Ever wonder what causes hiccups? Where ear wax comes from? What is so funny about your funny bone, anyway? It is time to look at some weird things our bodies do!
- What is ear wax? The skin inside your ear canal is lined with glands that are similar to sweat glands, except that they produce wax. The wax coats the walls of the ear canal and helps trap dirt. Left alone, the wax (and dirt) will usually work its way out without help.
- Did you hear the one about your funny bone? It isn’t a bone to blame for your pain and tingling if you whack your elbow — the culprit is your ulnar nerve. The nerve goes around the outside of the elbow and is protected by a thin layer of skin. The ulnar nerve is responsible for sensation all the way down your arm, from elbow to fingertips.
- You can blame your diaphragm for that case of hiccups. A spasm of the diaphragm causes the opening between your vocal cords to close, making that familiar hiccup noise. As for hiccup relief? Most remedies seem to be more for the entertainment of others than for the benefit of the person with hiccups.
- Is toe cheese for real? Yes and no. It isn’t really cheese! That stuff between your toes is a combination of sock lint, dead skin, dirt, and bacteria. The color of the residue may change based on what color socks you wear.
And if you are looking for an explanation for a sudden twitch in your eyelid, hand, or leg, here’s one: blame nerve abnormalities. Muscle groups around an abnormal nerve can start to jump (the technical term is fasciculation) for a number of reasons. Your nerve twitches may be caused by stress, exhaustion, caffeine intake, or even exercise! The backs of my legs tend to twitch after a long walk, and my eyelids will twitch when I’m feeling nervous or anxious. You can get a twitch just about anywhere you have a muscle.