by Rod Hughes

At the English-language newspaper, The Tic Times, one lady editor several years ago had a computer screen saver with only two words: “Drink water!!!” It was a commendible, innocent attempt to improve her health. It’s a pity she was following a myth that could well be unhealthy.

A recent edition of the daily Al Dia contained a story on medical myths that are often passed on by doctors who don’t do their homework, dispensing recommendations without a shred of medical evidence. Like: only 10% of the human brain is being used, a myth disproved by modern scans that show activity all over the waking brain. (There is some duplication so that damaged functions can be taken over by other cells in the same section.)

To trace back the water consumption myth you have to go back to 1945, according to research from the University of Indiana published in the British Medical Journal. According to researchers, in the mid-20th century the National Nutrition Council felt that the total of liquid consumption from fruits, vegetables and liquids should total the equivalent of eight glasses per day.

A balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables plus some liquids is sufficient. Have confidence in your body and drink when you feel thirsty and not when your conscience hurts!

While we’re at it, ever been cautioned not to swim for half an hour after you’ve eaten? This myth dates from the 1913 edition of the Boy Scout Handbook and is based on zero medical research. The idea that the blood rushes to the skin in water and deprives the digestive tract may sound plausible to the unschooled but shows ignorance of how the body goes about its business. Overeating under any conditions may cause a cramp but has more do do with making a pig of yourself than watery action.

Ever heard the macabre story that the hair and fingernails of a corpse continue to grow after death? ‘Tain’t true. As the skin cells lose their watery contents they shrink away from hair and nails. How about the one about shaving causing the hair to grow back darker and heavier?

According to researchers, this is an optical illusion caused by the bleaching of hair after weeks in the air and sun, contrasted with the color of fresh hair re-growing after shaving. And the heavier appearance is due to the thicker, blunt cut ends that have yet to be worn thinner. (Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban blamed his hairy forearms on having to shave for Technicolor films because the process made body hair take on a greenish cast on the screen. Sorry, Sr, you just inherited hairy genes…)