"Sharks attack if you have monthly": 10 myths about summer and the beach
Summer every time you want hold with a special scope. An interesting fact: due to the long daylight hours, the level of cortisol (stress hormone) in the blood becomes slightly higher in the summer - that is, summer can be more stressful for our body than winter. But the brain still rests this season: a study in Belgium found that neural “costs” for cognitive tasks, especially those related to memory, are lower in the summer. At this time, reduced risks of cardiovascular diseases.
Summer has a positive effect on well-being and health: for example, at this time more endorphins are produced - as it turned out, this is due to increased perspiration. Only half an hour of being in nature stabilizes the pressure and reduces the risk of depression - this is called environmental therapy. And leave, according to American scientists, increases creativity and strengthens family ties. However, the season we are waiting for is shrouded in legends and myths. Is it true that a cream with super high SPF protects better? Is the best way to remove the burning sensation after being bitten by a jellyfish - is to pee on a sore spot? Is it really sweet flavors attract insects and can you catch a cold sitting under the air conditioner? We answer right now.
Sweet aromas attract insects
Scientists have long been trying to figure out on what principle mosquitoes and wasps choose "victims." The reasons for the fact that during a picnic in the forest insects attack one person, ignoring the rest, may be a greater amount of carbon dioxide, lactic acid or alcohol in the blood, blood type, a set of bacteria on the skin, and even genetics. However, it is more important for us to know not what attracts mosquitoes, and even not what bites in which areas are considered the most painful - nostrils, the area under the lower lip and the genitals - but how best to protect yourself from insects.
Scientists may have found a medicine that can make a person's blood poisonous for mosquitoes - but only for malarial. As for the classic variants of blood-sucking insects, then, as shown by a fresh study, lemon eucalyptus oil and diethyltoluamide, also known as DEET, cope better than others; These substances reduce the chance of a bite by 60%. And the most fascinating: another analysis conducted by the same group of researchers a couple of years earlier allowed us to say that the Victoria's Secret Bombshell scent effectively repels mosquitoes for at least two hours - despite the sweet notes of pineapple, strawberry, passion fruit and vanilla orchid in the composition .
The higher the SPF, the better
The incidence of skin cancer has increased significantly in recent decades. According to WHO, we are talking about two or three million cases of non-melanoma cancer and approximately 132 thousand cases of melanoma each year. Oncologists do not get tired to remind that we are able to help ourselves - if we regularly apply sunscreen. A 2011 randomized clinical trial showed that the use of sunscreen reduces the risk of melanoma by 50-73%.
But it’s wrong to take high SPF as an opportunity to stay in the sun longer. The fact is that between SPF 15, SPF 30, SPF 50 and SPF 100 is not such a big difference as it may seem. Yes, SPF 100 blocks about 99% of UV rays, but SPF 15 - 93%, which is also a lot. Experts say that with proper use (applied in a generous layer, do not forget to update after bathing) means with SPF 15-30 will be quite enough to protect even sensitive skin. In addition, a high protection factor can play a cruel joke with you: taking cream with SPF 70-100 as a means of prolonged action, there is a chance not only not to reduce, but even increase the risk of melanoma - simply because you will not apply it often enough.
It is possible to catch cold
Debunked, debunked, but not debunked - with reference to this myth sounds more than convincing. No matter how much doctors tell us that the wind or cold rain has nothing to do with the flu virus, we can’t remember it. And this state of affairs is explicable: the sources of the myth should be sought in the fact that the flu is most common during the autumn and winter, when the weather in general can hardly be called pleasant.
There is a similar story with air conditioners: cold air itself doesn’t affect the fact that we begin to lay our nose and sore throat. Another thing is that completely remove the blame from the air conditioners is also impossible. First, if the conditioner is rarely cleaned and not thoroughly enough, it creates an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which can be the culprit for the infection. Secondly, air conditioners dry not only the skin, but also the mucous membranes, including the nasal mucosa - and this contributes to a better “fixing” of bacteria in the nose.
Seawater cures skin diseases
Any sensible person knows that it is not worth pouring salt on a fresh wound. But when it comes to dermatological diseases, be it acne, eczema or atopic dermatitis, salt water is often perceived as a means to solve all problems. The idea is not bad: sea water is known for its antibacterial properties, and in studies it was confirmed that sea water reduces itching and has an anti-inflammatory effect on dermatitis.
But we must not forget that sea water does not work pointwise: it will dry the hot spots of inflammation, but it will make the rest of the skin more dry. After this, the process proceeds according to the classical scheme: as soon as the sebum becomes less, the skin reacts with a more active sebum production, and the pores become clogged, leading to the same inflammation that I wanted to get rid of. Moreover, swimming in salty water with open wounds, even when it comes to a small pimple, increases the risk of bacterial infection in the body.
