Learn about whether bee venom therapy is safe; how people cleaned their teeth throughout history; and how you can use the Fogg Method to change your bad habits. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: Bee Venom Therapy Is a Real Thing — But Is It Safe? — https://curiosity.im/31v1DtU How Did People Clean Their Teeth in the Olden Days? — https://curiosity.im/2SQeXFQ The Fogg Method Is the 3-Step Technique for Changing Behavior — https://curiosity.im/2SRwwpa Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Learn about whether bee venom therapy is safe; how people cleaned their teeth throughout history; and how you can use the Fogg Method to change your bad habits.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/is-bee-venom-therapy-safe-plus-teeth-cleaning-history-and-how-to-change-bad-habits
CODY: Hi! We’re here from curiosity-dot-com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about whether bee venom therapy is safe; how people cleaned their teeth throughout history; and how you can use the Fogg Method to change your bad habits.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Bee Venom Therapy Is a Real Thing — But Is It Safe? — https://curiosity.im/31v1DtU (Cody)
Sometimes alternative remedies are harmless, but other times, not so much. And since it’s a thing, we thought we’d help you stay safe by talking about bee venom therapy. Yes, it exists; in fact, people have been stinging themselves with bees to treat arthritis and joint pain as far back as ancient Egypt, China, and Greece. Even Hippocrates was a fan. Nowadays, anecdotal accounts show people using been venom therapy to treat Lyme disease. Users either self-inject the bee venom by needle or, yes, actually sting themselves with live bees. But is it safe? Here’s the science. Bee venom contains lots of different chemical compounds, but the most important one might be melittin. Honeybee venom is more than 50 percent melittin, which is the reason why bee stings are so painful. The compound activates a channel in the body's sensory neurons called TRPV1, which is usually there to sound the alarm when the body is exposed to high temperatures. That's right: Melittin tricks your body into thinking it's on fire. Jellyfish venom contains a similar chemical, which is why their stings and bee stings both burn. But that's not all. A low dose of melittin will also activate enzymes that trigger inflammation — that's the red, swollen aftermath of a bee sting — and a high enough dose will make your cells explode. The chemical pokes holes in the cell membrane and makes the cell swell until it pops.
Cell death might sound like a bad thing, but it's actually really good for killing bacteria and parasites. That seems to be why bee venom has shown promise in studies testing its effectiveness against the parasites that cause malaria and Chagas disease. And a 2017 study showed that in a LAB setting, both whole been venom and melittin obliterates the bacteria that causes Lyme disease — while antibiotics only render the bacteria dormant. Sounds like a winning cure, right? Well, not so fast. Those results can’t be generalized outside of a petri dish. And that’s kind of an important detail; I mean, bleach can kill bacteria in a petri dish. But you do NOT want to put that in your body. And at the end of the day, bee venom is still venom — not a safe, working medicine. A 2015 systematic review of bee venom therapy research found common side effects that were pretty rough, like vomiting, heart palpitations, and paralysis. Actor Gerard Butler went into anaphylactic shock in 2017 after experimenting with the stuff, and in 2018, a Spanish woman was the first reported death from bee venom therapy. Maybe in the future, researchers will be able to come up with new treatments after studying the stuff, but for now? When it comes to alternative remedies, you should Bee cautious.
How Did People Clean Their Teeth in the Olden Days? — https://curiosity.im/2SQeXFQ (Republish) (Ashley)
Our ancestors may have messed around with venom treatments, but that’s not all they experimented with. Have you ever wondered how people cleaned their teeth in the olden days? Well let’s just say dental hygiene has come a long way since the days of wine-soaked toothpicks and urine mouthwash, which were once thought to disinfect mouths and whiten teeth.
As reported by The Conversation, people realized that cleaning teeth and removing decay helped us stay healthy as far back as ancient China and ancient Egypt. Some of the earliest tooth-cleaning artifacts archaeologists have found date back more than 2,500 years, and the bee venom-loving Greek doctor Hippocrates was one of the first to recommend cleaning teeth with toothpaste powder.
Lots of cultures around the world cleaned their teeth with chew sticks made from bark, bone or feathers, and Englishman William Addis had a similar idea in the late 1700s. That’s when he made a toothbrush from bone and animal bristles when he was in prison. And he became the first to sell toothbrushes on a large scale.
