Mom! You were wrong

I am a rebel at heart and questions everything under the sun. One of my grouses against people is that they accept anything dished out to them without batting an eyelid. An inquisitive mind is absolutely essential.

Though my late father empathised with me, my late mother used to be aghast whenever I questioned what she called 'Conventional Wisdom'. It was always 'do this', 'do that'. Why? 'Because it is good for you'. Not wanting to offend mother, as I will never hear the last of it, I used to take the path of least resistance and obey her. So I drank 8 glasses of water per day (one of the reasons I became pot bellied), used to switch on all the bloody lights in the room as reading in soft light was bad for the eyes, never started anything new on 'Ashtami and Navami' ( you ask her why, and she will bring the roof down.....anyway that is for another post), Horlicks will make me healthy ( I hated that drink.......still do), never drive a 2 wheeler as I will meet with an accident ( there I used to put my foot down and get my way with the silent backing of the ever suffering father who taught me driving at tender age of 14) and so it went.........

How I wish she were alive today. A recent study conducted by two U.S. researchers took certain common beliefs or myths and searched the archives for evidence to support them.The results are published in the British Medical Journal this week and in American Journal of Psychology

Myth #1: You need to drink 8 glasses of water every day
Despite frequent mentions in the popular press of the need to drink eight glasses of water, the researchers found no scientific basis for the claim. There is a complete lack of evidence. ( If I had known this before, it would have saved numerous trips to the loo)

Myth #2: Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
The majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage, but it may make you squint, blink more and have trouble focusing, the researchers said (could have saved my father some electric bills)

Myth #3: Shaving makes hair grow back faster or coarser
It has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair regrowth, studies say. But stubble lacks the finer taper of unshaven hair, giving the impression of coarseness (we could have put Gillete out of business)

Myth #4: We use only 10 percent of our brains
This myth arose as early as 1907 but imaging shows no area of the brain is silent or completely inactive (this is assuming I have one)

Myth #5: Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals
Despite widespread concerns, studies have found minimal interference with medical equipment (it doesn't talk about the nuisance value a mobile has to the patient)

Now I am waiting for more such myths to be busted. Makes life much easier