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Coming from a guy that drinks a lot, has kids, eats late and wears a hat( don't know much about the flowers or suicides but hey....) kinda cool.




Winter medical myths 'debunked'
Man with hangover
With hangovers it is just a waiting game, research suggests

It may feel like the aspirin, fry-up or even "hair of the dog" is helping to alleviate that hangover caused by over-indulging the night before.

But in fact there is no such thing as a "cure" for a hangover, say researchers from Indiana University in the US.

It is one of six Christmas-related myths which been debunked in the British Medical Journal.

The team trawled through the medical literature and internet for evidence on a range of commonly held beliefs.

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Colin, Plymouth, UK
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"Both physicians and non-physicians sometimes believe things about our bodies that just are not true," wrote Dr Rachel Vreeman and Dr Aaron Carroll.

"Examining common medical myths reminds us to be aware of when evidence supports our advice."

So what did they find?

HANGOVER CURES

An internet search flagged up endless methods claiming to cure a hangover from aspirin to bananas to Vegemite and water.

But there is no scientific evidence of an effective cure or method of preventing hangovers, the researchers said, despite many trials being carried out on both traditional and complementary medicines.

Keeping teetotal or drinking in moderation is the only way to avoid a hangover, they concluded.

EATING LATE AND GAINING WEIGHT

Putting on pounds in the festive period almost seems inevitable but to avoid unwanted weight gain it has been suggested that people avoid eating late at night.

The idea is that you cannot burn off the calories if you are asleep.

But this is not supported by the evidence.

A Swedish study found that obese women were more likely to eat at night, but they also ate more in general.

In another study of more than 2,500 patients, eating at night was not associated with weight gain but eating more than three meals a day was.

Ultimately, taking in more calories makes you gain weight whenever you eat them, the researchers said.

SUGAR AND HYPERACTIVITY

With Christmas comes selection boxes and a host of sweet treats but parents need not fear their children climbing the walls.

Children eating chocolate
It is commonly thought children become hyperactive after eating sugar

Regardless of what parents might think, sugar does not cause hyperactive behaviour.

At least 12 randomised controlled trials looking at levels of sugar and behaviour - even in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - were unable to detect any difference.

Scientists also found that when parents think their child has had a sugary drink they rate their behaviour as more hyperactive - so it is all in the mind.

HATS AND THE COLD

We've all been told to put a hat on in winter because most heat is lost through the head.

The researchers even found that the US Army Field manual for survival recommends covering your head in cold weather because around 40-45% of body heat is lost through the head.

A recent study, however, showed there is nothing special about heat loss from the head - any uncovered part of the body would lose heat.

Scrutiny of the literature shows this myth probably originated with an old military study in which scientists put individuals in arctic survival suits (but with no hat) and measured their body temperature in extreme conditions.

If the experiment had been done with the participants wearing only swimsuits they would not have lost more than 10% of their body heat through their heads, the researchers said.

POINSETTIA TOXICITY

Poinsettias are a common Christmas decorative feature but many believe they are poisonous.

In reality they are fairly harmless.

Of 22,793 cases of poinsettia exposure reported to poison control in the US, there were no deaths and 96% did not require medical treatment and none resulted in considerable poisoning.

A study in rats could not find a toxic level of the plant sap.

SUICIDES AT CHRISTMAS

"The combined stresses of family dysfunction, exacerbations in loneliness, and more depression over the cold dark winter months are commonly thought to increase the number of suicides," said Dr Vreeman.

But, although the holidays may be difficult for some, there is no good evidence to suggest a peak in suicides.

Also people are not more likely to commit suicide in the dark winter months - around the world suicides peak in warmer months, the researchers said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7789302.stm

Good stuff. One of my favorite shows is Mythbusters so this is right up my alley.

Well as far the best cure for a hangover……liquids+time. That is the winner. The symptoms of a hangover are the same of a person dying of dehydration in the desert. With all the booze, the body is trying to flush it out with every bit of water it can find (reason why you pee so much while drinking). And it’s the same reason why the people that drink a glass of water every so often while partying seem to come out better in the morning (I chug 2 containers of Gatorade before going to bed and I feel like a million bucks in the morning – too bad I forget half the time).

Sometime during this past season in Mythbusters they covered the myth of drinking booze to warm you up when you're cold (the St. Bernard on the mountain myth). And it was proved right, at first. As everyone knows, the body starts shutting off blood circulation in the hands and feet when it senses cold. It's goal is to save the internal organs at all cost. And your internal temp can stay normal for hours and hours in zero degrees, unlike your hands and feet. When you start drinking booze, you'll feel a sudden rush of warmth all over.....because the booze is thinning the blood and "unconstricting" the blood vessals. While that's sounds like a good plan.....by the time that warm blood rushes through your cold hands and feet, it's chilly....and that blood gets sent back to your internal organs (which is bad). So in the very, very short term it's a good idea....it will actually make you colder.

