According to the Phrase Finder, the old saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ may have originated in Wales as ‘eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread’.
Is an apple really that healthy? succeedwiththis.com gives a list of 9 reasons why they are, but, as always, check your sources. As a blog site devoted to success, this may be fun, but they list no sources and should not be taken as an authority. Much like me! Which is why I try to point you to any and all links I can to back up my information! No offense intended, just cautions issued.
Do you really want to know if an apple is healthy? Try several different sources, especially ones that list their references, like TLC Family, Natural News, or Huffington Post. What did I find when I checked them out? One lists references, one references other websites, and one has links to show you where they got their information. It’s a start…
Anyway, the answer seems to be a mixed bag depending on how fatalistic and worried about pesticides you are, but we all knew that already, right? So lets move on to the interesting part -Under the armpit?
According to Life’s Little Mysteries, in Austria, (it’s not clear if this is a once upon a time story or still happens) young women will dance with apple slices held in their armpits and then give them to the man of their choice, who will eat them. (I’m hoping for once upon a time…)
According to The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body by Desmond Morris, in Elizabethan England, a whole peeled apple was placed in the woman’s armpit until it was soaked in sweat. It was then given to a suitor who would enjoy the fragrance. This became known as a ‘love apple’.
I am pretty sure we should not be confusing it with La Pomme D’Amour.
There is an article discussing Sex & Smell at holistic.com (*sorry the article seems to no longer be there*) that mentions the use of apples in the armpits, should you be interested in why perhaps people have done such things.(Hint: Pheromones)
I am also pretty sure that if we all ate the apples, we would have to see the doctor more often.