Too much TV is bad for your eyes.

False. Watching television won’t hurt a person’s eyes (no matter how close to the TV), although too much TV can be a bad idea for kids. Research shows that children who consistently spend more than 10 hours a week watching TV are more likely to be overweight, aggressive, and slower to learn in school.

Eating carrots is good for your eyes.

False. Mom had the right idea but the wrong vegetable. The nutrient lutein - found in small amounts in carrots - has been shown to reduce the severity of the age-related eye disease macular degeneration (one of the top causes of vision loss). Broccoli, spinach and other green leafy vegetables are much better sources.

Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis.

False. “The ‘cracking’ is actually caused by the bursting of a bubble of nitrogen that forms inside the joint when the joint moves,” says John Klippel, M.D., medical director of the Arthritis Foundation. “Popping your knuckles may be annoying to others, but it doesn’t cause arthritis, enlarged joints or musculoskeletal problems.” However, habitual knuckle cracking tends to cause hand swelling, decreased grip strength, and can result in functional hand impairment.

If you cross your eyes, they’ll stay that way.

False. You may look funny when you cross your eyes, but your pupils will be just fine. People with perpetually crossed eyes aren’t making goofy faces. Rather, faulty messages from their brain cause these individuals’ eyes to be misaligned, known as strabismus. Eye crossing does not lead to strabismus.

Too much loud noise can cause deafness.

This one is true. Just 15 minutes of listening to loud, pounding music, machinery, or other noises can cause temporary loss of hearing and tinnitus, a ringing in the ears. Loud noise causes the eardrum to vibrate excessively and can damage the tiny hairs in the cochlea, a cone-shaped tube in the inner ear that converts sound into electrical signals for the brain to process. Although temporary hearing loss usually disappears within a day or two, continuous exposure to extreme noise can result in permanent hearing loss.

Feed a cold, starve a fever.

This one has been around for quite a while, but it’s false. Both high fevers and colds can cause fluid loss. Drinking plenty of liquids such as water, fruit juice, and vegetable juice can help prevent dehydration. And with both fevers and colds, it’s fine to eat regular meals - missing nutrients may only make a person sicker.

Eat the crust of the bread - it’s especially good for you.

A crumb of bread crust has eight times the amount of cancer-fighting antioxidants as a crumb from another part of the slice, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. (However, eating the crust won’t turn your hair curly or your teeth whiter, as you may have heard.) Final verdict on this one: True.

There is a never-ending supply of wives’ tales with which to amuse ourselves. These are just a cross-section of the better known tales. But when in doubt, ask your health care provider or call City-County Health and Home Care at 845-8518 to separate medical fact from fiction.

By Theresa Will
http://www.times-online.com/articles/2006/03/21/news/07health.txt