Myths & Facts: The Human Body

The human body. There is so much we know about it. But yet, there is just as much many "Myths" about our bodies that we pass of as fact at one time or another.

This page is going to be some of the myths and facts about our bodies.

## Myth #1~Cold air causes Colds

It has been well known about the winter and how a lot of people during that season get sick. People believe that from Autumn to Spring is "Cold & Flu Season" where you're the most likely to catch either a cold or the Flu (Influenza). Most people believed that Cold air, being out in the Cold weather and being cold is what made you sick.

### Fact

Now, it is now well known that Cold air (either from the winter or even air-conditioning) does not make you sick as there is no direct connection between the cold (air) and the cold (virus). So standing outside on a  cold, winter day won't make you sick.

We all know that the cold that makes you sick is caused by a virus. There can be as hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of different types of the virus that make you sick, and you have to be exposed to one of these viruses to get sick.

The cold (air) also doesn't carry the cold (virus), in fact the virus doesn't last for very long outside the human body (no more than approximately 7 to 10 seconds depending on the temperature outside) and moisture also can make the virus heavy and not fly in the air for very long either. So, the most likely place to catch a cold, is probably.........your warm, cozy (or air-conditioned) home as air-conditioners and heaters dry out the air inside homes (or buildings) allowing the virus to fly all over the place, and even more so if the building is crowded and somebody sneezes or coughs next to you, watch out.

There might not be a "direct" connection between the cold (air) and the cold (virus), but there is however an "indirect" connection.

Now, the cold air itself may not get you sick, but once your body feels cold, your body will race to keep it warm, not only does your skin tighten up (hence goosebumps) but your body's immune system will also work hard to keep your body warm. Because of this, long exposure to the cold air (especially without anything that can keep you warm) tires out your immune system, which puts you at a higher risk of catching a cold, or if you already contracted the virus could exacerbate your symptoms.

## Myth #2~You only use 10% of your brain

Yes, the human brain. It's the power plant of our body, it's how we move, speak, think and all kinds of things. Still to this day how the brain does these wonderful things is still a mystery to even neuroscientists. But, for a long time, people always believed that we only use "10%" of our brains, leaving the other "90%" we don't use.

This myth was a known fact and that was because, in the 19th Century, scientists experimented with a Mouse. After sedating the small (and somewhat willing) test subject, the scientists poked a small hole into its skull and then extracted (scooped out) a very small part of the Mouse's brain. When the Mouse then woke up, it functioned just as it did before the experiment, as if the experiment never happened. Which laid the groundwork of this myth is a fact.

### Fact

Now, there is one thing you have to realize that with this "myth" is that the science experiment was conducted in "The 19th Century", at a time where this kind of science was in its infancy and not very well understood. As we all know, times have changed, and so has the technology to conduct experiments on brains. No more are we poking holes in the skulls of humans or other animals, now with the brain scanning technology we have, we can better understand how brains work (human or animal), as said before we still don't know how exactly the human brain works, but what we \*do\* know is that humans (and animals) use \*a lot more\* than just "10% of our brains".

So, how much of our brains do you think we use? 20%, 30%, 50%? How about..................100%?

Yes, humans and animals use all of our brains (100%).

Well, does it feel good? I sure think so. And here is an amusing fun fact about our Brains, it never shuts off even when we sleep.

## Myth #3~Skin tanning is good for you

We also believed that if we spend enough time out in the Sun, it'll give us the essential Vitamin D that our skin needs to look good and healthy.

### Fact

Now, the tanning of our skin may "look" healthy when we first look at it. But now scientists and epidermal experts are now saying that skin tanning doesn't provide the essential Vitamin D our skin needs.

Some people may just believe that it may imply "un-natural" tanning (like from tanning beds at some beauty salons), but it also turns out that even the tanning of our skin by natural sunlight isn't good either. In short, there is no such thing as a "safe tan". The reason why our skin tans is not because of Vitamin D either, it's because our skin has a system called "melanin" which is our skin's natural "sun protection cream" which protects our internal organs from the Sun's deadly UV (ultraviolet) light. However, a person can develop a skin cancer called "melanoma" which can be deadly if left unchecked, and a person dies from melanoma every hour in the summer.

## Myth #4~Defibrillators can jump-start a heart

The human Heart is like our bodies' fuel injector which keeps our blood circulating inside our bodies (which also helps us regulate our body temperature (which is at a consistent 98.6°F). Our hearts use a natural form of electricity to pump our blood throughout our bodies, and it doesn't work without it. So, if you're having heart trouble, a paramedic may use a Defibrillator to maintain that beating of your Heart.

### Fact

Now, despite what we may have seen on TV or in Movies, Defibrillators can only (as said before) maintain the electricity to keep your heart beating, but it's only if there's still electrical activity in your heart, but once your Heart goes flatline, a Defibrillator can not save you. The reason why a human Heart goes flatline because of no electricity, but it would be beyond the capabilities of what a Defibrillator can do.

## Myth #5~Bigger Feet means bigger Testicles

Back in early times, it was believed that men who have bigger feet, also have bigger man berries.

### Fact

A lot of experts on this particular subject are now saying that there is no connection between a Man's feet and a man's Testicles as a study conducted in 2002 that scientists experimented with people with different feet sizes.......have similar size..........bonus areas. In Great Britain, the average size of a man's bonus area is around 5 Inches while the average shoe size is 9 (in British units).

## Myth #6~The Appendix is useless

Again, back in the early parts of our history (especially when the science of the Human Anatomy was at its infancy), nobody understood what the primary function of the Appendix. Most people (and even some Doctors) just believed that it was just a useless organ in our body.

### Fact

Recent Human Anatomy science has proven that the Human Appendix is almost like a "Natural Vaccination" as it's a container for good bacteria and even your immune system (especially for children), especially in a study as recent as 2011. It can also serve as a "spare part" just in case if a part of your body, especially for repairing your urine duct.

Well, that is all that I have for this page. Be sure to check out my Games and Movies wikis as well. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.