Mothers who used to warn their children not to swallow their gum may not enjoy this new book.

It de-bunks things many of us think are true about our bodies.

The review below is by Tara Parker-Pope, the Well columnist for the newspaper.

Read it and laugh.

You also will learn some useful things.

New York Times

“Myths, half-truths and wives’ tales persist in medicine. Sometimes doctors and nurses even believe things that aren’t true or at least are unproven. That’s the focus of a new book, “Don’t Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health,” by Dr. Aaron E. Carroll and Dr. Rachel C. Vreeman.

Two doctors tackle medical myths.

“Dr. Carroll and Dr. Vreeman, both from the Indiana University School of Medicine, have written a lot about medical myths and misunderstandings. In December 2007, the pair published an article in the British Medical Journal about seven medical myths even doctors believe. A year later, they identified six medical myths for the holiday season.

“Now, “Don’t Swallow Your Gum” offers a fun collection of numerous medical myths that are likely familiar to most of us. The book is organized to focus on various types of myths, including myths about your body (you should poop at least once a day), myths about disease and illness (cold weather makes you sick), myths about sex and pregnancy (twins skip a generation) and myths about what we eat and drink (gum stays in your stomach for seven years.)” (Emphasis added)

Source: New York Times, June 29, 2009