Doctor claims stinky farts can make people go blind

Jan 21 2022

So, there might be a reason why some farts are called silent but deadly as according to one doctor, really stinky farts can, theoretically, temporarily blind you. Dr Anthony Youn, who is a holistic plastic surgeon from Michigan, was responding to a comment by someone who claimed to have gone blind for three minutes after farting.

Despite happening in very, very extreme cases, it turns out there could be a reason for the sight loss. The medical professional explained the science behind the phenomenon. In a video, Youn said that although it is very unlikely, ‘if the gas you pass is extremely pungent, it could contain large amounts of hydrogen sulphide.’ This chemical is very effective at reducing blood pressure.

‘If a fart reduces blood pressure to the central retinal artery, your silent but deadly toot could theoretically make you go blind.’ The clip garnered a whopping 3.1 million views on social media platform TikTok. Some people were utterly surprised by the revelation, but some seemed already experienced in this occurrence.

This follows a former reality star being rushed to hospital for farting too much after she made $200,000 farting in jars, prompting her to announce her retirement.

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Photo Source: Jam Press

Man who witnessed Dembska murder thought Abner was doing push-ups

Abner Aquilina follows court case via video link due to being quarantined

Jan 21 2022

The beginning of the compilation of evidence against Abner Aquilina for the murder and rape of Paulina Dembska kicked off today.

However, the suspect followed the court case via a video link due to being placed in quarantine and thus not being able to present in court. The 20-year-old from Żejtun denies attacking and killing Dembska, 29, at Independence Gardens on January 2nd.

As the court case went on, it was revealed that a man is believed to have witnessed the rape of Paulina, but thought he saw a man doing push-ups. The man was allegedly walking early on in the morning when he saw a man who he assumed was doing push-ups.

He then saw a pair of woman’s legs beneath him, noticing as well that the man had his trousers down. No sounds were being made by either person, with the man himself listening to the rosary on RTK and thus couldn’t hear very well.

Further details also emerged, revealing that he followed two men prior to murdering Dembska, placing a key between his knuckles when approaching them and that he related to the main character of ‘A Clockwork Orange.’

When asked about how he killed Dembska, Aquilina made noises and pointed towards his knees and the bottom of his shoe. He also claimed that he didn’t ‘want to hurt [Dembska] that much.’

During the interrogation, Aquilina stated that he heard voices from the devil on the night of the murder. He was later found in the Balluta church causing a commotion. Investigations had stopped after Aquilina was admitted to Mount Carmel.

According to court reporting, Aquilina’s quarantine was confirmed today at around 10:23 am, with Abner joining via the link a few minutes before. The case is ongoing with new details emerging.

The case is set to continue on February 4th, with the magistrate checking the medical certificate and stating that Abner is due to be out of quarantine on January 27th. The next date will b Friday February 4th.

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Photo Source: Kamra tal-Periti

Petition launched calling for standing weddings

Jan 21 2022

A petition was launched appealing for the Maltese government and health authorities to review the current COVID-19 regulations which concern weddings.

At present, weddings can only take place if guests are all seated, but a petition by Danielle Scerri seeks to change all this. She said that the rules are unfair for couples as they are having to spend more money for an un-ideal wedding.

She stated that while restaurants and other establishments have been given the freedom to accommodate more people and events during the pandemic, the regulations on weddings have remained unchanged for a long period of time.

Scerri appealed to have more feasible options to allow non-seated weddings, such as the use of PCR tests for the unvaccinated. She said that having seated weddings does not guarantee an exemption for virus infection.

The petition on change.org is aiming to reach 2,500 signatures, and it has currently amassed around 2,380 signatures as of time of writing.

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No amount of alcohol is good for the heart says report – but critics disagree

Jan 21 2022

The World Heart Federation released a policy brief on Thursday stating, in a rather bold move, that no amount of alcohol is good for the heart.

‘At the World Heart Federation, we decided that it was imperative that we speak up about alcohol and the damages to health as well as the social and economic harms, because there is an impression in the population in general, and even among health care professionals, that it is good for the heart’ said Beatriz Champagne, chair of the advocacy committee that produced the report.

Champagne continued on to say that alcohol is not good for the heart, and that ‘evidence has increasingly shown that there is no level of alcohol consumption that is safe for health.’

The comments and report were met by swift criticism, disputing the federation’s stance. Many critics stated that studies which show a small benefit to some heart conditions were being ignored.

David Spiegelhalter, a Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, stated that one study of the risks of alcohol was extensively used in the WHF brief, but was seriously misrepresented and selectively reported.

Another professor, Emmanuela Gakidou, said that ‘given the WHF report references this paper, it is really odd that their conclusion is that no amount of alcohol is good for the heart.’

In response, Champagne sent CNN a statement, replying that while they stand by their key messages, ‘it is helpful to know that the wording of parts of the policy brief can give rise to misunderstandings.’

However, studies which show a ‘significant cardio-protective effect of alcohol consumption’ have been by-and-large inconsistent, observational, funded by the alcohol industry and/or not subject to randomised control.

Furthermore, any ‘potential cardio-protective effect is negated by the well-documented risks and harms, rendering our judgement that no amount of consumption can be considered good for heart health’

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Photo Source: Harvard Health, The Telegraph