Research shows Mozart effect to be a myth

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-contrary-popular-opinion-cognitive-benefits.html
"Contrary to popular opinion, new research finds no cognitive benefits of music lessons....
..."

-I suspected as much.

This joins a long list of scientifically debunked myths involving the brain and/or health such as:

1, we only use 10% of our brain at any one time (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_percent_of_brain_myth )

2, cholesterol causes heart disease (this one has been debunk by so much evidence so many times. see:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cholesterol/#axzz2AgiuWCga
http://thehealthadvantage.com/cholesterol.html
http://www.thegreatcholesterolcon.com/
http://anthonycolpo.com/the-cholesterol-theory-of-heart-disease-is-nonsense/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-430682/Have-conned-cholesterol.html
http://www.cholesterol-guide-review-solution.com/cholesterolmyths.html
http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/heart-disease-theory-an-error-noakes-1.1384290
http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-812-1741,76665.asp
)

3, antioxidants in food benefiting health

4, we all need to drink absolutely ridiculously massive amounts of pure water each day to stay healthy -at least 8 glasses of the stuff (see http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/8-glasses-of-water-a-day-an-urban-myth-1.1196386 It is important to note how harmful this myth is because some people have actually died of it by over hydrating themselves until their cells in their guts have exploded with too much water!!!! ) and, and this is perhaps one of the sillier myths, tea and coffee want do it because they will dehydrate you (total rubbish! they have almost the same hydrating effect as pure water. If you were dieing of thirst in a desert and was offered a cup of tea, would you reject it saying and actually believing that it would dehydrate you!? )

-there was never ever any solid scientific evidence to support any of these myths!

and there are many more:
http://lifehacker.com/10-health-myths-that-just-wont-die-debunked-by-scienc-1443659706

http://lifehacker.com/5873922/10-stubborn-body-myths-that-just-wont-die-debunked-by-science

Originally posted by humy
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-contrary-popular-opinion-cognitive-benefits.html
"Contrary to popular opinion, new research finds no cognitive benefits of music lessons....
..."

-I suspected as much.

This joins a long list of scientifically debunked myths involving the brain and/or health such as:

1, we only use 10% of our brain at any one time ...[text shortened]... 6

http://lifehacker.com/5873922/10-stubborn-body-myths-that-just-wont-die-debunked-by-science

I think the problem might be that health research, at least in the U.S. is heavily financed by companies that will directly or indirectly benefit from the "results". Even federal research, whose funding has recently been cut, is indirectly influenced by huge pharma. That leaves us with the annecdotal, non scientific fringe nut cases like those who claim you ought to ingest your daily cup of coffee via an enemma bag rather than a mug, especially if you have any dreaded disease.

The cholesterol case is really very clear. But it's rather scary when your Dr. tells you to take a statin but other factors, like the size of your cholesterol globs and CRP tests are all good. I'm cutting my 20 mg statin in half and am thinking I should just chuck it. I have no muscle issues but everytime I am a bit forgetful I wonder if it's the statin at work or just my age.

Originally posted by Phranny
I think the problem might be that health research, at least in the U.S. is heavily financed by companies that will directly or indirectly benefit from the "results". Even federal research, whose funding has recently been cut, is indirectly influenced by huge pharma. That leaves us with the annecdotal, non scientific fringe nut cases like those who claim yo ...[text shortened]... le issues but everytime I am a bit forgetful I wonder if it's the statin at work or just my age.

If the satin you take is having a beneficial effect on your heart and circulation (which it may well have), it must be caused by its anti-inflammatory effect rather than its cholesterol lowering effect as there is strong evidence that anti-inflammatories do generally have just such a beneficial effect.

see:

http://www.ravnskov.nu/myth6.htm

and

http://www.spacedoc.com/anti_inflammatory_statins.html

-and that's yet another myth debunked!

Originally posted by humy
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-contrary-popular-opinion-cognitive-benefits.html
"Contrary to popular opinion, new research finds no cognitive benefits of music lessons....
..."

-I suspected as much.

This joins a long list of scientifically debunked myths involving the brain and/or health such as:

1, we only use 10% of our brain at any one time ...[text shortened]... 6

http://lifehacker.com/5873922/10-stubborn-body-myths-that-just-wont-die-debunked-by-science

The Mozart effect was debunked over 10 years ago. Though I can
personally attest to the value of Mozart at calming a class and it
does seem to help concentration.

Apart from the cholesterol scare stories those others on your list
are just stories exaggerated/misrepresented by the media.

from 2001 article
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1281386/

An enhancement of spatial-temporal reasoning performance after
listening to Mozart's music for 10 minutes has been reported by several,
but not all, researchers. Even in the studies with positive results the
enhancement is small and lasts about 12 minutes. The effect varies
between individuals and depends upon the spatial tasks chosen; general
intelligence is not affected. Rather more impressively, there is a beneficial
effect on some patients with epilepsy. The results are not specific to
Mozart's compositions but the exact musical criteria required have not been
completely defined.