14 Old Wives' Tales That Are Completely True. So don't forget to rest your peepers every once in awhile, fellow desk jockeys. DOWNLOAD OUR TO QUIZ PRINT 1. It can also sometimes be accompanied with wheezing, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty breathing. There's no scientific reasoning behind this rumor, but the reason for it is simple. Truth time: While some people swear by so-called "old wives' tales" for "gender prediction" both of these terms are outdated, by the way you have around a 50/50 chance of guessing your. The Associated Press contributed to this report. It's a traditional remedy as embedded in our culture as downing chicken soup to soothe a cold or putting baking soda on a bee sting: When kids have the croup, surround them with steam to help them breathe. You also want to seek medical attention if the coughing is accompanied by high fever, or if the youngster's skin has a bluish tint: That includes the skin, lips, or even nail beds. Plants & Flowers. It's a viral infection of the larynx that often causes an odd-sounding, barking cough. "What they found was that treating croup with humidity had absolutely no effect. 5. The lead author of the study, Dennis Scolnik, says it's more important to hold and calm a child with croup, because the soothing helps restore normal breathing. Many old wives' tales for gender prediction center on typical early pregnancy symptoms or those symptoms you feel in your second or third trimesters. As you walk, the clove is crushed and absorbed into the skin. Soak a washcloth in vinegar and let it sit on the affected area for 3 minutes. From carrying acorns to throwing salt, there's no limit to the myths people will believe to feel just a little bit safer, healthier, or happier. All learning, all parenting, all relationships. Why this old wives' tale is strange: Egyptians have several old wives' tales about scissors. After an empire or two fell on a Tuesday the 13th, people decided the day was a bad omen altogether. In South and Central America, some people believe that allowing your purse to even brush against the ground will bring on financial ruin. (A) True, eating a bowl of chicken soup can reduce inflammation in the lungs and in turn improve cold symptoms, 8. Just splash some water behind someone to give them good luck. Dry well and rub Vicks into your feet to moisturize. These are adages our parents repeated from what their parents said that actually affect the way we live our lives. Tales About Pregnancy If the fetal heart rate is under 140 beats per minute (BPM), it's a boy. Wake up early and wash your hands in the morning dew. It turns outthe hormones that are known to cause heartburn in pregnant women are the same ones thought to affect fetal hair growth. Rub a piece of raw beef on your warts and bury it. (A) True, betacarotene in carrots can discolor your skinif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'memorylanetherapy_com-box-4','ezslot_5',177,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-memorylanetherapy_com-box-4-0'); 5. False. For instance, look at Galileo! It has antibacterial properties and seals the wound to protect it. Cut 2 onions in half, put them in panty hose and the sliced sides were tied to each wrist and each ankle. Applying kerosene when you step on a nail or shut your fingers in the door will supposedly take the pain away immediately. Fun fact: he worked with Henry James, Thomas Hardy, and Joseph Conrad to develop the realistic movement in England. Check out my post on How to Make Dandelion Wine to try it for yourself! According to a Greek myth, spirits of the dead drank water from the river Lethe to forget their earthly lives before entering the underworld. One British tale states that at least six ravens must perch on the Tower of London, or the royal family will fall into ruin. On the contrary, mayonnaise is actually an acidic food with a low pH, meaning that bacteria aren't all too attracted to it. Some helpful members even commented on how that particular old wives tale is now backed by scientific evidence. After that, people decided the column was blessed. But whether or not this old wives' tale works is irrelevant, seeing as just a few drops of alcohol can be toxic to an infant. In a similar fashion, a poultice made from baking soda and water works. Not only does coffee not stunt your growth, most people start drinking it after they're finished growing since its bitter taste doesn't usually appeal to kids. According toLivestrong, eating right before bed is directly correlated to an increase in brain activity. And yet, there's no tangible evidence to suggest the day is an unlucky one. This