20 MEDICAL LIES THAT WE STILL BELIEVE

20. PREGNANCY LASTS 9 MONTHS
The 40 week pregnancy is a belief that is no longer correct now. There is more knowledge at hand and more clarification on the subject, each pregnancy is different. It turns out that only 5% of babies arrived on their supposed due date.

19. IF YOU ARE OVERWEIGHT, YOU ARE UNHEALTHY
Are you suffering from obesity? In fact an overweight person may not necessarily be unfit. So it's incorrect to assume that any overweight person is suffering. A study conducted by Dr. Stephen and Blair and his team prove that the death rate of an overweight person who exercises regularly is half of the death rate of a person who falls into the standard weight category. Body Mass Index (BMI) is something else to keep in mind when determining whether or not a person's weight falls into an unhealthy category.

18. ORGANIC FOOD IS FREE OF PESTICIDES
Organic food has become a widespread trend now. Everyone wants to switch to organic food due to the purity and health benefits it promises. But unfortunately this isn't exactly correct. There is a list of more than 20 chemicals that have been approved to be put in organic food production by US organic standards. It must also be kept in mind that despite regulations even organic food is susceptible to chemical flow from fields or nearby factories. So where can you get pure organic food? Well you can become a farmer and grow food exclusively for yourself.

17. HONEY IS A NATURAL SUGAR AND IT IS BETTER THAN PROCESSED SUGAR
The next time you want to put a spoonful of honey in your healthy green tea keep in mind what you read next. What if we tell you that honey has more calories than sugar. There are 64 calories in one tablespoon of honey and 49 calories per tablespoon of sugar. Although honey is used in lesser quantities since it is sweeter when compared to sugar. The fact remains that a lot of honey can also lead to weight gain. Medically honey is just as harmful as sugar and can lead to diseases like diabetes, heart problems and liver diseases if overused.

16. YOU CAN CATCH A COLD BECAUSE OF COLD WEATHER
It is the different viruses that make you sick not the cold weather. More people catch a cold in the winter as we spend more time indoors. Which is good for viruses because they can spread easier and they feel even better in the spring, summer and beginning of fall in higher humidity.

15. CHICKEN BROTH IS THE BEST CURE FOR EVERYTHING
Your grandmother most likely told you so but she was lying. In fact chicken broth makes you feel warm on the inside working as a placebo. It doesn't actually cure anything but as long as it makes you believe you're feeling better keep eating it.

14. EATING CARROTS CAN GIVE YOU EXCELLENT NIGHT VISION
We all learn that one of the advantages of carrots is that they're a good source of Vitamin A that can help improve your vision, thanks to the World War 2 propaganda. Carrots were seen as the best health food possible during World War 2. The British Air Force developed a new type of radar technology and try to hide it from the world by claiming that their new found success was due to the improved vision of their pilots, who ate many carrots. The presence of Vitamin A in carrots can help improve your eyesight but it's merely a myth that it can help you obtain night vision.

13. YOU ONLY USE ABOUT 10% OF YOUR BRAIN
You may have come across the phrase at least a million times in your life. But when we say it's not true you can believe that even Albert Einstein would have raised an eyebrow at this revelation. Several scientists and experiments have proven that almost the entire brain is active. During a person's lifespan the brains different parts are all responsible for our body's performance and 10% of the brain could not handle the functioning of your entire body. You are smarter than that well that's good to know.

12. USING MICROWAVES CAN GIVE YOU CANCER
Well microwaves do not cause cancer and this has been confirmed by some of the top researches. If we look at the heating method of the microwaves, we'll see that they produce radiation that heats up the water molecules present in the food, thus making it warm. In no way does it change the food or make in cancerous. The only thing to be kept in mind is to use dishes and plastic containers that can be put in the microwave.

11. YOGURT CAN IMPROVE DIGESTION
Yogurt or curd have both been popular for their various health benefits. Including weight management and digestion regulation. The probiotics have slowly entered out systems and they're ruling it. These probiotics are said to be the good kind of bacteria which helps regulate our gut. However when your body is already full of different kinds of bacteria. How can it be determined that it's the bacteria coming from yogurt that is helping. Also many yogurts are sweetened and the amount of sugar in many yogurts is harmful instead of healthy.

