Some curious health myths in Brazil

James ViP

Member since 20 June 2010

Brazil & Canada Expert

JamesViP20 November 2011 11:48:28

11272

Since coming to Brazil ten years ago I have heard a few rather curious health myths. None of them have any apparent logic and some actually go against what I have always heard in the past.

One of the strangest beliefs here in Brazil, especially among older people and people in Bahia, is that you should never take a shower following a meal because you could die. I have no idea where this one comes from folks, but I can say that if anyone has ever died in the shower following a meal it certainly was neither the meal nor the shower that caused their death. It's true that taking a hot shower immediately following a large meal is not good for your digestion because it diverts blood from you digestive tract to help cool your body, but there is no documented evidence of any other health risks. All of the reports here in Brazil are purely anecdotal and I'm sure if Tio José died in the shower after that delicious feijoada it was more likely that he was electricuted when he tried to adjust the flow of water. I've been zapped more than my share by those ungrounded monsters called "chuveiros" here in Brazil.

I've also often heard that you souldn't drink cold liquids when you have a cold. Also not true... you should drink as much fluid as possible when you have a cold. While hot beverages such as tea, chicken soup, etc. will obviously help clear up congestion there is no medical proof that cold liquids are in any way harmful. Hydration is, in fact, essential when one has a cold.

Similarly, I have also heard that you should avoid pepper or any hot sauces when you have a cold. Again there is not any substantive proof for this and actually quite to the contrary pepper or pepper sauce can even help clear up nasal congestion.

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If any of you have heard of these myths and have ever been given some convincing reasons to follow the advice I would be interested in hearing them.

Also if you have heard any strange wwives tales here in Brazil please send a comment, I find this aspect of the Brazilian culture quite interesting.

Cheers,
James

DouglasT Contributor

Member since 01 April 2011

DouglasTContributor20 November 2011 22:59:40

110

Great fun James!

In the Pantanal, some Pantaneiros believe that if the Black and Gold Howler Monkeys howl, which they do daily, it means it will rain. I also had a maid in the 1980s that would put a wet cotton ball on my baby girl to supposedly protect her from the cold virus, Widely believed in Brazil and elsewhere, and I may cause some controversy here, but water does not spin down the drains in a different direction, depending on what side of the equator you flush on. Another is that swimming and playing in the water after eating lunch is not dangerous. You can find this and others with a Google search for myth busters.

Cheers, Douglas

James ViP

Member since 20 June 2010

Brazil & Canada Expert

JamesViP20 November 2011 23:57:42

11272

Hi Doug,

I knew I could count on you to come up with something of interest. While I have know about the Coriolis Effect from the meteorology part of my flying school days which causes water, clouds, storms, etc., to rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern, I didn't know about the monkey howl. It must rain every day in the Pantanal then, right? LOL

I'm not to sure about the wet cotton ball either. Does wet hair have the opposite effect? Every time I've taken a shower before heading off to my toasty little bed if I don't blow dry my hair first I wake up with a cold if it was the least bit damp. Go figure!

Cheers,
James

DouglasT Contributor

Member since 01 April 2011

DouglasTContributor21 November 2011 10:11:15

110

Hi James,

Thank you! The Coriolis Effect affects air and clouds, but the movement is too slow to move water, which is much heavier. Tests using uniform basins and a way to "flush" without influencing the direction the water will spin, show that 50% of the time the spin is in one of the directions, and 50% in the other. Also, on the equator, the water does not go straight down, as the myth alleges. This is one of the most difficult myths to bust and is so widely taught and believed, but it is not true and easy to disprove.

I have been able to prove to my Pantaneiro guides that many of the myths they believe cannot be true. I am not going to do the experiment with people showering and going to bed, but the cotton ball had no effect on my baby!

I hope other will reply to this post....it will be rich(er)

Cheers, Douglas