When actor/martial artist Chuck Norris was still competing in martial arts tournaments, he would always start out his training sessions by having his sparring partner punch him in the crotch. His assumption was that that would be the worst thing that could happen to him in competition and if he could learn to deal with it he could handle anything. He has, in general, stopped that practice. He occasionally does it now out of a "sense of nostalgia".

When author Thomas Pynchon was writing Gravity's Rainbow, he was so beset by writer's block that he superglued his mouth together because he felt that food and conversation were a hindrance to the completion of his book. He continued in this manner for 27 more days, taking all nourishment by IV and communicating with friends and family by means of short notes.

When Governor Mike Huckabee was 16 he refused to eat any vegetables for over seven months. He stopped the practice when he developed scurvy and lost three teeth.

There are 13 different medicines for sale in the United States that are based on dog feces.