According to the Dermatology Clinic at UAMS, some botanical elements included in cucumbers or tea bags may help temporarily reduce wrinkles. Doctor Daniel Davis, Associate Professor of Dermatology, stated, “Do we understand which of the thousand compounds in them are working? No.” The botanicals reduce wrinkles by encouraging the surrounding skin and underlying tissue to […]

According to Dr. Charles Smith, of the Family and Preventative Medicine Department at UAMS, there is no medical evidence to support the myth. Your mom probably told you that you would get severe cramps and drown if you decided to go for a swim right after eating. The theory behind the myth was that there is […]

Despite what your mom may have told you when you were younger, you will not catch a cold from going to bed with your hair wet. Dr. Charles Smith, of the Family and Preventative Medicine Department at UAMS, said that there is no medical evidence to prove that this is true. Wet hair does not cause a […]

According to Dr. Joseph Chacko, director of neuro-ophthalmology at UAMS, your mom was right when she told you to eat carrots for your eyes. “I don’t think it is a myth,” he said. “Carrots and other colorful vegetables have lots of vitamin A which helps the retina to function. We want our patients to eat […]

According to the Department of Otolaryngology at UAMS, the normal course of a middle ear infection is for the infection or puss to build up behind the ear drum, causing the ear drum to burst. Then the ear drum will heal. The pressure before the ear drum bursts causes severe discomfort. Antibiotics only decrease the healing […]

Arthritis is a condition that results in deterioration and loss of the joint surface cartilage, where the repair process fails to keep up with the breakdown. Copper bracelets have long been sold as a cure for arthritis. Vendors propose that the metal is absorbed through the skin and helps cartilage regeneration. But there are certain facts […]

Despite what Popeye led a lot of young people to believe, spinach is not particularly rich in iron. In reality, it has about the same iron content as many other green vegetables, according to Dr. Philip Kern, M.D., Department of Endocrinology/ Metabolism at UAMS. “Spinach also contains oxalic acid, which prevents more than 90 percent […]

Not only is it a bad idea to starve a fever, it will hinder your ability to recover from the cold according to Philip Kern, M.D., Department of Endocrinology/Metabolism at UAMS. “Drinking plenty of fluids is important since fever promotes fluid loss from the body and dehydration can result,” Dr. Kern says. While drinking or […]

“You cannot get the flu from a flu shot or the nasal-spray vaccine,” says Dr. Charles Smith, of the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at UAMS. The best way to avoid getting the flu is to get the influenza vaccine, available by shot or by nasal spray, each fall before the flu season starts. “The […]

This is partly true, partly myth. The poison ivy rash itself is not contagious, according to the Dermatology Clinic at UAMS. Neither will fluid from the blisters of a poison ivy rash spread poison ivy. A poison ivy rash is caused by contact with urushiol, the oil from the leaves of the poison ivy plant. […]