7 medical myths

[abousoun]

7 medical myths even doctors believe

Popular culture is loaded with myths and half-truths. Most are harmless. But when doctors start believing medical myths, perhaps it's time to worry.

In the British Medical Journal this week, researchers looked into several common misconceptions, from the belief that a person should drink eight glasses of water per day to the notion that reading in low light ruins your eyesight.

"We got fired up about this because we knew that physicians accepted these beliefs and were passing this information along to their patients," said Dr. Aaron Carroll, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "And these beliefs are frequently cited in the popular media."

And so here they are, so that you can inform your doctor:

- Myth: We use only 10 percent of our brains.

Fact: Physicians and comedians alike, including Jerry Seinfeld, love to cite this one. It's sometimes erroneously credited to Albert Einstein. But MRI scans, PET scans and other imaging studies show no dormant areas of the brain, and even viewing individual neurons or cells reveals no inactive areas, the new paper points out. Metabolic studies of how brain cells process chemicals show no nonfunctioning areas. The myth probably originated with self-improvement hucksters in the early 1900s who wanted to convince people that they had yet not reached their full potential, Carroll figures. It also doesn't jibe with the fact that our other organs run at full tilt.

- Myth: You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Fact: "There is no medical evidence to suggest that you need that much water," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a pediatrics research fellow at the university and co-author of the journal article. Vreeman thinks this myth can be traced back to a 1945 recommendation from the Nutrition Council that a person consume the equivalent of 8 glasses (64 ounces) of fluid a day. Over the years, "fluid" turned to water. But fruits and vegetables, plus coffee and other liquids, count.

- Myth: Fingernails and hair grow after death.

Fact: Most physicians queried on this one initially thought it was true. Upon further reflection, they realized it's impossible. Here's what happens: "As the body’s skin is drying out, soft tissue, especially skin, is retracting," Vreeman said. "The nails appear much more prominent as the skin dries out. The same is true, but less obvious, with hair. As the skin is shrinking back, the hair looks more prominent or sticks up a bit."

- Myth: Shaved hair grows back faster, coarser and darker.

Fact: A 1928 clinical trial compared hair growth in shaved patches to growth in non-shaved patches. The hair which replaced the shaved hair was no darker or thicker, and did not grow in faster. More recent studies have confirmed that one. Here's the deal: When hair first comes in after being shaved, it grows with a blunt edge on top, Carroll and Vreeman explain. Over time, the blunt edge gets worn so it may seem thicker than it actually is. Hair that's just emerging can be darker too, because it hasn't been bleached by the sun.

- Myth: Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.

Fact: The researchers found no evidence that reading in dim light causes permanent eye damage. It can cause eye strain and temporarily decreased acuity, which subsides after rest.

- Myth: Eating turkey makes you drowsy.

Fact: Even Carroll and Vreeman believed this one until they researched it. The thing is, a chemical in turkey called tryptophan is known to cause drowsiness. But turkey doesn't contain any more of it than does chicken or beef. This myth is fueled by the fact that turkey is often eaten with a colossal holiday meal, often accompanied by alcohol — both things that will make you sleepy.

- Myth: Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals.

Fact: There are no known cases of death related to this one. Cases of less-serious interference with hospital devices seem to be largely anecdotal, the researchers found. In one real study, mobile phones were found to interfere with 4 percent of devices, but only when the phone was within 3 feet of the device. A more recent study, this year, found no interference in 300 tests in 75 treatment rooms. To the contrary, when doctors use mobile phones, the improved communication means they make fewer mistakes.

"Whenever we talk about this work, doctors at first express disbelief that these things are not true," said Vreeman said. "But after we carefully lay out medical evidence, they are very willing to accept that these beliefs are actually false."

Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Managing Editor
LiveScience.com

Thank You ...

[abousoun]

Seven Health Myths Debunked

By Dayna Davis

I grew up eating carrots. Whether I liked them or not was of no interest to my mom; she prepared them chopped, cooked, cold, and pretty much any other way you can imagine because according to her, carrots would decrease my chances of needing glasses. I ate them without complaint—who wanted to be called four-eyes on the elementary school playground? After a little research, I found out carrots aren’t good for my eyes at all; it was just a lie—a big, fat lie.

Turns out the British Royal Air Force started the carrot tale in World War II to keep their newfound fighter pilots’ radar under wraps. They spread the rumor that their pilots were eating more carrots, and that as a result, their vision (and thus their aim) was drastically improved.

That got me wondering—what else did I believe without question that could be just an old wives’ tale?

1. Drink eight glasses of water a day.
While drinking eight glasses of water a day is a great idea, the truth is, lots of drinks—and even foods—have water in them. We can get liquid love from tea, juices, and fruits, too. Of course, drinking more water won’t hurt us, but there are other ways to get our recommended daily amount than just water alone.

2. Feed a cold, starve a fever.
Ah, the old adage of either overstuffing or starving ourselves to ward off illness—what choices! Sounds a little far-fetched to me; I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to intentionally deprive our bodies of all those juicy nutrients food provides, fever or no fever.
The America Lung Association confirms that this is an old saying not grounded in much of anything. Our bodies need lots of fluids and healthy foods to get healthy, and it’s never a good idea to go to the extreme on either end.

3. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Now this one just may be true, at least sort of. Apples are a low-fat, low-calorie snack packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect our bodies’ cells from damage. Some studies even suggest that they can help the body fight heart disease and cancer. There’s no guarantee that eating one apple a day keeps the doctor away, but there is some truth if you consider it one part of a healthy diet and exercise routine.

In fact, according to a 1995 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the best apple to keep the doctor away is the Red Delicious because it has more disease-fighting chemicals than other varieties of the forbidden fruit.

4. Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis.
My grandma had arthritis, and I remember asking her if she cracked her knuckles when she was younger. Though she wasn’t a knuckle-cracker in her youth, she did tell me that cracking was one cause of arthritis. (Clearly her arthritis was caused by something else.)
A 1990 study in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease found compulsive knuckle crackers had no more tendency to develop arthritis than those who did not crack their knuckles.
Of course there are some people who have arthritis and are admitted knuckle crackers, but there’s no scientific evidence that the cracking and popping leads to arthritis.
Keep in mind, however, that while it may not cause arthritis, it may annoy more than a few people at the dinner table.

5. Chocolate causes acne.
Dermatologists tell us acne is caused by our genes, our hormones, or our skin type.
The National Institute of Health recommends antibiotics and other medications for treating acne, not dietary changes. Of course, some people do see improvements with diet changes, so if you think your acne might be a result of your chocoholic tendencies, cut chocolate out of your diet for a few weeks and see what happens.

6. Chicken soup is the best medicine.
This one has a little truth to it. Although it may not be the best-tasting soup, chicken soup can be good medicine if we’re sick. Why? When we get sick, we tend to become dehydrated and the fluid in chicken noodle soup can help. The yummy feel-good favorite is also packed with tons of vegetables that can help us get back on track.

7. Going out in the cold with wet hair will make you sick.
We’ve all heard this advice more than a few times, but is it really possible to get sick by going out in the cold with wet hair? The answer is no. Colds and flues are caused by bacteria and viruses, not cold weather. While going out in the cold with wet hair may make you chilly, it won’t make you sick … unless of course you happen to run into someone who has a cold.

Thank You ...