Test Your Health Smarts

We admit it — sprinkled into our wellness wisdom over the years have been a few clunkers (alas, we only wish spot reduction worked). Can you guess which tips are as good as the day they were published and which should go the way of the cotton ball diet? (We never recommended that, for the record.)

1900s

“Mother’s instinct” is real

A mom “wakes when the baby is uncovered, is aware of his need of food before he has expressed it and senses when he is in danger.” (February 1907)

LEGIT New mothers’ senses are definitely heightened, likely thanks to greater amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, says Robin Edelstein, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. Cortisol levels increase quite a bit during pregnancy and stay somewhat elevated postpartum, which may help women be attentive to their infants, says Edelstein. There you have it, moms: proof of your superpowers!

1990s

Stress causes stomachaches “The everyday pressures of life can hit below the belt—literally. Doctors say stress can be the cause of such problems or at the very least the trigger for flare-ups.” (May 1997)

MOSTLY LEGIT Stress can intensify symptoms of painful irritable bowel syndrome, but research says it doesn’t actually cause it. More likely, IBS is the result of a past infection, possibly food poisoning, that triggers the production of antibodies that impair the nerves in the gut, says Mark Pimentel, M.D., of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Tests can reveal whether you carry the antibodies.

1910s

Meat is the perfect protein “…As a practical, everyday all-the-year-round source of protein, there is nothing like meat!” (May 1913)

LAME Make more room on your plate for plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, tofu, nuts and, yes, even veggies. Swapping them in for meat in meals at least once per week can lower chronic-disease risk.