30 Common Medical Myths that you thought were true!

(This topic is on request from my fellow blogger Nina Dumitrescu. Please visit her blog and youtube channel. Also, Check out my website un-riddle.com!)

In our day to day lives, there are many medical facts we believe in faith and never have eve thought of questioning. These can be traditions handed down from elders, or common practices discussed within peers. But not all these facts are truths and while researching this topic I myself was shocked at a few which I also believed were true. I am sure you will enjoy going through the list:

1. Shaved hair grows back faster, coarser and darker

This is something I truly believe until I read that it's actually a myth. This is so strongly held that even many doctors believe it to be true. Many pieces of research conducted into this field prove that this simply is not the case. Saved hair grows the same way as un-saved ones. So all my dear friends caught by the latest bearded trend, it's alright to buy a cheap razor and go cleanly shaven.

2. You need to stay awake if you've had a concussion

Many times we have seen in movies, people having head injuries encouraged to stay awake during cases of concussion. This is a misconception arising from patients from a particular type of head injury, which include bleeding in the brain, dropping from unconsciousness into a coma and finally death. When you have banged your head and suspect concussion it's the best advice to not disturb the patient until medical help arrives and not slapping the life out of them

3. Vitamin supplements always make you healthier

Every day, especially in developed countries we observe many people taking vitamin supplements to stay healthy. In most cases, these are overdone and taken without a doctor's prescription. Actually, these supplements can not only be useless but also cause harm and induce worse health condition due to long-term use. Eating a pill or capsule is not the way to stay healthy, rather focus on natural and wholesome diet.

4. We use only 10 per cent of our brains

How many times, in hushed tones, we have hypothesized how we are only using 10 per cent of our brain's potential. This then leads one to even more fantastic stories about how Einstein was able to use 15 per cent of his brain! Well, this is all a myth as studies have shown that there are no dark regions of untapped potential in our brain. We would like to believe that there is still some untapped potential which we can discover and achieve great success. But sadly that's not the case, the only way to success is through hard work and dedication.

5. Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years

There are many myths associated with chewing gum and this is one of the funniest ones that I myself encountered while growing up. It's true that some ingredients that go into the making of chewing gum are indigestible by our body but that doesn't mean it will stick and stay within our body for 7 years. It naturally is excreted by our body, there is a system already in our body to handle such indigestible things. Please, believe in it or otherwise consult a doctor immediately!

6. Reading in the dark or sitting too close to the TV ruins your eyesight

How many times, have you been scolded by your parents to sit farther away from the TV as it may ruin your eyesight. Well, bad luck for us all, as we have all been duped. SOme early TV sets could potentially emit a high amount of radiations but that problem is long solved and the recent TVs are relatively safe. However, this myth has been handed down from generation to generation as a fact. Watching a lot of television or working a long time on laptops and smartphones may cause irritation in the eye due to dryness but it's nothing that a standard eye drop can't heal. There is no medical evidence on long-term eye damage from watching too much TV, so my tiny soldiers rise, rise up in revolution against your parents!

7. Sugar turns kids into little monsters

A very common parenting misconception. Sugar items have no correlation with unruliness among kids. Parents would like to believe there is a way to diagnose and cure the mischievousness within their kids, but sadly that is impossible. Only advice to them is to let the kids be kids, be patient and brave it through! It was your choice to have them after all! Unlike many people in developing and conservative societies believe, children are not from the grace of God, both parents contributed to their making!

8. Vaccines can cause the flu (and autism)

Vaccines are in essence dead viruses that we inject into our bodies. Our body when encountering these foreign species develops antigens which are basically the 'fight squad' which stay active in our bodies for a period and prevent an attack from similar viruses. A common misconception is that these vaccines actually cause harm to our bodies. Well feeling a bit feverish after vaccination is common but that is the maximum extent as, in essence, these dead viruses are exactly what the name states 'DEAD'. Any other attributed side effects are just a myth.

