Urban legends and health myths are certainly nothing new — we are pretty sure that the ancestors would have passed some information to the next generation.
But the Internet has certainly helped outdated advice die hard, so it’s no wonder these fake facts keep popping up in everybody’s inbox. Myths, Half-Truths, Outright all Lies about human Body, Health and more.
Here’s why everyone should stop falling for these rumors, once and for all:
Chewing gum takes seven years to pass through your digestive tract
Gum addicts can relax. Although their body can’t digest chewing gum, it doesn’t just sit in your stomach. Everybody eliminates it when they go to the bathroom just like other food they haven’t digested.
Plucking gray hair causes two to grow back
It’s fine to tweeze that errant hair. Genetics plays a key role in when anyone go gray, regardless of how often he pluck.
It can take six months from the time a hair falls out until it grows back long enough for anyone to notice it; during that time, everyone will automatically see more gray hair as part of the aging process.
Antiperspirant deodorants cause breast cancer
Going without clothes won’t protect anyone’s breasts from cancer. This myth probably came about because some antiperspirants contain aluminum, which can show up as a false-positive finding on a mammogram. This entire means is you should skip the white stuff before a breast cancer screening. Though concerns have been raised about parabens (widely used preservatives in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products) in deodorant raising estrogen levels and thus possibly increasing cancer risk — there’s never been any conclusive evidence to prove a link.
Cats can steal the air from a baby’s mouth
There’s no need to send Fluffy away when baby moves in. This myth dates back hundreds of years to an era when cats were associated with evil spirits and witchcraft but it’s anatomically impossible for a cat or other animal to suffocate a baby by sealing the infant’s mouth with its own. Still, it’s a good idea to supervise pets around babies and small children — for the kitty’s safety just as much as the child’s.
Mountain Dew can shrink a man’s testicles
Mountain Dew-drinking guys everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. The summary of this ridiculous rumor is that drinking Mountain Dew can lower a man’s sperm count or cause his penis to shrink. The alleged culprit is food coloring Yellow No. 5, and the myth that it has a harmful effect on the male reproductive system is still unfounded.
You can catch a cold from being outside too long
It’s actually a good idea to let kids spend plenty of time outdoors. “Going outside with or without a wet head is one of the best things anyone can do to prevent catching a cold,” “Colds are caused by viruses or bacteria, which are more often spread in the winter because of close contact from everyone being indoors.” So spending time in the open air can actually make anyone less likely to catch a cold.
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis
The sound can be extremely annoying, but this awkward habit won’t harm anybody’s joints. Researchers found no difference in instances of arthritis when they compared a group of longtime knuckle crackers with those who left their hands alone. However, the study did find that people who cracked their knuckles had weaker grips and more hand swelling which is a good reason to kick the habit.
Drinking cold water after meals can lead to cancer
Water is one of the healthiest things anyone can drink with any meal whether it is hot, cold, or tepid. This rumor first surfaced in early 2006 and still makes its way into various email chains. It posits that cold water helps solidify oily fats from anybody’s meal into a “sludge” that lines the intestines and can lead to cancer. But there’s zero evidence from medical literature to support this theory.
It's okay to follow the five-second rule for dropped food
The five – second rule should actually be the “zero-second rule,” “Eating dropped food poses a risk for ingestion of bacteria and subsequent gastrointestinal disease, and the time the food sits on the floor does not change the risk.” If bacteria are present, they will cling to the food immediately on contact. So while it may be tempting to dust off food anybody has dropped, it’s safer to just toss it in the trash.
You only use 10 percent of your brain.
Motivational speakers may love this idea, but the evidence against it is just common sense. “Studies of patients with brain damage suggest that harm to almost any area of the brain has specific and lasting effects on a human being’s capabilities,” “If this myth was true, it would not be a big deal to hurt various parts of anyone’s brain.” Everybody is using 100 percent of his brain — or at least everybody hope so.
