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Friday, July 18, 2008

Health Myths That May Be Affecting You

There are hundreds of myths out there – ones that people have been propagating for years, telling each other over dinner or even hearing from their doctors. While some of them are just plain silly, others are important and can affect how you view your body and your health. Here are 10 of the most common and what you should really know about them.

1. People Only Use One-Tenth of Their Brains – This is a common myth that people hear repeatedly on television, in books, and from each other. The truth is that when scans of the brain are done, there are no dormant sectors – every individual cell and neuron is often active and firing. What probably happened with this myth is that someone thought telling people they weren’t tapping all of their potential would help sell a bogus medicine or two.

2. Everyone Needs Eight Glasses of Water…Every Day – There has never been a study or a medical conclusion that this is true. In fact, the only that even comes close is a recommendation from 1945 telling people to drink 8 glasses of fluid every day. The truth is that everything from fruits to vegetables can comprise those fluids. Just be aware that many fluids are actually detrimental – things such as coffee are diuretics and will take fluids away from your body.

3. Reading in the Dark is Bad for Your Eyes – Dim light doesn’t hurt your eyes and there is not medical link stating otherwise. The worst you will experience is a bit of temporary weakening in your acuity.

4. Fingernails and Hair Grow After Death – This is completely untrue and is likely circulated because of how the body reacts after death. When the body expires, the skin around the hair and nails will dehydrate and retract, revealing more of the hair and nails than was before visible.

5. Shaved Hair is Thicker When it Grows Back – No study, going back as far 1928, shows that this is true. What actually happens is that hairs which have been shaved now have a much blunter edge than those that were not. With that blunt edge, the hair will appear thicker at first. Also, because the hair has not seen sunlight yet, it will be darker until it can be bleached.

6. Cell Phones in Hospitals are Dangerous – There are no links saying this is true. In fact, there have only been a few anomalous studies showing any link between cell phones and equipment problems. The truth is that most doctors greatly benefit from having cell phones with them for quicker, more accurate communication. They save lives.

7. Turkey Makes You Drowsy – While turkey does have tryptophan, the chemical we’ve all heard will make you sleepy, it has no more than any other kind of meat. The reason turkey seems to make you sleepy is that you are usually eating it with a large meal and alcohol, two things that also happen to make people sleepier.

8. Gum Takes Seven Years to Digest – This is completely untrue, though gum is probably a little tougher on your digestive tract than most things you swallow. However, the acids in your stomach are incredibly strong and can easily break down even this sticky substance. People attribute this misconception to parents trying to scare their children out of swallowing their gum.

9. Every Seven Seconds Men Are Thinking About Sex – This is a bit overblown, especially considering it is impossible to measure any sort of topical thinking by an individual let alone an entire sex of individuals. This is generally just a joke that some people have started to take a little too seriously.

10. When You Become an Adult, Your Brain Stops Growing New Cells – This myth is not only common, it was long propagated by the medical field. Doctors believed this right alongside regular people. However, the truth is that recent studies show Dendrites, the extensions on most neurons continue to grow and develop throughout your lifetime.


Myths like these are easy to believe because many of them make good sense. However, the truth is that they are all untrue and that people have been told such things for years – by their friends, family, and even doctors. It is important to remember that even your MD is fallible and that myths like these are a good reason why.


Caroline Cardenas
Caroline Cardenas Signature


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