How do tattoos work?

How do tattoos work? I mean, if human skin cells are always shedding and reproducing themselves, how are the pigments of a tattoo able to stay in the skin for so long?


What's TMJ and how can I get some relief?

1) What is TMJ? What kind of doctor handles this problem?

2) I have a rather odd problem. For the past several years, I have noticed that when I open my mouth wide to yawn or take a bite out of a sandwich, the right condyle of my jawbone slips laterally from the temporomandibular joint, making it difficult, and at times, painful, to close my mouth. I basically have to slip the condyle back into the socket; otherwise, it slips in by itself, which is what causes the pain.

Other than being inconvenient, this has not adversely affected me in any way that I can tell, except that I am now careful not to open my mouth completely when I yawn. I am reluctant to see a doctor about this because I cannot reproduce the situation at will, and don't know if the problem can be diagnosed or detected unless the doctor actually sees the condyle slip out.

Also, any time I have gone to Health Services, it seems that whatever the problem, they just send me home with a jar full of ibuprofen. What do you think is wrong? Is this problem serious? Does it deserve immediate attention? What type of doctor would I need to see and could I get a referral from Health Services?


What’s up with the acid in my throat?

1) I have had acid coming up my throat from my stomach for the last 3 weeks. It comes up and just burns my throat. What is it? Do I have an ulcer? By the way, I get 3 hours of sleep a night, and my roommate doesn't help the situation.

2) I have recently asked you about my would be ulcer. I shall pose the question again. Lately I have this damn acid coming up my throat. I've been under a lot of stress and have strange sleeping habits. I am also drinking a lot of coffee. I drink about 5 cups of coffee a day and my roommate isn't exactly stress relieving. I go to bed about 3:30am and wake up about 5:45am for crew. Am I dying? Do I have an ulcer? What's wrong with me?


Can skin become dependent on moisturizers?

Is it possible to become dependent on moisturizers?

I suffer from dry skin and each Winter go through about half a gallon of moisturizer all over my body by Spring time. It's starting to feel like my skin is getting dependent on the moisturizers, meaning that it always feels like I need them, even if it is a humid season. It's like the skin gave up on circulating its own moisture because it is expecting it from moisturizing cream. Is this just my imagination? Or should I back off on the moisturization?