August 19, 2020          

 

          Does deodorant cause breast cancer? Should you take expired medicine? Every day, hundreds of these statements called “medical myths” are circulated around the internet and across generations. Have your parents ever told you will get sick if you go out in the rain without a jacket? Many of us have not only heard, but believed these medical myths, whether passed down through generations or circulated across the internet. However, medical myths are just that: myths. Below are five of the most common misconceptions about your body and medicine debunked and put into context. 

 

          1. Myth: Cold Weather Makes You Sick

 

          Facts: Cold weather causes people to feel the symptoms of a cold — real or imaginary — such as shivering and a runny nose; however, people are no more likely to get sick when temperatures are cooler than they are when temperatures are more comfortable. Although the actual temperature itself does not make you sick, in some cases they do make you more susceptible to being sick. For example, during the winter, people tend to stay indoors in confined spaces. This allows germs and bacteria to move around more freely and infect more people. In addition, certain causes of colds, such as rhinovirus and coronavirus, thrive in cooler temperatures. 

 

          2. Myth: Reading in the Dark or Sitting Too Close to the T.V. Ruins Your Eyesight

 

          Facts: Dim light and sitting too close to the T.V. causes your eyes to focus harder and it requires more effort. Consequently, your eyes get tired and they can hurt. However, there is not evidence that these activities actually damage your eyes in the long-term. Sitting too close to the T.V. can be an indication of nearsightedness and getting glasses can fix that habit, but sitting too close to the T.V. does not create a need for glasses. This myth started around the 1960s during when the radiation from T.V. could actually harm you. However, today’s monitors are much more safe to use and will not cause long-term problems. 

 

          3. Myth: Fingernails and Hair Continue to Grow After Death

 

          Facts: This one was a common misperception for many years. Most physicians could not disprove it, even though they could not explain it. In reality, after you die, your skin dries out making it seem like it is retracting, or shrinking. Nails appear much more prominent against dried out skin, which is why it seems like your nails are bigger. However, your skin is just smaller. The same holds true for hair, although it is much less obvious. 

 

          4. Myth: You Need to Stay Awake if You’ve Had a Concussion 

 

Facts: Anyone who has had a concussion should seek a medical professional as soon as possible. However, concussions are very rarely severe or life-threatening. This myth most likely is confused with a different type of head injury — one that involves a brain bleed — that causes people to have a “lucid period,” followed by a coma or even death. This almost never happens to people with normal concussions. 

 

          5. Myth: You Should Drink Eight Glasses of Water Every Day 

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          Facts: In 1945, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council stated that adults should consume around 2.5 liters of water a day, or eight glasses. Since then people have interpreted this the wrong way, assuming that they should only drink eight glasses. However, most of the 2.5 liters of water we should consume comes from food, or eating. So in reality, we should eat and drink a total of eight glasses of water. However, even if we did not consume these 2.5 liters in a day, we are not going to be severely harmed. Our bodies are masters at regulating our fluid levels and making sure we do not walk around dehydrated.