And it makes sense that we don't think about them constantly. If we obsessed over the statistics of car accidents every time we got in a car, we'd never go anywhere. We'd never do anything.
So we have to compartmentalize.
And yet, a recent Reddit thread asked users, just for a few moments, to carve out a space in time to recognize all those dangers. It's nothing think about too hard or consistently, but it's worth doing once in awhile.
Redditor ILikeIceCreamSoMuch asked:
"What is far deadlier than most people realize?"
Many people talked about the medicinal products we deem relatively harmless. They may be relatively safe, but that doesn't mean they're totally safe no matter what you do with them.
Keep It In Check
"Tylenol. Its actually a lot easier to overdose on than most people realize, and it slowly destroys your liver over a period of days. Not a fun way to die to put it lightly."
-- Youpunyhumans
Not a Toy
"Visine."
"People seem to have this idea that a few drops of visine in someone's drink will give them diarrhea, and do it to prank each other, or get some sort of satisfaction with petty revenge."
"People are sitting in prison for murder for doing this. The main active ingredient is called tetrahydrozoline. Once it enters your gastrointestinal tract, it can be absorbed by your intestines and end up in your blood, causing your blood pressure and heart rate to drop to potentially life-threatening levels."
"It really makes me wonder how many people have died due to people copycatting that scene in Wedding Crashers."
-- PMmeyourboogers
Not for Your Belly
"Essential oils. Do NOT put them in your food, they are not made to be food safe" -- willowdove01
"Some of them are capable of burning a hole in your esophagus. Why people think they're food safe I'll never know" -- jellybeansean3648
A Surprising Reaction
"Grapefruit in combination with many -- MANY -- prescription drugs. Basically, grapefruit can affect the way your medications work. With some meds, adding grapefruit screws up the way your body metabolizes the drug, so you end up with far more than the prescribed dosage."
"It can also work in the opposite way with other drugs, leaving you with less than the prescribed dosage. This is especially bad if you have high blood pressure or arrhythmia."
-- A-RovinIGo
Other people discussed the internal medical emergencies that might be going on without us even knowing. Often, these come as a result of us downplaying our own needs.
Keep the Legs Moving
"Trucker here. I've had two blood clots in my legs from driving long distances and having my leg pressed against the corner of the seat for hours on end. One almost killed me. Apparently it's very common with truckers. You're supposed to stop and walk around every hour and a half to keep things circulating (which almost nobody does due to time constraints)."
"The same thing happens in gaming chairs apparently - people forget to move their legs because they're so focused on the game. You don't need to worry so much if you're younger, but if you're a gamer who's a little older, please be aware."
-- tjfergusen
So Small, So Important
"Abscessed teeth can kill you." -- my_name_is_bobbi
"I had an abscess at 21 that I didn't get treated until I was 28 due to a fear of the dentist, by that point it was a root canal and an extraction and I now have a section of my jaw missing. Get it early and avoid this sh**." -- nighttimehamster
Not to Be Taken Lightly
"Infections can still mess you up easily if you don't seek medication attention in time" -- Humidhotness68
"I lost my brother a few days ago to this exact thing. Turned septic from an untreated UTI & spent about a week in the hospital, but it was too late by then."
"Infections aren't anything to fu** around with or ignore." -- Aurzyerne
And others shared advice about how to avoid tragic accidents and injuries.
Keep Breathing
"Holding your breath while scuba diving. To most people who don't scuba dive it may sound harmless but if you hold your breath and ascend even a little over a meter you can suffer major lung damage as a result of the gas in your lungs expanding from the lessening pressure."
-- Alone-Monk
Zing
"Touching sh** inside a guitar amp can fu** you up really bad. It holds a charge."
"And it all comes out at once if you touch the wrong spot."
-- Pei-toss
Unseen Until Too Late
"Going for runs on the roads at night without wearing lights or reflectors. Often times people even wear black. They think that just because they can see the car that the car can see them."
"It only takes one accident to change someone's life completely."
-- chubky
But before we consider this list as merely gratuitous and morbid, try to keep these in mind. It might help prevent a disaster some day.
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