Early toothpaste was made from something abrasive, like talc or crushed seashells, mixed with essential oils. And many contained chemicals like ammonia, chlorophyll, and penicillin, to fight the acid-producing bacteria that can cause tooth decay and bad breath.
By the 1900s, children of immigrants to the U.S. were taught oral hygiene as a way to help "Americanize" them and their families. Factories examined and cleaned their workers’ teeth to keep them from missing work due to toothaches.
Daily tooth brushing became more common thanks to World War II, when the American army required soldiers to brush their teeth as part of their daily hygiene practices. The first nylon toothbrush was made in 1938, followed by the electric toothbrush in the 1960s.
Nowadays, there are dozens of different types of tools and potions to help keep your mouth healthy. And we know it’s important to clean your mouth daily, no matter which you choose. Well, maybe stay away from the urine mouthwash.
[ETTITUDE]
CODY: Today’s episode is sponsored by Ettitude. If you want to get the best sleep of your life, you’ve got to try Ettitude sheets.
ASHLEY: Ettitude sheets are hypoallergenic, anti-microbial, and extremely breathable. They’re made from organic bamboo lyocell that recycles 98 percent of the water it uses, so it’s the most sustainable bedding available. That’s why Ettitude stands for “Eco-Attitude.” Ettitude is bedding for the educated, conscious consumer,, made with a non-toxic manufacturing process.
CODY: I’ve been trying to describe Ettitude sheets to my friends, and it’s kinda tough. Because they’re super soft, but they don’t feel like cotton or silk, they just feel… good? I feel like I slide in and out of bed super easily, they don’t catch when I’m making my bed… it’s just smooth sailing. And my wife and I absolutely love them. I legit feel like I’ve been sleeping better lately, and the only thing I’ve really changed is my sheets.
ASHLEY: Why not try Ettitude? These amazing sheets have a 30 day risk-free trial. If you’re not fully satisfied, you can return your sheets for a full refund. They even cover shipping on returns!
CODY: Ettitude sheets--they’re soft as silk, breathable as linen, but at the price of cotton. You’re going to love them! And when you support our sponsors, you support our show. Right now, Curiosity Daily listeners will get 20 percent off their sheet set… and FREE shipping! Just text CURIOUS to 47-47-47.
ASHLEY: The ONLY way to get 20 percent off your set of Ettitude sheets (and FREE shipping) is to text CURIOUS to 47-47-47. That’s C-U-R-I-O-U-S to 4-7-4-7-4-7. Message and data rates may apply.
The Fogg Method Is the 3-Step Technique for Changing Behavior — https://curiosity.im/2SRwwpa (Cody)
Habits can be hard to change. But according to Dr. BJ Fogg, director of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University, you might be able to help you change a behavior in three small steps, using his self-named Fogg Method. It's all about starting small. Here are the three steps:
Step 1 is to get specific. Target a specific goal that you want to accomplish and translate your goal into behaviors you can achieve. Instead of setting a goal to work-out for 30 minutes every day, try taking a 3-minute walk, or even just putting on your running every day. Setting easy habits can result in success that will motivate you to succeed at harder tasks.
Step 2 is to make it easy. The easier the behavior is, the more likely you are to actually do it. But how do you make something easier? According to the Fogg Method you can "consider options for adjusting to the environment, the actor, and the behavior itself." Going back to the exercise example, making your 3-minute walk easier could mean doing it at the same time every day, or listening to a song by your favorite band during the walk. Dr. Fogg believes simplicity changes behavior.
Step 3 is to set a trigger. According to Dr. Fogg, no change happen without a trigger. What will prompt the behavior that you're working into your life? Some triggers are natural, but others you need to design to make work for you. You need the trigger, because willpower alone just won't cut it.
The best way to really get into the Fogg Method seems to be by participating in Dr. Fogg's Tiny Habits program - which is totally free. So if you're serious about getting some new, positive habits in your life, feel free to visit tiny-habits-dot-com — and take that first tiny step.
ASHLEY: And now, let’s recap what we learned today. Today we learned that bee venom therapy has some power to stop Lyme disease, but it’s NOT a sure-fire thing. Buyer bee-ware.
CODY: And that people have been cleaning their teeth for thousands of years, but the first big-time toothbrush salesman didn’t show up until an Englishman spent some time in prison.
ASHLEY: And that you can change your behavior by setting a specific goal, making it easy, and creating a trigger. Tiny changes can lead to big results!
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Stay curious!