How many times have I read this exact same list, with slightly different descriptions?

I didn't think anyone believed any of those except the cholesterol one.

There were a few in there I was unaware of.

Why would you even want to sleep 8 hours a night, much less think that your body requires 8 hours a night?

#2 is not debunking the "myth" - it's moving the goalposts. No one is saying that simply limiting caloric intake will make you healthy. But it will make you skinnier. If you were eating 10 cheeseburgers a day, and now eat 3 cheeseburgers a day, you will get skinnier. You'll still be wickedly unhealthy, but you will lose weight.

#4 is likewise stupid. So eye strain isn't hurting your eyes (however temporarily)? That's like saying that twisted ankle isn't an injury because it's only temporary. If the choice is low light and eye strain or better light and no eye strain, seems like my parents were probably right that you should have the light.

#8 seems offbase, because as the body cools, it slows circulation to the extremities in favor of the head and torso to protect the vital organs. (pretty sure the real mythbusters did an episode on this). It's one reason why your fingers and toes will get frostbitten before your cheeks, for instance. Given that, you will tend to lose more heat from your head simply because there's more heat to lose.

Most of that debunking can be debunked.

"calories counting"

English, motherfarker...

FloydA: [i105.photobucket.com image 481x362]

Hear ye, hear ye! I declare this thread to be over. I'm going to go pop open a Guinness.

The idea that all calories are created equal is a pernicious myth that keeps people from maintaining a healthy weight. There was a really good long-term study on weight that came out last year.

"The foods that contributed to the greatest weight gain were not surprising. French fries led the list: Increased consumption of this food alone was linked to an average weight gain of 3.4 pounds in each four-year period. Other important contributors were potato chips (1.7 pounds), sugar-sweetened drinks (1 pound), red meats and processed meats (0.95 and 0.93 pound, respectively), other forms of potatoes (0.57 pound), sweets and desserts (0.41 pound), refined grains (0.39 pound), other fried foods (0.32 pound), 100-percent fruit juice (0.31 pound) and butter (0.3 pound).

Also not too surprising were most of the foods that resulted in weight loss or no gain when consumed in greater amounts during the study: fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Compared with those who gained the most weight, participants in the Nurses' Health Study who lost weight consumed 3.1 more servings of vegetables each day.

But contrary to what many people believe, an increased intake of dairy products, whether low-fat (milk) or full-fat (milk and cheese), had a neutral effect on weight.

And despite conventional advice to eat less fat, weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period. "

Kasira: RexTalionis: Why would you even want to sleep 8 hours a night, much less think that your body requires 8 hours a night?

I sleep 9 hours a night, and I don't function well on less. Different people need different things.

That's interesting, but wouldn't you rather have the time available to you if you don't sleep as much? For me, at least, sleep was never an altogether pleasant experience and I don't typically get (or need) more than 2-5 hours a night.

/Also, my dreams are weird.

RexTalionis: Kasira: RexTalionis: Why would you even want to sleep 8 hours a night, much less think that your body requires 8 hours a night?

I sleep 9 hours a night, and I don't function well on less. Different people need different things.

That's interesting, but wouldn't you rather have the time available to you if you don't sleep as much? For me, at least, sleep was never an altogether pleasant experience and I don't typically get (or need) more than 2-5 hours a night.

/Also, my dreams are weird.

It's not really a choice. I for example do need to sleep 8 hours. Of course, if I sleep less I have more time available but I feel crappy and don't "function" 100% - most likely I'll be in a lousy mood too.
What worth is extra time if you can't enjoy spending it? Only 2 hours/night? Do you nap during the day?

ParallelUniverseParking: What worth is extra time if you can't enjoy spending it? Only 2 hours/night? Do you nap during the day?

No, I'm not big on napping. Never really have been. When I was in pre-school, I got in trouble a lot because instead of taking nap time, I would wander around the school. Two hours is about the minimum I need to work, but once I'm up, I'm no longer tired. Two hours is how much I slept during a lot of college. Nowadays, I get 3-5 hours on average and sometimes I set the alarm to wake me up every hour so I can read the news for five minutes before going back to sleep.

Myth #11 Homeopathic medicine:

The truth: Its only affect is on your wallet.

