Common Health Myths that Need to Go!
By Sara Butler
With a wealth of information easily at your fingertips thanks to the internet and handheld technology, it can be hard to tell fact from fiction. There are a lot of myths about all kinds of things out there, UFOs, Bigfoot and even nutrition. If you’re trying to find out more about how to be healthy, you should brush off these persistent myths about your health because they are pure fiction.
Health Myth No. 1: Everyone Should Detox
You see a lot of stuff advertised on television and the internet about detoxing. Of course, all kinds of claims are made about how healthy detoxing is for your body, but the simple truth is that your body already detoxes itself – it’s what your organs are for. Quite simply, you don’t need whatever someone is selling to detox your body because there’s no evidence they actually do anything for you.
Your liver is your body’s natural detoxifier. It filters your blood, producing bile and waste. It doesn’t need any help, except for a lifestyle that helps to keep it functioning optimally.
Health Myth No. 2: Wait an Hour After Eating to Swim
Your grandmother was probably all up in your business about this one, but it’s simply an old wives tale. There has been no correlation or connection made between drowning and full stomach. Heck, you could probably eat a submarine sandwich while swimming and it wouldn’t increase your chances of drowning, though it will increase your chances of a soggy sandwich.
Health Myth No. 3: You’ll Get Sick if You Go Out with Wet Hair
How many times did your mother shout this to you as you ran out the door to catch the bus? Well, sorry to say it Mom, but this idea is nothing but fiction. Studies have shown people who go outside with damp hair were no more likely to get sick than their dry haired cohorts. You probably don’t want to go out in subzero temperatures with wet hair for comfort sake, but you won’t get ill because you did.
Health Myth No. 4: If You Crack Your Knuckles You’ll Get Arthritis
Cracking your knuckles might be annoying to other people, but it’s not going to result in gnarly, twisted, arthritic hands when you’re older. There’s been no connection found between knuckle cracking and arthritis. So go ahead and crack those knuckles since it’s all you could think about since reading this.