Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths

Most of your physique warmth is misplaced by way of your head. This fable relies on the false notion that physique warmth rises. Warmth is misplaced by way of the whole floor File dimension: 5.07 GB

Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths

True or false: Eight glasses of water a day are obligatory for staying hydrated. Vitamin C protects you from catching a chilly. Frequent snacking is the quickest solution to bust your food regimen. Pure meals are all the time higher for you. You hear recommendation like this on a regular basis. However what do these 4 nuggets of so-called medical knowledge have in widespread? They’re all myths, half-truths, and misconceptions—items of knowledge so acquainted we take them as a right with out really contemplating the scientific fact behind them.
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In at the moment’s info age, when supposedly correct medical recommendation and diagnoses will be discovered on-line with the press of a pc mouse, medical myths are throughout us. However a lot of this info is not true, and utilizing it to make selections about your personal well being—whether or not it is methods to deal with the signs of the widespread chilly or methods to care for a kid or getting old relative—will be dangerous. Even lethal.

As a result of you’re the one who’s finally chargeable for your personal well being, it is important to grasp the accuracy of medical info; to interrupt down the rising physique of misinformation and uncover the reality about on a regular basis well being and well-being.

“You can’t assume that what you’ve always heard must be true simply because many other people believe it and spread it around,” notes Dr. Steven Novella of the Yale Faculty of Drugs, a medical physician who has constructed his profession educating sufferers, the general public, college students, and professionals concerning the highest requirements in medical science and observe. “You should challenge all of your beliefs and, wherever possible, try to rely upon a consensus of authority or primary sources in order to check out everything that you think you know to be true.”

That is precisely the strategy you may take with Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Suppose We Know Might Be Hurting Us. Dr. Novella’s 24 revealing lectures are an empowering studying expertise that gives you evidence-based tips for good well being, will improve your potential to be higher knowledgeable about widespread medical myths, and will strengthen your abilities at assessing the scientific fact behind medical info and recommendation—whether or not you are having an vital dialog along with your physician or taking a visit down the medication aisle of your native pharmacy.

Dispel Medical Myths with Authoritative Info

Fashionable and simply accessible sources comparable to web sites, blogs, advocacy teams, advertising supplies, and celeb endorsements are the place we frequently get fast medical info. However they’re additionally probably the most unreliable sources. That is why Dr. Novella’s course is an important help for any dwelling—as a result of the data in each single lecture is rooted in authoritative and dependable sources of reality and data:

Physicians and different health-care professionals
Medical analysis and skilled organizations just like the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention
College medical faculties
Regulatory businesses just like the Meals and Drug Administration

After you get a strong basis for what constitutes “good” info and methods to search for it, Dr. Novella guides you thru a few of the most prevalent and enduring medical myths. And that can assist you filter by way of the deluge of recommendation on the market, he is organized Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths into three main sections that target particular elements of well being.

You Are What You Eat and Drink: A lot of at the moment’s misinformation swirls round ideas associated to weight-reduction plan and diet. Right here, you may get pointed appears to be like at correct hydration, the routine use of multivitamins, pure meals and probiotics, antioxidants, and extra.
Combating Ailments: Some illnesses are merely inconvenient to our on a regular basis life; others, nevertheless, can pose vital and lasting well being dangers. Which makes it all of the extra vital to type out fact from fiction concerning vaccines, vaccine security, the supposed hyperlink between vaccination and autism, antibiotics, continual illnesses, and different topics you study on this part.
Exploring the Alternate options: It appears as if there is a surplus of different medicines, treatments, and therapies designed to alleviate signs, stop sickness, or promote private well being. However which of them actually work? Examine the claims behind natural medicines, homeopathy, acupuncture, and different options that are not as worthwhile as they declare to be.

Dr. Novella additionally opens your eyes to myths about being pregnant, lack of consciousness, detoxing, and the placebo impact. In a single lecture towards the top of the course, he even takes you on a quick tour of widespread medical myths from all over the world to exhibit that medical myths differ, however misinformation is common.

Intriguing Medical Questions, Revealing Scientific Solutions

On the coronary heart of Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths, in fact, are the solutions to questions which have lengthy perplexed many people. A lot of the myths and misinformation we hear about sound true and appear to make sense. However do they actually? Dr. Novella’s solutions, rooted in scientific data and a wealth of medical analysis, might shock you.

Right here is only a small pattern of the numerous myths you may debunk on this intriguing course.

The extra nutritional vitamins you’re taking day by day, the higher. Many nutritional vitamins may cause harmful toxicity if taken in excessive doses (a observe generally known as megadosing). Common use of excessive doses of some nutritional vitamins also can enhance the danger of illness. For instance, Vitamin E supplementation has been proven to correlate with an elevated danger of coronary heart illness.
Soda causes hyperactivity in kids. Regardless of widespread perception, there isn’t any proof to help a hyperlink between caffeinated drinks like soda and behavioral modifications in kids. In truth, as a result of caffeine is a stimulant, it could enhance consideration in some kids. Nonetheless, excessive doses of caffeine may cause jitteriness, nervousness, and sleep problem.
You’ll be able to by no means be too clear. Common publicity to immune challenges truly retains our immune techniques wholesome—one thing that may be compromised by overusing antibiotics or being overly hygienic. Latest medical research present a doable affiliation between decreased immune system publicity and sure illnesses like bronchial asthma.

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For those who’re pregnant and carrying your child low, then it is a boy. Myths comparable to these are pure folklore and are sometimes rooted in historical gender stereotypes. The one two legit strategies for figuring out the intercourse of your child are by way of ultrasound (which appears to be like for bodily sexual traits) or amniocentesis (which appears to be like on the child’s chromosomes).
Most of your physique warmth is misplaced by way of your head. This fable relies on the false notion that physique warmth rises. Warmth is misplaced by way of the whole floor space of your pores and skin in a number of strategies, together with evaporation by way of sweat. If something, your arms lose a disproportionate quantity of warmth as a consequence of their extremely vascular nature.
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. A medical examine printed within the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics examined 300 knuckle crackers and discovered no elevated danger of arthritis. It did, nevertheless, discover grip weak spot, which was in all probability attributable to repeated stretching of the ligaments across the knuckle joints.

Save Your self Time, Cash, and Fear

A powerful proponent of ethics in drugs and the accuracy of medical info, Dr. Novella is a veritable fountain of information who will improve your understanding of medical truths and instill in you the boldness to beat the bewildering quantity of dangerous info round you. As an instructional neurologist on the Yale Faculty of Drugs, he is constructed a profession educating docs methods to grow to be good docs.

And whereas it is all the time vital to hunt medical recommendation straight from your loved ones doctor, it’s simply as vital to be your personal physician and to have the data to make good and savvy well being selections that may prevent time, cash, and—most of all—pointless fear. All of which you may get with Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths.