How Eating Hot Peppers Could Send You to the Hospital

When it comes to healthy eating, we all known that things like fried food, carbohydrates, and sugar are all bad for our health. They can increase the risk of diabetes, cause cardiovascular problems and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as contribute to significant weight gain – but those aren’t the only bad foods making headlines these days. A 34-year-old man recently made news across the globe after being sent to hospital following a chili pepper eating contest in upstate New York. The culprit? The “Carolina Reaper.”

First cultivated in a Rock Hill, South Carolina greenhouse by Ed Currie, the Carolina Reaper was certified as the world’s hottest chili pepper by the Guinness World Records on August 7th, 2013. But just how hot is it? According to the Scoville scale, a pepperoncini is approximately 1,000 units on the Scoville scale and a jalapeno is approximately 8,000 units, while the Carolina Reaper is said to be more than 2 million units – with some even suggesting they’re as high as 10 million units. Regardless, they’re hotter than the average pepper. 

So what does it actually feel like to eat a Carolina Reaper? Like many peppers, the heat from a Carolina Reaper starts as a slow burn and may even trick you into thinking you’re out of the woods, but it eventually increases into what can only be described as feeling as though your mouth and face are on fire. Saliva production also increases, and the body will also begin to sweat. Following consumption of the pepper, the man began dry heaving almost immediately. He then developed intense neck pain as well as pain in the back of the head, which eventually spread across his entire head – but it didn’t stop there. Over the course of the next couple of days, he would begin to experience thunderclap headaches. A thunderclap headache is a severe headache in which the onset is sudden and where the pain only takes seconds to minutes to reach its maximum capacity. In many cases, a sudden and severe headache is often a sign of a medical emergency – such as a brain aneurysm – and can be fatal. Luckily this was not the case for the man from New York. However, the pain was severe enough to send him to the emergency room. After running a series of tests, the ER staff were able to rule out a brain aneurysm as the cause of the man’s headaches. They did, however, discover that arteries in his head were constricted and cutting off blood flow, and diagnosed him with a condition called Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome – also known as RCVS. Its main symptom? Thunderclap headaches as a result of narrowed arteries; and while it’s a condition that has known to be happen as a result of use of certain medications like decongestants, antidepressants and illicit drug use, doctors had never before seen a case where a chili pepper was the cause of RCVS – until now.

Along with RCVS, hot peppers have also been known to lead to other health problems. In 2016, a San Francisco man was sent to hospital with a 1-inch hole in his esophagus after he’d consumed a paste made out of ghost peppers. A ghost pepper is anywhere from 100 to 400 times hotter than a jalapeno, and 10 times hotter than a habanero pepper. Chili peppers can also lead to or worsen heartburn, ulcers, and can even cause the skin to become inflamed.

The oils from the Carolina Reaper and other hot peppers can be difficult to get off your skin, and sometimes scrubbing your hands with simple hand soap and water won’t always do the drink. Instead, healthcare professionals like Dr. Ali Ghahary recommend washing your hands with dish soap. Unlike the average bar of soap, many dish soaps have oil-dissolving properties. Wiping your hands down with a small amount of rubbing alcohol can also get rid of the chili oil. If you’re looking to relieve your mouth and throat of that burning sensation, keep in mind that capsaicin isn’t soluble in water, so if you do drink a cold glass of water and that burning sensation is still lingering, don’t be surprised. Milk is a better, more effective option.

Remember, if you experience a sudden and severe headache, don’t wait to seek out medical treatment, as it could be a matter of life or death. Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. For information on other types of headaches, including migraines, click here. 

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder, commonly referred to as, simply, Autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that first occurs during childhood, which impacts brain development and causes individuals to have difficulty with social interaction and communication, and is also known for its tendency to cause repetition of specific behavioural patterns. 

