Patricia Holden MD|

I was reorganizing and redesigning my daughter’s room this weekend when I found a widow spider in one of the boxes that were left in her room. My daughter, scared of insects, held on to me while I tried to capture the spider and throw it outside. Anyway, if you read my earlier post, you would know that widow spiders are venomous so I tried to avoid hurting it in fear of being bitten. Good thing it was pretty small so I had a rather easy time putting it in a small plastic bag.

They can be quite scary, even with their size. You might have seen people scramble just to kill one cockroach, or a spider. Now imagine some of them being as large as your palm. Here are 7 of the largest insects and spiders that still exists.

Giant Burrowing Cockroach - These can be found in Australia. They can reach up to 3 inches in length and weigh 35 g. They don’t have wings and they usually feed on leaves. They can also burrow 1 meter below the ground and set up a home of their own. Some people actually keep them as pets.

Giant Cockroach - These can be found in Panama and Northern South America. Their length can reach up to 3.5 inches but not as heavy as the giant burrowing cockroach.

Goliath Bird Eater - The largest spider in the world and can be found in Northern South America. It got its name when explorers found one eating a humming bird. They can reach up to 1 ft and can weigh up to over 100 grams. The females generally have a longer life span than the males. They feed mostly on smaller insects, mice, lizards, and amphibians.

Giant Indian Black Scorpion - The currently known largest scorpion. Like it’s namesake, it can be found in India. It can reach to almost 1 ft in length and can weigh to as much as 57 grams.

Amazonian Giant Centipede - Can be found in North and West South America, these can reach up to 13 inches in length. They are known to prey on bats, lizards, birds, and mice. Their venom can cause chills, fever, and sever swelling on humans but is unlikely to be fatal.

Titan Beetle - One of the largest insects in the world and can be found in South America. They can reach a length of up to 6.5 inches or 8 inches with the antenna. They are reported to be able to snap pencils in half using their mandibles.

Stick Insect - The largest known stick insect according to body length is the Phobaeticus kirbyi, which can be found in Borneo. It’s body reaches up to 13 inches but when extended, it can reach up to 21 inches in length. The longest when extended is the Pharnacia serratipes, which can reach a length of 555 mm or 21.9 inches.

BONUS

I just read an article about a beetle that had survived a a two-week journey from Britain to Costa Rica. The Elephant Beetle had a length of around 5 inches (smaller than the titan beetle) and weighed around 35 grams. Read the article here.

Dreams are not just random thoughts and images that appear in our mind when we sleep. More often than not, they are a reflection of what we feel about what goes on in our daily lives. As I mentioned in my last post, dreams usually occur during Rapid Eye Movement sleep but it also occurs during non-REM sleep. The latter is usually forgotten after waking up. Dreams have been a subject of interest for many years and is still not fully understood. Here are some of the more common dreams and how they are interpreted (non-scientific really, but still interesting nonetheless).

Running Dreams - It depends on the situation that occurs during the dream. If you are trying to run after someone or something (but in vain), it could mean that you are hopelessly chasing after a particular goal.On the other hand, if you are running away from someone or something, it usually means that you are trying to avoid someone, something, or a particular issue. Or you could have been watching too many horror movies.

Falling Dreams - Dreams of this type usually appear when you are insecure of something or when you need support (emotional) but there’s no one to give it. The dream reflects your emotions by putting you in a scenario where you are falling through a bottomless pit or a tall building. That, or you may have just fallen out of bed. You would know soon enough.

Recurring Dreams - Ever had a dream that seems to reappear day after day? Like 3 days or more? Dreams that reappear for more than a few days could indicate that a particular issue or problem is not being addressed. In my experience, I had a running dream that happened for 4 days. Apparently it was a social issue that I had to take care of and it didn’t reappear after facing the particular problem.

Do take into consideration that these are merely interpretations. People are different and as such, our thoughts could also differ. What works for one may not for another person.

Have you ever had that experience where you suddenly woke up and found yourself somewhere out of bed and with your family members looking at you with that puzzled look on their faces? And no, you’re not drunk. Or how about a time when you woke up and you can’t move a limb no matter how hard you tried? Those are actually sleeping disorders and some can be terrifying. Let me show you a list of some sleeping disorders that you should know about.

