Old Wives Tales: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly; Part 2
Let me continue down the path of the insufferable know-it-all, as I continue to give you this 3 part series on old sayings and wives tales. As last time, 5 "the good"; sayings or adages that are true or at least have their main emphasis in fact. I will then follow it up with a combination of 5 "the bad" (things that are half true) and "the ugly" (absolutely not true). Welcome to part 2 of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Old Wives Tales and Sayings.
Read More: Old Wives Tales: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly; Part 1
THE GOOD
Hair of the Dog
If you drank too much and are suffering through a nasty hangover, the old wives tale says, “have another drink.” As it turns out, science agrees with them. Research has shown that drinking small doses of alcohol can actually relieve withdrawal symptoms. However, using alcohol to treat alcohol-withdrawal increases the body’s dependency on the drug. This leads to bigger problems than a headache and dehydration. Instead, avoid the hangover with a big glass of water before bed or don’t go overboard in the first place.
Count Sheep and Fall asleep
Not the actual sheep themselves, but rather the act in and of itself. The concept of visualizing non-important or mundane things along with that mental imagery can help distract stressful or anxious thoughts that may be keep you awake.
Good Cheese = bad/weird Dreams
True story. I have been victimized by cheese. Never scary dreams, but super weird in all instances that I remember, and ultra-vivid. Seems science now agrees. There are some scientific theories that hint that the bacterial and fungal elements in cheese contain psychoactive ingredients which have the potential to affect dreams. Cheese does contain the protein casein, which has been shown to cause a release of dopamine in the body as it breaks down. This release rewards the body with feelings of pleasure. In this way. cheese has been known to be "addictive."
Fish is Brain food
A Harvard study concluded that eating fish once or twice a week may reduce the risk of stroke, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic conditions. In addition, fish fats/oils were found to be essential in optimal baby-brain development for pregnant women.
Honey = Great for coughs
Honey is a demulcent. That means it forms a mucous membrane that soothes the irritation in infected areas. In addition, honey is also antibacterial; it was used in ancient history to heal wounds and reduce infection. A study showed that children with upper respiratory infections were more likely to get better if given spoonful’s of honey, than if they were dosed with cough-and-cold medication.
THE BAD
Joints are achy/sore; rain is coming
Half true; younger age groups won’t notice a thing, but grandpa might. Scientists theorize that the change in barometric pressure can cause tendons, muscles, and scar tissue to expand and contract which in turn can cause pain, especially by those dealing with arthritis.
Early to bed early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy and wise
Half-true; kind of. This one is based around when you actually do your work or career. Those individuals that were waking earlier were found to have a more stable and scheduled work life. Studies show that the early bird catches the worm; that’s based around the fact that most jobs are in-fact done through out the day, with the more undesirable paying positions being held at night, or during “off” hours.
THE UGLY
Feed a cold, starve a fever.
NOPE. It's not a good idea to starve yourself when you're sick with any kind of illness. Consistently consuming nutrients, even if you feel too sick to eat, helps you keep your strength up and fight off the bodily infection. In addition, fevers raise your body temperature which burns calories; that means it might be a good idea to make sure you eat and drink plenty when you have a fever.
Pee on a jellyfish sting to lessen the pain
Everyone who has seen Friends, knows Joey is the best friend a person could have. But, they also could have just washed it off in the sea water… In fact, your pee could actually make the jellyfish sting the suffering friend even more. In most cases of jellyfish stings, a tentacle can be left attached to the victim. Certain chemical interactions can actually cause that detached tentacle to sting the victim all over again, repeatedly.
Going outside with wet hair? You’ll catch a cold
Colds are viruses, you can't catch them from water, having wet hair, or feeling cold — you can only catch them from other living creatures. Being cold, does not give you a cold.
Stay tuned for more updates. As this 3 part series continues, I'll tackle and unravel our sayings and old wives tales about anything and everything. If you've heard any that you're unsure of, or maybe I haven't heard, I'd love to see what I can dig up on them!
Find Part 1 Below:
Read More: Old Wives Tales: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly; Part 1