Well that's cool, didn't know that. I always liked Mythbusters since a dude I worked with was on there for breaking the glass when he screamed.


I guess this means those chasers pills don't work for preventing hangovers....

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SUGAR AND HYPERACTIVITY

With Christmas comes selection boxes and a host of sweet treats but parents need not fear their children climbing the walls.

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Sorry I dont believe this one.....My step daughter returns from her dad's who lets her drink as much Mt. Dew as she wants along with as much junk food as she wants, the endless talking about nothing, the endless hopping, skipping, jumping, rolling, slidding off the couch, the walking back -n-forth infront of the TV, well it's not in my head, She's not use to alot of pop, we dont drink alot of pop, juice, water ect so when she gets pop

If she's drinking Mt. Dew, that hyperactivity could have more to do with the caffeine in the Dew.

I buy the sugar theory. I let my daughter have a couple of licks on a Tootsie Pop every now and then (she's been working on the same one since October and it's not even half way gone), she isn't any more hyper than when she doesn't have sugar and she still goes to bed at the same time each night.

There are many, MANY myths in the medical community that are supported by absolutely nothing....and you wouldn't believe the number of doctors who buy into them and pass it on to their patients. And the media.....don't even get me started on the bogus things they report as fact.

A couple licks of the a lolipop? You're using that as evidence that sugar has no effect on being hyper? Really living on the edge there letting her have a couple licks of a sucker. Of course it's lasted about 2 months. How much damage do you think 2 licks of a lolipop can really do? What do you do for fluids? Does she have a glass of kool aide that has to last her a month, getting a couple of sips each day to wash her dinner down? Have you ever considered just going absolutely nuts and letting her have a whole sucker? Haha I'm sorry, it was just funny that you thought you were the myth buster 2000 based off of giving your kid 2 licks and she didn't get hyper. Nothing like a solid lolipop experiment to solve the myster. haha

Hey browns babe proved the sugar one though, so you can put that one down as myth for sure.

Wow. Lay off the sugar, Dude.

Not the sugar. Proofs in the above post lil miss lady..

Lay off dude. I never said it was proof. I said that I didn't totally buy it. And, by the way, at 10 months old, a couple licks of a lollipop is MORE than enough sugar for my child. I don't give her sugar any other time, it's a special treat. So if sugar was going to cause hyperactivity IN MY CHILD, those few licks would do it.

Hee hee! That's even the kind of lollipop that I use with her.

Thought that would give ya a giggle. I remember those commercials from when I was a kid. I always laughed when the Mr. Owl bit it.

The only hang over cure I know works, is to drink alot of water before you goto sleep, and take a couple aspirin. If you had A LOT to drink then try to make a point of waking up every 2 hours and drinking another full cup of water.

Since hangovers are the result of dehydration, the only cure is to rehydrate as your body dissipates the alcohol.

heh, that sounds good except I don't know about you but if I had way too much to drink then I'm not waking up for quite a few hours

That's part of the problem, but for me it's easy because I typically wake up every couple hours naturally, but I seldom go right to bed when I have been drinking, I will stay up and hour or so and chug down water, and am usually pretty sober by the time I do lay down.

Good, because I eat at night after work all the time, and I have gained weight.

Maybe it's because I sit there while at the computer or watching TV and pound some Cheez-its after work. Hmmmm......

one thing is definitely for sure.....

It' not the Beer.

At least that's what I keep telling myself

It's never the beer my friend, Never. I only know this because Brownsbabe gave her daughter a couple sips and it had not adverse effects. No weight gain and not even a hang over.

You know, you're acting like a total and complete ass here bringing up my baby in each post in here in this thread. I merely gave an example. GET OVER IT and don't bring up my baby again if you're merely going to be insulting.

Dude has to be a ghost. Or just what you said he's acting like. Don't forget, Trolls need love too.....

A ghost? Haha, yes the haunted dawg talkers website. All flesh and bone here little buddy.

Ghost....Troll, no difference, same mindset.

Have fun.

I agree, no difference. Sensitive, thin skinned, weak, not much of a difference there... All same personality traits.. Just saying..

Will definately have fun, that's what I do.

Get over what? I didn't say anything mean about your baby. How do you not take it as a compliment that I was admiring the fact that you ran some impressive scientific studies. I wont say on who you ran them, per your request, but you did run them non the less and I was impressed.

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How do you not take it as a compliment that I was admiring the fact that you ran some impressive scientific studies.

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You really ought to look up the words "sarcasm" and "condescending" and familiarize yourself with the difference... If you're being condescending, you look like an ass.. if your using sarcasm, you suck at it.

You have 12 posts, 7 of them in this thread about her lollipop comment... let it go.