No one knows our own bodies like we do. We have to live with it 24/7, so we think we have a pretty good idea about what’s good, and not so good, for it. But sure, sometimes we listen to other people tell us about what we should and shouldn’t do…because these people are ‘experts’ and so we should take note of what they say.

Only sometimes we shouldn’t. Many things that we learn about our bodies as ‘facts’ are actually myths. The truth, it turns out, can be somewhat counterintuitive.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Many of the “facts” we learn about our bodies are actually myths, and the truth can be somewhat counterintuitive. For example, humans have many more senses than just five depending on the method you’d prefer for categorisation, eating before swimming won’t give you cramps and swallowed gum doesn’t take seven years to digest. And this is just the tip of the icebergs.

Here’s are six other myths about our body that simply aren’t true…

1. Sitting Too Close to the TV Will Ruin My Eyes

Wrong. It won’t. At one time of day this myth held some truth, because before the 1950s, some televisions had radioactive components so sitting too closer could cause eyesight issues. But modern televisions have ample amounts of shielding to prevent this type of damage. Sitting too close may cause eyestrain, which isn’t pleasant, but it also isn’t permanent.

Children may sit closer to the television because children can focus at a closer distance to adults. But there is no evidence that links this with bad eyesight in either adults or children.

2. Baby Teeth Aren’t Just Holding A Place for Adult Ones

Oh no! They’re not just there until our adult ones come through. These baby nashers help children to eat, speak and smile and if a baby loses a primary tooth too early, they may have problems later on with their permanent teeth.

This means that you can’t neglect them thinking that there a just more on the way.

3. Your Diet Won’t Do Much Detoxing

After a heavy eating sesh over Christmas, millions of us look for that quick fix to get us back in shape. Websites and supplement dealers galore say that it is time for a ‘cleanse,’ and that you should perhaps try a “raw food detox” or a “juice cleanse.”

Well before embarking on one of these fads, you should know that your body already has a pretty good system built in to flush out the bad stuff. It’s called the liver.

Some extreme diets like many of those that claim to ‘cleanse’ you can actually do more harm than good. The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health says: “There isn’t any convincing evidence that detox or cleansing programs actually remove toxins from your body or improve your health.”

Their advice is that if you’re feeling off, talk to a doctor instead. They will help you find a healthy way to get your system back on track.

4. Shaving Makes Your Hair Grow More

Nope. Shaving your body hair doesn’t do a single thing to affect the thickness, texture, colour or growth-rate for when it comes back.

Jonas Sickler, director of operations over at ConsumerSafety.org, says that the myth of thicker growing post-shave hair is “all just an illusion.” He says; “your hair tapers as it grows, and shaving it exposes the thicket middle of the hair shaft, which makes the hair appear to be darker.”

“Short hair is also more rigid, which is why stubble feels so coarse.”

5. Your Fingers Prune Up For This Interesting Reason

And it isn’t because they’re soaking up water or going soggy. According to research, only healthy fingers wrinkle when wet. If people have nerve damage in their fingers, they will remain as smooth as ever.

Scientists believe that our fingers wrinkle to help us grip slippery surfaces or objects when they are submerged. A study conducted in 2003 had participants try to hold and manipulate wet and dry objects, with bother water-wrinkled and dry, un-wrinkled fingertips.

The study found that those with pruney fingers were able to move submerged objects from one tank to another 12 percent faster than those with smooth fingers.

6. You Can Keep on Cracking Your Knuckles

Because it won’t give your arthritis. According to mothers everywhere, you should stop cracking your knuckles not only because it is gross and the sound is awful, but that it will increase your chance of arthritis. Well, actually it won’t.

Studies show that cracking your knuckles doesn’t cause any damage at all, and that it actually might even be beneficial.

Doctor Jessica Rosner, a chiropractor, says when you crack your knuckles “the two bones that make up the joint aren’t hitting each other. When a knuckle or any joint in the body cracks or ‘pops’ it is the synovial fluid found between those joints releasing gas.”

So there you have it folks, just keep on releasing gas…the good kind please, not the other.