Whether it is a child living with autism or an adult, the characteristics are often similar, but may differ in terms of age of onset, severity of symptoms, functioning levels, and challenges with social interaction. In cases where the condition is mild, personality differences may be noticeable, while things like aggression and sometimes even self-injury occur in cases where the autism is more severe. It’s also not uncommon for there to be immune system irregularities, nutritional deficiencies, and gastrointestinal problems. Because of the way in which these symptoms can differ from person to person, treatment for ASD is always specific to the individual. However, despite these weaknesses, patient with autism will also exhibit many strengths such as non-verbal reasoning skills, perceptual motor skills, drawing skills, music skills, and also often have exceptional memory skills.

In Canada, physicians follow a specific criteria to evaluate and diagnose ASD by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). As an example, some of the criterial includes the following: Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests and emotions. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviours used for social interaction, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language, to a lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication, and deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, including difficulties adjusting behavioyr to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers. This is just a small example of the criteria followed. You can find a complete, in-depth copy of the manual by clicking here.

As mentioned, treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder is designed specific to the individual. Because so many other health conditions can develop as a direct result of autism, medications prescribed may include anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, anti-fungals, anti-virals, as well as psychotherapeutic medications. Diet is also often looked at as part of a patient’s treatment plan, which may include following a ketogenic diet, a yeast-free diet, or gluten-free diet. In addition to these standard treatment methods, other therapies such as neurofeedback and sensory integration can help reduce behavioural symptoms associated with autism. 

For more information on Autism Spectrum Disorder, visit the Autism Society of British Columbia’s website at www.autismbc.ca.

National Oral Health Month

When we think of dental hygiene we often consider it to be completely separate from our overall health. However, your oral health is just as important and should be treated as equally as you would with all other aspects of your health – which is why the Canadian Dental Association has designated April as National Oral Health Month.

Having poor oral health can have a negative impact on your health – whether it’s missing or broken teeth, cavities, or other dental-related issues. We all need to have good dental hygiene, and that means a commitment to taking proper care of your teeth by brushing and flossing regularly. This reduces the risk of gum disease as well as prevents tooth decay, and will even leave your teeth looking whiter. Good oral hygiene doesn’t just happen at home, however. You also need to have regular visits with your dentist as well as go for regular cleanings with a hygienist. Patients will often have their teeth examined while they’re at their cleaning appointment. There, your dentist will carefully examine each tooth as well as take a series of x-rays to ensure there aren’t any other issues going on with the teeth – for example, if you need a root canal or if you have gum disease. Signs of gum disease include red, sore or swollen gums, bleeding gums, and bad breath. Your dentist will also be able to check for any signs of oral cancer – something that approximately 3,200 Canadians are diagnosed with each year. Signs of oral cancer include red or white patches in the mouth, small lumps or thickened areas in the mouth, open sores that don’t heal, or numbness and tingling in the mouth. 

In addition to brushing and flossing your teeth regularly, it’s also recommended that you eat a well-balanced diet as well as limit foods and/or beverages that are high in sugar. The less sugar you eat, the more likely you will be to develop a cavity and require a filling. Good nutrition will build strong teeth and help keep your gums healthy. Cutting back on sugar also has other great benefits for your overall health. By decreasing your sugar intake, you also decrease your risk of developing conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

Depending on age, dental hygiene may differ for some. Children, for example, need to be taught the importance of taking care of their teeth – but they also need to be shown how to do that. There are many different ways in which youngsters can be taught – however, it can be a task for some, so it’s important to make it a fun activity that gets them wanting to do it as opposed to them feeling like it’s a chore. You can find some helpful tips, tricks and activities for children here. 

When it comes to seniors, they may be on certain medications that can cause dry mouth or gum problems, so it’s important for seniors to also have regular dental exams. Many seniors also have dentures – either partial or full – or dental implants. These need to be treated as carefully as real teeth would. Just as normal teeth can have a build-up of plaque and tartar, so can dentures, so it’s important to clean them every day – either by using a special dental cleanser like Polident, or by soaking them in a mix of warm water and vinegar. When it comes to dental implants, while they look like a normal tooth, they’re not as strong as real teeth would be – meaning they can break more easily. To avoid breaking or cracking a dental implant, you should avoid foods that are hard and/or crunchy. It’s also important to be gentle when brushing or flossing around an implant.

For more information on National Oral Health month, visit the Canadian Dental Association’s website at www.cda-adc.ca.