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Does a Previous Overdose Make It Harder to Be "Put Under"?

21 Mar 2025

Anesthesia was my first clinical rotation in medical school and my introduction to pharmacology. One of my initial tasks was to administer a small dose of remifentanil, a fast-acting type of...

Don’t Blame Teething for Most Infant Illnesses

12 Jan 2024

This article was first published in The Skeptical Inquirer....

Kids Don’t Feel Pain from Growing

5 Jan 2024

This article was first published in The Skeptical Inquirer.

Not A Laughing Matter

25 Oct 2023

When I was growing up, “looning” meant one thing. You would fill a balloon with water and throw it at a target that usually did not welcome such activity. Today, “looning” has taken on another...

What are icepacks made of?

23 Jun 2023

With summer weather arriving in a blaze of glory, your trusty ice packs might start getting more use. Whether for keeping food and drinks cool, icing injuries, or relieving the discomfort of a...

What rhythm does throbbing pain follow?

9 Dec 2022

There are many kinds of pain—Piercing, burning, aching, shocking—but the type I want to focus on today is throbbing. Throbbing pain is often associated with toothaches, headaches, migraines, and...

This Sticky Pain Patch’s Science Hits a Sticky Patch

23 Sep 2022

“Take a few steps just to make the Devil mad! Hallelujah! That’s it, just move around a little bit, there she goes!” Those were the words used by televangelist and soon-to-be-exposed-as-a-fraud...

Happy Ether Day!

22 Oct 2021

This past week on October 16 we celebrated National Ether Day. If you missed it, here is why you should not have. Rarely does a single event alter the course of medicine, but that is exactly what...

Aspirin Can Do More Than just Alleviate Pain

8 Nov 2018

It is a common misconception that aspirin is a naturally occurring substance that was discovered in the bark of the willow tree. A related compound called salicin does indeed occur in white willow...

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