聽“阿婆”講那些神奇的事情

There’s a story about a guy who called his grandmother the first time he cooked a roast.“I did it just like you used to. First， I first 1）lopped of the ends of the roast， then 2）seasoned it， added onions and carrots， and put it in the oven for two hours. It was perfect.”“You cut off the ends？” she asked. “Didn’t you？” he 3）countered. “Only when the roast was too big to fit the pan，” she said.

Old wives’ tales are like that. They may have been useful at one time and may have some truth to them， but it’s probably gotten 4）garbled in translation from one generation to the next. After all， many of these “old wives” were midwives and healers who were valued medical practitioners. We shouldn’t be surprised to find some science in their advice.

有這么個故事。一個小伙子第一次親手做烤肉，他打電話給外婆，說：“我都是按您以前的做法來做的。先把烤肉的邊切掉，再調(diào)味，加上洋蔥、胡蘿卜，放進烤箱烤兩個小時。效果很好。”外婆問道：“你把烤肉的邊給切了？”小伙子反問：“您不就是這么做的嗎？”外婆回答：“我只在烤盤裝不下的時候才切的啊?！?/p>

這就是“老婦人之談”。它們可能曾經(jīng)挺實用，也著實有些道理，但或許是在代代相傳的過程中被篡改歪曲了。要知道，許多“老婦人”其實本來就是助產(chǎn)士、治療師這類受人尊重的醫(yī)生。所以，若是發(fā)現(xiàn)這些忠告的確有點兒科學依據(jù)，我們也不必太過驚訝。

1. Cats Kill Sleeping Babies by Stealing Their Breath

Cats have been seen 5）alternately as divine（the Egyptian goddess 6）Bastet took a 7）feline form） or evil （we all know black cats bring bad luck， right？）. If the myth that cats steal sleeping babies’ breath were true， it would definitely fit in with that darker image. However， no scientific study or verifiable accounts back up such stories. How did this myth start？ It’s possible that cats have 8）inadvertently contributed to 9）Sudden Infant Death Syndrome， or SIDS， in which an infant dies while sleeping for no known reason. Infants with 10）respiratory conditions or an underdeveloped wake-response reflex are known to be at greater risk of SIDS. If such a child rolled toward a cat in his sleep， or if a cat stretched a paw on the baby’s face， it might 11）impair breathing enough to cause death. Then again， the cat’s presence may have been pure coincidence.

一、貓咪會趁寶寶熟睡時偷走他們的呼吸

貓總是要么被奉若神明（比如古埃及化身為貓的女神貝斯特），要么被視為邪物（大家都聽說過黑貓會招來噩運，對吧？）。如果貓能偷走熟睡寶寶呼吸的傳說是真的，那它顯然更符合后者的陰暗形象。但是，卻沒有任何科學研究或者確鑿的依據(jù)來支撐那種說法。這種說法是打哪兒來的？有可能是因為貓在無意間引發(fā)了嬰兒猝死綜合癥（簡稱SIDS），致使嬰兒在睡眠中由于未知原因死亡。目前已知：有呼吸道疾病或蘇醒反射系統(tǒng)未健全的嬰兒更易患這種病。如果一個有上述病癥的寶寶在睡著后滾到貓身邊，或是貓把爪子伸到他臉上，那么孩子的呼吸可能會因受阻而造成死亡。當然，這也可能是純屬巧合。

2. You Should Starve a Fever and Feed a Cold

This old tale may be partly based on the medieval 12）theory of humours. The idea was that good mental and physical health depended on the balance of four body fluids， called humours： black bile， yellow bile， blood and 13）phlegm. A fever indicated an excess of blood， and the treatment included bleeding the patient—which， in retrospect， was not such good advice. 14）Fasting may have also been 15）prescribed as a way to slow down what seemed to be an overcharged 16）metabolism. Likewise， every 17）mucous mouthful a cold sufferer coughed up indicated an excess of phlegm. Phlegm was a 18）wintry humour， associated with depressed spirits and depressed metabolism. The logical remedy was to 19）stoke the bodily 20）furnace with food， which would also lift the spirits. When you’re sick with a cold or the flu， your body needs the nutrients of a balanced diet and energy from adequate 21）calories to fight off the infection， especially in the early stages of illness. There’s no medical advantage to undereating or overeating in either case. Staying well nourished and well 22）hydrated is the best advice.

