Essential Med investigates Strange Health Myths

From old wives' tales to bizarre folklore, there are a number of strange health myths out there. Health insurance providers, Essential Med, help to debunk some of the most common ones:

Never ever wake up a sleepwalker

This tired myth decrees that individuals caught sleepwalking should never, under no circumstances, be woken from their sleep. If a sleepwalker is awakened, the myth dictates that the shock to their system can cause serious injury in the form of heart failure and other hazards. Unsurprisingly, this is a complete fable. If worst comes to worst, the sleepwalker will appear groggy and may be angry with you, but life-threatening? – Not at all.

Cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis

First things first; it helps to understand what happens when you ‘crack' your knuckles. The crack you hear is not the sound of popping joints or grinding bones – rather, the noise originates from the popping of the tiny gas bubbles which can appear in the fluid in the joints of your fingers. Worst case scenario – you annoy the person sitting next to you at work.

Cold weather makes you sick

Chances are, this myth has been drilled into your head since childhood – autumn and winter are flu season, after all. It's time you learnt the truth: studies show that a drop in mercury doesn't directly affect your health. Rather, catching the flu is a result of spending too much time indoors where you breathe the same air and touch the same surfaces as your colleagues or family.

Smoking marijuana lowers your IQ  

This is a tricky one. Studies have shown that regular marijuana smokers between the ages of 13 and 18 – a crucial period in the brain's development – may experience a significant IQ drop of at least eight points. Alternatively, a 25-year study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that habitual marijuana smokers over the age of 18 didn't lose a single IQ point over the course of the study.

Sitting too close to the TV will ruin your vision

Sitting too close to the television won't ruin your eyesight, but sitting less than 1.5 metres from the screen can tire that muscles that focus the lens of the eye. This usually results in eyestrain and tired eyes that may burn and water. Make sure to leave a smart distance between your seating position and the television screen and give your eyes a break by refocusing your gaze during breaks.
Is your health an issue? Protect your health and your wallet with excellent health insurance and hospital plans offered by Essential Med.  

Source: http://exploring-cape-town.tumblr.com/post/66321634405/essential-med-guide-to-five-strange-health-myths