Don't Cross Your Eyes...They'll Get Stuck That Way!: And 75 Other Health Myths Debunked (29 page)

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Women do not have a G-spot

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Zaviacic, M., and R. J. Ablin. “The G-Spot.”
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Dyeing your hair will give your baby birth defects

Burnett, C., E. I. Goldenthal, S. B. Harris, F. X. Wazeter, J. Strausburg, R. Kapp, and R. Voelker. “Teratology and Percutaneous Toxicity Studies on Hair Dyes.”
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Burnett, C., R. Loehr, and J. Corbett. “Heritable Translocation Study on Two Hair Dye Formulations.”
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Harms, R. “Hair Dye and Pregnancy: A Concern?”
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McCall, E. E., A. F. Olshan, and J. L. Daniels. “Maternal Hair Dye Use and Risk of Neuroblastoma in Offspring.”
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Don’t shake hands if you want to stay healthy

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Saether, L. “Cold Season Question: To Shake or Not to Shake?”
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You shouldn’t enter the home of someone who is sick

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Dennehy, P. H. “Transmission of Rotavirus and Other Enteric Pathogens in the Home.”
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Goldmann, D. A. “Transmission of Viral Respiratory Infections in the Home.”
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“How the Flu Spreads.”
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Larson, E. L. “Warned, but Not Well Armed: Preventing Viral Upper Respiratory Infections in Households.”
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Larson, E. L., Y. H. Ferng, J. Wong-McLoughlin, S. Wang, M. Haber, and S. S. Morse. “Impact of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on Uris and Influenza in Crowded, Urban Households.”
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Samet, J. M. “How Do We Catch Colds?”
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I have just the thing for that cold … Honey and Vinegar

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Moyad, M. A. “Conventional and Alternative Medical Advice for Cold and Flu Prevention: What Should Be Recommended and What Should Be Avoided?”
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Paul, I. M., J. Beiler, A. McMonagle, M. L. Shaffer, L. Duda, and C. M. Berlin, Jr. “Effect of Honey, Dextromethorphan, and No Treatment on Nocturnal Cough and Sleep Quality for Coughing Children and Their Parents.”
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Pourahmad, M., and S. Sobhanian. “Effect of Honey on the Common Cold.”
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Eating local honey will prevent allergies

Clark, J. “Can You Fight Allergies with Local Honey?” Discovery Health,
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Foreman, J. “Does Eating ‘Local Honey’ Help Prevent Allergies?”
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“Honey Effective in Killing Bacteria That Cause Chronic Sinusitis.”
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Ishikawa, Y., T. Tokura, N. Nakano, M. Hara, F. Niyonsaba, H. Ushio, Y. Yamamoto, T. Tadokoro, K. Okumura, and H. Ogawa. “Inhibitory Effect of Honeybee-Collected Pollen on Mast Cell Degranulation in Vivo and in Vitro.”
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Opar, A. “Does Eating Local Honey Help Prevent Allergies?”
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Simon, A., K. Traynor, K. Santos, G. Blaser, U. Bode, and P. Molan. “Medical Honey for Wound Care—Still the ‘Latest Resort’?”
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Hot peppers can cause ulcers

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Satyanarayana, M. N. “Capsaicin and Gastric Ulcers.”
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Swan, D. “Peppers Are Hot—As a Health and Diet Aid.”
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Hydrogen peroxide is good for a wound

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Curtis, P. “7 First-Aid Standbys You Should Never Use.”
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Torres, J. “Hydrogen Peroxide for Wound Cleaning: Water’s Better!” My Family Doctor,
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If you cut off your finger, put it on ice right away

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“Severed Penis Retrieved from Toilet Is Reattached.” Reuters (2005),
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Scaletta, T. “Top 10 First Aid Mistakes.”
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If you catch a cold, it means you have a weak immune system

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Cohen, S., D. A. Tyrrell, M. A. Russell, M. J. Jarvis, and A. P. Smith. “Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, and Susceptibility to the Common Cold.”
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Gwaltney, J. M., Jr., and F. G. Hayden. “Myths of the Common Cold.”
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You can only get lice from another person with lice

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“Head Lice.”
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Sciscione, P., and C. A. Krause-Parello. “No-Nit Policies in Schools: Time for Change.”
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