11 Body Myths That We Should Stop Passing On To Other People
indrani karmakarBA Hons Experience: 2.5 yearsIndrani is a writer and artist who likes to add a dash of humor to everything she does. She has two years of experience in writing articles across beauty, health, and lifestyle genres. After graduatin... more
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Several myths are engraved deep in our belief system, and even something as well studied as our body is not safe from myths encircling them. One would think, in an era, where answers can be found at the tip of our fingers, there should be no room for misconceptions, but sadly that is not true. So if you would like to know some of the biggest myths we all are guilty of following, we have debunked a number of them in this article. Read on to know them all!
In This Article
1. Cracking Knuckles Can Lead To Arthritis
People crack their knuckles for a variety of reasons, including satisfaction, and the myth that surrounds this behavior has some foundation in reality. Cracking and popping your knuckles frequently might cause harm to the bones, but contrary to popular belief, it does not raise your chance of developing arthritis.
2. Eating Before Going To Bed Causes Weight Gain
There may be a correlation between late-night snacking and weight growth. It’s true to some extent, especially about eating something else after supper. One exception is making up for a missed meal many hours after the usual dinner time. The amount of food you consume, instead of when you eat it, is an essential factor in achieving and staying at a healthy weight.
3. Sugar Doesn’t Cause Breakouts
Facial routines and other time-tested methods of maintaining healthy, radiant skin are essential components of any comprehensive skincare routine. If you want to keep your face looking smooth, you should probably avoid eating sugary treats. Oily skin and frequent breakouts are common complaints among sweet lovers, and this is especially true for the face.
4. Hair Grows Thicker On Shaving
In recent years, less body hair has been seen as more desirable. Many options emerged as people sought ways to permanently remove hair from the body. Yet, shaving is one technique most people want to avoid, especially in sensitive areas. Shaving might give the impression that new hair is growing darker and fuller than it actually is, but this is due to the hair’s thicker, coarser root and the fact that it hasn’t been exposed to as many environmental factors.
5. White Teeth Is A Sign Of Good Oral Health
The majority of dental advertisements feature models who smile brightly. That’s why a lot of us are keen to try out new techniques for bleaching our teeth. It’s tempting to have a white grin but that slight yellow tint is really the result of dentin, the protective coating on the inside of our teeth.
6. Smiling Can Cause Wrinkles
Fine lines, often known as smile lines and crow’s feet, grow more pronounced with age. These lines are commonly associated with a happy expression, and this is mostly correct. As we squint and smile, more of these become visible. But they don’t cause wrinkles and will only make your smile prettier.
7. Yoga Can Reduce Body Ache
We are motivated to attempt yoga because of its claims of improving flexibility and breathing. It’s tempting to turn to it when anything goes wrong with the bodies, but unfortunately, that is not true. Attempting yoga on an aching body will only make it worse for your body.
9. Wearing High Heels Leads To Bunions
High heels will always be at the height of style. That’s why they’ve been indispensable for generations of fashion. Nonetheless, we usually don’t think high heels can bring us much joy. Perhaps it’s because we’re still worried they’ll give us bunions in the long run. Wearing high heels might aggravate the pain of bunions, but they do not create them. Genetic predisposition and inflammatory joint illnesses like arthritis are the real culprits behind bunions.
9. Detoxing Your Body Is Essential
Detox diets, cleansing smoothies, vitamin drips, or other fads lead us to believe that we must rely heavily on certain healthy foods to maintain a healthy body. Although they provide some benefits, we are not interested in them altogether. Our internal cleansing system works quite fine without the aid of external “cleansers.” We need to take care of the liver since it filters everything we eat and drink.
10. Snoring Is Not Harmful
Although snoring is a common annoyance, it should be taken seriously as a health risk. In truth, other underlying disorders can be detected as snoring becomes increasingly loud over time. Such examples are not getting enough sleep or having sleep apnea.
11. We Have Unique Fingerprints
The fact that each person’s fingerprints are completely different from everyone else’s may seem like conventional information. This sort of individuality is so rare that we even see it in espionage movies and cartoons, where the protagonists often check their fingernails. Nevertheless intriguing this may be, the details may be off. Fingerprints are not as dependable as they formerly were when it relates to investigating crimes. Certain designs may seem too much like others.
The human body is similar, and yet so different from one another. It is important to research our bodies before believing in anything blindly. So, which of these myths are you guilty of believing? Let us know in the comments section.
Sources:
- The Consequences of Habitual Knuckle Cracking, NCBI
- Bunions: Overview, NCBI
- Longitudinal study of fingerprint recognition, NCBI