talemight be the oldest in the books. Old Wives Tales are thought to originate from the fact older women would pass down their advice to the younger generation.Enjoy sharing these popular wives tales with your senior residents in aged care, have a laugh and see if anyone can guess if these are true or false. But research shows being cold can have an adverse effect on your immune system. Paint the feet. Instead, The Mayo Clinic recommends removing the stinger with fine-tipped tweezers and soaking the affected area in hot water, or taking a hot shower, for 2045 minutes. Lizz (she/her) is a senior editor at Good Housekeeping, where she runs the GH Book Club, edits essays and long-form features and writes about pets, books and lifestyle topics. In fact, a baby's lungs aren't finished developing until the third trimester of pregnancy, and until they exit the womb, they rely on that umbilical cordwhich cannot fill up with waterfor air. British officials facetiously credited the pilot's success to eating carrots in order to fool the Germans. Lambs ear absorb blood and help it clot more quickly. If you just can't stand the sight of gray hairs, trim them close to the scalp instead of plucking, to avoid possibly damaging the follicle. Sharp knives or scissors were once used to trim nails, and as you can imagine, that led to some unpleasant accidents when done in the dark. Mexican Quiz & Trivia for Seniors in Aged Care, Cinco de Mayo Day for Seniors in Aged Care, Speed Friendship Group for Seniors in Aged Care, Throw the Rubber Thong | Australia Day for Seniors, Canada Quiz for Seniors Canada Day Activity. A poultice made from instant coffee and water, applied to a cold sore many times throughout the day is supposed to kill the Herpes virus and prevent cold sores in the future. It's Time to Stop Believing These Old Wives Tales, 'WoF' Fans Say This Is the Biggest Choke on Show, according to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day, According to Experts. "Maybe back in the 1900s there was nothing else you could do (for croup). Mayonnaise hair mask to suffocate lice and then comb them and the eggs out. Taking large doses of vitamin C won't help prevent a cold, and there's really "no solid evidence" that it will decrease the severity of cold and flu symptoms or even shorten the duration of the illness, Conway says. Applying fingernail polish to ringworm supposedly suffocates the fungus. With the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994, a story started doing the rounds in primary schools about a monster that awaits girls in the school toilet. Answer: The old wives' tale about a ring around the moon is that if you can count the start contained within the ring, you should be able to predict quite accurately the period of time until the next rainfall, or depending on the size, you could predict if a storm was coming or not. All rights reserved. Seeing a pair of them is fine, but a single magpie is supposedly a sign of bad things to come. 2006 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. It's an old baby gender prediction tale that mixing your urine with drain cleaner will show the sex of the baby. Carrot"gracing advertisements and billboards everywhere. Croup Pack sheep droppings into a tobacco sack and soak them in warm water. March 15, 2006 / 11:52 AM In the past, that wasn't the case. The National Sleep Foundation says there's no hard data to support it, but that spiders wouldn't be inclined to crawl into a predator's mouth. Old wives' tales originate in the oral tradition of storytelling. Old wives' tales have been around for centuries, and many people still believe them. Most of us hardly notice them at all, but in Sweden, it's believed that stepping on them can bring either good luck or bad luck, depending on what letter is marked on them. Is this nightmare a result of the Upside Down, or something a little harder to digest? Science is apparently no match for these generation-spanning myths. For ghosts or bad spirits, leave a braid of garlic hung by the door. We also spend more time indoors and around other people when the mercury drops, which leads to passing disease around like a hot dish at a potluck. Apply raw eggs and milk or sardines to a snake bite. Spanish moss pressed into a wound will stop the bleeding. If a dog is eating grass its going to rain. Just throw bag away when done. In Russia, people believe yellow flowers represent separation, sometimes through infidelity or death. We've dug into a few of the most pervasive old wives tales and figured out which are real, which are bogus, and where the heck they came from in the first place. Sneaky. Why this old wives' tale