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Strange Things Your Body Does that Science can Explain

By Heather Brown

The human body is a wonderful thing that does what it is supposed to do and a few things that you aren’t quite sure it is supposed to do. Indeed, the body does some pretty amazing and mysterious things but luckily for you, they do not have to remain mysteries for long because some of the strangest things your body does can now be explained by science.

Things taste strange after you brush your teeth

things taste strange after you brush your teeth

Have you ever brushed your teeth and taken a bite of delicious chocolate or refreshing OJ after. If the answer is “yes” chances are you would have recoiled in shock after you did so because for some reason, food just tastes nasty after you brush your teeth. You would think your mouth would be all fresh and everything would taste extra good but why does this happen?

Explanation: that funky taste in your mouth is your first lesson in basic chemistry and you can blame it all in the reaction of food flavors and chemicals to the chemical that is sodium lauryl sulphate. It’s a chemical the guys in coats add to hygiene products to make them foam and while it doesn’t really do anything, it lets you know at least that your toothpaste is working. One downside though is that it numbs the taste buds and erodes the fatty shield on your tongue that blocks bitter flavors.

Brain freeze

Ever taken a huge bite out of your sundae and suddenly felt like your head was clamped in a vice? That there is the dreaded brain freeze and is the bane of many an ice cream lover all over the world. It really does hurt but it does make you wonder why putting something cold in your mouth could cause such a reaction in your head.

Explanation: That pain in your brain isn’t really your brain getting colder but it has more to do with the cold messing up the thermostat in your brain. You see, when you stuff your face with ice cream, your palate gets colder and your brain thinks you are somewhere so cold that the inside of your mouth is freezing so it opens up the arteries to pump your blood to the area to warm it up. Don’t think of it as your brain being a mean killjoy- just something that is overzealously protecting you and trying to keep you alive.

Asparagus pee

Have you ever eaten anything with asparagus and found that your pee sells more foul than usual? You have what is called asparagus pee and while it is easy to blame your body for not handling asparagus well, the fault is entirely with the asparagus.

Explanation: You can blame that funky small on organosulfur that is called asparagus acid. When you eat asparagus, it breaks down and the compounds make your pee sell especially bad. They break down rapidly and takes no less than 15 minutes to manifest in your pee. The sulfur also doesn’t help since it is the same thing that makes farts and skunks smell so vile.

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