Ten health myths exposed

•A firm bed is best for your aching back

According to a firm belief, a firm mattress is the best nocturnal support to alleviate back pain. However a randomized trial by researchers at the Kovac University in Spain assigned 313 subjects with chronic low back pain to either a firm or a medium firm mattress to sleep for three months. The subjects who slept on medium firm mattress were twice to report reduction in pain as compared to the people who slept on hard mattress.

•Midnight feasts mean more mounds of fat

This is a chief cause which is blamed for pilling on the pounds. But as Swedish study involving 25000 patients proved that eating at night was not associated with weight gain, but eating more than three meals a day was. Ultimately the formula remains that (irrespective of the time of calorie intake) if you take in more calories than you expend, expect to see your waistline grow.

•Too much sugar causes hyperactivity

Kids running around in an over exciting fashion from one room to another demolishing everything that comes in their way is something that no parent need be reminded about .But it is not the sugar candy or the sugar drink you gave to your child doing all this.Atleast 12 trials proved that it is all in the mind of the parents.

•You should top up with 10 glasses of water a day

It is mere exaggeration of a simple fact that you should drink adequate amount of water not forcing oneself to pour in bottles and bottles

•Most of your body heat Is lost through your head

It is just a pure myth because the amount of heat lost from the head is equivalent to the amount lost from any other surface of the body .so next time you think of wearing a cap to protect yourself from cold, please consider of wearing sweater gloves and a pair of socks too.

•Hair and nails continue to grow after death

Okay, so this isn’t a health myth as such, unless we extend the concept to the fantasy realm of zombies.Hair finger and toe nails require a complex hormonal mechanism to grow which simply can’t take place after death. The reason for this long held belief is that body undergoes dehydration after death which leads to shrinking of its soft tissues creating the illusion of growth of hair and nails

•Carrots will help you see in the dark

Perhaps only a border line myth, this one. Carrots do contain a high content of vitamin A, which helps in night vision. However it is not limited just to carrots .it is also in milk cheese egg liver and other yellow veggies.

The connection between eating just carrots and getting a great night vision comes from a  British warrior of second world war who downed many planes of Germans in the night .the story spread that his success was due to the fact that he ate loads of carrots .so you are not restricted to just carrots . You have a variety of
food stuffs to satisfy your taste buds and gain a nice night vision at the same time.

•And another one for the eyes

Reading in poor light conditions can certainly cause a temporary strain on eyes, but this is exactly that- temporary. Normal eyesight returns as soon as the eye is exposed to normal light. The catch here is that it causes temporary headache which will itself compels one to turn on the light and read. So next time you see somebody reading in dim light. Don’t worry he will not go blind

•Too much oily food causes spots

There is a natural tendency to correlate oily food consumption with acne. But as we all know that the hormones along with other factors like hot humid climate, stress, family history and reaction to some cosmetics lead to acne formation. So next time doesn’t accuse the French fries, onion rings or deep fried chicken for causing acne.

•Having dark skin protects you from the sun

Definitely a myth which is appropriate for the region. if you have dark skin it does not mean that you will be protected from the uv rays . The tanned skin is the dead skin and has more chances of carcinoma. So next time you go out apply and SPF of at least 15 whether you are black or snow white.