Wellness Wednesday - My Top 10 Most Unusual Medical Facts

This week, I'm working at a summer camp, and it's left me feeling inquisitive. So, I decided to find the most unusual medical facts possible. After researching quite a few unusual medical facts, here's my Top 10 Most Unusual Medical Facts:

10.) We cannot create artificial blood. We can make artificial hips, knees, elbows, even ankles, and we have machines that can replace your heart, kidneys, and lungs, but there is currently no way of making synthetic blood substitutes in the laboratory.

9.) Stomach cells are created faster than they are destroyed. So, every three to four days, you get a new stomach lining, which is good because if you didn't, the acids in your stomach would digest your stomach along with your food. 

8.) If you're trying to hide your identity, it's not just fingerprints you need to worry about. Similar to fingerprints, every person also has a unique tongue print.

7.) If you thought that was weird, get this. Everyone also has a completely unique smell (except for twins).

6.) Most babies are born with blue eyes; exposure to UV light brings out their true color.

5.) You need to clip your fingernails more than toenails because the nails that get the most exposure and are used most frequently grow the fastest (fingernails). And if that's not odd enough for you, the fingernails on your longest fingers grow faster than those on your shortest fingers. Therefore, your fastest-growing fingernail is the middle finger of your dominant hand. Nobody knows why this is.

4.) The average human head has 100,000 hair follicles. However, your hair color helps determine how dense your hair is. At the top of the list are natural blondes, who average 146,000 follicles. People with black hair tend to have about 110,000, while those with brown hair average 100,000. Redheads are last, averaging about 86,000 follicles.

3.) It's practically impossible to tickle yourself. While there's a theory that since your brain knows you’re tickling yourself, it does not respond, it is possible to pinch yourself and still feel it, which raises the question; shouldn't you be able to tickle yourself as well then? So, the medical mystery remains.

2.) In just 30 minutes, your body can produce enough heat to boil half a gallon of water. To put that in perspective, water boils at 212°F (100°C). Put's the phrase, "I'm burning up" in a whole new perspective.

1.) Alright, this is just plain weird, and I'd never even vaguely heard of this happening, which is why this is my number 1 unusual fact. Some dopaminergic agents, such as those that treat restless leg syndrome, can cause otherwise ordinary people to become gambling addicts. And yes, this is an actual potential side effect. Again, no one clearly understands why this happens.

So that's it, the top 10 most unusual medical facts I found. What do you think? Are there any on this list that you knew about before reading this? What's the most unusual medical fact you've ever heard of? Let me know in the comments section!