Almost everyone has their older spouse’s stories about a health issue, from grandma, best friend, or “internet wisdom.”
In a recent survey of 1,000 physicians, more than 85 percent say they have encountered misinformation from patients in the past five years.
Dr. Leonore Fernandez, a primary care physician at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told Harvard Medical School, “We’re often looking for some kind of one-pill solution, something we can do to take care of a problem or simplify our lives so that we feel effective.”
“But for most things in health, the solution lies in the balance between what you do and what you eat, not one particular thing.”
Experts stress that being able to tell the difference between reality and fantasy is crucial when it comes to your long-term health and well-being.
Nervous nerve crackers
Cracking your knuckles is a bad habit, and an old wives’ tale claims that doing so can cause arthritis.
The origin of this belief, which has been around for decades, is unclear. But doctors say this is not true.
Osteoarthritis — which affects about 33 million American adults and is by far the most common type of joint disease — is caused by overuse and wear and tear over time.
“The truth is, there’s no connection between cracked knuckles and arthritis — or any other long-term health problem,” said Dr. Eric Raderman, a rheumatologist at Northwestern Medicine.
Timing problem
More than 100 million Americans live with obesity, which increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and other life-threatening conditions.
A common misconception is that eating at night causes weight gain. Celebrities like Marvel star Chris Hemsworth are reportedly participating in intermittent fasting, where they don’t eat for hours before bed.
However, although your metabolism slows at night, when you eat doesn’t really count as much as what you eat at that meal.
“There may be some truth that our metabolism and insulin secretion changes at night because we sleep,” Fernandez said. “But I doubt what you eat, and whether your food is distracting or not, is more important.”
Stick around
An old playground adage suggests that chewing gum can stay in your stomach for up to seven years after you swallow it.
While our bodies don’t have the enzymes to break down the gum base, which is made of polymers and waxes, it does leave the body, gastroenterologist Dr. Nancy McGrail told Duke Health.
“In all the upper endoscopies I’ve done in both children and adults, I’ve yet to see a single gum around the stomach,” he noted.
Questions about caffeine
The myth that coffee stunts growth is believed to have originated from a business plan in the 1930s. A 1933 ad by tycoon and grape nut manufacturer CW Post for Postum’s decaffeinated coffee substitute carried a warning about a cup of oats.
The ad claimed that “by eliminating milk from children’s diets, coffee is a factor in malnutrition. Children’s shining eyes steal their rosy cheeks. According to a report published by the institute, this reduces their vitality, reduces their resistance to diseases and hinders proper growth and development. Atlantic Ocean.
In fact, there is no scientific evidence that drinking coffee can stunt a child’s growth, Harvard Medical School said.
“Caffeine has no significant effect on a child’s height,” Dr. Roy Kim, a pediatric endocrinologist, told the Cleveland Clinic.
A failed discovery
The myth that eating eggs raises cholesterol is another twisted truth that isn’t all that hard to beat.
While there’s no denying that eggs are high in cholesterol — with 186 milligrams in the yolk alone, or 62 percent of the recommended daily amount — it doesn’t significantly raise blood cholesterol levels, according to the Australian Health Alliance.
“Instead, it’s the overconsumption of foods high in saturated fat and sugar that do it,” explains the alliance.
Eggs are also high in protein and other nutrients, and eating them may improve heart health, according to a Harvard study.
take a rest
The idea that ice can help heal a burn makes sense to non-medical professionals. Ice helps relieve inflammation and other injuries.
However, doctors say, putting ice on a burn can actually do more harm than good. The Tulsa ER and hospital warned that ice can cause frostbite, which further damages the skin.
Instead, people should run the affected area under cool water.
“On the burned area, it’s best to use cool running water, such as holding the burned area under running water for a few minutes,” advises doctors at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
Take some pain medication and use an antibiotic ointment and loose gauze to protect the area from germs.
let it go
The origins of the “5-second rule,” or the idea that food is still free of bacteria after five seconds on the floor or other surface, may come as a surprise. It goes back to the Mongol warrior Genghis Khan who created his “Khan Reign”.
Any food that fell on the floor at her parties was considered too good to eat because it was so special.
But according to Mount Elizabeth doctors, the bacteria is transferred to the food the second it hits the ground.
“To avoid getting sick, it’s best to err on the side of caution and throw away spilled food, or at least wash it thoroughly first,” they wrote.
