The hit of last year’s Christmas issue was Rachel Vreeman and Aaron Carroll’s demolition of medical myths, which garnered 21 A4 pages of media mentions within a month of publication. This year the same authors target myths with a seasonal flavour (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2769). A dispiriting message is that there are still no genuine hangover cures—other than to consume alcohol only in moderation or not at all. At this time of year, it may be a small consolation to know that you can mix alcohol with antibiotics (other than metronidazole), although most attenders at a London clinic still mistakenly believe that you shouldn’t (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2885).

The debunking of myths emerges as the …