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Children may do goofy things like crossing their eyes to get a rise out of peers and family members. You may have heard the warning that crossing your eyes for an extended period could lead to them staying in that position forever. But is crossing your eyes actually harmful? 

Six muscles move your eyes. Contraction of these muscles moves your eyes up, down, and side to side. Using these muscles to cross your eyes is a form of exercise and is not harmful. The experience of fatigue and perhaps headache might be interpreted by the human mind as indications of harm.  Perhaps that’s what gave rise to the myth that crossing your eyes is harmful.  

Once you uncross your eyes and give them time to rest, they will feel normal as the fatigue resolves. So, the next time you see a kid crossing their eyes for some laughs, there is no need to worry.    

https://www.vmrinstitute.com/if-you-cross-your-eyes-theyll-stay-that-way-and-4-other-myths-about-eye-health/ 

https://www.optometristsclinic.com/b/is-crossing-your-eyes-harmful#:~:text=While%20this%20may%20cause%20adults,t%20have%20any%20lasting%20effect. 

Image from bhg.com.au

We all sweat. When people want to limit sweating and smell better, they may apply an antiperspirant or deodorant. It’s common to apply antiperspirant in the morning. We might expect that it works immediately and then the effect wears off. But let’s think twice about that.  

 According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the best time to apply an antiperspirant is before bedtime. The active ingredients of antiperspirants, including aluminum-based compounds, may work better when they have a chance to work overnight. These compounds work by plugging the pores of sweat glands to reduce moisture. Your body naturally sweats less at night, and the body’s sweat glands are more receptive to antiperspirant ingredients and can more effectively absorb them when the armpit is dry. Additionally, applying at night will give the antiperspirant the 6-8 hours it needs to fully plug the sweat ducts. 

So, if you want the full benefit of antiperspirants, apply them at night for the best performance the following day. Strange but true! It’s worth it to Think Twice! 

Links: 

Doctor Sweat 

Consumer Reports 

MyCarpe 

Image from Syed Ali on Unsplash

Mosquitoes are typically considered a pest and a nuisance, particularly from early Spring until late Fall. Their natural tendency to feed off the blood of the innocent bystander has led people to all sorts of measures, including ingesting garlic to fend off these bothersome insects. But how effective is garlic as a mosquito repellant?

The idea that garlic can repel mosquitos most likely stems from its strong odor. The University of Connecticut Health Center compared people that ate a notable amount of garlic to a control group that did not eat garlic and found no significant difference between the number of bites received.

There are interventions supported by evidence, including wearing long-sleeved clothing, emptying standing water containers indoors and outdoors, and using insect repellant that can help deter mosquitoes and other minor menaces for a limited time. The repellant affects the insect’s senses, as they primarily use carbon dioxide output and body heat that they detect from humans to determine which individual to target. Next time you plan on going outside, it is best to consider putting on some bug spray rather than consuming the garlic in your kitchen.

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/health/24real.html#:~:text=So%20far%2C%20the%20substance%20known,acts%20by%20blinding%20their%20senses.&text=Eating%20garlic%20has%20not%20been,attract%20or%20ward%20off%20mosquitoes.

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/repellents.html