Sleepwalking (Somnambulism) - In reality, sleepwalking is not the same as what is portrayed in cartoons or TV shows (arms extended to the front, closed eyes, etc…). When a person sleepwalks, his/her eyes are open for navigation as though he or she were awake. However, they will rarely respond to questions when asked. Sleepwalkers pose a danger to themselves as well as others - especially when a weapon or dangerous object is around. There have been cases of murder where sleepwalking has been used for defense.

To properly deal with a sleepwalker, lead the person back to bed and watch if he or she will try to stand back up again. If the person does, the person may still be thinking that a certain task was left unfinished so it is a good thing to observe his or her actions then either help them with the task or convince them that it was already finished. Alternatively, you may try waking the person up and prepare to deal with a bad mood later (just kidding).

Sleep-talking (Somniloquy) - A lot of people talk in their sleep. Although it is very common in children, some people tend to carry the disorder until adulthood. It has also been reported to run in families. Unlike sleepwalking, the disorder is unlikely to cause accidents. It can wake up other people since it ranges from whispers to loud voices. One way to prevent it is to wear a mouth guard.

Sleep Paralysis - Have you ever experienced waking up only to find that you are unable to move a muscle? Then you hear whispers, voices, and other sounds that don’t seem to make sense? Well, I have. That is actually sleep paralysis. In earlier times, it was believed that a demon was visiting whenever it happened. What possibly causes it is the paralysis that usually occurs during Rapid-Eye-Movement sleep. The brain causes the body to become paralyzed during that particular stage of sleep to prevent possible injury while dreaming (which happens during REM). When the person suddenly awakens, the brain may still think otherwise and does not release the paralysis. This can also be accompanied by hallucinations wherein the person feels that someone is talking to them or is watching them in the area. The result of the combination could cause the person to think that he or she is being threatened or attacked and would panic.

While we’re in the topic of sleep, I may continue this by posting something about dreams and nightmares later.

During earlier times, medicine was not as advanced as it is today. So when a plague suddenly hits, you can imagine how much the death toll could have been. Still, there are diseases that still have no cure and one isn’t always available when a new epidemic hits. Here are three disease outbreaks that not too many people have heard of.

Black Death - It happened around 1330 in Central Asia. A disease where the victim experiences fever and a painful swelling of the lymph glands called buboes. That is how it got its name - the bubonic plague. It spread towards Europe where the disease killed 25 million people, one-third of Europe’s population, in only a few years. What’s worse is that the disease only disappeared around the 1666 with England’s population dropping to around 6% at before that time.

The Sweat - Also known as Sweating Sickness or English sweate. It was a highly virulent disease that killed people within hours and the cause is still unknown. Apparently, it only appeared as a series of epidemics (1485 - 1551) from England and then later, Europe. The symptoms, according to Physician John Caius, are cold shivers, headaches, severe pains in the neck, and exhaustion. After that stage, sweating breaks out accompanied by palpitating, extreme thirst, and delirium. A feeling of unbearable sleepiness afterwards result in the death of the victim.

Yellow Fever - Yellow Fever has been a source of different epidemics since the late 17th century. Several states in the US have experienced outbreaks of the disease causing deaths by a few thousand. Yellow Fever is an acute viral disease that causes vomiting, constipation, bleeding, and fever. On the third day of the disease, internal hemorrhage may occur. There is still no cure for the disease but vaccination would help prevent it. Aside from that, each symptom would be treated separately in case one gets infected.

As a mother, I have a lot of values I’d like to instill in my seven-year-old daughter. Discipline, honesty, and respect among other things. As a doctor, I’m often too busy with work that I don’t have the amount of time that other mothers spend for their kids. Even during weekends, the hospital could suddenly call for me when in need. So, with that situation, I try to do some things that could help in her upbringing. Let me share some of it with you.

Be a role model - As a woman, I try to set myself as a good example for my daughter. Whenever I commit to something, I always follow through. Whenever I talk to people, I show respect no matter the differences in our opinions. The important thing to remember though, is not to break your word or show anything that contradicts what you say. Kids do notice and would defeat the purpose of what you are trying to teach them.