ParallelUniverseParking: RexTalionis: Kasira: RexTalionis: Why would you even want to sleep 8 hours a night, much less think that your body requires 8 hours a night?

I sleep 9 hours a night, and I don't function well on less. Different people need different things.

That's interesting, but wouldn't you rather have the time available to you if you don't sleep as much? For me, at least, sleep was never an altogether pleasant experience and I don't typically get (or need) more than 2-5 hours a night.

/Also, my dreams are weird.



It's not really a choice. I for example do need to sleep 8 hours. Of course, if I sleep less I have more time available but I feel crappy and don't "function" 100% - most likely I'll be in a lousy mood too.
What worth is extra time if you can't enjoy spending it? Only 2 hours/night? Do you nap during the day?

This pretty well fits me as well. I've spent most of the last 2 years in a fowl mood due to kids waking me up at all hours of the night. Every now and then I get to catch up on weekends.

stpauler: Myth #11 Homeopathic medicine:

The truth: Its only affect is on your wallet.

Unless there is such thing as a "placebo effect". Mind over matter. If it's a headache, sure, maybe. A tumor in your prostate, not so much.

Considering that I need at least 6 to function properly during the day, I hate all of you people who can work on less and I would really like that sleep drug.

That, and I always thought that being cold and wet more encouraged your immune system to be slightly compromised, giving a virus a little bit of a head start.

The monkeys were deprived of sleep for 30 to 36 hours and then given either orexin A or a saline placebo before taking standard cognitive tests. The monkeys given orexin A in a nasal spray scored about the same as alert monkeys, while the saline-control group was severely impaired.

Can't we learn from the last time we tested on apes with aerosol sprays?

MagSeven: *Checks list
Whew! My body is STILL a Wonderland.

That's enough, John Mayer!

#11: Bigger is not always better.


/right?
//right?!?

RexTalionis: Why would you even want to sleep 8 hours a night, much less think that your body requires 8 hours a night?

Because that still means that I'm awake for 16 hours a day, and there just isn't THAT much that interests me... 8 hours keeps me from snoozing at work, and the resulting time left over is perfect for hanging with the family and getting some 'me' time.

Mikey1969: RexTalionis: Why would you even want to sleep 8 hours a night, much less think that your body requires 8 hours a night?

Because that still means that I'm awake for 16 hours a day, and there just isn't THAT much that interests me... 8 hours keeps me from snoozing at work, and the resulting time left over is perfect for hanging with the family and getting some 'me' time.

I'm sure you could find something, anything, to fill your time. When I still had the time (and subscription) to do so, I'd read 4 or 5 newspapers a day through LexisNexis.

FTA:

But if that's true, why do people contract a cold more often in the Winter? Doctors don't have a certain answer, but according to the New York Times there are a few working theories. Because colds are spread by transferring the virus from one person to another, you need to be in contact with other people. People spend more time indoors during the Winter, and so you often find yourselves 1) around them, and 2) in an enclosed space. If one person gets sick in a household, office, or wherever, there's a good chance that virus will spread. As you should any time of year, keep your distance from the contagious.

Who writes this crap? Of course they know what causes it, and it didn't take the NYT to figure it out.

1. Enclosed spaces.

2. People in these enclosed spaces with each other more often and for longer times.

(And now the big one)

3. Warm, dry, recirculated air is perfect for germinating these germs while they float around waiting to make people sick.

And also...

No, you don't actually get a cold FROM the cold, but you're going to be far more vulnerable to infection if you get sick with something like pneumonia, so it isn't a good idea to go streaking through the snow and dive in the lake, then walk home soaking wet.

RexTalionis: I'm sure you could find something, anything, to fill your time. When I still had the time (and subscription) to do so, I'd read 4 or 5 newspapers a day through LexisNexis.

Why? Seriously... I can't think of any reason to have THAT much need for up to the minute news from EVERYWHERE...

But hey, as long as you are healthy, it doesn't really matter, so enjoy!! :-)

Mikey1969:
No, you don't actually get a cold FROM the cold, but you're going to be far more vulnerable to infection if you get sick with something like pneumonia, so it isn't a good idea to go streaking through the snow and dive in the lake, then walk home soaking wet.

Oh great. NOW you tell me!