is strange: If someone has ever complimented your new pants only for you to spill hot coffee on them, it may be the work of the evil eye. / CBS/AP. If the cows in pastures are all lying down, it's a sure sign of rain. It isreferenced in the Bible, after all. Old wives' tale: Fertility is solely a women's issue. You may want to get rid of all of your contaminated shoes and use bleach in your shower spray and leave it to dry for 20 minutes before rinsing with very hot water. ". Pediatrician Dr. Cindy Gellner says no. The oak tree is known for its unusually long lifeand in hauling around the seed of this tree, people hope to achieve that same longevity. There's even a volunteer group called the Juliet Club. Create a medicinal oil made from St. Johns Wart, harvested on St. Johns day left in the sun for a few days. Regardless, the cautionary tale has worked, with most Turkish people avoiding gum at night. This is also true at birth, even if the difference in size is less pronounced at this age. Apply honey for a bee sting, Vinegar for a wasp. Why this old wives' tale is strange: In Spain, it's not Friday the 13th that's a problem; it's Tuesday. Applied as hot as possible to draw everything out. It is referenced in the Bible, after all. Old wives' tale: Feed a cold, starve a fever. Why this old wives' tale is strange: Manhole covers seem pretty ordinary. They're slated to shut down by the end of March. So, when they come in contact with the wooden spoon, with a temperature that is below 100C (212F), the steam will condense, causing the surface of the bubble to break. 19 Popular Old Wives' Tales: True Or False? Rub a gold ring on a sty to make it go away. All day long, you'll have good luck." You might get a small cramp, but nothing fatal. Put a few potatoes in bed with you while you sleep. It is safe to say many old wives' tales were influenced by strong superstitious beliefs. Old wives' tale: Get your hair squeaky clean Forget the old wives' tale about washing your hair until it's squeaky clean. Seems like a tripping hazard, doesn't it? Place a bar of Irish spring soap under the sheets in your bed and sleep with it. Rub a wart with a white rock (or cloth), wrap it up and put it in the middle of a cross road. Apply a poultice of epsom salt and leave it on until it dries. (The reader who submitted this one also commented on how the kids would fight over who got to eat that one oily potato!). Bleach mixed with water or witch hazel to dry the blisters. This great book is one of his popular works. Soak feet for a few minutes in a mix of 1 cup of turpentine in very hot water. How cheery. Depending on when you grew up, where you're from, and the kind of tales spun by your parents and the other kids on the playground, you probably know a few old wives tales. Seal, mash till they are broken up. For decades, the world believed there to be a link between eating spicy foods and the formation of stomach ulcers, seeing as so many people would go to the doctor's office after a particularly hot meal complaining of burning stomach pains. Here's how it works: whendust particles get captured in the atmosphere byhigh pressure, the blue light dissipates, leaving the red light to paint the sky. I asked how many and she said 15 or so. Cover and let set for 24 hours. Morning Sickness. Keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol with mint and aspirin in it for sore muscles. But some of those old myths just aren't true! You're also pretty likely to crash your hip into the corner, so maybe it's worth picking a different spot. Make a combination tea from boneset leaves and horsemint leaves. It has since been turned into a museum, and people still visit. I spilled boiling water on my leg. Make a thick paste from green walnut husks and water. "Don't say, 'My kid's got croup, I'm going to give humidity,' and sit there with a child who might be blue, gasping for breath, not managing," he said. If you look closely at Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper," you'll see that there is a pile of spilled salt near the crook of Judas Iscariot's arm, presumed to have been knocked over by the traitor's elbow. Superstitions involve luck, magic or the supernatural. However, scientists have never actually found a link between knuckle cracking and arthritis, making this "medical advice" little more than another crazy old wives' tale. 1. Trouble is, says new Canadian research, the age-old treatment really doesn't work. I think it might have been an old Amish thing. Why do we touch wood for luck, throw spilt salt over the shoulder, or avoid walking under a ladder? 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