MYTHS ABOUT HEALTH

The world is full of myths… and often these myths are so strong that we believe them as facts. Some of the myths that are associated with our health… and the facts are as follows:

Sun light causes skin cancer:

Even the learned institutes for cancer research were seen promoting the cause of sunscreens. The Sunscreens are supposed to protect us from the skin cancer. But now a day’s… they were receiving abundant information against such opinion. It’s a fact that men have been working under the harsh sun for thousands of years, and there used to be less cases of skin cancer. Further, the Ultra Violet rays are harsh in the countries nearby the equator. But the cases of skin cancer don’t seem to be alarming in tropical nations. And what’s worse! People who were against this myth were arguing that the sunscreens would actually disable us from gathering the `D vitamin` from the sunrays. As the debate is still in motion, let’s wait to hear more voices before making a decision about the myth.

Artificial sweeteners are healthy!

`Switch on to natural sweetener to get rid of calories` is the common advice being heard all around. But the war against the artificial sweeteners is gaining momentum. Artificial sweeteners like `aspartame` were being accused of side effects that are not ignorable. The artificial sweeteners were accused of tricking our taste buds with too much of sweetness making them less responsive to the natural sweeteners like the fruits. They interfere with the body’s natural ability to `count the calories and act accordingly`!  They even increase our craving for more sugar. All these factors would in long term result in a heavy calorie intake and increased sugar levels.

Skipping of meals would help reduce fat!

Occasional fasting might help our body to cleanse itself! But the process of fasting is nothing less than a science. People often skip meals just to get rid of the excess calories. But most of them end up in eating much food after starvation. Moreover, when our body is not provided with sufficient food, it would reduce the process of metabolism to cope up with the calories in hand. So when we fast, it’s better to see that the body is provided with enough energy to carry the metabolism. The intake of honey and lemon juice would ensure that. Even after the fasting, be sure that you are getting back on track with a low meal. That’s the way Indian’s have been fasting for thousands of years, as a part of their religious rituals.

Wearing a hat would make you bald!

This statement does not induce any debate, as every hair expert against it! Alopecia or baldness is completely genetical. However the external factors like pollution and internal factors like malnutrition might make it severe. But wearing a hat has not proven to result in baldness. If that is true, every person serving in army or a coal mine should come out bald! A hat won’t injure the hair fossils unless it cuts off the blood circulation for them… which might never be the case. So wear a hat to make your fashion statement!

- Nirjara.