False Health Myths Debunked by Science

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False Health Myths Debunked by Science

By Joe Burgett - August 29, 2019

BONUS MYTHS

False Health Myths Debunked by Science — *Printed Diagnosis mix therapy drugs doctor flu antibiotic pharmacy medicine. Photo Credit: One Photo/Shutterstock*

Extra Myth 1. Antibiotics Get Rid Of Infections

While it is recommended to finish your course of antibiotics when they are started, this is not due to it fighting off your infection. In fact, Antibiotics do not actually get rid of your infection no matter what version it happens to be. You may then rightfully wonder, why do we use them then? Your body actually fights off the infection itself, as it has to do so. Yet infections come with symptoms and side effects that can be quite deadly.

In fact, they break the body down to allow the infection to further harm us. Antibiotics actually treat these symptoms and take them off the table. This allows your body to better fight off an infection, which is why you feel better in a few days. The reason we have to finish the course is that sometimes, an infection might not be completely gone and could attempt a sneak attack. This won’t work with proper defenses still in play.

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Extra Myth 2. Organic Foods Are Better For You

Some people may tell you that eating organic foods is better for you compared to regular food products. Not only is this not actually true, but they cost more at the same time. What a rip-off, right? Why are they not really much better, you might ask? People say that they are free of pesticides unlike other food but this is a lie, as many still use them. To count as organic, farmers must only use chemicals from which they are naturally derived.

That opens up a huge list of potential chemicals. On top of that, they can even be worse for the environment than synthetic counterparts. Of course, any chemical usage used in organic or non-organic foods is so low that they won’t harm you. There have been a little over 98,000 studies done on organic foods that prove there are no actual nutritional benefits compared to non-organic foods.

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Extra Myth 3. You Can Eat Snow To Avoid Dehydration

Snow is just a version of frozen water from the sky, right? Well, not exactly. Yet it can become essentially like rainwater once it thaws out. Therefore, one could eat snow and get water out of it. Yet you should know that this is actually a bad move when you’re going through dehydration symptoms. Why? Keep in mind that snow must thaw to become water.

This means our body has to produce enough heat, which uses metabolism, and then utilize the water that is now in our stomach. It must then be shifted into our blood. This takes a lot of effort on the part of the human body. For a body low on water, you’re asking a lot of it and its remaining supply to utilize the snow. Therefore, you’re actually more likely to experience dehydration by eating snow than not.

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Extra Myth 4. Stress Causes High Blood Pressure

It is true that stress can be caused by a lot of factors but our blood pressure itself is not really affected by it. This can be difficult to believe because some stressful moments may make us feel like our blood pressure is changing on us. Why does it feel that way and what is the difference between acute and chronic stress? First off, acute stress can cause a change in blood pressure.

This is the kind of stress that comes from something surprising us, like walking into class and being told to hand in a paper due and that a test is happening. Neither of which you knew about. Chronic stress is different and does not affect blood pressure. This is the kind of day-to-day stress we might be in, like finding a way to pay our bills on a low salary. Our normal blood pressure, stress or not, can be caused by many things. Genetic issues, our diet, and much more. Stress isn’t part of it.

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Extra Myth 5. HIV Exists In Humans Because A Human “Got It On” With A Monkey

This has been actually assumed for several decades now. Ever since we found out that HIV came from some type of monkey in Africa, everyone assumed a dude had sexual relations with one and caught it. However, HIV/AIDS does not need to be passed only by having sex with someone. In fact, many people contract it from others by coming in contact with their blood.

This is likely the cause of how it passed from the monkey to the human. Many believe that a monkey with HIV was killed and eaten by a man or group of men. Since the blood could have likely gotten on the human from carrying and cutting open the animal, that alone could have spread it. Yet if the blood was not completely removed, even if it is cooked, HIV can still pass. This is especially true if it was eaten raw.

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Extra Myth 6. People Get Warts From Frogs

We’re not sure where this myth began but many feel that humans get warts from frogs or toads. It is likely assumed because people see how they look and notice areas of the frog and toad species that can appear like warts. Yet those are not actually warts and simply part of their skin more often than not. This means that humans do not actually get warts from one.

Yet did you know you could actually get warts from other humans? Seriously, something as little as shaking a person’s hand could pass warts onto you. Of course, warts are caused in humans by the Human Papillomavirus and this is actually unique to humans. Therefore, even if you have HPV, you could not pass this on to your dog or cat, for instance.

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Extra Myth 7. You Can’t Die From A Broken Heart

Not only can you actually die from a broken heart, but people actually have. There is an actual medical explanation for it too! The medical world calls it “Broken Heart Syndrome.” It is an event that a person can go through when both mental health and heart issues combine after a stressful event in a person’s life. The American Heart Association warns people of it all the time.

For example, a person could find out about the death of a loved one and their risks of getting a heart attack due to it more than double! This is due to something known as “stress-induced cardiomyopathy.” During Broken Heart Syndrome, your heart will temporarily enlarge. This can make you feel like you’re having a heart attack at times. Most people recover from the issue without an issue but it can actually cause death. Therefore, yes, you CAN die from a broken heart.

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Extra Myth 8. It’s Normal To Snore

Small bits of snoring as one sleeps are not really a big deal. It might just be caused by allergies or sinus trouble, particularly during Spring and Fall/Autumn periods when these problems are present more often. However, major snoring, especially on a consistent basis, is actually a terrible thing that could actually result in your potential death.

Today, we know snoring is actually a huge issue that the medical community classifies as “Sleep Apnea.” The reason snoring is happening is that, as a person sleeps, their airway is blocked or not opening correctly. Thus, making it harder to breathe. Not only could Sleep Apnea cause problems breathing but there is also a higher risk for both heart disease & Alzheimer’s disease.

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Extra Myth 9. Flat Feet Prevents People From Participating In Sports Or Physical Activity

We often say a person has Flat Feet when they have a low arch in their foot or feet. This was assumed for years to be problematic due to the high potential for injury. For years we felt that flat feet increased injury risk and kept people out of sports. It was even an issue for the United States Army, where they would not allow you in if you had feet like this.

Yet this idea was misguided. Now, we know it is actually completely wrong. There was a study done on Israeli Soldiers with low arches, which concluded with the surprising news that people with low arches actually had a much lower risk of injury compared to those with high arches…or what we consider normal. Meanwhile, other studies found no difference between the two at all. Each study done proved that flat feet were not an issue and never were.

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Extra Myth 10. Mental Illness Can Be Cured If You Have Great Willpower

Likely one that everyone with any sort of depression and/or anxiety has heard. If you were just mentally stronger or could have proper willpower, then none of your mental issues would be a problem, right? While no one really says this about major mental disorders like Alzheimer’s or Dementia, they do with many more. From Depression to ADHD, people assume you just lack mental strength. Yet this line of thinking is dangerous and often prevents people from getting professional help.

Think of it like this….would you tell a person with a broken arm that if they will it strong enough, their arm would be unbroken? No? The same applies here. People with any mental disorder often do far more than they think and go through a ton more than you’d ever realize. Many are some of the toughest mentally you’ll ever meet as a result. Therefore, if they could “will” their mental disorder away, they’d have done it by now.

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