Virtually Painless

Lost at Minecraft AGAIN? Painful! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, asking…but what if video games could bring pain RELIEF? Henry Xiang and team from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital tried this out on pediatric burn patients. They designed a virtual reality game requiring patients to

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Just a Pinch

Dentist fraidycats. .. unite! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We all tolerate pain differently. A prick for one person could be a stab for others. How can doctors know how much pain you are ACTUALLY feeling? Sure, they could just ask you. But Andrew

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Virtually Painless

Lost at Minecraft AGAIN? Painful! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, asking…but what if video games could bring pain RELIEF? Henry Xiang and team from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital tried this out on pediatric burn patients. They designed a virtual reality game requiring patients to

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Spice for Life

Red hot peppers on orange background.

Could a jalapeno a day keep the doctor away? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. From Poblanos to Habañeros, hot peppers are the SPICE of life! But could they be a literal lifesaver? Sickle cell disease, which is inherited, causes misshapen red blood cells. This

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Pain Pal

Paro, a fluffy white robot seal, sits on a table, looking off camera

Need a PAIN pal? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When you got your first shot, did you squeeze Mom’s hand? Studies have shown that EMOTIONAL TOUCH, like hugging or holding hands, reduces pain. But if you find yourself ALONE at the doctor’s – who

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Feel the Burn

Can you eat more Ghost Peppers than a mole-rat? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The highveld mole-rat has a superpower. It can roll around in a colony of stinging ants without breaking a sweat! The ants sting with a chemical called AITC, the same

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Danger Down Under

Ten foot venomous tentacles lurking in the ocean? It’s the box jellyfish! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Box jellyfish stings could easily be something from a horror movie. Especially terrifying? The monstrous C. fleckeri! Its venom causes pain, tissue damage, and even death! Swimmers,

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The Healing Touch

Baby has an owie – what to do? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Seeing an infant in pain can break your heart. Mommy’s touch is the age-old remedy – but does it really work? Enter Deniz Gursul from the University of Oxford. Her team

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Achy Break Joints

Pop, lock, and… ouch! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Over twenty million people in the U-S suffer from joint pain, or osteoarthritis. Our joints are cushioned by cartilage. As we age, this cushion wears down but doesn’t grow back. Current treatments manage the pain

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Profane Pain

You stubbed your toe! Oh, fudge- Words you can’t say on the radio! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science asking: Why do we swear when we’re hurt? In 2009, that’s what psychologists of Keele University in the UK wondered. They led a study on the

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