Sharks feel the menstrual blood
If you have always wondered if sharks really feel blood over long distances or is a fiction for horror films, then the answer is: yes, they are really capable of it. When a person smells, it is because odorous molecules dissolve in the moisture of the nasal mucosa. The smell under water spreads the same way - with the only difference that the molecules are already dissolved in water. The sense of smell in sharks is about the same as in other fish, and the perception of smell depends on the type of shark and the specific chemical.
The shark is able to smell a drop of blood in a large pool - but primarily because here it does not interfere with the huge amount of odors that is present in the ocean. As for menstrual blood, it is not only blood, but also mucus and endometrial particles. When swimming in the sea during menstruation, no more blood will get into the water than from an average scratch or cut - and the shark is not exactly interested.
Scientists were interested in other animals - and when analyzing the cases of bears attacking people, it turned out that there is no connection between the menstrual cycle and the interest of these animals. The only exception, according to scientists, can be polar bears, but in the course of the experiments they were first interested in seafood, seal fat and even alcohol, and only then used a tampon.
On the bite of jellyfish need to pee to relieve pain
Perhaps this fact you know from the TV series "Friends", and maybe - from the grandmother; that urine can help with the sting of a jellyfish, sometimes even those who do not believe in traditional medicine say. But is it really? In general, toxicologists say that the best means for washing the burn is sea water, which is capable of inactivating nematocides (stinging cells). Washing with fresh water will only worsen the situation: when the water-salt balance changes, these cells will begin to produce more poison, and the pain will increase.
As for the urine - the effectiveness depends on the concentration of salts, which is different from person to person, but the chance that you will have enough "effective" urine is very small. If this concentration is low, the effect will be the same as with fresh water (that is, it will only get worse. Besides sea water, you can use vinegar (no more than 5%) or baking soda to relieve pain.
Pools are cleaner than open water
In reservoirs, especially unfamiliar ones, things can hide worse than plastic and broken glass - say, terrible microbes like cryptosporidia, pseudomonads or Fowler's non-galleries, about which one could remove impressive horror. But it’s not worth believing in the purity of the pools.
After the incident with the water turned green during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Canadian scientists decided to see how clean the public swimming pools are. And they found out that in the water samples from the university pools there were many times more urine than they thought — up to 75 liters in three weeks. And this is not only a matter of disgust - after all, urine itself is sterile; mixing with chlorinated water, uric acid produces at least two toxic compounds - trichloramine and chlorinane. And they, in turn, are able to act as tear gas, irritating the mucous eyes, nose and lungs.
You can prepare for the beach in the solarium
Tanning in a solarium is often considered as a way of preparing for full sunbathing - supposedly “trained” skin will be free from the risk of sunburn. But scientists know for sure that everything can be the other way around. Take at least a new study, where 12% of people who visited the solarium in preparation for their skin to sunburn, returned home with sunburn. The only way to prevent burns is to protect the skin from the sun.
Scientists continue to remind that the tanning bed is one of the main preventable risks of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. Early entry to a tanning salon (up to thirty years) can increase the risk of melanoma by 59%. In addition, regular trips to the solarium damage the DNA in the skin cells, which leads to its premature aging and immune disorders.
Sunburn can even be obtained through glass
While some people do not see any danger in the sun, others believe that it is possible to tan or even burn in the office or in the car by the window. In fact, ordinary glass blocks UV almost completely: about 97% of UVB rays that cause burns, and about 37% of UVA rays. So neither get a tan, or get a burn by the window will not succeed.
Most manufacturers of glass for cars also use coatings for additional ultraviolet filtering. On the other hand, it is useful to remember a study published in the journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, which showed that left-sided skin cancer is the most common driver (the very side that is closer to the window). And do not forget about the minimum SPF.
Watermelon seeds can not swallow
Vegetarians and meat-eaters, grammar-nazi and those who write on social networks without a single punctuation mark — one more thing to add to the list of eternal confrontations: people who eat watermelons, apples or grapes with seeds, and people who want to get rid of even the smallest for fear of appendicitis or other problems with the digestive system.
In fact, the question is how safe it is, while it remains open. When examining the contents of the removed appendices, in some cases the seeds of the fruit were actually found there; The authors concluded that the risk of appendicitis in connection with the bones is minimal (although they did not recommend them to those who do not).
Many are frightened by apple seeds (which, by the way, are good for digestion), and larger watermelon ones. But in vain - they contain protein, vitamin B, magnesium, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. At the same time, nutritionists agree that in the germinated seeds of watermelon - as, incidentally, in microgreen, there is more benefit, and they are better absorbed. Another question is whether someone wants to spend time on it.
Photo: sergofan2015 - stock.adobe.com, nechaevkon - stock.adobe.com, serikbaib - stock.adobe.com, aneduard - stock.adobe.com
