Debunking Medical Myths
Does turkey make you sleepy? The British Medical Journal sets the record straight on turkey's soporific effect and other commonly held medical myths. Cynthia Graber reports.
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Eating turkey makes you sleepy. We only use ten percent of our brains. Hair and fingernails continue to grow after we die. These are just three of the medical myths busted in the December 22nd issue of the British Medical Journal.
First the turkey. Tryptophan—an amino acid which does increase sleepiness—is usually blamed for postprandial Thanksgiving naps. It is found in turkey, but in no greater amounts than in other animal proteins. In fact, pork and cheese contain more. Our sleepiness on Thanksgiving is probably caused by eating a huge meal and drinking plenty of wine. As for our brains, that 10 percent belief originated more than a century ago. Advances in neuroscience and imaging show that we use far more than 10 percent of our grey matter. And the hair and nails? An optical illusion, say the scientists. Our skin may recede after death and so expose more of our nails and hair. The journal article highlights these and other medical beliefs that even many physicians still accept. So even doctors need to occasionally update their knowledge of fact versus fiction.
—Cynthia Graber
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