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Atkinson
Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Location: Land of the Golden Twist-tie
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 Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:12 am Post subject: Saliva is poison |
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There was a stand-up comedian about 15 years ago who informed his audience that the American Medical Association had just announced that saliva causes cancer. It took them a few seconds to get it (the joke, not cancer  ).
Today, one of my classes (13-year-olds) tried collectively to convince me that saliva is poinsonous. I asked one of the Korean teachers what that was all about. She said it was true. But kissing was an exception (phew!). She acknowledged it didn't make much sense, and discussed it with a couple other Korean teachers. She said it probably wasn't true at all, but that Koreans at large believe it.
Anyone else come across this belief, or know the underlying reason behind it?
<Originally posted by me at Mith's Place.> |
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canadian_in_korea
Joined: 20 Jun 2004
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:22 am Post subject: |
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| If Koreans believe that saliva is poisonous....then why do they eat out of one dish..? Don't they realize that saliva is all over the chopsticks that everyone is dipping in that dish..? or the spoons that are being used in the same bowl of soup..? |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:21 am Post subject: |
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| canadian_in_korea wrote: |
| If Koreans believe that saliva is poisonous....then why do they eat out of one dish? |
And why do they spit so much (I wish they'd swallow)?
Are they purposefully trying to poison each other?
On second thought...
Sparkles*_* |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:23 am Post subject: |
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BTW -- I have no idea how well your co-worker speaks English, but maybe she was trying to say that saliva has enzymes that help kill bacteria.
Or maybe she has herpes.
Sparkles*_* |
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gypsyfish
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 4:33 pm Post subject: |
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The comedian was George Carlin. He said that scientists have shown that saliva causes cancer especially when consumed in small amounts over a long period of time.
I heard him say it on the Flip Wilson show, so it was probably 35 years ago. Man, do I feel old. |
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peony
Joined: 30 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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korean adults have always told me to apply spit to a cut if i wasnt anywhere near a sink or bandaids because it kills germs, i still wonder if its true but oddly find myself sucking my finger if i cut it, i think the subliminal message stayed in my subconscious
that or dwenjang. i got a bee sting on my foot when i was a kid and my grandma put dwenjang on it, amazingly enough, it worked!  |
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canadian_in_korea
Joined: 20 Jun 2004
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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| peony wrote: |
korean adults have always told me to apply spit to a cut if i wasnt anywhere near a sink or bandaids because it kills germs, i still wonder if its true but oddly find myself sucking my finger if i cut it, i think the subliminal message stayed in my subconscious
that or dwenjang. i got a bee sting on my foot when i was a kid and my grandma put dwenjang on it, amazingly enough, it worked! |
I've seen shows in canada about the "antiseptic" thing in saliva. The best home cure I've seen for a bee sting is milk....put it on there instant relief. What I would have to question about the saliva thing is that even though it has these properties.....if you get bit by a human you have to spend a week in the hospital ( a friend got in a fight once and the guy bit him, he had to stay for a week)...apparently a human bite is more dangerous than a dog bite....if its so dangerous...how can it be healing..? |
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peony
Joined: 30 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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| canadian_in_korea wrote: |
I've seen shows in canada about the "antiseptic" thing in saliva. The best home cure I've seen for a bee sting is milk....put it on there instant relief. What I would have to question about the saliva thing is that even though it has these properties.....if you get bit by a human you have to spend a week in the hospital ( a friend got in a fight once and the guy bit him, he had to stay for a week)...apparently a human bite is more dangerous than a dog bite....if its so dangerous...how can it be healing..? |
hospitalized?? i was bitten by a crazy bizznatch once during a fight but i was only given really strong antibiotics for it, had to take them for a week. and yeah i was told that too, that a human bite is much worse than an animal bite |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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Didn't you learn about this in high school biology? Although bacteria can be found in human mouths (that's why we get cavities, bad breath, etc), saliva does kill bacteria. It contains the enzymes amylase and lysozyme, which destroy the bacteria.
That's why dogs lick their wounds and nursing female dogs lick their teats (so that their puppies don't get sick). |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 3:44 pm Post subject: |
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| canadian_in_korea wrote: |
| peony wrote: |
korean adults have always told me to apply spit to a cut if i wasnt anywhere near a sink or bandaids because it kills germs, i still wonder if its true but oddly find myself sucking my finger if i cut it, i think the subliminal message stayed in my subconscious
that or dwenjang. i got a bee sting on my foot when i was a kid and my grandma put dwenjang on it, amazingly enough, it worked! |
I've seen shows in canada about the "antiseptic" thing in saliva. The best home cure I've seen for a bee sting is milk....put it on there instant relief. What I would have to question about the saliva thing is that even though it has these properties.....if you get bit by a human you have to spend a week in the hospital ( a friend got in a fight once and the guy bit him, he had to stay for a week)...apparently a human bite is more dangerous than a dog bite....if its so dangerous...how can it be healing..? |
Not all bacteria are killed by the enzymes in the human mouth. Human mouths also contain viruses. So, a bite can innoculate the tissue with bacteria and viruses. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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| peony wrote: |
| canadian_in_korea wrote: |
I've seen shows in canada about the "antiseptic" thing in saliva. The best home cure I've seen for a bee sting is milk....put it on there instant relief. What I would have to question about the saliva thing is that even though it has these properties.....if you get bit by a human you have to spend a week in the hospital ( a friend got in a fight once and the guy bit him, he had to stay for a week)...apparently a human bite is more dangerous than a dog bite....if its so dangerous...how can it be healing..? |
hospitalized?? i was bitten by a crazy bizznatch once during a fight but i was only given really strong antibiotics for it, had to take them for a week. and yeah i was told that too, that a human bite is much worse than an animal bite |
Well, it is more likely to become infected than a dog bite. But, it isn't worse than all animal bites. Don't ever get bitten by a komodo dragon. You'll be taking antibiotics for 6 months to a year. That's because komodo are meat eaters and their teeth have bits of rotting flesh stuck between them. |
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squat toilet
Joined: 08 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Nursing female dogs also lick their teats |
I love when biatches can do that |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| squat toilet wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Nursing female dogs also lick their teats |
I love when biatches can do that |
I thought it might be censured, hence my choice of words. |
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