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It is believed that the Incas used anesthesia. Evidence supports the theory that shamans chewed cocoa leaves and drilled holes into the heads of patients (letting evil spirits escape), spitting into the wounds they made. The mixture of cocaine, saliva, and resin numbed the site enough to allow hours of drilling.
More than one-third of adult Americans are obese. Diseases that kill the largest number of people annually, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and hypertension, can be attributed to diet.
More than 2,500 barbiturates have been synthesized. At the height of their popularity, about 50 were marketed for human use.
The immune system needs 9.5 hours of sleep in total darkness to recharge completely.
Illicit drug use costs the United States approximately $181 billion every year.