Product Description

Men with big feet have big penises You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day Sugar makes kids hyper Eating at night makes you fat Chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years You lose 40% of your body heat through your head Every day, you hear or think things about your body and health that are just not true. Maybe you saw them on TV, read them in magazines or heard them from friends (or even a doctor). This book is for anyone who has wondered about the truth behind these myths. Funny, wacky and full of fascinating facts, DonÂ’t Swallow Your Gum explains why so many of those weird and worrisome things we think about our bodies are mistaken.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1410 in Books
• Published on: 2009-11-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Dr Aaron Carroll and Dr Rachel Vreeman are both medical doctors and academics, specializing in children's health-care research.

Customer Reviews

Short and sweet - a little light debunking of medical myths
This short book looks into about seventy-five medical myths and old wives tales, examines the evidence, and debunks them.
You may have read Ben Goldacre's book Bad Science-(If you haven't read it, do!) in which the author did some serious scientific debunking. I would guess that Bad Science is preaching mostly to the converted; non-believers wouldn't necessarily choose to read a book like that. However this book, although also in the debunking business, is light and funny but also full of useful information with wider appeal.

It's split into six sections - Myths about: your body, illnesses and injuries, sex and pregnancy, babies and children, what we eat and lastly myths that spark controversy and debate. It starts off with a funny - The myth that men with big feet have bigger penises, but soon you're learning that: you don't need to poo every day; if you're thirsty you're probably not dehydrated, you're just thirsty (under normal circumstances); that it's never really safe to eat food that's been dropped on the floor even if it was for just a couple of seconds, and many, many more. Most of the chapters are only a couple of pages, so it was an ideal book to dip into over a few lunchtimes (it would also make a good toilet book for those that use them!). All in all, an entertaining popular science read. (6.5 out of 10)

old wives tales
I have not read all the book yet. Bought it for my daughter as a stocking filler. The only thing I was disappointed in was the paper quality but the content seems excellent