3 Medical Myths

There are plenty of old wives’ tales about health that make the rounds. But in many cases, this age-old “wisdom” is just plain incorrect. Here are a few examples:

• Myth: Plants and cut flowers absorb life-giving oxygen from the air in an enclosed space, so they should never be put in a sickroom.

Truth: Plants do absorb a very small amount of oxygen at night, but they give off 10 times as much during the day. Which means they actually make the environment healthier for the patient.

• Myth: Shaving causes hair to grow back thicker and darker.

Truth: Sorry, bald guys, it doesn’t work.

• Myth: Suicide rates increase during the holidays.

Truth: No scientific study of suicides, including an examination of 35 years of U.S. medical records, has ever backed this up.

(Source: The New York Times and Snopes.com)

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