Old wives tales are a great source of fun, although some may leave you second guessing your decision to laugh and wonderimg if you should have shaken your head instead. Some are weird, some are plain nasty and some are even dangerous! Have you been introduced to an old wives tale before? Well here are seven that are going to make your head spin.
They might make you gain a few pounds but they certainly won’t do anything to make your existing acne problem even worse! And they won’t make your face break out or actually cause an acne problem where there is none! Furthermore, dark chocolate is actually very good for skin and greasy food…well, although that’s not something you’d want to indulge in on daily basis, eating it once in a while won’t make your face looks like a Twister sheet! The funniest thing may easily be the fact that this is one of those old wives tales that’s very popular even nowadays!
LOL! Well, this certainly is hilarious! And just in case you have no idea what am I talking about, let me explain this interesting, yet at the same time completely ridiculous old wives tale! You see, folks actually believed you can get warts if you either touch a frog or put your hands into water used to boil eggs. I’ve certainly never touched a frog before but I have had contact with both the water and the dish eggs had been boiled in and nope…no warts! Warts are caused by HPV or Human Papiloma Virus and the only way to get it is to be born with it or contract it from another human.
Are you as shocked as I am? Yeah, this seemed to be a popular parental warning back in the days! Blindness was a popular reason in some countries, while others preferred deafness. Not sure which one is scarier – blindness, deafness or the fact that this old wives myth still lives! It is as ridiculous as it sounds, of course, although it is true that sperm does contain a lot of zinc. Zinc deficiency may cause blindness, which is even more interesting and could even make this myth completely plausible…if it weren’t for the fact that it is physically impossible to over-polish your family jewels to the point of zinc deficiency.
Some of my male friends still believe that the best way to cure a hangover is to have a shot of something strong. Whiskey, tequila, vodka, schnapps – everyone is welcome to choose their own poison, of course. You’ve probably heard it too, haven’t you? And it’s totally false! The only way to cure a hangover is to pop an aspirin and drink plenty of water. You’ll probably spend the whole day channeling your inner camel or trying to get that drummer in your head to shut up but hey, that’s what a hangover will do to you. And continuing to drink alcohol the following morning won’t only fail to give you any relief but can actually make things worse and give you nasty breath as a bonus!
Well, not one but you get the drift! Not sure if you’ve heard this before but there’s an old wives tale that suggests you should apply brandy to your baby’s gums during teething. This “medicine” should help reduce pain and make things easier for the little one. And…umm…that would be great if it weren’t so dangerous! Hello! Brandy! Baby! These two words don’t belong in the same sentence!
We’ve started with funny, switched to plain weird, covered the dangerous and now it’s time for gross! There actually is an old wives myth that advises you not to bathe during your period. Some even say it’s not okay to wash your hair either! Whoa! But there is a good explanation for this weird misunderstanding. Spending a long time soaked in water during your period is definitely not a good thing, as it may increase the risk of infections and even cause a stronger flow. And well…people didn’t exactly have showers or bidets back in the day, thus the weird, totally gross conviction. You can take a shower as many times as you want and the same can be said for washing hair!
A pregnant lady should not look at a mouse…if she does, her baby will be hairy! She shouldn’t eat strawberries because her baby will be born with a red, splotchy birthmark, she shouldn’t get angry because her baby will be angry and she should possess the speed of a disabled garden snail as anything different could make her baby cross-eyed! Yes, you are allowed to laugh your heart out as that’s the only thing these myths are good for!
Are there any other interesting old wives tale worth sharing? Come on, don’t be shy! I know you’ve heard at least one!