1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader (23 page)

“Diabetes Rates Are Increasing Among Youth, ” NIH News, National Institutes Of Health, November 13, 2007,
www.nih.gov
.

146

FACT :
Diagnoses of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) have risen by
9 million new cases
in the last ten years, and the condition now affects 4–12 percent of American children.
Researchers also discovered tha—hey, look, a seagull!

Katherine Robertson, “Is Your Child a Health Statistic? 4 Scary Facts, 8 Real Solutions,” Gaiam Life,
www.life.gaiam.com
.

Victoria Clayton, “Who’s to blame for the rise in AD/HD?”
MSNBC.com
, September 8, 2004,
www.msnbc.msn.com
.

147

FACT :
Copremesis, or fecal vomiting, is not a myth:
a bowel obstruction can cause feces to be drawn into the stomach
from the intestine by spasmodic contractions of the gastric muscles, which the stomach then attempts to expel through vomiting.
That explains some people’s breath.

“Fecal Vomiting,” Dorland’s Medical Dictionary,
www.mercksource.com
.

“Fecal Vomiting,” Medical Dictionary,
www.medical-dictionary.com
.

“Fecal Vomiting,” Poop Report,
www.poopreport.com
.

148

FACT :
Smegma is a white, foul-smelling, cheese-like secretion sometimes found under the foreskin in males and around the clitoris in females. Smegma is
produced by body oils and the bacteria that feed on them
. Some studies have suggested a link between smegma and penile and cervical cancer.
You had me at “cheese-like.”

“What is smegma?” Net DoctorUK,
www.netdoctor.co.uk
.

“Teen Talk: Smegma,” Planned Parenthood,
www.teenwire.com
.

“What are the risk factors for penile cancer?” Cancer.org,
www.cancer.org
.

149

FACT :
A person can live without eating for weeks, but will only survive
eleven days without sleep
.
People around those who haven’t slept, however, will only survive a day or two.

“Sixteen Unusual Facts About The Human Body,” How Stuff Works,
www.health.howstuffworks.com
.

150

FACT :
The human brain stops growing
at the age of eighteen
.
Probably because most eighteen-year-olds know everything by then. If you don’t believe me, ask them.