342+ MYTHS BUSTED.

Food cooked or eaten during a solar eclipse becomes poisonous and causes illness. People must fast throughout the eclipse.

Solar eclipses produce no radiation or atmospheric changes capable of affecting food composition. This belief originated from pre-scientific attempts to explain illness coinciding with eclipses. Food safety depends entirely on temperature and hygiene, not celestial events.

Sweeping the floor after sunset drives away Goddess Lakshmi (prosperity) and brings misfortune upon the household.

This practical rule originated when homes had no electric lighting. Sweeping in darkness risked losing small valuables like coins and jewellery in the waste. The "Lakshmi" framing was a cultural device to enforce the practical rule. It has zero spiritual or scientific basis.

Drinking neem (Azadirachta indica) juice and bathing under neem trees is a complete cure for jaundice.

Jaundice is a symptom of underlying conditions including hepatitis, bile duct obstruction, or haemolytic anaemia — all requiring medical diagnosis. No peer-reviewed study confirms neem as an effective jaundice treatment. Delaying medical care for jaundice can cause irreversible liver damage and death.

If someone sneezes when you are about to leave the house, it is a bad omen. You must wait for some time before proceeding to avoid misfortune.

Sneezing is a physiological reflex triggered by irritants, allergens, or infections in the nasal passage. It is controlled by the trigeminal and vagus nerve systems. It has absolutely no correlation with future events, success, or failure of any undertaking.

Menstruating women must not enter the kitchen or touch food, as they are "impure" and will contaminate or spoil the food.

Menstruation is a natural biological process with no effect on food safety or contamination. Menstruating women are neither "impure" nor biologically different in ways that could affect food. This myth is a tool of social control with no scientific basis, and enforcing it constitutes gender discrimination.

Cutting nails after sunset or on certain days (Tuesdays, Saturdays) brings bad luck, financial loss, or death in the family.

Like the sweeping myth, this originated from practical concerns about working with sharp objects in poor lighting. Nail clippings in darkness could cause injuries or be missed during cleaning. Nails grow continuously and can be safely trimmed at any time. No evidence links nail trimming to any future event.

A black cat crossing your path brings misfortune and any journey or task begun thereafter will fail.

A cat's fur colour is determined by melanin genetics — specifically the MC1R gene. It has zero predictive power over human events. Multiple controlled studies on luck, superstition, and confirmation bias show that people selectively remember failures after "bad omens," not successes. In the UK and Japan, black cats are considered lucky.

If a child falls ill shortly after being admired by someone, that person's evil eye (buri nazar) has cursed the child and rituals must be performed to remove it.

Children, especially infants, have immature immune systems making them naturally susceptible to infections. Childhood illness follows pathogen exposure, not social interactions. The coincidence of illness and admiration is post-hoc fallacy. Delaying medical treatment to perform rituals for serious illness can be life-threatening.

Drinking cow urine (gomutra) can cure cancer, diabetes, and other serious diseases. It contains miraculous healing properties not found in medicine.

No peer-reviewed, randomised controlled trial has demonstrated cow urine to be effective against cancer or any serious disease. Urine (bovine or human) is a waste product containing urea, creatinine, and filtered toxins. Cancer requires evidence-based oncological treatment. Patients who delay chemotherapy or surgery for urine therapy face significantly higher mortality.