Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Health Myths


 
     Some people may think they know everything there is to know about their health, but I have some myths that you just may not have known and might even surprise you. 7 myths that you probably didn't know:


  1. Myth: Cold weather makes you sick. Truth: People who are chilled are no more likely to get sick than those who were not. It may be that cold weather keeps people indoors where germs are more likely to catch up to you.
  2. Myth: You lose most of your body heat through your head. Truth: There is nothing special about the head and heat loss. You will lose heat on any uncovered part of the body. 
  3. Myth: Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis. Truth: Knuckle-crackers are no more likely to get arthritis than those who don't make that annoying sound with their fingers. 
  4. Myth: Milk makes you phlegmy. Truth: In a study of 330 patients, nearly two of three believed milk increased phlegm production. But it's not true. In one experiment, volunteers were infected with the cold virus, and some of them drank a lot of milk as well. The weight of nasal restrictions did not increase in those who drank milk, nor was it associated with cough and congestion. 
  5. Myth: Sugar makes kids hyper. Truth: Numerous studies show that sugar does not affect behavior, but most parents don't believe this. In one study, parents were told their kids had sugar and they were more likely to report problem behavior-- but in reality, the kids had consumed a sugar-free drink. 
  6. Myth: Food quickly picked up from the floor is safe to eat. Truth: Scientists have put the commonly-cited five-second rule to the test. They found that food that comes in contact with the tile or floor does pick up large amounts of bacteria. Food that comes in contact with the carpet does not, but it does have the carpet fuzz. 
  7. Myth: It's okay to double dip in the chip dip. Truth: In one study, scientists took a bite of a cracker and dipped it into salsa, cheese dip, chocolate syrup and water. They did the same test with an unbitten cracker. Then they measured bacteria in the dips and the volunteers mouths.On average, three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eaters mouth to the dip. And each cracker picked up about one and two grams of dip. Salsa picked up the most germs from double dipping. 

These myths definitely make you think twice about things we do in our every day lives. No more double dipping, people!

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