Medical Myths Exposed

A new report released through a British medical journal has debunked 7 common myths about health that for the longest time have been believed to be true. Here they are one by one with explanations:

1. People need 8 glasses of water a day -- The authors of the report looked into this extensively and discovered that there is no magic number in terms of how much water you need to drink in one day. Most people get enough water through what they normally drink whether it be through juice or even some soda. If you somehow are not getting enough your body has a built in mechanism to let you know. It's called thirst.

2. Shaving your hair causes it to grow back thicker -- No - As it turns out when you shave your hair what happens when the new hair grows in is that it is usually darker in color because it has not been exposed to sunlight like the previous hair that you had that you shaved and that gives it the appearance of thicker hair. It is not actually thicker.

3. We only use 10% of our brain -- Studies that have looked at the brain and its different functions and mapping of brain activity indicates that we do use our entire brain. All areas of the brain show activity throughout the day. Not all parts of the brain are active at all times because certain parts of the brain are reserved for certain specific functions and when those functions are not in use there is less activity in that area but all parts of the brain show activity throughout the day.

4. Reading in dim light will damage your eyesight -- Not permanently. It is true that your eyes have to work harder to see in dim light but the result of this is only a temporary eye strain. Your eyes will quickly return to normal once you return to a situation where there is more normal light or you rest your eyes ideally after a nap or some sleep.

5. Eating turkey makes you drowsy -- Triptophan, which is the substance that is found in turkeys is known to have this effect when it is taken in its pure form but there is so little of it found in turkey that doctors tend to not believe that it can have much of an effect in this way. People usually have turkey for Thanksgiving and the reason you may feel drowsy or tired after your holiday feast is likely due to the fact that you have eaten too much food in general. Usually people also have a little wine as well which likely plays a part. Over eating will slow you down and make you sluggish no matter what you eat if you have too much of it in one sitting. Triptophan is also found in other foods such as pork and most cheeses and it exists in these foods in greater amounts than in turkey.

6. Mobile phones create interference in hospitals -- This one has been believed for a while and many hospitals would even have signs posted asking patients and visitors to curb the use of their cellphones for fear that they may interfere with the proper functioning of sensative medical equipment that would be in use such as cardiac monitors. Its not likely. The study indicates that you would have to be standing very close to the equipment (less than 1 meter) in order to have any kind of effect and even at that close distance the incidents of disruption to the function of any medical equipment was minor (less than 1%).

7. After you die your hair and fingernails continue to grow -- No - When your body dies all functions cease. Its a complete physical shutdown. Your heart stops beating, your blood stops flowing and your hair and nails stop growing out. Your body at that point is not doing anything to keep up appearances. When you die its all over.