14 Most Popular Health Myth- Some Are Hilarious, Stupid & Dangerous

[LoShiNi]

Below is the list of the most common health myths, now thoroughly disproven by science. Enjoy!

1. Organic foods are more healthful than non-organic foods
Farmers who grow organic vegetables and fruits use natural fertilizers, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that produce grown this way is better for you than non-organic foods. Some of the substances in natural fertilizers are even more harmful to the environment than those in chemical ones. And US Department of Agriculture states that levels of pesticides in both organic and non-organic foods are so low they won’t cause harm to your health.


2. It’s OK to eat food you dropped on the floor if you pick it up within five seconds

Please, remember this: germs don’t wait five seconds to get onto you food. Whether the food is safe to eat after you dropped it actually depends on how clean the floor is. If it’s sterile, go ahead. But if someone walked on that floor in the shoes they wear on the street, throw the food away.


3. Natural sugar like honey is better for your health than processed sugar.

Your body doesn’t see the difference between processed sugar and natural sugar. It’s the amount of sugar in the foods you eat that you have to take into account.


4. Humans have five senses
Taste, smell, sight, hearing and touch aren’t the only senses that we have. People who state that humans have five senses forgot to count senses of balance, temperature, time, proprioception (sense of your body’s position and movement) and nociception (sense of pain).


5. Pregnancy makes you dumber
Some studies show that pregnancy has a small effect on women’s working memory, but other studies show no negative effect at all. Actually, there is evidence to the contrary – pregnancy may make a woman smarter and more organized. That’s probably because of all the new worries and responsibilities that come when a woman becomes a mother – cognitive activity increases to keep up with the needs of her newborn.


6. You can’t grow new brain cells

If it was true, we all would probably have ‘baby brains’. New brain cells (neurons) grow slower than other cells, but this process (called ‘neurogenesis’) continues well into adult life.



7. Microwaves can cause cancer and disrupt your pacemaker
Radiation that microwaves emit isn’t the type of radiation that causes cancer. Microwaves also won’t do anything to your pacemaker. Things that can actually disrupt pacemakers include metal detectors, anti-theft systems, powerful refrigerator magnets, mobile phones, and even headphones.


8. You should wait at least an hour after eating to go swimming, otherwise you can get a cramp and drown

Here’s how people who believe this statement explain it: digestion process increases blood flow to the stomach, leaving less blood available for your muscles, and this makes cramps more likely to happen. There is no reliable evidence to back up this claim. People may get cramps while swimming, but they have nothing to do with their stomach. If you get a cramp, the best course of action is to float and let it go away.


9. Adding vitamin supplements to your diet will make you healthier
About the only good they will do is the increase in their producer’s profits. You can get more vitamins by adding certain foods to your diet. Some studies have even shown the link between vitamin supplements and cancer.


10. Yogurt will help your digestion greatly

The idea that good bacteria in yogurt will improve our digestion and help us lose weight is overblown. Yogurt isn’t unhealthy; it just isn’t as beneficial as you may think. And if you enjoy this dairy product, it’s best to buy one that doesn’t have much sugar in it.


11. You will stay sober if you eat before drinking alcohol
Eating before drinking only delays alcohol’s effect and doesn’t influence the level of alcohol in your blood. But it will take more time for your body to absorb alcohol after you’ve had a good meal, and it can make hangovers less severe.


12. Vaccines cause autism
What would you believe: one 1998 study of only 12 children that was largely fake, or thousands of studies of more than a million children that prove MMR vaccines are harmless? Despite all the evidence, this dangerous myth persists, and many parents refuse to vaccinate their children. What’s the result? Outbreaks of dangerous diseases, the ones that vaccines once helped to eliminate (almost) completely. Choose life, vaccinate your children!


13. “Starve a fever, feed a cold”
Your body needs energy to fight the illness, so it’s probably not a very good idea to fast for the entire time you’re sick. Proper hydration is also important.


14. Drugs make “holes” in your brain
Drugs (both legal and illegal) can greatly impair your brain’s function and even change its structure, but they won’t turn your brain into a sponge