10. EATING AT NIGHT WILL MAKE YOU FAT
It's time to forget the famous saying eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a peasant. Weight gain is directly proportional to the amount of exercise you get. The US Department of Agriculture's Weight Control Information Network website the world's longest departmental title states that it is what and how much you eat and how much you exercise throughout the day and not the time when you eat that matters, when it comes to weight gain and loss. As long as you don't forget to exercise the next morning the refrigerator is yours to open during the night.

9. MILK IS GOOD FOR YOU
Apparently we were wrong to associate drinking milk with strong bones and a sufficient amount of calcium in the body. The most recent studies like Harvard Nurses Health Study for example have claim that there is no association of milk intake with healthy bones and the prevention of Calcium and Vitamin D deficiency. So the next time you are offered a glass of milk in the name of health you know what to say.

8. HUMANS HAVE FIVE SENSES
It turns out that we possess more than twenty extra senses. According to recent research there are many more prominent senses such as Nociception the ability to feel pain, Equilibrioception the sense of balance and Thermoception the sense of temperature. The newest one in the US is Bullshaaception the sensitivity to fake nose.

7. CHOCOLATE CAN GIVE YOU ACNE
Chocolate fans will love this one. No, chocolate does not cause acne. Too much oil bacteria and dead skin cells do. Now we don't say you should go crazy and eat as much chocolate as you want all day every day. Why not because it can have other negative effects like diabetes and tooth decay but not acne.

6. BLIND PEOPLE CAN'T SEE ANYTHING
If you were convinced that all blind people cannot see anything except pitch-black darkness, let us tell you that most of them sometimes actually miss being able to see darkness. It's incorrect to believe that blind people cannot see anything at all. There are conditions where blind people can see blurred patterns, shapes and even outlines.

5. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS STRETCH BEFORE YOU BEGIN EXERCISING
We all spend a few minutes stretching before we exercise but is this necessary? Turns out stretching before a workout may make you less efficient. As per Italian researchers over stretching before running or cycling may reduce your efficiency by as much as 5%. So next time you go to the gym you can spend the first few minutes of your workout working out your jaws and lips instead and catching up with friends.

4. TOO MUCH SALT IS UNHEALTHY
If you want to lose weight reduce your salt intake. If you want to get your blood pressure back on track cut back on salt. If you've never questioned theses two phrases it's time you do. So according to studies there are some health conditions requiring you to increase your salt intake. Low salt levels can lead to the probability of diabetes, increased fat storage and a decrease in sex drive. So go ahead and sprinkle some salt on your food.

3. YOUR TONGUE IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR PARTS
Well you may have heard that the tongue is divided into four separate parts and the taste buds on each part are responsible for differentiating sweet, sour, salty and bitter food. This is wrong what were you expecting? We're blowing up myths here. There are five tastes instead of four. The fifth taste is "umami". Which is like the taste of glutamate. There are thousands of taste buds on our tongue and they all work together. Don't you believe us try putting salt on the tip of your tongue. The salty taste you'll feel is enough to prove the tongue nap wrong.

2. IF YOU CRACK YOUR KNUCKLES, YOU WILL GET ARTHRITIS
We all know how terrible it sounds when you're cracking your knuckles. It turns out that the scary sound is the sound of a bubble popping inside the capsule covering the joint you stretch. And no it does not cause arthritis. Maybe the myth was spread by some sensitive individual probably my mother to prevent us from cracking our knuckle.

1. ONLY A DIRECT BLOW TO THE HEAD CAN CAUSE A CONCUSSION
It was just a minor fall. Think again before you let it go so easily and serious head injury that can affect brain function is a serious matter. Well it is believed that a concussion can be caused only by being directly hit on the head. This is not the case any blow to your head or upper body strong enough to shake your head can cause a concussion. The brain is set into motion and slams into the inside of the skull. Thus you need to be cautious and get checked out by a doctor after any head injury.

BONUS
6 HOURS OF SLEEP IS ENOUGH FOR HUMANS
Health gurus tell us to correct our sleeping habits. 8 hours is a must or so they say. In this fast paced life few of us get this luxury. So will it make us unhealthy? Studies have proved that our ancestors had six to seven hours of sleep at the max. Thus disproving the fact that modern life has taken away sound sleep from us. So don't waste time sulking over not being able to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep. As anxiety can cause more harm than sleepiness.