Health Wanted: Sterilization

The Episode

In a post-Roe world, more people are opting for a more permanent form of birth control, but their access might be limited by rules intended to prevent us from repeating violations of the past. This week on Health Wanted, we’re taking a look at the history of sterilization, and how well-intentioned laws can end up hurting people they meant to protect.

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The Listener Questions

Can dogs pass ringworm to humans? What treatments are prescribed to humans to treat ringworm?

Humans can absolutely get ringworm from their pets. 

Ringworm is a bit of a misnomer, because it’s actually a fungal infection. It creates a round rash with a clear center, which can look like worms under the skin (but it’s not). It’s spread through contact with infected skin or surfaces and is the same family of fungus that causes things like athlete’s foot and jock itch.

So if you are petting an animal that has ringworm (or letting them on the couch or the bed), you can definitely get infected too. It’s not like parasitic infections that often require fecal/oral transmission. People with a weakened immune system are most at risk for ringworm infections, though anyone can get them.

When it comes to treatment, there are a number of non-prescription, over the counter, anti-fungal creams that people can use. It can take several weeks to fully clear. Depending on where your infection is, how severe it is, and how long it’s taking to clear, your doctor might prescribe oral anti-fungals to help speed the healing process along.

Be careful if you get a ring-like rash and try to get it properly diagnosed. While it might seem like it makes sense to reach for any old anti-itch cream or ointment, those that contain steroids, like cortisone, can actually make ringworm infection worse and should not be used.

Is there actually a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap to some people?

There is not as strong of evidence as you might think for a gene that makes cilantro taste soapy to certain people. There were two, not necessarily definitive, studies on the subject over 10 years ago.

One study was done by people at the genetic testing site 23andMe. It essentially consisted of asking a bunch of people how they feel about cilantro and then checking to see if there was a genetic difference between the two groups. They found a variation in a gene associated with the ability to smell aldehydes, which can smell soapy, in people who don’t like cilantro. However, this only showed up in people of European descent, not everyone who had the gene hated cilantro, and some people who hated cilantro didn’t have the gene.

Another study of twins found some additional, possible, genetic variations that could impact cilantro’s taste.

So there might be some people for whom the basis is genetics, but it’s not so strong that it’s unchangeable. For other people…they might just not like cilantro but enjoy the sense of kinship the idea of genetic predisposition gives them.

Do noise-cancelling headphones cause hearing damage?

Noise-cancelling headphones can actually be helpful when it comes to preventing hearing loss.

I’m going to assume we are talking about headphones with active noise cancellation, and not passive noise cancellation, which are headphones that just make a tight seal to the ear to prevent other sounds from getting in. 

Active noise cancelling headphones have a little external mic that picks up ambient noises like the hum of an HVAC, construction on the street, or dogs barking. When it senses a soundwave, it creates a soundwave of equal amplitude (height of the waves) but opposite phase (rhythm of the waves), and this soundwave cancels out the other sound wave, making it quieter in the headphones.

The way we experience hearing loss or damage from sound is when that sound is really loud. The increase in volume causes the amplitude of the waves to be taller, which transfers more energy and particles into our sensitive ear hairs, which connect to the nerves that send sound signals to the brain. When those hair get battered by large soundwaves, they can get damaged or break, and that’s what causes hearing loss.

The waves you’re experiencing from noise cancellation don't transmit that sort of energy, and they are much smaller. The reduction in other noises means that you can keep the volume of your music much lower, which reduces the risk of damage that comes with cranking the sound up to overcome a noisy environment.

There is some concern that constantly wearing noise cancelling headphones can cause people to be more sensitive to regular sounds when they take the headphones off, but more research would be needed to confirm that.

Overall, it’s important to make sure you keep what you are actually listening to at a reasonable volume and take breaks from your headphones from time to time.

Catch all the listener questions and Laurel’s answers on the full episode of Health Wanted by:

• Streaming at wabe.org or the WABE app
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