3 Strange Myths We Believe (That Aren't True)

1. Peeing on a jellyfish sting

Maybe you’ve seen it in the movies or on television, or even in real life. A person comes out of the water with the dreaded sting of the jellyfish. He is in pain, and you want to help. So what have you seen/heard? Pee on it. The initial reaction from most people is apprehension, but for some reason this idea has caught on.

When a jellyfish stings, cells and tentacles can still stick to the victim’s skin. You need to get as much remaining jellyfish off of you as possible. So rinse it, but this is the trick. Don’t use fresh water as it will agitate the cells, and since pee can have a consistency similar to fresh water, then it should make sense why pee is not the best option in many cases. If you have to use pee for relief, choose the friend who doesn’t drink much of anything and eats a lot, rather than the one on a liquid diet.

The main point is, urine needs to be acidic enough to neutralize venom, and urine differs from person to person. That means, on occasion it will offer relief, but many times it will be ineffective or just make things worse.

Other commonly held practices are vinegar and alcohol to neutralize the burn, but any victim is going to have to deal with some pain. Be sure to get accurate medical attention. A few species of jellyfish can give fatal stings. Watch for signs of an allergic reaction, and get immediate medical attention if signs appear.

2. If you cut your hair, it grows back more quickly

Well, it does grow back, but at a faster speed? The truth is, cutting your hair will leave a healthier looking style with less split ends and breakage, but it won’t affect your hair growth.

But why not?

Hair is dead, and doesn’t send or receive signals like an arm. It doesn’t have blood flow, and thankfully hair doesn’t have nerve receptors along the strands (the most painful haircut imaginable would ensue). When hair is pulled, it hurts at the scalp. That should be the clue. If you want to affect your hair growth, go to the scalp, particularly the follicles.

So if you really want to grow your hair out more quickly, here are the tips. First of all, growth rate depends on a few factors: genetics, body health and environment to name a few large ones. The healthier your hair is, the easier it will be to grow out. That means restrict damaging processes such as dying and heat styling, brush it conservatively and treat it like you really love it with nourishing shampoos and conditioners! The only time to cut hair is when the ends are clearly damaged (or for style, of course).

The best advice is to eat well or take a vitamin. Great hair growth comes from great health! So don’t focus on your hair as much as your entire body, and don’t chop it away every time you want to grow it out.

3. Chewing gum takes seven years to digest

Gum is indigestible, meaning the body doesn’t really break it down like other foods. So it doesn’t go through your body like food, that is true, but it doesn’t stay in your body either. If every indigestible material a person ate built up inside of them for almost a decade… well, you can imagine the consequences! Instead, it goes through the body mostly unchanged. Gum is insoluble just like fiber, but you don’t keep fiber in your body for seven years at a time.

This doesn’t mean you should swallow all of the gum you want. It still isn’t good for a person in comparison to real food, and children might choke on it! Just stick to the don’t-swallow-gum rule, and if it comes to it by accident, don’t fear a seven year gum belly.