To spout utter rubbish health advice?

[APieOfButter]

EG, sitting on stone steps gives you piles, going out with wet hair will give you a cold, too much sugar in your tea gives you worms, any red food is good when you are on your period, watching TV too much makes your eyes go square, milk goes DIRECTLY to your bones and teeth to make them stronger, standing on your head makes you cleverer, swimming after food is deadly, chocolate gives you spots...


Any more for any more?

(Shamelessy derived from the expressions thread :) )

[Joolyjoolyjoo]

In my mum's book, going out with wet hair was virtually asking for "double" pneumonia. Add a "glad neck" to that (ie, low cut T-shirt) and well, she was practically sending for an ambulance! She was most disapproving of glad-necked-ness in the colder months.

[NoCarbsBeforeMarbs]

I was putting DS in his car seat one day, and an old lady walking past noticed that my back was a bit exposed while I was leaning in....

" Ooh" she said "Y'wanna cover your poor back up, you'll get ruined kidneys"
As she posted many wine bottles in the recycling bottle bank

*disclaimer. Nowt wrong with wine I know, and she'd probably been saving enough for the trip to be worth doing, but made me smile anyway!

[Knofje]

peabody yy, they won't make you see in the dark. They will optimise vision, including night vision...

[CognitiveDissident]

Sitting on school radiators will give you piles (ditto cold stone steps

Swallowing chewing gum leads to appendicitis, trapped wind, intestinal blockage, cancer and just about any other gastro-intestinal/gynaecological complaint.

You will catch a chill and die if you bathe/swim during your period. This also extends to washing your hair while 'on'.

If you cover somebody's nose and mouth while they sneeze then their eardrums will explode.

It's all true, Teacher says so.

[Punkatheart]

The swimming cramp thing has long been debunked. Think about it - it makes no sense.

Research into sugar and hyperactivity has disproved a lot of it - although most parents would really disagree.

My fav is cherub's lovely mum telling her that eating Allbran will turn her into a ballerina. Obviously a regular ballerina!

[Punkatheart]

Here's the science bit:

www.dukehealth.org/health_library/health_articles/myth_or_fact_wait_30_minutes_after_eating_to_go_for_a_swim

[RedHeels]

squee and peabodydoble actually there is the truth in that the kidneys can "catch cold". I often get kidney infections (or at least used to) and they would hurt me if I stood in a draft or wind. They are sensitive to temperature chamges, don't ask me why.

[Punkatheart]

Sorry RedHeels but there is no truth at all. You may feel shivery and tender if you already have a kidney infection but such infections are caused by bacteria. Your kidneys are INSIDE your body, protected by a layer of fat and muscle. They CANNOT catch cold!

[fairydoll]

As someone who has suffered a lot with kidney infection, I can tell you that getting them' chilled ' definitely does hurt.in fact I think there is a lot of truth in most Peabody 's old wives tales above

[Punkatheart]

I disagree. Science and fact is important.

[yukoncher]

it annoys me when people say things like 'Oh I would have never had to shave, if I didn't start, because my hair was so fine before'.
As if they're body sensed a shaver going over their stick, and said 'okay body, time to grow some thick stubborn black hair now'.

And people believe it so vehenemly!

MIL also likes to spout really bad 'absolute truths' about health advice, as she was back in the stone age.
She says any food poisening taked 12 hours to take effect.
(wrong, it varies between 1hour to over a week, depending on the pathogen).
Also she says ANY medication takes 24 hours to get into your body.
(strange how paracetamol works in 10 minutes??)

Annoys me because she's the unquestionable matriarch.
DH will take what she says as fact, even if I bring up sources online showing otherwise is true. I get no thanks for re-educating him on such bollox

[yukoncher]

stick skin! :)

[yukoncher]

also correction 'as she was a nurse back in the stone age' (supposedly)

[Punkatheart]

Science or not, putting a shaver over your stick would have to hurt!!

[yukoncher]

lol

[horriblemotheragain]

The only kidney infection I ever had was when I lived in a freezing cold student house... not a 'kidney cold' though :-)

[yukoncher]

NB; MIL also claims to have been everything from an electrician to a special in the police force. She had DH in her 40s, so there's really no telling what's true before that.

[PhishFoodAddiction]

yukoncher my grandma has never shaved her legs for that reason- and they are fairly smooth to be fair- but I think she just has weirdly hairless legs. As for me, when I turned 13 my legs were like carpets and white hair poking out of black school tights was not a good look. Grandma still insisted I should never have shaved them though!

[thriceaaka]

Yes, oranges and orange juice have a very severe effect on my bowels too.

[Vicky08]

My MIL says that eating ice cream or lollies is bad for a sore throat.
Also standing up barefoot will give you the cold.

[Punkatheart]

My father was obsessed with me sucking coins - an odd thing I did as a child. It would apparently give me 'canker' - which I actually believe is a disease of cattle.

God, I do hope our children won't be quoting us and rolling on the floor!

[lesley33]

When I was in hospital 20 years ago, as a result of being confined to bed I got constipation. The nurses said I wasd too young to be given medication for constipation and instead gave me orange juice. Don't know if it was that, but my constipation cleared up.

[yukoncher]

Punkatheart, I have canker sores right now :s
It's sores in the mouth, usually due to lack of nutrition and stress.

Not so nice

[squareegg]

APie - why do people give your baby coins??