” commented one sheep of his Taser experience.

Taser experiments have also been conducted on anesthetized dogs as well on on conscious pigs, surgically modified pigs, and pigs under the influence of cocaine! Neither the knocked-out dogs nor the conscious pigs suffered ventricular fibrillation, whereas the pigs surgically modified to remove the thick skin around their hearts did suffer near heart failure when the Taser’s barb was placed less than an inch away from their hearts. The coked-up pigs actually had their safety margin increased by 50 to 100 percent!  (“Hit me again, dude,  far out!”)

A Taser was also successfully used in the field on a cow moose in Alaska who refused to leave a construction site where her calves were trapped.   Research has gone on for five years studying the effects of Tasers on captive moose and bears, and Taser International is seeking to develop a wildlife-specific stun gun;  just don’t tase me, bro!   Wildly unauthorized field tests have also been conducted on bears and bulls as well as on more dogs and sheep…whole lotta shockin’ goin’ on…

…and by the way, the name “Taser” was originally an acronym for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle…”

Categories: animals, furry, medical, science
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Bee-Venom Therapy?

March 20, 2010

– – I, for one, don’t like being stung by insects, and have gotten more than enough of that while mowing the lawn.   There are those who think, however, that being stung by bees is good for what ails you, including conditions such as arthritis, tendonitis, multiple sclerosis,  fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and even depression. – -Hey, let’s go out and get stung!- -That ought to give us a lift!

Now believers in apitherapy don’t wait for random insect attacks, but rather tend to use groups of up to 100 honey bees raised for the purpose.  Self-treatment seems to be common, while more formal treatments are offered in the orient for the equivalent of about $18.

Does it work?- – Persuasive personal testimonials are out there, but so are sightings of aliens and Bigfoot.   Supportive research studies are few and far between.  Studies in Greece and South Korea have shown anti-arthritic effects in mice, which of course we like to see lively and flexible.  Most results are not conclusive, and while the benefits of such therapy are uncertain, the dangers are clear with about 2% of the population susceptible to allergic reactions from the stings of bees and wasps.   Those considering a full bee barrage should also consider the fact that your body tolerated the first 99 stings doesn’t guarantee it can handle the 100th…

Categories: insects, medical, science, things humans do
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Dogs

February 7, 2010

– – Not only Good Time Charlie gets the blues; canines do, too!–Well, at least they seem to be capable of obsessive-compulsive disorder…

…the January issue of Molecular Psychiatry reports that scientists have located a gene for obsessive-compulsive disorder among certain canine breeds, especially Dobermans and bull terriers.  Up to 70% of some litters have OCD tendencies, compared to only 2% in the human population.  In canines this might be behaviorally manifested by such things as chasing their own tail or sucking on their own body parts.

Dogs with such behaviors are more likely to express a CDH2 gene.  Located on chromosome 7, that gene mediates communication between neurons in the brain.  The gene is located in the hippocampus in both humans and dogs.

So why should you care?–Well, the canine-human link could lead to preventive medicine and better treatment for obsessive disorders in both species.  The CDH2 gene may also be implicated in autism spectrum disorder as well.  The National Institute of Mental Health is conducting its own study, looking for the CDH2 gene in blood samples of human OCD patients; this would be the first confirmed psychiatric gene in humans, possibly with others to follow.

Neuropsychiatry promises to be a real growth field in the future, or so this fox thinks, and I’m crazy like one…


Categories: animals, anomalies, medical, science
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Getting Enough Worms?

January 12, 2010

– – In the earlier 20th century and prior to that time when dirt roads, horses, and cattle were more prevalent in life than they are now, every child and adult had worms in their gastrointestinal tract!  These worms were part of the ecosystem of the gut, and aided in controlling human immune reactions in order that they might live successfully in people. In the last 100 years or so, a more hygienic environment was created for people which led to immune disregulation, and so, one theory would have it, to an increase in certain immunological diseases.  A more sedentary lifestyle and a lack of physical activity also renders people more prone to certain illnesses and ailments to a degree not seen in the past.

Such immunological and metabolic diseases and conditions may include multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, asthma, obesity, and even hay fever (now suffered by 1 in 4 people in the United States).  Improvements in hygiene have reduced infections, but along with that have reduced exposure of the immune system to antigens, such as compounds from viruses and bacteria.  Bodily regulation mechanisms then tend to become less effective, and certain illnesses and conditions are suffered to degrees not seen in the past.

(…but I’ll still pass on the worms, thank you!)

Categories: historical perspectives, medical, science
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Chimp Attack Victim Unveils Face…

November 12, 2009

abc_Charla_Nash3_091111_mn– – The images of Charla Nash from Oprah are extremely graphic and very disturbing, so much so that only the before and the veiled after-version are shown here; we do have standards here on Foxsylvania (although Lord knows not many)!   Last February the 56-year-old woman was savagely attacked and ravaged by her friend’s chimpanzee named Travis, a vicious attack which left the Connecticut woman without her eyes, nose, lips, and  hands.

In spite of her devastating injuries, the courageous woman remains remarkably positive and upbeat, is not angry, and seeks to move on with her life rather than dwell on the events of that horrific day.  Hopes are for Charla to get a face transplant and eventually a hand transplant as well. A $50 million lawsuit is in motion against the chimp’s owner for pain and suffering.

Charla Nash herself says that she wants to warn people about potential dangers posed by exotic animals.  “I’d like to put across to people’s minds that these  exotic animals are very dangerous and they shouldn’t be around,” Nash said on Winfrey’s show.  “There’s a place for them that is not in residential areas.”

The evidence could not possibly be any clearer…

Categories: animal occurrences, animals, medical
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–Hitler’s Escape?

September 19, 2009

Cat Hitler– -Did Adolf Hitler escape the closing grip of Allied troops on Berlin during the final days of Nazi Germany in World War II, and somehow get spirited to Argentina or elsewhere?–Yes he did, ultimately to be reincarnated as a cat…

Seriously, though, the opening episode of MysteryQuest considered the question of whether Hitler had indeed escaped his bunker, with a body double in some accounts having been used in the dictator’s supposed suicide.  The Soviets did retain some fragmentary and minimal remains said to be those of Hitler, including a bloody couch and a skull fragment complete with a bullet hole.  MysteryQuest was permitted a very brief examination of the remains, bringing back photos and even small samples.  Some interesting conclusions were reached…

…photos and examination suggested that the sutures joining the skull plates were relatively open, as would be characteristic of a younger person in the age range of 20 to 40 years, rather than a man of Hitler’s age.  Furthermore, the bone itself was not as thick or robust as is usually seen in males, and is more characteristic of a female! DNA was successfully extracted from the samples, and was conclusively found to be female as well.

While these findings do not prove that Hitler escaped his bunker, they do suggest that the remains housed by the Soviets could not be those of Hitler…Do I think that Hitler escaped Berlin and survived?–Not bloody well likely…but for a really cool story about Hitler cloning, check out The Boys from Brazil, novel by Ira Levin or movie featuring Gregory Peck…

Categories: medical, mysteries, science, television, unexplained
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