二、挨餓治發(fā)燒，感冒得多吃

這個古老傳說或許部分基于中世紀的體液學說。其理念是身心健康取決于人體內(nèi)黑膽汁、黃膽汁、血液、粘液四種體液之間的平衡。發(fā)燒是血量過甚的表現(xiàn)，治療手段包括給病人放血?，F(xiàn)在看來，這真不是什么好點子。禁食可能則是緩解新陳代謝負荷過重的方子。同樣，感冒病人咳痰說明他體內(nèi)粘液過多。痰是一種寒性體液，與沮喪情緒及代謝郁滯有關(guān)。合理的療法是通過進食來助燃機能、振奮精神?；几忻盎虻昧鞲袝r，尤其是在患病初期，你需要從均衡飲食中獲取營養(yǎng)、攝入適量卡路里補充能量以抗擊病毒。吃得過少或者太飽都對身體沒好處，保證營養(yǎng)良好、體內(nèi)水分充足才是最佳忠告。

3. Eating Sugar Makes Kids Hyper

Like some other myths on our list， this one has enough 23）semblance of truth to sound legitimate. Simple sugars are pure calories （i.e.， energy）. They’re quickly digested and sent to the bloodstream. So a rush of energy in the blood should cause a rush of activity in the body. The science of sugar metabolism tells a different story， however. When sugars enter the bloodstream， they’re first sent to the muscles and internal organs for immediate use. Excess sugars are not“worked off”. They’re stored in the liver and muscles as 24）glycogen for later use. Sugary snacks and sodas are rightly blamed for their role in 25）obesity and tooth decay. But hyper behavior is one 26）rap you can’t pin on them—unless， of course， they’re 27）caffeinated products like cola or chocolate.

三、吃糖會讓小孩亢奮

就像我們舉出的其他例子一樣，這一條也是看似猶如真理般可信。單糖會被迅速消化，直接提供卡路里（即能量）并輸送到血流中去。血液中突然注入一股能量理應(yīng)激發(fā)身體的活躍度。但糖類代謝背后的科學理論可不贊同這一說。事實是這樣的：糖進入血流后，首先會被輸送到肌肉和內(nèi)臟以供即時使用。剩余的糖并不會被“清貨”，而是成為糖原儲存在肝臟和肌肉中以備日后之需。指責含糖零食及碳酸飲料是造成肥胖和齲齒的罪魁禍首，我們有理有據(jù)。但若把亢奮行為也算上，那真是冤枉它們了，除非是像可樂或巧克力那樣含有咖啡因的食物。

4. You Lose Most of Your Body Heat Through Your Head

You can trace this partial truth to experiments conducted in the Arctic by the United States military in the 1950s. Volunteers were adequately dressed from the shoulders down， but left bareheaded. Not surprisingly， that’s where most of their body heat escaped—up to 80 of percent of the body heat they lost， according to the earliest reports. Initially， you do lose more heat through the head—up to 50 percent， similar to what the Survival Manual says. As the activity continues， however， the blood vessels near the skin in the rest of the body 28）dilate， allowing more blood to flow throughout the body and reducing the flow to the brain. Meanwhile， the 29）proximity of the vessels to the skin cools the blood to keep you from overheating. Heat loss through the head returns to about 7 percent. It’s still a good idea to cover the head in cold weather， of course， just like every other part of your body.

四、頭部散去了身體大部分熱量

這個半帶偏頗的說法可追溯到二十世紀五十年代美國軍方在北極開展的實驗。志愿者們從肩到腳都裹得嚴嚴實實，頭卻露在外面。因此，最初的報道得出“人體散逸熱量的百分之八十均由頭部排出”這個結(jié)論也就一點兒都不奇怪了。開始，頭部散出的熱量的確比較多——高達百分之五十，這個水平和《救生手冊》中所描述的相近。但隨著身體活動的持續(xù)，其他部位的皮膚表層血管擴張，使更多的血液流經(jīng)軀干，并減低大腦中的血流量。同時，血管附近的皮膚會給血液降溫以防體溫過高。頭部的熱量散失，并降至百分之七左右。當然，天冷時最好還是戴上帽子，就像呵護身體其他部位一樣做好頭部保暖工作。