Medical Myths That Should Die
21 Dec 2008
A sage African American once remarked, "It’s not the things you don’t know that gets you into trouble, it’s the things you know for sure, that ain’t so". So here are some medical myths that just ain’t so.
Myth # 1 – Wearing a copper bracelet cures arthritis.
Those who promote copper bracelets say that copper is absorbed through the skin and helps cartilage regenerate. But this fact has never been proven. There’s no evidence that copper can regenerate the damaged cartilage that’s causing pain. Our bodies need only small amounts of copper and we get this in our daily diet by eating vegetables such as potatoes, beans and peas. Copper is also present in nuts and grains such as wheat and rye. If copper bracelets were the answer, millions of North Americans seeking pain relief would be wearing them.
Myth # 2 – You can’t catch sexually transmitted disease by sitting on a toilet seat.
It’s not likely to happen. But having said that, there’s no guarantee it can’t happen. Dr. Trudy Larsen, researcher at the University of California, asked a patient with an active herpes lesion to sit on a toilet seat for just a few seconds. Later, she took cultures from the seat, and found that the herpes virus survived for at least four hours! It was shocking news. It had been believed previously that the virus died quickly when exposed to air. Mother’s advice was right, "Don’t sit on a public toilet seat".
Myth # 3 – A high fiber diet prevents colon cancer.
Fiber helps to cure constipation, so it would seem to follow that removing carcinogens quickly from the bowel would decrease the risk of colon cancer. But studies so far have failed to show that a high fiber diet will prevent colon malignancy. But don’t give up on fiber. A high fiber diet decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. And by making stools soft as toothpaste, rather than hard as rocks, it decreases the risk of diverticulosis (small hernias of the large bowel).
Myth # 4 – Vitamin C prevents the common cold.
Linus Pauling thought it did, and he received two Noble prizes! But trials using 1,000 milligrams (mg) of C failed to show any significant effect in reducing this common annoyance. Pauling believed this result was because the dose of C was not large enough and recommended 6,000 to 10,000 mg of C daily. It’s unlikely a study using this amount will ever be carried out. No manufacturer can make any money on a study as vitamin C cannot be patented. But there is evidence that high doses of C fight cardiovascular disease.
Myth # 5 – Olive is the healthiest oil
A report in Nutrition Action Health Letter confirms that olive oil is one of good oils. But, according to the Nutritionn Center on Aging at Tufts University "The data suggests that any oil that’s high in unsaturated fat, whether it’s polyunsaturated or monounsaturated, is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease," But canola oil is probably better because it’s lower in saturated fat.
Myth # 6 – Hamburgers are safe to eat when the meat is no longer pink.
I always order my steak "Blue" and I may be pushing my luck too far. But I want hamburgers well done. I have no desire to fool around with E. coli 0157:H7, which has the ability to survive in ground beef even when the pink is gone. This infection causes abdominal pain and severe bloody diarrhea. But about five percent the elderly and children under five years of age develop the uremic hemolytic syndrome from less than well done hamburgers. This causes destruction of red blood cells, kidney failure, and three to five percent of patients die. It’s too high a price to pay for wanting a rare hamburger.
Myth # 7 – Sugar makes children hyperactive.
Several scientific studies found no evidence that sugar makes children hyperactive. In one study children were given phony sugar drinks. Parents were not aware of the switch and still reported these no-sugar drinks caused their children to be hyperactive. What determines the activity of children appears to be in the eye of the beholder.