Share experiences - Children are very curious. Whenever they see something that they have never encountered - like a certain situation, they will certainly ask about it. It is then your chance to tell them of your experience about that same situation. For example, my husband and I once brought our daughter to The Strip in Vegas. She was curious why there are a lot of loud and drunk people everywhere. I told her what the place was and why she should avoid those people, of course. And then I proceeded with telling her a bad experience that I had about it.

Monitor her TV and computer usage - Especially if you are connected to the Internet. There are a lot of things you wouldn’t want her to see during her tender years. The more odd stuff she learns, the less focus she will have in learning the values you are trying to teach. Worse, she may learn bad stuff that will have to be “unlearned”. Try to have her watch educational TV shows and have her play kiddie programs from the computer to maximize the use of these media.

Encourage her to share with others - Kids are egocentric. That is, they mostly value themselves before others. I try to have her share with other kids her age by giving her things like cookies and other sweets. Hopefully, the habit sticks and through that, she would learn kindness and compassion for others.

Praise her for good things that she accomplished - Especially those related to the above. Praise for me is more important than punishment. However, punishment also serves as a good way of conditioning in some cases. By praising her whenever she does good things (and giving a reward, sometimes - not too much as she will be expecting it in the future), it will motivate her to do more and would hopefully contribute to my success in bringing her up.

Well, these are just some of what I can remember at the moment and what I often do. How about you? I’d love it if you shared yours.

So what’s the worst thing that could happen due to fear? A lot. You could experience heart failure due to excessive fear or worse - you may be driven to commit suicide. Here are some stories of people dying due to excessive fear.

Heart Attack - Scientists from Germany have discovered that heart attacks due to excessive fear do happen, making the phrase “The fear made my blood curdle” literally possible. According to them, they found out that anxiety and panic attacks increase blood clotting which may lead to a thrombosis or hear attack Read the article here.

Suicide due to fear of revenge - A jeweler committed suicide out of fear of a convict already in prison. Edward Lapierre, had an encounter with two professional thieves when the latter attempted to rob his store. In the exchange of gunfire, one of the cracksmen was fatally wounded. Read the article here.

Suicide due to insanity from excessive fear - A woman who was driven to madness out of excruciating pain and unwilling to be parted from her daughter committed suicide by turning on four gas jets and lay down silently to die. Mrs. Cora Levis Torgette took her daughter along with her when she committed the horrible act. Read the article here.

After posting about ways on how to deal with fear, let us look at some of the facts and myths. You may have heard people saying that fear helped them go through a particular situation. Is fear really a good thing? Let’s find out.

“Fear makes you stronger” - Fear arises from the existence of a perceived threat. In that particular situation, the adrenal glands secrete epinephrine (adrenaline) into the blood, causing an increase of oxygen and glucose to the brain and muscles. At the same time, it decreases the functionality of other bodily processes that are not directly related to the fight-or-flight response. The drawback is that it only lasts for a short time.and you feel a lot of stress afterwards.

“Fear allows you to judge better” - Although some people would claim that fear allows them to make better judgments, what actually happens is that your mind focuses only on the object or situation that you fear and gives you less options to choose from. In effect, it allows you to decide faster but the options that you missed may have been far more suitable than the one that you picked.

“Fear allows you to perform better” - It actually depends on the situation. Often times you will hear people say that their fear allowed them to react better to situations when fear was present. However, the reason for that is related to the fight-or-flight response (see above). This is not always the case. Since fear also hampers your judgment, decisions that could have helped you perform better during the situation may have been left out.

My last post was about some of the most ridiculous fears that were observed from people. Although, most of us would think of them as funny, there are people who actually do experience them. So, how does one go around dealing with fear? First, we’ll have to define what fear is. Fear is an emotional response to something that we perceive as a threat. It’s a survival mechanism that triggers to a negative stimulus. It is often related to a bad experience from the past. With that said, let’s proceed with some steps on how to deal with a specific fear.

Identify - Although usually, the first step seems to be the hardest, for this one it’s pretty easy. Like any problem, the first step in finding a solution is to identify the problem and its causes. For example, ask yourself, “What is it that I fear and why?”

