Top 7 Medical Misconceptions

According to a new study, even doctors fall prey to common medical misconceptions.
By Sarah Kliff | Newsweek Web Exclusive
A study in the British Medical Journal's December issue looked at seven medical myths that doctors often accept as truth. "The problem is that a lot of people take what [doctors] say as gospel, but sometimes it's not backed up by science," says Aaron Carroll, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis and co-author of the study.

1. Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.
2. Using cell phones in hospitals is dangerous.
3. Fingernails and hair grow after death.
4. We use only 10 percent of our brains.
5. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
6. Shaved hair grows back faster and coarser.
7. Tainted candy from strangers is a Halloween threat.

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