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Ten Health Myths Exploded

Ten Health Myths Exploded

Old wives’ tales and folklore masquerading as health advice are put under the spotlight

1 – A firm bed is best for your aching back…

According to popular belief, a firm mattress is the best nocturnal support to alleviate back pain. However, for those who would prefer a bed that yields a little more than the ‘orthopaedic’ variety, there is some good news. A randomised trial by researchers at the Kovacs Foundation in Spain assigned 313 subjects with chronic low-back pain to either a firm or a medium-firm mattress to sleep on for three months. Patients who slept on the medium-firm mattresses were twice as likely as those sleeping on the firm ones to report reduced pain while lying in bed or getting up in the morning. They also had less disability associated with back pain and did not have to depend so much on pain-killing drugs – all in all something to consider, particularly as a third of your life is spent horizontally in the land of nod.

 

2 – Midnight feasts mean more mounds of fat…

Eating late at night is often blamed as a chief cause of piling on the pounds, but those who enjoy a late night buffet before bedtime can happily dispense with any future guilt trips, as the idea of nocturnal nibbling leading to an expansion in girth has been professionally pooh-poohed. A Swedish study found that although the obese women they were monitoring were more likely to eat at night, they were also more likely to eat more in general. In another set of research involving 2,500 patients, it was discovered that eating at night was not associated with weight gain, but eating more than three meals a day was. Ultimately, the established formula for gaining weight reasserts its position over folklore. If you take in more calories than you expend, expect to see your waistline grow.

 

3 – Too much sugar causes hyperactivity…

Kids running around in an over excited fashion is something that no parent need be reminded about, with the festive season having recently drawn to a close. But youngsters screaming their heads off while charging from room to room is a phenomenon more likely to be the result of excitement over that new X-box you’ve just given them and not the 12 chocolate bars that form the staple yuletide youngster diet. Regardless of what adults might think, sugar does not cause hyperactive behaviour. At least 12 randomised controlled trials looking at levels of sugar and behaviour – even in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – were unable to detect any difference. The scientists also found that when parents merely think that their child has had a sugary drink, they end up rating their behaviour as more hyperactive, so it is all in the mind. Something to bear in mind next December when little Charley sets about demolishing the Christmas tree.

 

4 – You should top up with ten glasses of water a day…

Perhaps one of the more surprising inclusions here is that there is no scientific evidence that says a person should drink eight to ten glasses of water a day, despite this information being propagated across much of the health orientated literature. The authors of the article that questioned this long-held belief noted that. “Existing studies suggest that adequate fluid intake is usually met through typical daily consumption of juice, milk and even caffeinated drinks.” Could the explanation for the ubiquity of this message lie in the trend towards bottled water consumption and an adoption of the idea by the marketing department of those companies that produce them?

 

5 – Most of your body heat is lost through your head…

Perhaps not a myth that we care too much about in this particular part of the world, but those hailing from colder climes will know the notion that wearing a hat during a cold spell is important, as most of the body’s heat is lost through the head, something that perhaps stemmed from a Second World War US Army field manual that stated that up to 45 per cent of the body’s heat was funnelled upwards and outwards in this manner. Nonsense, say researchers. Covering the scalp is important in the cold simply because otherwise it would be left exposed. Any uncovered part of the body loses heat pretty much equally; it’s just that venturing out in Ski Dubai wearing a pair of shorts and a bobble hat looks more ridiculous than wearing proper trousers and no headwear.

 

6 – Hair and nails continue to grow after death…

Okay, so this isn’t a health myth as such, unless we extend the concept to the fantasy realm of zombies. Nevertheless, the idea that hair and finger nails continue to grow after death is an interesting body-related misconception all the same and one that has been around since time immemorial. It is, however, completely without substance. There may well be an appearance of such keratin growth in the nearly departed, which perhaps lies at the root (excuse the pun) of the claim, but that is all it is – an appearance. Hair, finger and toe nails require on a complex hormonal mechanism to grow and this mechanism simply can’t take place after death. The reason for the long-held belief may be that the body undergoes dehydration after death and subsequent shrinking of its soft tissue can create the illusion of growth of hair and nails.

