Top 10 Old Wives Tales That Turned Out to Be True
#10: Chicken Soup for the Sick
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It’s long been held that if you’re ill, nothing will ease your symptoms quite like chicken soup. The home remedy has practically become synonymous with things that are good for you. But what does science have to say about the matter? After all, it could be a placebo effect or simple nostalgia. However, several studies have shown that the ingredients in chicken soup may shorten the duration of a cold, as well as help with inflammation. While the research is far from definitive, there’s enough to suggest that chicken soup is more than just a comfort meal.
#9: Hot Baths Cause Infertility
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Hot water can have a ton of health benefits, but conventional wisdom has long held that it also has a downside - decreased fertility. Rumors have frequently suggested that men spending prolonged time in hot, wet environments, like baths, hot tubs, or saunas, will have a lower sperm count than those who don’t. However, following a study at the University of California San Francisco, it was confirmed that the practice can lower motility and production of sperm. But, fans of hot soaks should not despair - the effects are generally temporary, and discontinuing while trying to conceive can be helpful.
#8: Walnuts Remove Furniture Scratches
If you have any wood in your house and a pet, chances are some of it has gotten scratched. A longstanding trick for removing these scratches is, of all things, walnuts. It may sound ridiculous, or like it’d only work on walnut wood, but as many videos on the Internet have illustrated, it’s very true. By rubbing the large seeds (they’re not proper nuts) against the scratches, you can fill in the grooves as the walnut is worn down. There are a few finishes it won’t work on, but using walnuts is cheaper than more professional products, and they taste better too! We assume.
#7: Honey Suppresses Coughs
As far as folk medicine goes, it doesn’t get much simpler than honey. While “wives” both young and old have prescribed honey as a cough suppressant, whether added to tea or on its own, doctors are well aware of its benefits too. According to doctors at the Mayo Clinic, a few teaspoons of honey can be just as effective as over-the-counter cough suppressants in reducing coughs. And while coughing can help clear up your airways, it can make getting to sleep difficult. Honey is exactly the sweet, soothing texture and makeup to calm down the reflex before bed, or any other time.
#6: Eating Before Bed Causes Vivid Dreams
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Our parents and guardians often tell us not to eat before going to bed or else we’ll have bad dreams. While kids are often reluctant to follow this advice, it’s still surprisingly sound. In addition to a host of other issues, like making it more difficult to fall asleep, eating before bed can lead to unsettling, vivid, or disturbing dreams in some people. Also, for whatever reason, cheese seems to be a particularly good fuel for odd nighttime imagery. [xref] But whether your sweet dreams are made of cheese or not, your late-night snacking may be the culprit.
#5: Baby Boys Cause More Difficult Births
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Pregnancy has a lot of old wives’ tales surrounding it. While it was tempting to discuss the correlation between hairy infants and maternal heartburn during pregnancy (yes, really), [xref] we went with another pregnancy-related rumor that turned out to be true. Folk wisdom holds that boy babies are more likely to cause complications for mothers during their births, such as preeclampsia, or to be born preterm. Although male infants tending to be larger at birth seems like an easy answer, a study in Australia confirmed that there’s more to it. The differences in the placenta is believed to be the root cause of these differences between boys and girls being born, though the exact correlation is still being researched.
#4: Carrots Improve Eyesight
We’re squinting a bit with this one. Conventional wisdom, and British World War II propaganda (yes, really), popularized the idea that eating lots of carrots improves your eyesight. And while drinking a bunch of carrot juice or eating a pound of carrots every week isn’t going to get your eyes to improve, studies have shown that the beta-carotene in it can help with Vitamin A deficiency, one of the leading causes of blindness. So, despite not elevating your eyesight to above-average levels, carrots can help prevent it from getting worse.
#3: Being Cold Can Make You Catch a Cold
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“Don’t go outside in that - you’ll catch a cold! Bundle up!” We’ve all probably heard something like this at some point in our lives. But our friend who insists on going out in freezing weather in just a t-shirt is about to look really foolish! Well, more foolish. According to a 2005 study, subjects whose feet were exposed to cold temperatures were more likely to display cold or flu-like symptoms within a week of their exposure than those who weren’t. And while cold weather certainly isn’t the root cause of illness, it may suppress the immune system, making us more likely to contract sicknesses.
#2: Red Sky at Night, Sailors’ Delight
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Perhaps the oldest entry on our list, this adage is so old it was in the Bible! The saying goes that “red sky at night, sailors’ delight - red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” Mariners know their stuff, in this case. In middle latitudes, where winds travel west to east, this helps sailors (and others) forecast the weather. High pressure in the atmosphere can change the color of light particles, indicating a storm. Hence, if you see red skies in the morning, it means a storm is on its way, and at night, it means a storm has passed. Sailing around the equator or the polar regions would probably require different, less catchy sayings though.
#1: An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
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This handy rhyme has been passed down since the 19th century. And while it might seem like a way for parents to get kids to eat healthier, there is some truth to this admonition to eat more fruit. Several studies have found links between consuming more apples, and other foods high in antioxidants, and a decreased risk in certain serious ailments, like cancer or heart disease. So, while apples may not help you ward off common illnesses, eating a bushel of the stuff can help with the big, serious afflictions - plus, they’re delicious!
