Here are Seven great "medical myths" revelead!
By shakeroo
@shakeroo (3986)
Malaysia
December 26, 2007 10:37am CST
I found this and I think I would like to share with all of you at myLot.
"These well-worn theories are among seven "medical myths" exposed in a paper published Friday in the British Medical Journal, which traditionally carries light-hearted features in its Christmas edition. Two U.S. researchers took seven common beliefs and searched the archives for evidence to support them."
1. Despite frequent mentions in the popular press of the need to drink eight glasses of water, they found no scientific basis for the claim.
2. Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight: The majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage, but it may make you squint, blink more and have trouble focusing, the researchers said.
3. Shaving makes hair grow back faster or coarser: It has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair regrowth, studies say. But stubble lacks the finer taper of unshaven hair, giving the impression of coarseness.
4. Eating turkey makes you drowsy: It does contain an amino acid called tryptophan that is involved in sleep and mood control. But turkey has no more of the acid than chicken or minced beef. Eating lots of food and drink at Christmas are probably the real cause of sleepiness.
5. We use only 10 percent of our brains: This myth arose as early as 1907 but imaging shows no area of the brain is silent or completely inactive.
6. Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death: This idea may stem from ghoulish novels. The researchers said the skin dries out and retracts after death, giving the appearance of longer hair or nails.
7. Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals: Despite widespread concerns, studies have found minimal interference with medical equipment.
There you go. I hope you have learned something on myLot today. Cheers!
6 people like this
7 responses
@Sissygrl (10912)
• Canada
26 Dec 07
I agree with these! If i drank that much bleeding water a day, i'd be in the bathroom so much i'd have to set up my pc in there! lol.
I bet if you read in the dark alot and it cause's you to squint, then you'll get crowsfeet faster!! lol.
I dunno about the hair one.. I started to shave my arms when i was 15, and i did it for almost 10 years, i just stopped in the last two years, and it has grown in PRETTY thick and dark. And how about your leg and armpit hair, mine sure does look thicker then when i first started shaving it, and the hair folicles in my legs have gotten more visble too.
I get drowsy but only if i eat a LOT of food, and it's true, doesn't matter WHAT kind of food, if you over eat you get bloated and tired!I dunno nothing about no brains.
I learned that hair and nails fact on one of those CSI shows! So i have heard that one before.
I almost always use my phone in the hospital, especially if i'm there overnight, i cann't lay there in a hospital bed, not being able to sleep and NOT text someone! lol. I just hide it when the nurse comes in. Stupid nurses didn't even notice i had the damn thing plugged in beside the bed last time. she seen the plug and was like oh now i wonder what that is to.. and kept along her marry wway lol. Some peoples children i tells ya!
2 people like this
@Lalitshukla (314)
• India
27 Dec 07
I would like to comment on point 1. & 7., 1. By experience I have found out that drinking water (not precisely 8 glassses) early in the morning makes you feel better and you stay healthier than without it!
2. Mobile Phones can disturb the functioning of certain electronic equipment used in Hospitals, therefore this should be completely avoided.
@gigifromhunan (4)
• China
27 Dec 07
Tks for sharing the tips, I don't know some before reading it.
1 person likes this
@kellys3ps (3723)
• United States
27 Dec 07
Those are some interesting medical tidbits!
1 person likes this
@jcj_111776 (3216)
• Philippines
27 Dec 07
I should let my mother read #2. :) She kept telling me that I have blurry vision these days because of my habit when I was still a teenager. I used to sneak behind her back and read my favorite romance novels without using proper lighting. You see, I used to prioritize my romance novels before my homework and that majorly annoyed my mother. So, it became my habit to read a book even if I have to use a flashlight. To this day, she reminds me that I have blurry vision because of what I used to do.
But thanks to the article you posted, I have something new to tell her. It wasn't the dim light at all.
And thank goodness for #1. It's a bit of a challenge to drink that lots of water in a day. I try to set an example for my son but sometimes I just can't reach the daily "quota".
1 person likes this
@skinnychick (6905)
• United States
27 Dec 07
We went over these in nursing school= number 7 is pretty much a just in case scenario, they don't really know but they feel it is better to be safe than sorry.
1 person likes this
@Jemina (5770)
•
25 Apr 08
Thanks for sharing this info, Shakeroo. The eight glasses of water a day is such a great help to me. It may not have scientific approval but my body say so. I still drink lots of water because it helps me be regular for one thing. If I don't drink that much I would be constipated.
By the way, the other medical myths you mentioned are easy to agree with and I can also prove them myself.
E.g. I have a hairy legs and I shave them. Many tryto stop me because they said the hair would get coarser but they don't have proof, I have. I've been shaving my legs for many years now and the hairs are still the same.
