Sleeping eight hours at night, eating your greens, and an apple a day keeps the doctor away – these are all common health maxims you have heard and possibly believed to be true. While many of the commonly-told health myths may have some truth to them, there are some that just do not stand up to further examination.
Starve a cold and feed the fever.
This one has been told for years, even though most people cannot remember which one you starved and which one you fed it. However, according to WebMD, the best advice is not to starve. You’ll recover from a cold or flu more quickly with a healthy, balanced diet, so eat sensibly and you will be yourself again in no time.
A small, soft toothbrush makes cleaning ineffective.
This one is not true. The American Dental Association really recommends using a small brush head with soft bristles. Using a brush like the new Compact Clean from Oral-B provides a small brush head that can reach hard-to-reach places and provides precise cleaning. Due to its unique, highly dense bristles that offer multiple cleaning tips per filament, Compact Clean will also gently remove plaque in a convenient and effective manner. “As a healthcare professional, one of the biggest obstacles my patients face is finding the balance between using a moderately soft brush and achieving effective cleaning,” says Andrew Johnston, RDH. “The Compact Clean design lets you remove plaque while keeping your teeth and gums safe from toothbrush abrasion.”
Cold weather increases your chances of catching a cold.
It seems reasonable, but it is not. There’s no evidence colder temperatures increase your chances of getting a cold, according to LiveScience.com. Instead, studies show the spike in flu during the winter months is often because people spend more time indoors, around each other, making it easier for the flu to spread from one person to another.
Reading in poor lighting is bad for your eyes.
While it definitely makes it harder to focus on what you are reading, there is no evidence that reading in such conditions will cause permanent structural damage or long-term damage to your eyes according to WebMD.
Aerobic exercise will significantly increase your metabolism throughout the day.
No, but you will enjoy a nice boost when you truly do the exercise together with small pushes throughout the day, even if it is only about 20 extra calories according to WebMD. If you want to increase your benefits throughout the day, strength training is really a better way because it conditions your body to burn calories more efficiently.
So the next time you are tempted to starve, or simply read a book with the light on, remember that these five usually held health myths are now debunked! To learn more about how Compact Clean can deliver great results, visit www.oralb.com.
