Eat your vegetables, drink your milk, and for crying out-loud, pick up your feet. If I had a nickel for every time my mother told me to sit up straight, I could have retired right out of grade school. Among the pearls of wisdom she and grandmother had were really scary health dangers and some funny remedies. Some of these old wives tales and folk remedies actually work while others were less than effective. Here are a few of my favorite childhood memories.

– The Cure For Hiccups

My grandmother tortured my mother with these and she in turn tormented me. Surprisingly, one of these actually works. When I would get the hiccups as a child, I was told to stand on my head (using a corner of the room for support) and take sips from a cup of water. Another cure was to swallow a whole teaspoon of sugar in one gulp. Guess which one worked in a study proving 99% effective? If you chose standing one your head and drinking from a cup of water, you probably drowned, which would cure your hiccups but it is wrong. A teaspoon of sugar really works, says the New England Journal of Medicine. No one knows why.

– Fish is Brain Food

Brilliant pediatrician Scott W. Cohen must have eaten fish as a baby. Oily fish fed to children from the moment they can chew is, in fact, a proven brain booster. Children who were given omega 3 fatty acids and DHA, or docosahexaenoic, from age 2 to four had a much higher vocabulary that their non-supplemented peers. The 2008 study also showed these children comprehended at a much higher level as well. If your child does not absolutely love sardines or salmon, (seriously) and you are not into supplements, try crushed walnuts. You will get the same results!

– Don\’t Make That Face Or It Will Stick And Stay That Way

No, it will not. Making funny faces will not harm a child at all as their skin is much more pliable that an adults. (No danger there either.) However, if your child\’s eyes cross for no reason from time to time, there may be a problem. Also, watch out for ear rubbing or hair pulling that looks like child\’s play but is not. It could be signs of a more serious problem.

– Sit Up Straight Or You Will Ruin Your Posture

Wrong again, mom. Gee thanks. A new kind of MRI called a positional MRI scanner allowed researchers to introduce findings to the Radiological Society of North America that indicates sitting up straight at any time in your life puts undo pressure on the lower spine and can lead to chronic back pain later in life. The new MRI scanner allows the study of how the back is affected by different positions. In fact, you can sit up and move around during the scan. A relaxed, inclined back position of about 135 degrees is the least stressful on the spine, so slouch away you couch recliners. At ease!

The Truth Generation is Here

There you have it. The truth is finally out about some of those nagging comments and annoying cures your mother used on you. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act AKA HIPAA Training can improve your knowledge of basic health. The FDA has great information about nutrition. Now go forth, and torment your children with the truth!

Author Bio: For more information please visit our HIPAA Security Rule website

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: HIPAA Training ,DHA,pediatrician,Hiccups,Brain Food,vegetables,milk,HIPAA Security Rule