Don't Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health

I had thought to read this book (by Dr. Aaron E. Carroll and Dr. Rachel C. Vreeman, 2009) for the category Popular Science of the 2022 Nonfiction Reader Challenge, but since there wasn’t much science presented, I instead read The Big Necessity (post of 22 April).

The title of this book seemed interesting and it was on a clearance sale. Even so, it feels like I paid too much for it.

The main problem for me about this book is that I did not believe any of the so-called myths, half-truths or outright lies. For some of them, it’s hard to believe that anybody believes them.

For example:

• Your hair and fingernails continue to grow after you die
• Men with big feet have bigger penises
• You only use 10% of your brain
• The average person swallows eight spiders per year
• Chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years

Each section focuses on a particular area of health (Myths about your body; Myths about how we contract and treat diseases; Myths about what we eat and drink; etc.) and is divided into the various “beliefs,” given as a statement. I skipped the sections about pregnancy, and within each section I skimmed through those “beliefs” I didn’t believe. It took me less than an hour to read this book.

The only statement that I did/do believe is that “You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.” I feel there is a lot of evidence for the benefits of being hydrated and this advice certainly can’t hurt. In the explanation, the doctors write, “In fact, scientific studies suggest that you already get enough liquid from what you’re drinking and eating on a daily basis.” So surely, this would only be true for people who are drinking enough. Since I’m someone who drinks a lot of water each day (I feel dry if I don’t), then this explanation supports my drinking each day. I think perhaps it’s the “eight glasses” that’s hard to prove, but it’s still misleading to assume that you should not drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Considering that each myth and half-truth is debunked referring to “scientific studies,” there should have been a reference section for readers who want more information about these studies or who want to double-check the doctors’ research. But there is no bibliography at all.

I’m not sure who this book would appeal to. Perhaps it would be good reading matter for a physician’s waiting room.