“Sometimes even doctors are duped” say Rachel C. Vreeman, fellow in children’s health services research and Aaron E. Carroll, assistant professor of pediatrics, who have recently published a report in BJM’s latest edition.

According to their study, too many physicians forget their permanent care should be constantly re-examining the already existing medical beliefs, which can generate wrong information to the general public.  Among those beliefs, they chose the seven most common ones.

People should drink at least eight glasses of water a day: according to medical studies, the normal fluid quantity is usually met through daily consumption of milk, coffee, juice, and excessive drinking of water could lead to water intoxication, hyponatraemia and even death.

Do we use only 10% of our brain? The answer is no, and it is well sustained by logical arguments: the multiple functions of the brain are located in different anatomical areas, which made impossible the exact identification of the other inactive 90%.

Another broken myth is that of hair and fingernails which continue to grow after death. Dermatologists say that the apparent growth phenomenon is actually the result of dehydration of the body after death, which makes the skin around the hair or nails to retract.

Shaving hair does not cause it to grow back faster, darker or coarser says the report. But according to scientific reports, shaving only removes the dead part of the hair, so it cannot possibly influence growth rate or thickness, as it doesn’t reach its living section.

Ophthalmologists broke down another myth, according to which reading in dim light ruins your eyes. Although it can have some negative effects on the eye, it is less probable to cause permanent changes in the eye structure.

The myth that consuming turkey makes people especially drowsy are based on the fact that it contains tryptophan, which can cause sleepiness, mood control or drowsiness. But by consuming the turkey in combination with other food, it is most likely that it will minimize the effects of the tryptophan.

Whether mobile phones create considerable electromagnetic interference in hospitals or not, there has never been a solid proof of that. Despite small incidents like false alarms on monitors or and incorrect readings on cardiac monitors, but most specialists say that the use of mobile phones is most likely to decrease the risk of medical error resulted from delays in the communication lines.