9. You should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day

I remember hearing this statement as a fact when I used to talk with friends in school. I never questioned it and in fact, increased my intake of water. I myself have been, to a lot of current shame, asking my wife to take in more water daily. But during researching this topic I found out that our body only required on an average 2.5 litres of water, which often is already part of our regular diet. So, I am sorry Tina, I hope you will forgive me! :)

10. Fingernails and hair continue to grow after death

Well, this creepy rumour exists because of our skin and muscles withering away after death and the Fingernails and hair looking long as a result of longer. So, you can go ahead and cancel your Hair Salon, Manicure, Pedicure appointments after you are dead. You don't have to worry about continuing them after.....

11. You should wait an hour after eating before you do exercise/swimming

This is a common misconception arising out of cramps that you feel when you do heavy exercise after a full meal. Well, first of all, you should avoid stuffing yourself so much that you are unable to move as it's extremely unhealthy in the first place. And if you have then it's good to do some exercise to start burning those calories. First eating a lot and then not exercising citing you have to wait an hour is a recipe for health disaster!

12. Ulcers are caused by spicy food and stress

Don't blame your friendly Indian neighbours' spicy curry for your stomach ulcers, or the stress from your boss. Ulcers are caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Feel free to enjoy as much spicy food as you want and regarding work-related stress try to get a better work-life balance!

13. A woman can't get pregnant during her period

Even if it's unlikely, but it's still possible that the sperm stays alive inside a woman's body for up to a week, and the ovulation occurring soon after the 'bleeding' phase of the menstrual cycle. This makes it possible for a woman to get pregnant if she has sex either during her period or shortly after it ends. So please stay protected.

14. You lose most of your body heat through your head

Remember us always keeping our head covered in winters to conserve heat. It appears that the amount of heat loss from the head is proportional to the amount of skin, i.e. 7 to 10 per cent of the entire body.  So consider using an ear-cap if you are frustrated at what those headscarves are doing to your hair! It's fully alright Thermodynamically speaking! ;)

15. You can catch a cold by being cold

This is another one that I believed to be a fact. Remember us trying to use higher temperatures in hair dryers to quickly remove moisture from our hair before starting out from home in winters. Well, it appears you can leave outside without worrying about wet hair making you sick. We usually get cold in winters because the rhinoviruses (viruses causing the common cold) replicate by diminishing the body's antiviral immune responses making use of the cold weather.

16. Deaths by suicide increase over the holidays

Has it happened to you that you are taking a train in Holland and the schedules are completed changed due to some unfortunate soul jumping in front of a train? It has happened so often to me that I actually believe this rumour. But now that I think of it I am observing these incidents during the holidays because that is also only the time that I am travelling. And recent data accumulated shows the same that the frequency of suicides stay consistent across the year and is not concentrated during the holidays.

17. Chicken noodle soup cures … everything

Well, trust me in some cultures (don't ask me which :P ) chicken soup is held sacred! It's the panacea that mankind has been looking for since times immemorial. Books and Legends have been created looking for the cure-all and there it has been lying as a regular dish on all our plates all along. Well, need I say more? This is obviously a myth! But if having a hot soup is helping you by giving comfort during your sick times please continue. In the end, what matters is that we get better right!

18. Eating at night makes you fat

Eating late is pretty common for us back home in India, but my fellow German and Dutch colleagues often get shocked at this. One of the arguments that I have heard is that eating late snacks makes you fat. We research has shown that late eating habits have some association with obesity but it doesn't directly lead to obesity. It' s not when you eat that counts, what is more, important is what you eat and how much you eat.

19. Psychiatric and emergency room visits increase during the full moon.

How many of you harbour fantasies of encountering a werewolf who bites you and grants you superpowers, with one side-effect of you turning into a wolf on the full moon. Well, my friends that appears to be a myth. Data has shown that the number of Psychiatric and emergency room visits don't increase during the full moon.  But I say keep fantasizing, as I personally love the creative writers in this field and enjoy Netflix shows like Vampire Diaries, Originals, True Blood, Teenage Wolf, etc.

