BMJ debunks medical myths

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39420.420370.25 [Published: 23-Dec-07 | Permalink | Category: Thunked | Comments]
Gives the answers, with references from the scientific literature, to the following:
People should drink at least eight glasses of water a day
No, this is from failing to read the next bit: people get 8 glasses of water a day equivalent, from the food they eat
We use only 10% of our brains
Nope, not even at any given time.
Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death
Nah, but cuticles can pull back and follicles open as flesh dries out after death
Shaving hair causes it to grow back faster, darker, or coarser
Nyet, but blunt-ended, recently-cut, as-yet-unbleached-by-sun hair can look darker
Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
Nein, never been shown except perhaps in one association study that may be faintly concluded as suggestive
Eating turkey makes people especially drowsy
Nada, but turkey + stuffing + wine + potatoes + pudding + extra pudding can
Mobile phones create considerable electromagnetic interference in hospitals
Bah! Tested rigorously, nothing found, suspicions and paranoia remain but only some old equipment in some situations very very near (<1m) some old phones (NB: the life-saving effects of giving hospital doctors mobile phones instead of pagers, so their response times are quicker, are well-documented)

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