>> I'm a professor in the
Department of Exercise and
Sport Science at the University
of Wisconsin La Crosse.
I love talking about health.
I love, you know, debunking
some of the myths that people
have about their health.
Oh, here's a good one.
When I was a kid, my parents
wouldn't let us go into the
water after eating a meal,
you now, to go back to swimming.
>> That's false?
>> I looked into the medical
and the scientific literature.
I couldn't find one example
or case study of drowning,
or even near drowning, from
someone who ate a big meal and
then went back into the water
and that went swimming.
So, I used to tell my kids that,
because that's what my parents
told me.
>> I guess I'm a bad lifeguard,
sorry about that!
>> I started teaching
health and wellness courses
at the college/university level
probably 20 years ago, and
college students can be a
pretty tough group to motivate.
>> Yeah, true.
>> I kind of picked up that
the students liked these myths,
because every once in a while,
they'd say, "Oh my parents were
totally wrong," and they'd
laugh and they'd get excited.
Then I'd share the research
on these myths.
True or false, reading in
low light causes vision damage?
>> Well, I've heard it forever.
I think I believe it, yes.
>> My kids just devour books,
so I'd find them underneath
the covers with a flashlight,
reading a book, you know,
"Oh, my god, your eyes!"
You know, but that's not true,
either.
Sitting too close to the TV,
reading in low light, none
of that will damage your vision.
>> Oh!
>> Vitamin C helps prevent
colds.
>> I just remember being
pumped with orange juice
when I was a child...
[laughs]
If I coughed.
>> It turns out that
that's not the case.
>> Really? Huh.
>> Here's a good one.
Eating sugar makes kids hyper.
>> I teach swim lessons,
and generally the kids,
if they've had a lot of sugar,
they are really energetic
when they get in the water.
>> I think that's true.
>> Probably a dozen, maybe 15
well-conducted, well-controlled
scientific studies
says absolutely not.
[laughs]
>> I'm flunking this test!
>> Going outside with
wet hair increases your risk
of catching a cold.
>> Well if you're cold and wet,
kind of, it would--
You'd be closer to a cold.
>> It's pretty interesting,
but you know, in order
to catch a cold, you need to
be exposed to a cold virus.
>> Being wet
wouldn't give you a cold, but
you'd end up with one, likely.
>> That's not true either.
>> He's the professor.
[laughs]
>> I'm not trying to push
any magic pills here,
or get people in shape
in seven days or seven hours,
but I think there is a strong
educational component to this.
>> The poor professor
has an uphill battle, but
I'm not sure what he achieves
when he wins it.
>> Oh, another one
just popped into my head.
Eating carrots
improves your vision.
>> Yes.
>> You don't believe that one?
>> No.
>> You believe--
[laughs]
>> Good to know, though.
>> My grandmother told me to
stop drinking coffee and I would
stop getting freckles, okay?
So that's where I started
to hear a lot of this stuff.
>> Here's a good one, especially
for people in Wisconsin.
Drinking beer in moderation
is good for your health.
>> Yes!
[laughs]
From personal experience.
>> Some experts say it can help
increase our good cholesterol
levels, it help decrease
our bad cholesterol levels.
>> Hmm.
>> Sometimes it's really hard
for people to take the beliefs
that they have and to replace it
with other things, new material,
that people are trying to
teach them, I guess, especially
if that comes from their
parents or their grandparents.
>> A lot of that stuff
is ingrained in you, and even
if you find out the truth,
you'll forget it.
>> If you're questioning
something, there are credible
sources of information.
It might not be your mechanic.
It might not be
your hair stylist.
It might not be your mother,
or your uncle, or your cousin.
>> I'm going to pretend like
I didn't hear these answers,
so I can continue to live
in my myth.
>> I love talking about myths
and misconceptions.
>> I guess we're just
all suckers for little tidbits,
little factoids, that don't
turn out to be factoids at all.