20. Taking probiotics helps prevent colds

The probiotics commonly guzzled by many in the hope to prevent cold, sadly may not be true. It's however not harmful to in any way so if it's bringing some sense of security (albeit false) from a cold for many I say more power to them!

21. Babies get fevers when they are teething

A very common misconception among parents and this could be potentially dangerous. Don't neglect your baby's high fever by incorrectly associating it to teething. This will put your baby at risk. Please also spread the word.

22. Pregnancy lasts nine months

I was really surprised when I read this as it's such a commonly known fact that I never even though about questioning it. Pregnancy on an average actually lasts nine and a half months. Doctors associate 40 weeks with pregnancy, which includes technically 2 more weeks prior to conception as well. Does this put a wrench on your existing plans as just to confuse the matter, even more, researchers have found that the amount of time a healthy pregnancy lasts can vary by as much as five weeks.

23. Cracking your joints can lead to arthritis

I remember the times I was admonished by elders for cracking my bones. People who crack their bones have the same level of risks as their counterparts who don't crack. Another myth busted!

 24. Truth Serum

There is until now no known truth serum that medically exists. At least that which has been published in the literature. There are alcohols and drugs which may induce hallucinations or reduce your natural inhibitions leading you to speak what you are thinking in your mind without filters. But unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one's point of view)  there exists no actual truth serum.

25. Natural Blondes Are Going Extinct

I have many theories explaining this as a fact. With Blondeness being part of a recessive gene doomed to exit the gene pool over time. Genes for blonde hair have always been recessive and there's been no measurable decline in blondes so far. So a message to all my dear friends bawling in sorrow over the decline in natural blondes - No fear mate! Their disappearance is not tied to recessive gene pool but could from your own lecherous behaviours maybe!!

26. Coffee Dehydrates you

Caffeine induces alertness by narrowing of blood vessels and increasing the blood flow to your brain. This can increase your heart rate and make you expend more water. But Coffee as its consumed is mostly water so to reach a concentration of caffeine that actually dehydrates is extremely improbable. So go on enjoy your double espresso without fear of withering away to a husk owing to dehydration!

27. Handling frogs or toads will get you warts

Coming from a tropical country I was always warned about this. Apparently, the secretion on the skin of frogs and toads could cause warts. The Amphibian warts are not contagious. They are very unclean though and cause other skin infections from the bacteria that resides on frogs and toads. SO if you handle a lot of frogs and toads in your day to day life please consider washing your hands regularly. In hindsight, always wash your hands to maintain good hygiene!

28. You can catch an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) from a Toilet Seat or Bus Seat

STD cannot get transmitted from toilet seats. Venereal diseases cannot live long outside of the body, and especially not on a cold hard toilet seat or bus seat. So you are quite safe but similar case to above about handling frogs it's always good to clean your hands as soon as you get again to civilization e.g. Home.

29. Men Don't Get Breast Cancer

This is again a very dangerous misconception. Although 100 times less in probability compared to women, men can also get breast cancer as they too have mammary glands. SO if you find suspicious lumps appearing around your armpits or chest please consult a doctor just to be safe.

30. Men think about sex every 7 seconds

This was a funny myth I found but which many of our females believe in. It's probably tied to the low view of male psychology that many females have.  This probably stems from a study done which showed women think about sex up to 140 times per day, compared to men, who think about sex up to 388 times daily. However, this survey had many inaccuracies as it was based on 18-25-year-olds based in Ohio State. Extrapolating from this to Men thinking about sex every 7 seconds is a wild exaggeration. It could although be said that men focus on the same thing for longer times, and along those lines think about sex for longer and more distinct in their visualization compared to women. In any case, who am I to advise anyone. Please feel free to believe what you want.

There are many many more myths that we believe to be true in our life but are not based on facts. Please post below if you have encountered some so I can further add to my list. Thank you if you survived reading so far. Writing this post helped me discover many new things and I am hopeful you will also take some knowledge out of reading this post.