If I cut myself boning chicken, or saw my hand when I'm cutting wood, or stick a needle in my hand when I'm sewing (it happens everytime I sew) I just deal with it. No problem. The odd time I've needed stitches I've chatted away to the medical staff while watching them do the needlework.

But when the nurse takes a blood sample the tunnel vision starts, the clammy forehead kicks in, BP drops to 1 over zero and I really struggle to stay conscious. I've never actually passed out, but I've come close.

What's the difference?

In Russia it is very visible that colds and flus are most widespread in autumn, secondly in spring and when it gets warmer than usual in winter. Let's say, about plus ten to minus two. Hardly anyone gets a cold at minus twenty. People explain it by saying that the viruses can't survive in very cold air, but I find this doubtful because almost all human interaction takes place indoors at those times.

What explanations I could imagine to be right:

1) the viruses can't survive in very dry air. It is well konwn that very cold air gets very dry as soon as you heat it (breathe it in or let it into the house).

2) the cold itself doesn't strain the immune system but rather strengthens it - it's the change that is hard to bear, especially the change from summer (one temperature everywhere) to autumn (big difference between indoors and outdoors). That would also explain why you often get a cold in summer when you spend time in an air-conditioned house or car, not being used to it.

3) Our grandmothers were right after all - the worst thing is getting wet feet...

Am I absolutely the last person in the forum to discover these two? If not, inspect

http://www.youtube.com/ 

and enter their names for videos of fine stand-up comic acts with the most refreshing material I have seen in years!

Can you believe it, comics who actually know their science and have retained some sense of balance?

Mind you, if you cannot handle a bit of gentle obscenity, maybe better not.

I have always wondered if a strong smell can wake you up immediately like a loud noise.

When i was very young i went through a stage of about a year where i would hear a high pitched noise in my ears at night time. this noise would get progressivly louder intill you could not mentally or physically take it anymore, it was the worst thing i have ever experienced. it was like the noise you hear in your ears after you have heard very loud music but this was much worse. a constant ringing in my ear that got really loud. i also got delirious at times where people seamed thurther away than what they actually was and at other times the texture on my hands felt like what i can discribe as playdough and you can feel the texture in your mouth. a really horrific sensation i dont know why, the last time i had that was about a year ago but the noises in my ears was about 10 years ago. i also remember my dad saying something to me and his noise kept repeating in my head....

i am not physically or mentally disabled in anyway, i have never encoutered something like this and have never got the answer to why this happened to me. i remember going camping and came back with a high tempreture when i was younger and i thought this started it off due to a viral infection, i could not find any other plausable reason why i suffered with this.

He answers alot of questions but has he ever posted a question, is there anything he dont know!

I noticed a friend of mine had clubbed thumbs, a genetic trait named medically as Brachydactyly type D, which causes the shortening of a bone in the thumb. I spent a long time wondering the possible evolutionary advantage of having thumbs like this, but can't come up with anything! Has anyone got any theories?