Don't believe these common medical myths
The British Medical Journal recently published a report on medical myths that are so common, even doctors believe them. Here are some well-known myths and the truth:

Myth: Fingernails and hair grow after death.

Fact: "As the body's skin is drying out, soft tissue, especially skin, is retracting," Vreeman said. "The nails appear much more prominent as the skin dries out. The same is true, but less obvious, with hair. As the skin is shrinking back, the hair looks more prominent or sticks up a bit."

Myth: You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Fact: "There is no medical evidence to suggest that you need that much water," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a pediatrics research fellow at the Indiana University School of Medicine and co-author of the journal article.

Myth: We use only 10 percent of our brains.

Fact: MRI scans, PET scans and other imaging studies show no dormant areas of the brain, and even viewing individual neurons or cells reveals no inactive areas. And metabolic studies of how brain cells process chemicals show no nonfunctioning areas.