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The truth about old wives’ tales

Despite being passed down from generation to generation, old wives’ tales have traditionally been dismissed by the medical profession as unreliable gossip.

Yet an increasing amount of scientific research has shown that there is, indeed, a great deal of truth in some of these age-old folk remedies and stacks of sound medical advice.

Here we separate fact from fiction and show you when it pays to listen to hearsay . . .

Chicken soup can cure a cold

Dr Stephen Rennard, of the University of Nebraska Medical Centre, carried out experiments with his grandmother’s recipe for chicken soup and discovered that it could inhibit the migration of white blood cells, called neutrophils, which may cause bronchial congestion.

Meanwhile, the amino acid cysteine in chicken meat can thin mucus. Capsaicin, found in peppers, acts like expectorants in over-the- counter medicines to ease congestion.

The combination of the heat of the soup, the fats, spices and water will loosen thick mucus.

Adding garlic will also help as it has antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Brush hair 100 times each night

In Victorian times women’s hair was typically worn long, yet washed infrequently. Lengthy brushing therefore enabled sebum, the hair’s natural emollient, to be spread along the hairshaft and keep the hair looking shiny and clean.

John Firmage of the Institute of Trichologists suggests this is still a good practice for those with longer hair, but advises that hair is brushed slowly from root to tip with a soft bristle brush.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Apples are a good source of vitamin C which is essential for healthy gums, teeth, bones and skin. As Vitamin C is an antioxidant, it may also help to prevent cancer and heart disease.

Cooking apples and Granny Smiths contain slightly more Vitamin C than sweeter varieties such as Golden Delicious.

According to Dr Wendy Doyle, of the British Dietetic Association, unpeeled apples are a good source of soluble fibre which is needed to keep blood cholesterol down. A typical apple contains about 50 calories – mostly in the form of fructose, a natural sugar that supplies a slow, steady source of energy.

The apple should form one of the five portions of fruits and vegetables needed each day to promote good health, provide vitamins and nutrients – and so keep the doctor away.

Honey can heal wounds

Honey is the only natural antiseptic available which does not damage skin tissues and for centuries has been used to treat infections. It works because the high concentration of sucrose in honey inhibits the growth of microorganisms, such as yeasts and bacteria. If applied continually to the wound these will die.

Dock leaves cure nettle stings

The best thing you can do when stung by nettles is reach for a dock leaf. This is because the acidic nettle sting is neutralised by the leaf’s alkaline secretions.

Because ants and bees have acidic stings these, too, will be neutralised by a dock leaf. Other juicy leaves such as rosemary and sage will do the same. But dock leaves won’t work on wasp stings as these are alkaline.

Feed a cold, starve a fever

Research by a team of Dutch scientists at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam has revealed that eating helps the body destroy the viruses that cause colds, while fasting helps tackle the bacterial infections responsible for most fevers. The scientists asked the people in their study to fast overnight and then gave them either a liquid meal or water.

Within six hours the levels of an immune-response chemical called gamma interferon, which tackles viral infections, had more than quadrupled in those who had eaten.

Meanwhile when the volunteers drank only water, the levels of this chemical fell while another – called interleukin 4 – which tackles bacterial infections – increased.

Too much sex can cause blindness

Vigorous sex can cause tiny blood vessels to break or delicate tissues at the back of the eyeball to tear, suddenly causing blurry vision.

Tiny rips can be repaired with laser surgery. The condition, known as valsalva retinopathy, is also connected to other highly vigorous activities such as weightlifting, prolonged coughing or severe vomiting.

Too much noise makes you deaf

Exposure to loud volume can cause temporary loss of hearing and tinnitus, a ringing in the ears.

Loud noise causes the eardrum to vibrate excessively and can damage the tiny hairs in the cochlea, a cone-shaped tube in the inner ear which converts sound into electrical signals for the brain to process.

Although temporary hearing loss usually disappears within a day or two, continuous exposure to extreme noise can result in permanent loss of hearing.

It’s worth noting that if you listen to music on headphones and those around you can hear it then the volume is too high.

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