A bird in the house means a death in the family: We’ve had wild birds fly into our house and no one died. However, it may depend on the bird. About the only way I can think of that this could be true if it was something rabid.
Black Walnuts and Poison Ivy: The green hull of a walnut, when cut, exudes a brown substance that can help calm the itch of poison ivy, oak and sumac. It can also stain your skin, clothes, hair and anything else it touches.
Butter on a burn: Please don’t do that. Butter and all oil based products will make the burn go deeper and be more painful. Burns have to be cooled before anything of that nature can be safely applied.
Cobwebs for headaches: Sounds gross, but it could work. Cobwebs contain the same chemical as aspirin. In Appalachia, there are still people who will roll ‘em up and swallow them for a headache. (Ewww)
Lose a tooth a pregnancy: Possibly, if you don’t take in enough calcium. The growing baby could absorb calcium from your bones and teeth.
No pain, no gain: Pain is a signal to your brain that something is wrong. Some muscle pain may happen when you first start to exercise, but if it is severe or doesn’t go away, you need to see your doctor. He or she can help find the cause and give you instructions that will protect your body and reduce the pain.
Potatoes on a burn: This is a much better idea than butter. Scrape the inside of a raw potato and place it on the burn. You may need to replace it fairly frequently, especially at the beginning. Because the liquid in the potato is water based, it won’t seal the heat in.
A chair rocking with no one in it means a death in the family: Again, I haven’t seen a connection between the two. I do have to admit to a smattering of anxiety if the chair is rocking by itself, but not for that reason. Where I live, that usually means an earthquake –
Reading in the dark will ruin your eyes: It certainly doesn’t help them. Neither does staring at a computer monitor or television set for hours on end. Many people find themselves in need of glasses because of these activities.
Having sex can cause labor to start: Yup. Just ask your OB. In fact, once you get close to your due date, he or she may suggest it to you. It’s not just the hormones the female body produces during sex, those from the male partner play a role as well.
If you have old wives’ tales it can be very interesting to look them up. Some of those old wives were pretty smart.