Things you were taught that were incorrect?

[Jorriss]

I was taught in high school that muscle pain after a workout results from lactic acid build-up, but that has since been proven wrong.

I wasn't certain but I actually was still mostly under the impression that was it.

[Rasputin9977]

I wasn't certain but I actually was still mostly under the impression that was it.

It still does. There is a quack out there that claims it doesn't but he has been refuted by professionals that he is wrong.

[Chris S.]

EDIT: Oh, and there was my ninth grade English teacher in the same category (tried to, but failed) who insisted that the word "apothecary" was pronounced "ah-pock-rah-thee" and would brook NO correction!

As an English teacher, sometimes when reading with students you hit those words. I was reading Gilgamesh with my students this past year and hit a word that was hard to pronounce. Man my students had a field day with it. Its tough when you are in front of a class and trying to be an "expert".

Now apothecary is a whole other issue though...Teacher should have known that one.

A big one in the US is that the Civil War was about slavery. I think a lot of what we are taught in US history is half truths. Heck, that is still true in the manner the media portrays things.

[Diamond Princess]

I remember a good one: I was taught in second grade that it doesn't snow in Texas because we're too close to water (specifically, the Gulf of Mexico). This, however, does not explain...y'know...Antarctica.

[o1pickleboy]

I remember a good one: I was taught in second grade that it doesn't snow in Texas because we're too close to water (specifically, the Gulf of Mexico). This, however, does not explain...y'know...Antarctica.

or Michigan and lake affect snow.

[GozertheGozarian]

As an English teacher, sometimes when reading with students you hit those words. I was reading Gilgamesh with my students this past year and hit a word that was hard to pronounce. Man my students had a field day with it. Its tough when you are in front of a class and trying to be an "expert".

Now apothecary is a whole other issue though...Teacher should have known that one.

A big one in the US is that the Civil War was about slavery. I think a lot of what we are taught in US history is half truths. Heck, that is still true in the manner the media portrays things.

Slavery is the primary reason given in most of the Confederate Declarations of Secession. To say slavery wasn't the primary reason for leaving is incorrect.

[Dreadstar]

I got a comic book related one! For a couple years, I read the Metal Men comic book and swallowed the whole "Lead is the heavyweight" line.

When I started getting into science as a kid, I finally realized that Lead was the 4th heaviest member of that team.

[Dreadstar]

A little Ohio history for you:

I was always taught that due to a border war with Michigan, Ohio won a strip of land containing Toledo.

I've been to Toledo, and I'm here to tell you we lost.

[o1pickleboy]

A little Ohio history for you:

I was always taught that due to a border war with Michigan, Ohio won a strip of land containing Toledo.

I've been to Toledo, and I'm here to tell you we lost.

That is not true, we weren't able to "lose" Detroit to you.

[JCAll]

A big one in the US is that the Civil War was about slavery. I think a lot of what we are taught in US history is half truths. Heck, that is still true in the manner the media portrays things.

I had the exact opposite experience. I was always taught that Slavery wasn't the primary cause of the Civil War, and discovered later that yeah it pretty much was.

[Nick Soapdish]

I had the exact opposite experience. I was always taught that Slavery wasn't the primary cause of the Civil War, and discovered later that yeah it pretty much was.

Same here. The textbooks always made a big deal about it being all about states' rights. Except that the only states' right that seemed to matter was the right to own slaves and the South took a decidedly dim view of Northern states' rights when they tried to resist the Fugitive Slave Law.

Now, the North definitely wasn't fighting to end slavery so it's still half-right which I guess ties into the half-truths complaint.

[Johnny P. Sartre]

A little Ohio history for you:

I was always taught that due to a border war with Michigan, Ohio won a strip of land containing Toledo.

I've been to Toledo, and I'm here to tell you we lost.

[the4thpip]

I wasn't certain but I actually was still mostly under the impression that was it.

It's actually most likely small tears in your muscle fiber. The lactic acid hypothesis has been proven wrong.

Two other hypotheses that have been advanced to explain the soreness, muscle spasms and the presence of lactic acid in the muscle, are now considered unlikely to be correct, since there is evidence to refute them.[1] In particular, lactic acid is removed from the muscle within an hour of intense exercise, and therefore cannot cause the soreness which normally begins about a day later.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed...Kokkinos_111-4

Research indicates that DOMS is more likely caused by localised damage to the muscle fibres membranes, the connective tissue and the contractile elements - namely microtrauma to the muscle fibres. Over the 24 hours after intense exercise, the damaged muscles become sore and inflammed. Chemical irritants are released from damaged tissue, triggering pain receptors. In addition to the injured muscle fibres, there is an increase in blood flow causing a swelling of the muscle tissues which again may stimulate pain receptors. In the morning following the exercise, the muscle fibres are fatigued, have microscopic tears and are inflammed. The muscle nerve supply perceives this as an abnormal state and sends pain messages to the pain.

Typical recommendations for dealing with DOMS include light stretching and exercise, massage (of course!), submersion in a hot bath, etc. All these are aimed at lightly increasing blood flow to the muscles and damaged tissues to facilitate repair (and not flushing out non-existing lactic acid buildup).

******************/?Lactic-Acid-and-Muscle-Soreness&id=1418935

[the4thpip]

A little Ohio history for you:

I was always taught that due to a border war with Michigan, Ohio won a strip of land containing Toledo.

I've been to Toledo, and I'm here to tell you we lost.

But do people living in Toledo
Know that the name
Didn't travel very well?

And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of
That Spanish Citadel?

[Sabrina_Fried]

When I was in PE class in school, we were always taught to do static stretches before our other activities to warm up our muscles. These days the consensus among (most) physical trainers is that you should only do static stretching at the END of your workout. Lower impact activities like jogging are used to warm up your muscles instead and static stretching on muscles that have not been warmed up properly can lead to reduced flexibility and injury.