Understand the cause of your fear - Humans fear that which they don’t understand. For example: You are afraid of spiders. What is it about spiders that you fear? It’s bite? Do some research about spiders and you will find that not all spiders are deadly. Also, the deadly ones would only bite when threatened.

Face it - Look at pictures or imagine the situation that you fear. Make sure to maintain the image for as long as you can. Also, remember to breath properly. You will experience things like rapid breathing and heightened pulse rate. Focus on calming yourself. Afterwards put yourself in that situation or look at the actual object. Then do the same. Imagine the worst that could happen and conquer it. What are the chances of the worst happening, anyway?

Phobia is an irrational fear of an object or situation. Irrational, meaning, there is no reason for the fear. Here are some of the most ridiculous phobias that I’ve heard.

Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing.
Acerophobia- Fear of sourness.
Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens.
Alliumphobia- Fear of garlic.
Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinions.
Amathophobia- Fear of dust.
Anthrophobia or Anthophobia- Fear of flowers.
Asymmetriphobia- Fear of asymmetrical things.
Automysophobia- Fear of being dirty.
Bromidrosiphobia or Bromidrophobia- Fear of body smells.
Chronophobia- Fear of time.
Consecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticks.
Dendrophobia- Fear of trees.
Dutchphobia- Fear of the Dutch.
Francophobia- Fear of France or French culture.
Geumaphobia or Geumophobia- Fear of taste.
Hypnophobia- Fear of sleep or of being hypnotized.
Iatrophobia- Fear of going to the doctor or of doctors.
Ithyphallophobia- Fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis.
Japanophobia- Fear of Japanese.
Judeophobia- Fear of Jews.
Kathisophobia- Fear of sitting down.
Numerophobia- Fear of numbers.
Oneirophobia- Fear of dreams.
Oneirogmophobia- Fear of wet dreams.
Optophobia- Fear of opening one’s eyes.
Osmophobia or Osphresiophobia- Fear of smells or odors.
Papyrophobia- Fear of paper.
Panophobia or Pantophobia- Fear of everything.
Sophophobia- Fear of learning.

Ridiculous, right? What’s there to fear from taste, odor, or even opening your eyes? I just don’t understand what goes on in people’s minds. But like any fear, these can be overcome with therapy.

A lot of people find insects amusing and beautiful, especially young boys. However, even with their small size, some can be fatal to large animals and even humans. Here are my top 5 most dangerous insects in the world.

5. Tsetse Fly - A large biting fly fom Africa that feeds on the blood of vertebrate animals. They are known to cause Sleeping Sickness in humans and Nagana in cattle. Sleeping sickness is a parasitic disease in people and animals that is caused by Trypanosoma, a protozoa transmitted by the tsetse fly. The symptoms for sleeping sickness begin with fever and headache then a swell on the back of the neck. Afterwards, the victim may experience daytime slumber and insomnia. It could lead to death afterwards.

4. Africanized Bees - Also called killer bees, are descendants of 26 Tanzanian queen bees that bred with other species after they were accidentally released from a hive in Brazil. What makes the bees deadly is their defensive nature and tendency to swarm. Also, they tend to follow victims even when already far from the hive. This aggressiveness when attacking potential threats ensure a very painful death for the victim. The venom that they secrete, however, is just as potent as a honey bee’s.

3. Deathstalker - A species of scorpion that is highly dangerous because of its venom. The venom is actually a powerful mixture of neurotoxins. Although, the poison would not kill a healthy adult, it could be fatal to kids and the elderly. Ironically, a component of the venom (peptide chlorotoxin) has the potential to cure human brain tumors while the other toxins may help against diabetes.

2. Black Widow - One of the most well-known spiders, especially because its venom could be fatal to humans. The venom is said to be more potent than that of rattlesnakes, however, their size and the amount secreted reduce its effectiveness. Both male and female have an hourglass shaped marking underneath their abdomen. The females are relatively larger than the males and contrary to popular belief, the females rarely eat the males after mating.

1. Anopheles Mosquitoes - Deemed the most dangerous creature on Earth. This mosquito causes more than 300 million cases of malaria annually, which results in between 1 to 3 million deaths. They can also carry dengue, elephantiasis, and yellow fever. They are usually active during the nightime so one way to protect yourself is to apply insect-repellents and wear longer sleeves.