S.T.A.H.L. NEWS
Students Talking About Healthy Lifestyles
Brought to you by Health AWAREness at the Center for Health and Well-Being
October 27, 2014
Spooky Urban Legends
In the spirit (pun intended) of Halloween, we
thought we would share some spooky health
stories. Here are four urban legends we
found. An urban legend is a popular story
alleged to be true and told from person to
person. They are usually pretty outlandish,
scary, or silly. With the use of email and social
media, some urban legends have really
gained popularity.
Read on, if you dare!
Can thongs cause infections
“down there”?
According to Mary Jane Minkin, MD, in theory it is possible
to get an infection down there because the strip of
material that forms the back of the thong sits right over
the anus and has a direct path to the vagina or urinary
tract making it a “potential conduit
for fecal bacteria.”
What Dr. Minkin says is that it is more
likely that a thong has the potential to
cause tiny cracks in the skin between
the anus and the vagina and can cause
irritation to the tissues “down there”.
So what does this mean for our thong-reading friends?
Can you use Listerine as bug spray?
This sure sounds like a stretch doesn't it?
There have been many internet
postings going around claiming that
you can spray Listerine on your body as
an effective bug spray.
But does it work?
Scientists would like to disagree.
Research has shown that people who
sprayed Listerine on their arms were just as likely to be
bitten as those people who did not use anything.
This myth may have come from the fact that one of the
ingredients of Listerine is eucalyptol which is found in
some natural bug sprays. However, the concentration
found in Listerine is so small ( <1%) that it would not
have any effect.
Dr. Minkin says that if your thong underwear is not
bothering you then there is no medical reason to stop
wearing them.
Five Second Rule?
Do you think that it is safe to follow the
five second rule when it comes to
dropped food?
It has been shown that it may not even be
safe to even follow a one second rule.
This is because there is an instant transfer
of bacteria when you drop something on the floor.
In a study, researchers dropped pieces
of bread and bologna on the floor and
in as little as five seconds, both types of
food had accumulated as many as
1,800 bacteria.
KIDNEY THIEVES
“A 21 year old guy went out on a Saturday night to party. He was having a good time and chose to have a
beer. Some girl who happened to like him invited him to another party. He decided to go along with her.
She took him to a party in some apartment and they continued to drink. He woke up completely naked in a
bathtub filled with ice. He looked around and was alone. He looked down at his chest, which had “call 9-1-1
or you will die” written with lipstick. He picked up the phone and dialed. He explained his situation to the
EMS operator. She advised him to get out of the tub and look in the mirror. He checked his back and found
two-9 inch slits on his lower back where his kidneys had been removed. His kidneys had been removed to
sell on the black market.”
This one has been circulating for years. In 1991, the Washington Post ran a story declaring the kidney heist a myth.
So, your kidney is safe.
However, we would recommend more responsible alcohol use, if you choose to drink. You may still have your kidney
the next morning, but you could find you have other problems. To learn more about making responsible alcohol
choices, visit the ATOD website at www.iup.edu/atod .
Sources:
www.urbanlegends.about.com
www.prevention.com
Updated by: Brandon Weber
Health AWAREness at
Center for Health and Well-Being
724-357-4799