fact or fiction

Is it a fact or is it merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the lesser known truths in the health and wellness world of Longevity.

I Found a Stranger’s Blood in My Rideshare. The Police Said They Couldn’t Make Him Prove He Wasn’t Sick.
The police can’t force a stranger to prove he’s disease-free Many people ask why the police won’t help. They think the police are passing the buck. They aren’t. If the police forced the previous passenger to disclose his test results, they could break the law.
By Jinabout 16 hours ago in Longevity
She Cheated the Berlin Marathon and Called It a Personal Best
A bicycle at kilometer 38, a brand deal in flames, and the runners who finished. On September 27, 2026, 56,000 runners from 162 countries lined up for the Berlin Marathon. The course runs through the Brandenburg Gate, past the Victory Column, through a city that has seen more than its share of history.
By Jin4 days ago in Longevity
My Friend Bought a “Blood Stasis Paste” for Her Thyroid Nodule. I Told Her to Wait.
At ten p.m., a friend sent me a photo of her health check report. Thyroid nodule, TI-RADS 4a. Below it: “I bought Blood Stasis Paste. Can I take it?”
By Jin4 days ago in Longevity
The Nursing Home Rule Nobody Says Out Loud
Bed Turnover and the Unbefriended in the Western Nursing Home One bed, two sets of books. In a Western nursing home's ledger, the bed is an asset, the resident is a census number, and the caregiver is a cost.
By Jin4 days ago in Longevity
Tutus and Birthdays
Tutus! It's not uncommon to see colourful tutus prancing, leaping and trotting around parkrun courses. Typically, they celebrate milestones for participants... volunteering at or completing 25, 50, 100, 200 or 400 events. Not so yesterday at Highfields, Qld (Australian) parkrun. Tutus were celebrating parkrun's 22nd Birthday . Why tutus? Two-two; 22; tutu for those of us who had trouble keeping up... even before running the 5km event!
By Angie the Archivist 📚🪶5 days ago in Longevity
More Feline, Less Canine
I’ve got a significant birthday coming up. I am what they call an elder millennial. My algorithm likes to pepper my feed with memes about women of a certain age who stopped giving a fuck about what other people think about them. And I must say, it’s very appealing. As a recovering people pleaser, I have an unfortunate abundance of fucks. I’m looking forward to the moment when my fucks run out.
By Leslie Writes5 days ago in Longevity
Your Tattoo Starts a Fight Your Immune System Never Finishes
A tattoo needle punctures the skin hundreds of times per minute. It delivers pigment into the dermis. The dermis is not the epidermis. It does not shed on a regular cycle. Once pigment gets in, it stays.
By Jin6 days ago in Longevity
Your Immune System Could Kill Every Gut Bacterium. Why Doesn't It?
In the large intestine, a single gram of feces contains hundreds of billions of bacteria. Immune cells sit just a millimeter below. They have not started fighting.
By Jin7 days ago in Longevity
You Started as One Cell. It Had No Idea Where to Put Your Eyes.
You were once a cell. Round, soft, no eyes, no heart, no brain. It did one thing: divide. One into two, two into four. At the eight-cell stage, the embryo compacts. Outer cells get squeezed outside, inner cells get enclosed. At first, inside and outside are not predetermined. Squeezing creates the difference. Outer cells have apical-basal polarity. Inner cells lose the apical region. Different positions, different signals, gene programs begin to diverge.
By Jin7 days ago in Longevity
Your Kidney Is a Disposable Filter. Your Liver Is a Factory.
One Kidney, Half a Liver At the physical examination center, the doctor slides the report across the desk. “Absent left kidney.” You freeze. Then: “It’s fine. You can live with one kidney.”
By Jin7 days ago in Longevity
A 2-Year-Old Was Euthanized in the Netherlands. Two Doctors Said No. A Third Said Yes.
In December 2025, a nearly two-year-old Dutch child died after doctors injected sedatives. It was the first publicly reviewed case after the Netherlands extended its “active termination of life” rules to children aged 1 to 12 in 2024.
By Jin9 days ago in Longevity
The Yam in My Grandmother’s Kitchen
The first cold morning of October, my throat felt like paper. I drank half a cup of warm water and still felt dry. I took the bus to my grandmother’s apartment. She lived on the fourth floor. The elevator was broken. By the time I reached her door, my lips were cracked. She opened it and pointed at the kitchen. A bucket of water sat on the counter. Pieces of yam floated inside. A few drops of white vinegar clouded the water. She said, “Wash your hands. Put on gloves. We have work.”
By Jin9 days ago in Longevity