Personal Health, Medical Myth

Too Much or Not Enough?

Myth: You must drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to maintain overall good health.

Reality: We have all heard that drinking eight glasses of water a day is essential for good health. Diet gurus, fitness fanatics, and fashion magazines all stress the importance of staying hydrated. The majority of us, however, rarely drink that much water on a daily basis. So, where did this belief originate from?

Wait at Least an Hour After Eating Before You Go Swimming

How many times have you sat in the sun, your skin baking, waiting for that hotdog or ice cream to digest so that you could get back into the water? Though the old adage that you should wait an hour after eating before swimming has been passed down from generation to generation, there isn’t any real evidence to support it. Now that summer is here, let’s dispel this myth!

Swallowing Chewing Gum Will Cause Intestinal Problems

Myth: How many times have you heard that swallowing gum is bad or dangerous for you? And how many times did you wonder if this was true? It is no surprise that the majority of people who chew gum have at one time or another swallowed it either by accident or on purpose. Does this mean most of us are walking around with chewing gum clogging up our intestines? Before you swear off gum for good, let’s dispel this myth.

Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever

In 2002, a Dutch research team conducted an informal experiment in an attempt to find scientific evidence that supports the “feed a cold, starve a fever ” adage.

Reading in Dim Light Will Damage Your Eyes

REALITY: Centuries before the invention of electricity and the light bulb, people did most of their night reading by firelight. Does this mean our ancestors were unknowingly ruining their eyesight?

Organ Donation

Many people have made the selfless decision to become organ donors — the vast majority, however, have not. What’s keeping us from donating? Several myths abound that may diminish people’s enthusiasm for donating their organs.