Top 15 Medical Myths

1. If you read in poor lighting or sit too close to the TV, you will develop eye problems.
2. If you handle frogs or toads, you will acquire warts.
3. Eating chocolate and fried foods will give you acne.
4. Cracking your knuckles often will cause arthritis.
5. It is dangerous to go swimming directly after eating.
6. If you go outside in cold weather or with wet hair, you will catch a cold.
7. Getting a flu shot will result in contraction of the flu.
8. Giving a child sugar will cause hyperactivity.
9. Drinking coffee will help to sober you up.
10. You can catch a STD from a toilet seat.
11. Your heart stops beating whenever you sneeze.
12. It is perfectly safe, even health promoting, to lick or put saliva on a wound.
13. It is best to starve a fever and feed a cold.
14. It is unhealthy to drink less than eight glasses of water a day.
15. Shaving causes your hair to grow back thicker and darker.

1. If you read in poor lighting or sit too close to the TV, you will develop eye problems.
   Though it may be more comfortable to read with more lighting or sit further from the television, doing the opposite doesn't affect the health of your eyes. Your eyes comprise of muscles. Like any other muscle, your eyes can get strained or tired, but bad lighting or close proximity to objects will not permanently affect them. The only lighting that can damage your eyes is looking directly at sunlight or laser light. So you can keep telling the kids that reading Harry Potter with low light is ruining their eyes, but you will know that it just isn't true.
2. If you handle frogs or toads, you'll get warts.
   Ladies, you can keep kissing frogs without fear. Holding frogs or toads will not give you warts. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), and are spread through human contact. So, even though their bumpy exterior may make you think otherwise, toads and frogs have nothing to do with warts.
3. Eating chocolate and fried foods will give you acne.
   As nice as it would be to think we could control our blemishes by watching what we eat, skipping chocolate and fried foods will not prime us for a skin care commercial. Current medical knowledge gives no support for a relationship between food and acne. Therefore, it may be healthier for you to avoid sweets and fried foods, but it won't improve your skin. Certain cosmetics, sweating and high humidity may aggravate your acne. If you have acne concerns, visit your dermatologist, and bring a box of chocolates for the road!
4. Cracking your knuckles too often will cause arthritis.
   All knuckle cracking enthusiasts may continue their habit without fear of causing arthritis. There is no medical evidence supporting this long-held belief. Instead, arthritis is caused when the immune system attacks the joints and it is seemingly outside of your control. But you should be careful, as knuckle cracking may injure a joint.
5. It is dangerous to go swimming right after eating.
   It may not be bad advice to wait a while to swim before eating to avoid abdominal cramping, but it is not dangerous if you decide to take the plunge right away. Many professional swimmers and endurance trainers consume food before taking part in athletics. There is no need to torture the kids with a half-hour to an hour delay before pool play.
6. If you go outside in cold weather with wet hair, you will catch a cold.
   Colds are caused by hundreds of different viruses. These nasty germs are spread by direct contact with other infected people through a kiss, a sneeze, a handshake, etc. Being exposed to cold weather does not cause them, though it may seem that way because colds are more likely to occur in the winter. This increase is because people tend to stay in-doors more in the cold weather, creating a prime atmosphere for germs to spread.
7. Getting a flu shot will result in the flu.
   The influenza vaccine, also known as the flu shot, does not contain a full active virus and cannot infect you with the illness. On the contrary, the flu vaccine is the best way to avoid getting the flu. The vaccination works by stimulating your body to create antibodies. If you come in contact with the influenza virus, the antibodies destroy it before you can become ill. It may seem that a vaccine has given you the virus if your body does not have adequate time to create the antibodies before you contract the flu, but it is not the true culprit. Getting shots is never a holiday, but this one will make sure your holidays are influenza-free.
8. Giving a child sugar will cause hyperactivity.
   Take a spoonful of sugar, add kids, and you have a recipe for disaster. This is a staple belief of parents everywhere. But after extensive study medical researchers have found the contrary to be true. In normal children, there is no direct link between sugar and behavior. Even so, limiting sugar in children is always a good practice as it can lead to obesity, cavities and a loss of appetite for healthy foods.
9. Drinking coffee will help you to sober up.
   As often as movies portray the contrary, coffee has no effect on reversing the effects of intoxication. Coffee contains caffeine that stimulates the nervous system. This may cause an intoxicated person to become more alert, but they will be no less inebriated. The only thing you can do is wait. There is no way to increase the rate at which your body eliminates alcohol.
10. You can catch a STD from a toilet seat.
    To hover or not to hover, that is the question. You may still choose the former option, but it should not be because you fear catching a sexually transmitted disease (STD). STDs can only be contracted from direct sexual contact, blood transmission or from a mother to her unborn child. The chance of catching any disease from a toilet seat is nearly zero. You can get an illness, like a cold, from direct contact with any type of contaminated surface, but as long as you avoid visibly dirty toilets, wash your hands and take common sense precautions, there is no need to avoid the public bathrooms.
11. Your heart stops beating whenever you sneeze.
    Your heart does not stop beating when you sneeze. On rare occasions, the heart may beat irregularly as a result of your sneeze changing the pressure in your chest and altering the blood flow to the heart. It never stops!
12. It is perfectly safe, even health promoting, to lick a wound.
    This may seem like an odd myth to reflect upon, but how many times have you seen a person get a cut and then put it to their mouth? The fact of the matter is that the mouth is full of bacteria. By putting the mouth, tongue or saliva on an open wound, you are putting yourself at risk for infection.
13. It is best to starve a fever and feed a cold.
    It will not help to lower your fever if you do not eat. Actually, severely limiting your food intake while you are sick, whether it is with a fever or a cold, hinders the healing process. Don't force yourself if you don't feel well enough to eat as much as normal. It is more important that you maintain hydration by drinking a lot of liquids, as fever promotes the loss of fluids.
14. It is unhealthy to drink less than eight glasses of water a day.
    Most people consume the amount of water their body needs during the day through food intake and liquids, including water. If you eat properly, drink when you feel thirsty and generally feel well, you can safely disregard the eight-glass rule. If you are lacking the water your body needs, it will let you know through symptoms of dehydration, like thirst, dizziness, fatigue and headache. It is possible to drink too much water. It is very hard to drink enough water to cause harm, but the results can include brain swelling, nausea, fatigue, confusion, seizures or coma.
15. Shaving causes your hair to grow back thicker and darker.
    Shaving is a surface procedure. Below the surface is where the appearance and texture of your hair is decided. Therefore, shaving cannot make your hair grow back thicker, darker or coarser. It may appear that this has occurred because of the more noticeable appearance and sharper feel of stubble, but rest assured, it isn't true.