 

7 – Carrots will help you see in the dark…

Perhaps only a borderline myth, this one. Carrots do contain a high content of vitamin A, a nutrient that is essential for good vision and eating them will provide you with the small amount of this vital vitamin needed for good vision. However, vitamin A isn’t limited to this particular vegetable; it can also be found in milk, cheese, egg yolk, and liver. The origin of the connection between carrots and good eyesight is thought to lie in the success of the British night fighter pilot “Cat’s Eyes” Cunningham, who downed numerous German planes in the dark during the Second World War. As his score mounted, the story was deliberately spread that his success owed much to his consumption of carrots, which were said to sharpen his eyesight. This apocryphal information helped the British food minister at the time to get across the value of vegetables – particularly carrots – in the rationed wartime diet. However, recent research has shown that a diet rich in bright yellow or green colours may indeed protect the eyes against age-related disease. In one study, women under the age of 75 who ate lots of vegetables such as peas, broccoli, squash and sweetcorn had lower rates of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is thought that the compounds that give these vegetables their yellow and green colour may help reduce the risk of AMD by absorbing blue light that can damage the area at the back of the retina.

 

8 – And another one for the eyes…

Don’t worry, because if eating carrots doesn’t make your eyesight better, reading in the dark or squinting at the TV certainly won’t make it worse. Perhaps this old wives’ tale was brought about by parents who wanted to ensure that their offspring went straight to sleep and didn’t indulge in a bit of under-the-covers torchlight comic-book perusal, but there is no evidence that reading in dim light is bad for the eyes. Reading in poor light conditions can certainly cause a temporary strain on the eyes, but this effect is exactly that – temporary. Normal eyesight soon returns once the eyes are exposed to normal light. Anxious parents should note that excessive eye strain will often lead to a headache, something that will soon ensure torches go off and little heads hit the pillow.

 

9 – Too much oily food causes spots…

There is a natural tendency to correlate acne with the consumption of oily foods, as spotty skin occurs when there is an over-production of sebum, a waxy oil that the body uses to keep skin lubricated. Pimples develop when excess sebum becomes trapped with dead skin cells and ends up blocking pores, leaving the skin swollen, reddened and irritated. It is unknown why sebaceous glands produce excess sebum, but hormones are thought to play a major role; something that would explain why teenagers are affected by acne more than others. Sufferers in the UAE can blame the country’s notorious high humidity, as this is also a factor, as is sweating, stress, a family history and a reaction to some cosmetics. Although the accusing finger for acne can’t be pointed at French fries, onion rings or deep-fried chicken, it is wise to avoid eating too much of these foodstuffs for other health reasons.

 

10 – Having dark skin protects you from the sun…

 Definitely a myth that is appropriate for the region. Having a tan, or darker skin, does not increase protection from the sun. While people with darker skin do not burn as easily or frequently as those with a fairer complexion, they are still not safe from harmful ultraviolet rays. Tanned skin is damaged skin, so further exposure to the sun increases the risk of skin cancer. In fact, people with darker skin are actually more likely to die from skin cancer than fairer individuals; something that is in part due to the common belief that darker skin protects against sun damage (Those with darker skin are likely to develop skin cancer on their hands or feet). It is recommended that everyone wear an SPF of at least 15 and perform a self-examination each month to check for tell-tale signs of problems, such as new moles and a change in appearance of existing ones. You might not get sun burnt with a tan, but your tan does not protect against dangerous ultraviolet rays. Tanned skin is damaged skin, so further exposure injures the skin and increases the risk of cancer. It is well known that excessive sun exposure can promote the development of many skin cancers, including melanoma. Limiting sun exposure, wearing sunscreen and performing monthly skin cancer self-exams can help prevent damage. If you must have a tan, use a sunless tanning lotion or spray.

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