“一日一苹果，医生远离我”“一杯温牛奶，助你入梦乡”……在日常生活中，像这样广为流传的健康俗语数不胜数，而且经久不衰，让大多数人深信不疑了好多年。殊不知，很多琅琅上口的健康俗语传达的居然是谬论！不信的话，一起来瞧瞧吧。
Some adages1)—about nutrition, home remedies and more—need an update. Let’s have a look.
有关营养学、家庭治疗及类似领域的一些俗语到了该修正的时候了。我们这就来一同了解一下。
If You Go Out with Wet Hair, You’ll Catch a Cold.
俗语1：头发未干，出门感冒。
The truth is: You will feel cold but will be just fine healthwise, says Jim Sears, a board-certified pediatrician2) in San Clemente, California, and a cohost of the daytime-TV show The Doctors. He cites a study done at the Common Cold Research Unit, in Salisbury, England, in which a group of volunteers was inoculated3) with a cold virus up their noses. Half the group stayed in a warm room while the rest took a bath and stood dripping wet in a hallway for half an hour, then got dressed but wore wet socks for a few more hours. The wet group didn’t catch any more colds than the dry. Sears’s conclusion: Feeling cold doesn’t affect your immune system.
真相：头发未干就出门会让你觉得冷，但却无损健康。下这样论断的人叫吉姆·西尔斯，他是加利福尼亚州圣克利门蒂通过职业认证的儿科医师，同时也是日播电视节目《医生》的主持人之一。他引用了一项实验研究来作为自己论断的佐证，这项研究是位于英格兰索里兹伯里的一个普通感冒研究机构做的。在实验中，研究人员在志愿者的鼻子中接种了感冒病毒。然后，其中一半的志愿者待在暖和的房间里，另一半志愿者先洗澡，之后浑身湿漉漉地在走廊里站半小时，随后穿上衣服，但仍要穿几个小时的湿袜子。实验结果显示，浑身湿漉漉的小组并不比待在房间里的小组感冒的人数多。因此，西尔斯得出以下结论：当你感到冷时，你的免疫系统功能并不因此受到影响。
You Should Feed a Cold and Starve a Fever.
俗语2：感冒时宜吃，发烧时宜饿。
The truth is: In both cases, eat and drink, then drink some more. “Staying hydrated is the most important thing to do, because you lose a lot of fluids when you’re ill,” says Sears, who adds that there’s no need for special beverages containing electrolytes4) unless you’re severely dehydrated from vomiting5) or diarrhea6).
真相：不管是感冒还是发烧，吃饭、喝水都必不可少，而且要多喝一些水。西尔斯解释道：“生病时人体内的水分会大量流失，因而维持体内水分充足至关重要。”他还补充说，除非是因为呕吐或者腹泻导致体内严重脱水，否则没有必要喝那些含电解质的特殊饮料。
An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away.
俗语3：一日一苹果，医生远离我。
The truth is: A handful of blueberries a day will keep the doctor away more effectively. Blueberries are a nutritional jackpot7), rich in antioxidants8) and fiber, and they’re also easy to toss into cereal and yogurt. That said, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is important to prevent many chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, down the road.
真相：其实每天吃一把蓝莓能更有效地保证你远离医生。蓝莓的营养格外丰富，富含抗氧化剂和纤维，同时也易于同谷类或酸奶搅拌混合。话虽这么说，但若要有效预防诸如心脏病、高血压和糖尿病之类的很多慢性疾病，还是要食用不同种类的蔬菜瓜果，这很重要。
To Get Rid of Hiccups9), Have Someone Startle You.
俗语4: 吓你一愣怔，打嗝立马停。
The truth is: “Most home remedies, like holding your breath or drinking from a glass of water backward, haven’t been medically proven to be effective,” says David Pollack, a senior physician. However, you can try this trick dating back to 1971, when it was published in The New England Journal of Medicine: Swallow one teaspoon of white granulated sugar10). According to the study, this tactic resulted in the cessation11) of hiccups in 19 out of 20 afflicted patients. Sweet.
真相：高级内科医师大卫·波拉克指出：“治疗打嗝有很多家庭土方，比如屏住呼吸或是后仰着脑袋喝水，但其中的大多数疗方尚未在医学上得到证明。”但是你可以尝试一下《新英格兰医学杂志》1971年某期上刊登的一个小窍门：吞下一茶匙白砂糖。在对20个受打嗝困扰的病人采用了此疗法后，其中的19人都停止了打嗝。真是甜蜜的药方！
You Shouldn’t Swim for an Hour After Eating.
俗语5: 饭后一小时，不宜去游泳。
The truth is: Splash away. “After you eat, more blood flows to the digestive system and away from the muscles,” says Scott W. Cohen, a pediatrician. “The thinking was that if you exercised strenuously12) right after eating, that lack of blood would cause you to cramp up13) and drown.” But that won’t happen. Sears concurs: “You might have less energy to swim vigorously, but it shouldn’t inhibit your ability to tread water14) or play.”
真相：尽管游就是了。“饭后，更多的血液会从肌肉内流向消化系统，”儿科医师斯科特·W·科恩指出，“大家普遍认为，如果饭后马上剧烈运动，肌肉中血液的缺失会导致抽筋和溺水。”事实上，这种情况不会发生。西尔斯对此表示赞同，他说：“如果饭后游泳，你可能会精力不足，游起来不那么活力四射，但是这并不会影响你踩水或是在水中玩耍。”
Warm Milk Will Help You Fall Asleep.
俗语6: 一杯温牛奶，助你入梦乡。
The truth is: Milk contains small amounts of tryptophan15), “but you would have to drink gallons to get any soporific16) effect,” says Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist in Scottsdale, Arizona, who specializes in sleep disorders. “What is effective is a routine to help you wind down17),” he says. And if a glass of warm milk is part of the process, it can have a placebo18) effect, regardless of science.
真相：牛奶中含有少量有助于睡眠的色氨酸，“但是，只有当你喝下几加仑的牛奶时，它才会达到催眠的效果。” 亚利桑那州斯科茨代尔的临床心理学医师迈克尔·布罗伊斯这样说道。布罗伊斯专门研究睡眠紊乱症状。他指出：“一套能使你平静下来的日常程序才对入睡行之有效。”如果喝一杯温牛奶是这套程序的步骤之一，那么牛奶便能够起到催眠的作用，而这与“牛奶有助睡眠”这一论断本身是否科学无关。
1. adage [5AdIdV] n. 格言，谚语
2. pediatrician [7pi:dIE5trIFEn] n. 儿科医师
3. inoculate [I5nCkjuleIt] vt. 接种，注射
4. electrolyte [I5lektrEJ7laIt] n. 电解质
5. vomit [5vRmIt] vi. 呕吐
6. diarrhea [7daIE5rIE] n. 痢疾，腹泻
7. jackpot [5dVAk7pRt] n. 一笔意外丰厚的奖赏
8. antioxidant [7AntI5CksIdEnt] n. 抗氧化剂
9. hiccup [5hIkQp] n. 打嗝
10. white granulated sugar：白砂糖
11. cessation [se5seIFEn] n. 停止
12. strenuously [5strenjuEslI] adv. 奋发地，费力地
13. cramp up：抽筋
14. tread water：踩水
15. tryptophan [5trIptEfAn] n.色氨酸。它是一种重要的氨基酸，是血清素的初期形式，能调节睡眠、食欲与情绪。
16. soporific [7sRpE5rIfIk] adj. 催眠的，想睡的
17. wind down：放松下来，渐渐平静下来
18. placebo [plE5si:bEu] n. 安慰剂