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Carbs Make You Fat

Carbs are not only not bad for you — they’re essential to a healthy diet. Holland Matheson, a nutrition specialist, says, “Carbs are the essential nutrients our body needs to survive. It’s the first macronutrient we use to burn energy and survive. Cutting carbs or completely omitting your primary energy source will be not sustaining, causing many people to rebound. Go for the good complex carbs, like whole grain pasta and oatmeal, rather than carbs like potato chips or ice cream.”

Related: Don’t Fall for These 17 Weight Loss Gimmicks



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Vaccines Cause Autism

Several years ago, two studies came out that said vaccines cause autism. Both studies have been proven to be critically flawed since then, and furthermore, have been retracted. Several more credible studies have been published since then which do not find any correlation between vaccines and autism.

Related: 14 Costly Health Problems and How to Catch Them Early



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Sleeping After a Concussion Is Dangerous



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The Five-Second Rule

The five-second rule suggests that you can safely eat food that’s fallen on the floor as long as you quickly pick it up — within five seconds. Believe it or not, researchers did a study on the five-second rule, and it is officially untrue — germs transfer before five seconds. Further findings from the study are that women use the rule more than men, and the rule is more likely to be invoked for cookies than for cauliflower.

Related: Here’s How Long You Have to Safely Eat 25 Unrefrigerated Foods



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Radioactivity Is Good For You

In the early 20th century, people thought radioactivity was healthy and would buy “healing” radioactive drinks for its supposed effects on rheumatism and various other ailments. Eben Byers, a tycoon of the era, claimed to drink three bottles a day. His death was documented in the Wall Street Journal with the headline, “The Radium Water Worked Fine Until His Jaw Came Off.” Needless to say, we don’t believe radioactivity is healing anymore.

Related: 30 Dangerous Products That Were Popular When You Were a Kid



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Tobacco Is a Remedy for Colds



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Flossing Is Key to Dental Health



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Women’s Uteruses Wander Around Their Bodies

This sounds positively batty to most of us, but the ancient Greeks believed that women’s uteruses wander around their body, desperately looking for semen to fertilize them. In fact, the great Plato and Hippocrates both spoke at length about it, and the womb was seen as the key to explaining the differences between men and women, and to explaining why women were inferior.

Related: 24 Amazing Recent Medical Breakthroughs



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You Use Only 10% of Your Brain

This myth has been the subject of many an intense conversation and even a Hollywood movie. While it’s a fun one for discussing, this myth is “almost laughable,” according to Barry Gordon, a neurologist of John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore who made the statement in a Scientific American article. Turns out we use almost every part of our brain, and our brains are active almost all the time.

Related: 12 Budget-Friendly Tips to Boost Brainpower



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Milk Is Crucial to a Healthy Diet

The U.S. Department of Agriculture tells adults that they should drink three cups of milk a day, mostly for calcium and vitamin D. However, studies show that there isn’t an association between drinking more milk and having fewer bone fractures. In fact, sometimes milk consumption can correspond to an increased risk of fractures or of death. While correlation and causation aren’t the same thing, the benefits aren’t proven and there may be risks.

Related: 11 Inexpensive Ways to Get More Vitamin D



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Cheese Is Bad for Your Heart

You would think that since milk isn’t so good for you, cheese would be even worse. Counterintuitively, researchers at Penn State found that cheese uniquely has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, despite its sodium content. This study only measured the short term results of 55- to 60-year-olds eating cheese versus soy cheese and pretzels, but they are currently conducting a longer-term study. In the meantime, you can continue eating cheese snacks in moderation.

Relating: 15 Alluring Cheese Shops Where You Can Get Free Samples



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Humans Have Five Senses

This myth has been disproven many a time, but is still repeated. You may have even heard it recently and believed it. But, what about time, balance, or temperature? Or, what about sensing pain or the sense that keeps us from walking into things all the time? There are easily more than five.

Related: 50 Facts You Learned in School That Are Actually Lies



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Carrots Help You See at Night



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Sugar Will Help Reduce Cravings



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You Can Scare Away Hiccups



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You Should Urinate on Jellyfish Wounds

You may have heard that if you are stung, that you should urinate on the sting to make it go away. It may have worked for people in the past, but is pretty seriously flawed as a suggestion for everyone. In fact, urine could cause the stingers to release more venom. Rinse the sting with saltwater instead.

Related: 12 First Aid Facts that are Actually Lies



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Drugs Drill Holes in Your Brain



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You Should Drink Eight Glasses of Water A Day

It’s a common saying that we need to be drinking eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy. The only problem is that there’s no scientific basis for that. You certainly don’t want to be dehydrated, but the best way to make sure you’re hydrated is to drink when you’re thirsty. The amount of water your body needs also depends on a variety of factors, including size, weight, activity level and where you live.

Related: 18 Foods That Will Help You Hydrate



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Alcohol Increases Your Risk of Heart Disease

While alcohol isn’t known for being a huge promoter of health, red wine may have a beneficial effect on our hearts. The benefits haven’t been proven strongly enough that you should start drinking if you don’t already, but if you already do, maybe switch out a margarita for a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon every once in a while, just to be safe.

Related: Don’t Believe These 19 Myths About Alcohol



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You Can and Should Detox Your Body



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Eating Turkey Will Make You Sleepy

The amino acid tryptophan does play a role in sleep, but turkey has the same amount of tryptophan as chicken or ground beef. Pork and cheese have more tryptophan than turkey. We probably associate turkey with sleepiness because of heavy Thanksgiving meals — likely with a glass of wine or two.

Related: 13 Things You Didn’t Know About Turkeys



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Old Diseases Such as Measles Are Gone



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Heavy Weights Make Women Bulky



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Use Heroin for a Cough

In the late 1800s, a Bayer employee (yes, the same people as the aspirin) ran some tests and decided that heroin was the new, improved, non-addictive morphine. Those who tested the drug felt “heroic” (heroisch in German), hence the name. It was marketed as an exciting treatment for coughs and morphine addiction. Long story short, that was tragically disproven.

Related: 34 Companies That Changed American Culture for Better or Worse



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Chocolate Causes Acne

This old wives’ tale scared a lot of teenagers, but ultimately, chocolate doesn’t cause acne. A diet high in fat and sugar can cause an inflammatory response in the body, which can lead to acne, but chocolate itself isn’t to blame.

Related: 30 Things You Should Stop Buying in 2020



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A Nightcap Will Help You Sleep



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Reading in Dim Light Hurts Your Eyesight



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