1. Urine Neutralises the Pain of a Jelly Fish Sting
Many people have heard that placing fresh urine on the site of a jellyfish sting is a failsafe emergency measure. Even the uptight Monica in an episode of 'Friends' once urged Joey to urinate on Chandler when he was stung by a jellyfish and in agony. Yet it is completely untrue. In fact, jellyfish stings are activated by cool water - which turns out to primarily consist of urine!
So what is the best treatment for a jellyfish sting? The NHS recommends treating the affected person out of the water, removing any tentacles that still adhere to the skin with the help of tweezers - use gloves to avoid being stung. You could also use a credit card to swipe the area of any lingering nematocysts - poisonous sacs - still clinging to the skin. Take the affected person to an emergency room if there is swelling or they have any difficulty breathing. Otherwise, treat with ibuprofen to combat the pain and reduce swelling. Do not treat with urine and other popular remedies such as vinegar or baking soda should also be avoided as they can make the situation worse.
2. Cracking Your Knuckles Will Give You Arthritis
It's a truly horrible sound that will make you wince, but does cracking knuckles actually cause arthritis? There are several ways of cracking knuckles; some people pull on the tip of each finger until they hear the popping sound of the joint. Others pull their fingers backwards all at once or scrunch them into a fist. People do it as a way of relieving nervous tension or simply because they like the feeling.
Over a quarter of the population enjoy having a crack every now and then, according to research, while men are apparently more likely to do it than women.
There have been many studies attempting to find out whether cracking knuckle causes arthritic wear and tear. One professor even cracked his knuckles twice a day for more than sixty years but so far there is no evidence to suggest that it does cause any form of arthritis. The main effect of knuckle cracking is annoyance for any observers.
3. Going Out in the Cold Especially with Wet Hair will Lead to Illness
It's a popular belief; going out when it's cold, and you are inadequately dressed or if you have wet hair, will lead to illness. This is not true, according to Wikipedia. If you are sick it is because you have a virus and viruses do not take into account the temperature. In fact, your system is not really affected by the cold as your body constantly maintains a temperature of about 37° C. If this temperature is reduced by only 2 degrees you become hypothermic and in grave danger of dying.
People do become sick more in winter than in summer but this isn't directly caused by the cold. It's because people come into contact with more viruses as they spend more time in the warm cooped up with other people indoors.Viruses love warm stuffy rooms with people coughing and sneezing in close proximity to each other, and this is where the danger really lies!
4. Can You Become Immune to Antibiotics?
People often talk about antibiotics becoming less effective as humans are becoming increasingly resistant to them. Can this be true?Well, no. It's not your body that has become immune, resistant to the antibiotics, it is the bacteria targeted by the antibiotics.
Bacteria are constantly evolving and the fact that som many strains are becoming immune to antibiotics is a real problem that is one of the greatest challenges faced by the medical profession today. The more we rely on antibiotics and use them, the higher the chance that the bacteria will become resistant to them, and they will no longer be an effective way of treating infections.
The problem isn't limited to the doctor's surgery, however, as hundreds of thousands of farm animals, such as cows and pigs are given daily antibiotics throughout their lives.
5. Going Swimming After A Meal Will Lead to Cramps
Going swimming less than thirty minutes after a meal is foolhardy, dangerous and will probably lead to painful stomach cramps, right? Wrong; it's another old wives tale that has no basis in fact.There has never been a recorded instance of anyone drowning solely because of swimming straight after eating a heavy meal. Cramps can occur whilst swimming, but eating then swimming does not make them more likely to happen. If you experience cramps when in the water, make your way to the side of the pool and evacuate as soon as you are able.
If you are an elite swimmer, you may benefit from swimming on an empty stomach as it is true that the digestive process does divert blood away from muscles and so may have an impact upon times. For the rest of us, eating before swimming is fine; it might make you feel a bit bloated but that is all.
6. Toilet Seats are one of the Dirtiest Places in the Home
Popular belief holds that toilet seats are full of germs and public toilet seats are even worse; simply brimming with dangerous nasties that can spread all kinds of dangerous diseases, including STDs.According to microbiologists, however, regularly cleaned toilet seats are actually among the cleanest places in the home and the least likely to contain harmful levels of faecal micro organisms.
Many household objects, such as the chopping board and mobile phone, contain vastly higher levels of faecal bacteria - a worrying 200 times more, according to Dr. Chuck Gernba from the University of Arizona.
Public toilet seats are marginally dirtier than the average toilet in the home, but there is still no need to worry about catching STDs as they can only be transmitted through blood, sexual contact or in utero. What a relief!
7. Shaving Your Hair Makes It Grow Back Thicker
This is mentioned in women's magazines and is believed to be true across the land, from school playgrounds to hairdressers. There is absolutely no scientific evidence for this to be true. The thickness of the hair is determined by genetics and the follicles under the skin and cannot be altered by a razor. However, after shaving, the tip of the shaved hair will be flat, and feel coarser as it regrows.
If you are a lady and wish to remove hair from the upper lip or between the eyebrows, waxing, hair removal cream or electrolysis are the best options to avoid the bristly feel of the regrowth. Another factor that may have given rise to this myth is that the tips of emerging hair are often darker as it has not yet been exposed to the lightening effect of sunlight.
8. Never Wake Up a Sleep Walker
Popular belief claims that you should never wake up a somnambulist or sleepwalker as you might shock them so much that they might have a heart attack or even brain damage. Luckily, for those with a sleepwalker in their family, this is just an urban legend.
However, it is a good idea not to forcefully wake a sleepwalker, but this is for the benefit of the waker, not the sleeper. If woken suddenly, sleepwalkers can become confused and agitated, and might react violently towards the waker. Even if they don't react abnormally, somnambulists might still try and engage in activities such as boiling a kettle or driving which are very dangerous in a sleepwalking state. Sleep experts advise that the best course of action is for the sleepwalker to be gently guided by the arm back into bed, where they will hopefully fall back to sleep.
9. Reading in the Dark is Bad for Your Sight
If you can remember reading in bed as a child, using a torch to huddle under the blankets, you will also probably remember your parents warning you that reading in the dark is extremely bad for your eye sight. Doctors and researchers agree that reading in dim light is tiring for the eyes as the optical muscles have to work much harder than in normal light.
There is no evidence, however, that this strain may have any affect upon your long-term vision. However, scientists are unclear whether there are any environmental factors that can have any effect upon developing eyesight. Some researchers hypothesize that a lack of time spent outside in the sunlight may make children more likely to need glasses. Much more research is needed in this area, but one thing is crystal clear; reading in dark or dim light will not cause long-term damage to your eyes.
10. Sugar Makes Children Hyperactive
Sugar is often blamed for over-excited and uncontrollable children but this does not have a scientific basis. As far back as 1994, a double-blind research study revealed that sugar does not have an impact upon childen's cognitive skills or general behaviour.
Interestingly, researchers found that the parents were more likely to comment on their children's hyperactive behaviour after a lot of sugar had been consumed, even when it was a placebo.
Sugar is unhealthy for many reasons but hyperactive behaviour is not one.
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