Whats the uvula for?

[sfc_hoot]

Don't know if there's any biology experts around here, but this is something that's always been a great medical mystery for me: Does the uvula serve any purpose in the body? From what I can tell, it's just a useless piece of flesh that hangs there and is never used in any kind of process. Now, is that true, or do you think it's there for some kind of reason?

 

[The Dark Elf]

Don't know if there's any biology experts around here, but this is something that's always been a great medical mystery for me: Does the uvula serve any purpose in the body? From what I can tell, it's just a useless piece of flesh that hangs there and is never used in any kind of process. Now, is that true, or do you think it's there for some kind of reason?

http://www.drhull.com/EncyMaster/U/uvula.html

 

[KoreBolteR]

omg some people find them usefull..

for piercings..

http://www.bmezine.com/pierce/11-surface/uvula1.html

above shows uvula's pierced. lol

 

[Brian Damage]

It's for swelling up and almost choking you when you get a throat infection.

 

[Danimal]

It's where the milk comes out :|

 

[CREMATOR666]

It's for your tongue to nibble on

 

[Ranga]

I've just finished a biology unit. Its to prevent water (and sometimes food) from entering into the nasal cavity. it folds down when you inhale through ur nose

 

[sfc_hoot]

Thanks, ranga, that pretty much sums it up. I knew it had to exist for a reason.

Now what's the whole thing with uvula piercing! How are you supposed to swallow or breathe with a huge metal ring hanging up the back of your throat? :x

 

[Danimal]

With alot of skill, sfc_hoot

 

[Raziaar]

Ugh! People pierce those? My god, people will pierce anything.

In the future, we'll hear about people with pierced lungs, pierced hearts, pierced kidneys, or some other such stupid things. lol.

I know that would be most unlikely, but you never know! People are like in competition to pierce things others haven't, it seems. Bleh.

I can imigine shoving a full bodily pierced person into an active cat scan room. You know... that would make for a good murder in a book or something! heh, but doubt it'd kill somebody. Just be very painful or life threatening from blood loss.

 

[xLostx]

I think i'll pierce my hair

 

[Shippi]

How would someone pierce the uvula..? I must admit it does looks kinda cool but definately not something I'd do, lol

eyelid piercings are the worst.. :x I'm sure I've seen pics of those somewhere..

 

[Fat Tony!]

People like that need to have their belly pierced.......with a metre long spear

 

[SupremePain]

eyelid piercings are the worst.. :x I'm sure I've seen pics of those somewhere..

mother****er. :O :| :| :O

that might just be the most retarded thing a human being ever could do.

 

[Shippi]

mother****er. :O :| :| :O

that might just be the most retarded thing a human being ever could do.

yeah... found some info on it:
*warning* there are pictures of the procedure.. but they're not too bad

how can that not damage the eye? it's like that eyeball jewellery you can get..

 

[Dinkleberry]

From that site:

BME: How did the healing go?


NICK: I kept in good contact with Ty for several days afterwards to monitor him. He said it didn’t really bother him all that much — only when he woke in the morning did it irritate him. He took care of it like you would any other piercing, and soaked it in warm saline solution several times a day.

He still had it in about twenty days later, when, after a night of drinking, he stumbled and fell, and kind of caught it on a nail in a doorway! It was still in, but bleeding and had torn a little. I was there and told him it should probably come out. He wanted to try to leave it in, but after about three more days he took it out... I believe there was a very good chance it may have healed, but his was too damaged from the fall. I may do it again some day. I do still enjoy the fact though that as far as I know, I was the second piercer ever to pierce an eyelid.

 

[Raziaar]

yeah... found some info on it:
*warning* there are pictures of the procedure.. but they're not too bad

how can that not damage the eye? it's like that eyeball jewellery you can get..

Haha, the first guy in that page is wearing SO much makeup!

 

[Steve]

Ugh! People pierce those? My god, people will pierce anything.

In the future, we'll hear about people with pierced lungs, pierced hearts, pierced kidneys, or some other such stupid things. lol.

I know that would be most unlikely, but you never know! People are like in competition to pierce things others haven't, it seems. Bleh.

I can imigine shoving a full bodily pierced person into an active cat scan room. You know... that would make for a good murder in a book or something! heh, but doubt it'd kill somebody. Just be very painful or life threatening from blood loss.

CAT scan room? Naw, dude. One word: electromagnet.

 

[Ames]

CAT scan room? Naw, dude. One word: electromagnet.

I think Raz meant MRI. Those are the magnets. CAT scan is only X-rays.

 

[Steve]

I think Raz meant MRI. Those are the magnets. CAT scan is only X-rays.

Yeah, that makes more sense. But do the magnets in an MRI actually PULL?

 

[TinyKilbasa]

I remember reading somwhere about a procedure that either tattoos or inlays jewelry directly onto your eyeball. They showed a picture of an eye with a light tan stay on the side of it.....I would think this would be very ittitating to the eyeball. Wired?

 

[Raziaar]

I think Raz meant MRI. Those are the magnets. CAT scan is only X-rays.

Err, yeah thats what I meant. They look kinda the same :-P

And I believe they do pull. Heh, can't bring ANY metals into the room apparently.

 

[Steve]

Err, yeah thats what I meant. They look kinda the same :-P

And I believe they do pull. Heh, can't bring ANY metals into the room apparently.

Yep...sounds like something Hitchcock might have taken advantage of...oooh...can you imagine?

 

[Raziaar]

Damn. Serious stuff ;(

http://www.personalmd.com/news/n0928062615.shtml

In June, a 6-year old cancer patient at a hospital in New York died after an MRI's massive magnet turned an oxygen tank into a ballistic missile, shattering the child's skull.

 

[Steve]

Not to make light of that...that's terrible...but isn't that an incorrect use of the term "ballistic missle"?

 

[Raziaar]

Not to make light of that...that's terrible...but isn't that an incorrect use of the term "ballistic missle"?

Kind of, and kind of not. Ballistic's of course involves trajectories, and missile can be anything that flies through the air. Ballistic missile is usually a self propelled or guided missile weapon that is directed towards its ascent, then free falls the rest of the way. So technically, its an incorrect term, as it does not 'free fall', but it's certainly a guided missile because the magnet is guiding it exactly where it needed to go.

 

[Danimal]

Wow, this thread has gone SO off-topic :|

 

[Raziaar]

Wow, this thread has gone SO off-topic :|

Then lets get it back on topic. So. Do you think people will pierce their teeth some day? Heh. Get a hole drilled through it, with a ring put through? That would be so funny looking! haha.

EDIT: Oh, guess piercing wasn't the original topic. LOL. My bad.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

it's used for oral pleasure

 

[Danimal]

Owned.

 

[JunkieXL]

Then lets get it back on topic. So. Do you think people will pierce their teeth some day? Heh. Get a hole drilled through it, with a ring put through? That would be so funny looking! haha.

EDIT: Oh, guess piercing wasn't the original topic. LOL. My bad.

Already been done