4 ms·

Did our ancestors stretch before hunting? I doubt it.

by prakster 14y ago

mhb 14y ago
Did they floss?
- scarmig 14y ago
  Well... has flossing been shown to be useful for human health? ETA: quick Google, found one meta-study. Results: "Trials were of poor quality and conclusions must be viewed as unreliable. The review showed that people who brush and floss regularly have less gum bleeding compared to toothbrushing alone. There was weak, very unreliable evidence of a possible small reduction in plaque. There was no information on other measurements such as tooth decay because the trials were not long enough and detecting early stage decay between teeth is difficult." http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD008829/flossing-to-reduce-gum-disease-and-tooth-decay http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD008829/flossing-to-reduce-gu... So, pretty weak evidence, though perhaps mostly from lack of trying. It can't be considered as important as brushing. Then again, how do we know brushing is important? Time to find some other studies...
  - VeejayRampay 14y ago
    Flossing supposedly helps fight gum disease, halitosis (by removing some of the gunk stuck between the teeth that toothbrushes can't get at) and other mouth afflictions. How much of that "research" and "science" is actually funded by Colgate, Johnson and Johnson and the like I don't know though...
  - prakster 14y ago
    Can't speak for the rest of the world, but at least 99% of India doesn't floss. Just sayin' :-)
    - fusiongyro 14y ago
      Despite the American oral fixation, flossing is not all that popular over here. The guilt about not flossing is, however, huge.
    - smsm42 14y ago
      Do they have good teeth?
- hansy 14y ago
  I suspect our diet has changed considerably since our ancestors' time. So all the extra sugars and processed food we shovel in our mouths is bound to affect our oral health in ways that might necessitate additional cleaning measures (e.g. flossing).
artsrc 14y ago
Hard to know: https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lion+stretching&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=MNI&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Af9cUYzzC4qXiQfn9YDICg&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1105&bih=649 https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lion+stretching&hl=en...
- jessriedel 14y ago
  This is much more analogous to "stretching" by reaching to the sky, or by arching one's back, than to the static muscle stretches discussed in the article. This natural kind of stretching feels good (no need to educate people), which is evidence it's been selected for, and seems to concentrate more on joints than muscles.
mertd 14y ago
Why do we have to consider everything they did optimal?
snowwrestler 14y ago
Of course they did. Primates stretch all the time--just go to the zoo and watch for a while.

Did our ancestors stretch before hunting? I doubt it.

mhb 14y ago

Did they floss?

scarmig 14y ago
Well... has flossing been shown to be useful for human health? ETA: quick Google, found one meta-study. Results: "Trials were of poor quality and conclusions must be viewed as unreliable. The review showed that people who brush and floss regularly have less gum bleeding compared to toothbrushing alone. There was weak, very unreliable evidence of a possible small reduction in plaque. There was no information on other measurements such as tooth decay because the trials were not long enough and detecting early stage decay between teeth is difficult." http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD008829/flossing-to-reduce-gum-disease-and-tooth-decay http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD008829/flossing-to-reduce-gu... So, pretty weak evidence, though perhaps mostly from lack of trying. It can't be considered as important as brushing. Then again, how do we know brushing is important? Time to find some other studies...
- VeejayRampay 14y ago
  Flossing supposedly helps fight gum disease, halitosis (by removing some of the gunk stuck between the teeth that toothbrushes can't get at) and other mouth afflictions. How much of that "research" and "science" is actually funded by Colgate, Johnson and Johnson and the like I don't know though...
- prakster 14y ago
  Can't speak for the rest of the world, but at least 99% of India doesn't floss. Just sayin' :-)
  - fusiongyro 14y ago
    Despite the American oral fixation, flossing is not all that popular over here. The guilt about not flossing is, however, huge.
  - smsm42 14y ago
    Do they have good teeth?
hansy 14y ago
I suspect our diet has changed considerably since our ancestors' time. So all the extra sugars and processed food we shovel in our mouths is bound to affect our oral health in ways that might necessitate additional cleaning measures (e.g. flossing).

artsrc 14y ago

Hard to know: https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lion+stretching&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=MNI&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Af9cUYzzC4qXiQfn9YDICg&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1105&bih=649 https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lion+stretching&hl=en...

jessriedel 14y ago
This is much more analogous to "stretching" by reaching to the sky, or by arching one's back, than to the static muscle stretches discussed in the article. This natural kind of stretching feels good (no need to educate people), which is evidence it's been selected for, and seems to concentrate more on joints than muscles.

mertd 14y ago

Why do we have to consider everything they did optimal?

snowwrestler 14y ago

Of course they did. Primates stretch all the time--just go to the zoo and watch for a while.