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Redheads and Pain


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Redheads and Pain
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2008-03-11, 22:25

I had some dermatological work done today that required stitches and it's beginning to hurt like a mother now. Interestingly, during the procedures, my doctor told me that in his experience redheads often require more painkiller because we metabolize it at a higher rate than other people. I remembered that statement and decided to google it tonight. What I've found is a mishmash of conflicting studies (unsurprising) that say that we suffer more pain and need more anesthesia, that painkillers work best on redheads, that we have a higher threshold of pain than other people.

So, I don't know what to think.

Anyway, oweee.

Steve Jobs ate my cat's watermelon.
Captain Drew on Twitter
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2008-03-11, 22:34

Lower pain threshold, higher pain tolerance is my experience. We feel pain more quickly (hyperactive nerve endings), but can handle a shit load more pain than average (less active central pain sensing/hyperactive centralized pain management, take your pick). Local anesthetics are *really* damned effective due to hyperactive nerve endings sucking them up rapidly, so we need less of those, but anything affecting the central nervous system we need metric buttloads of to do anything, and general anesthesia gets a little tricky.

So basically we're really tough whiners with a predilection for alcoholism.

Which pretty much explains Irish and Scots in one sentence.
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2008-03-11, 22:51

silly fire-crotches...
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SKMDC
superkaratemonkeydeathcar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: chicago
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2008-03-11, 23:01

I once dated a red-head who couldn't.....let's just say, have a "happy ending" unless pain was involved. So I guess she is in the boat with Kickaha.
It was all quite bizarre.

"What's a Canadian farm boy to do?"
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2008-03-11, 23:06

Leading theory is that it has to do with our coloration. The melanin that redheads have is a different chemical compound than everyone else, from the lightest Nordic to the darkest Namibian. Redheads have phaeomelanin, everyone else has eumelanin.

Melanin production is linked to some nervous system activity, although I couldn't tell you exactly what. So the thought is the differing melanin causes slight differences in how pain is perceived and managed.

As a side-effect, while eumelanin is broken down by UV-B to produce carcinogens while UV-A causes tanning, phaeomelanin is broken down by UV-B *and* UV-A, so sunblocks that don't block both leave us screwed.

SKMDC: Naw, we're all just kinky freaks.
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2008-03-11, 23:15

Quote:
Originally Posted by SKMDC View Post
I once dated a red-head who couldn't.....let's just say, have a "happy ending" unless pain was involved. So I guess she is in the boat with Kickaha.
It was all quite bizarre.
like......a donkey punch?
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joveblue
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
 
2008-03-12, 04:11

Apparently we're also more sensitive to heat and cold.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2008-03-12, 04:31

Interesting comments Kick~

While skimming some of the articles I read of one redhead discussing how at some point alcohol actually made them wake up instead of going to sleep which reminded me of what a hot red headed south african girl told me at a party once regarding a study she was involved in related to drug and alcohol addicts.

She described how, at the time your liver fully finishes metabolizing a load of alcohol, a load of adrenaline is dumped into the bloodstream causing you to wake up. She referred to it as an 'adrenaline dump' (the only reference I've found to this is something called Tachyphyschia on Wikipedia and I'm not sure that it's the same event).

I don't know if she meant that this event was common for redheads, but it tends to happen to me most anytime I have alcohol. Note how early this post is? I had two beers last night.

Steve Jobs ate my cat's watermelon.
Captain Drew on Twitter
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joveblue
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
 
2008-03-12, 06:17

When I go to bed a bit intoxicated my mind seems to go at 100km/h... If I'm lying still physically, I'm certainly not lying still in my head. This depends on a few factors such as how tired I am, how long it is since I've had a drink, how much I've drunk, etc. But yeah, the 'passing out' thing doesn't seem to apply to me. Nor the hangover thing
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2008-03-12, 08:59

Same on both counts here - one drink winds me down. Two winds me up. Three, I've got a lampshade on my head. Nine, I'm the last man standing, still coherent, and calling cabs for everyone else. Next morning, I'm the guy everyone else hates.

Ditto on the heat and cold, although I handle cold much better than I do heat.
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murbot
Hoonigan
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2008-03-12, 09:50

Quote:
Originally Posted by SKMDC View Post
I once dated a red-head who couldn't.....let's just say, have a "happy ending" unless pain was involved. So I guess she is in the boat with Kickaha.
It was all quite bizarre.
They *are* weird. I had one who couldn't have a happy ending unless she was face down on the bed and I did my clam digging from the backseat.
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murbot
Hoonigan
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2008-03-12, 09:51

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha View Post
So basically we're really tough whiners with a predilection for alcoholism.

Which pretty much explains Irish and Scots in one sentence.
Oh my god that is classic.

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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2008-03-12, 14:33

Hey, do any of you other redheads find that you have "staying power" (if you know what I mean)?
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Bryson
Rocket Surgeon
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
 
2008-03-12, 14:34

Subtle.
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murbot
Hoonigan
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2008-03-12, 14:37

That's not staying power, that's retarded ejaculation. Or in laymans terms, "beer dick".
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2008-03-12, 14:43

Ha! It's related to the same central nervous issue that means we need more general anesthetic - the *ahem* 'trigger' due to increased pulse and respiration isn't as sensitive, so it takes more input to set off.

Neener.
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2008-03-12, 15:06

Someone sticky (no pun intended) this thread immediately.

There's a perfect solution btw to redheads who want some type of pain or anger or whatever for their happy endings (redheads are all kinky, dirty little monkey-girls who like to squeal with delight AFAICT). [carl]"Bark like a dog; I will teach you the meaning of "respect".[/carl]

Anyway, for the demanding red-head, a little game we used to (in college) call "rodeo" might help. For the uninitiated, when you're uh... riding your redhead and approaching critical mass, wrap your arms around her (nipple pinches optional) and call out another woman's name at the key moment. Then see how long you can hold on without being thrown to the floor. It might piss her off so much, she has a double moment of happy ending, you never know.

...into the light of a dark black night.
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