Posted on 12/21/2007 7:24:50 AM PST by Watershed
Popular culture is loaded with myths and half-truths. Most are harmless. But when doctors start believing medical myths, perhaps it's time to worry.
In the British Medical Journal this week, researchers looked into several common misconceptions, from the belief that a person should drink eight glasses of water per day to the notion that reading in low light ruins your eyesight.
"We got fired up about this because we knew that physicians accepted these beliefs and were passing this information along to their patients," said Dr. Aaron Carroll, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "And these beliefs are frequently cited in the popular media."
And so here they are, so that you can inform your doctor:
Myth: We use only 10 percent of our brains.
Fact: Physicians and comedians alike, including Jerry Seinfeld, love to cite this one. It's sometimes erroneously credited to Albert Einstein. But MRI scans, PET scans and other imaging studies show no dormant areas of the brain, and even viewing individual neurons or cells reveals no inactive areas, the new paper points out. Metabolic studies of how brain cells process chemicals show no nonfunctioning areas. The myth probably originated with self-improvement hucksters in the early 1900s who wanted to convince people that they had yet not reached their full potential, Carroll figures. It also doesn't jibe with the fact that our other organs run at full tilt.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
“Myth: Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.”
I have to explain away this one almost EVERY day.
Even the correction in the article is not entirely correct.
Truth: Liberals barely use 10 percent of their brains at the apex of their intellect.
“Myth: Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.
Fact: The researchers found no evidence that reading in dim light causes permanent eye damage. It can cause eye strain and temporarily decreased acuity, which subsides after rest.”
So reading in dim light can cause “eye strain”. What part of the eye gets strained, and why does that reduce acuity?
See #4. Is the pupil dilating in low light the cause of reduced acuity?
Myth No 11: Insurance will cover it.
KRAMER: “You know.. You really shouldn’t brush 24 hours before seeing the dentist.”
JERRY: “I think that’s eat 24 hours before surgery.”
KRAMER: “Oh no, you got to eat before surgery, you need your strength.”
(Kramer leaves. Jerry is speechless.)
I would prefer reading in lower-light conditions, but not exactly dim. We can’t all see well in the dark, but I don’t like reading with bright lights.
I’m not a Liberal, but I bet only 10% of my brain works.
Jerry: Oh! That's an old wives tale!
Kramer (ripping open shirt) Is it!?
Actually, insurance will cover new equipment for my sleep apnea machine every 6 months. Whether they hold true to that has yet to be found out. I only acquired said sleep aid on Wednesday.
Want a Junior Mint?
I just hate it when this is used to argue for those phony new age ideas of a sixth sense and telepathy.
bump
When In the Phillipines we were told that the finely embroderied linens and hand made lace were made by young women because by 30 they were no longer able to see well enought to work. Their eysight was permanently damaged by years of very close work in very poor lighting
Yea, they do, it’s right after the medulla oblongata kicks in and takes over involuntary functions of the foetus...
I knew you were going to post that.
Rush Limbaugh keeps half his brain tied behind his back to make things fair. ;>)
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