Revealed: The seven great "medical myths"

Revealed: The seven great "medical myths"

uk.reuters.com

Reading in dim light won't damage your eyes, you don't need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and shaving your legs won't make the hair grow back faster.

(visit the link for the full news article)

* You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day to stay healthy
* Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
* We use only 10 percent of our brains
* Shaving makes hair grow back faster or coarser
* Eating turkey makes you drowsy
* Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death
* Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals

Now i wonder when the worlds governments will tell us the real myths about the multi billion dollar drug pushing industries that really are not needed ..yeah right like thats gonna happen.


Anyway i would be intrested how many on the list you thought was fact?

I'll go first .....

i honestly thought at least

6 out of 7 of these were true ( i never heard the turkey thing before)


uk.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edited to ask a question]

[edit on 21/12/07 by Quantum_Squirrel]

Tryptophan, a natural sedative, is found in our present day turkey dinner.
It was often believed this was the cause for the fatigued feeling, or drowsiness which generally occurred after a turkey dinner.

Studies have proven the amounts present in the turkey are far below what is needed to cause the drowsiness effect.

Snopes published the spoiler prior to this..Snopes

The above speculation has always been confused with the following, which does in fact make your tired or sleepy.

'Fa-tus-bass-turd~ , a well known obesity problem, has often been cited as the probable culprit

Oh, I also see the cell phone/ hospital mention.

I remember seeing something similar to this on 'Mythbusters' where they checked the power output from cell phones in different modes, all readings were way below anything that would cause disruption.

I believe their focus on the show was aimed towards Gas Stations, and the restriction of cell phone usage at the pumps (may cause explosion or fire - Myth = Busted). Just not enough juice.

Never head the turkey one myself, never believed the fingernails one or the myth about mobile phones but I am suprised at the shaving hair one.

I'm convinced that the majority of people I know use significantly less than 10% of their brains and as for 8 glasses of water a day; only if it's been mixed with hops etc, brewed and fermented into Bitter!

I believe that quite a large proportion of the pharmacueiticals and potions pushed onto us are nothing more than placebo's whose only curative qualities are psychological and whose primary purpose is to provide further profit for global corporations and their controlling vested interests.

[edit on 21-12-2007 by Freeborn]

...the water one seems like blatant disinfo -- the brain, itself, is made up of 75%+ water, as is most of the body, and anybody checking out the thread should research that 'myth' before dehydrating oneself to an unhealthy status.

Plus, the tryptophan thing, I'm not convinced, even the CIA says it's used as a sleep aid:

en.wikipedia.org...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Also, cellphones / wifi could be disruptive to sleeping behaviors & cause headaches:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 21-12-2007 by anhinga]

Actually there are a lot of medical myths or 'dirty little secrets'.

1. They can't actually sterilize all equipment;
2. Doctors are not as concerned with cross contamination as they should be (they're still trying to get them to wash hands between patients);
3. If you die in the OR, they postpone calling it, and move you to the ICU and then pronounce - that way they don't 'tie up the OR' and can move to the next patient;
4. Medical mistakes are routinely covered up;
5. The 'food pyramid' is wrong (basically inverted)
6. Orphan drugs - they have cures for things, but due to the expense they won't develop certain drugs.
7. Receiving blood is more hazardous than most think. For one thing it has an effect of suppressing your immune system;
8. One of the more dangerous things you can do is go to the hospital. Life expectancy drops, often due to mistakes and also due to nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections;
9. Side effects and sequelae are not completely discussed (unless you have a problem afterwards - then they'll tell you.
10. Instruments and supplies are not infrequently left inside the body during surgery;
11. Anesthesia failure - sometimes the patient is awake and due to being paralyzed they can't tell anyone.

There's more, but that should scare you enough for one day.


[edit on 21-12-2007 by Badge01]

reply to post by anhinga




I agree with you on the water issue.

With the tryptophan, I believe they are saying that there is 'not' enough present in the average turkey to cause one to 'dose' off. Tryptophan will still act as a seditive, but the amount is too small to have any effect.

As for the Wiki link you provided I didn't realize so many foods we eat contain Tryptophan.. amazing

reply to post by anhinga


The thing about getting those 8 glasses of water that is a little deceptive is that the quantity is probably close to accurate, but they promote the idea that you can't count the water in other drinks and the moisture in foods to the total.

The truth is you can count water in milk, coffee, fruit drinks and you can count the moisture in things, expecially fruits like watermelon. So there's no need to have an -additional- 8 glasses, though depending on your diet and lifestyle, it's not a bad idea to have additional water on top of what you drink (though probably not 8 glasses) for those of average weight and height. I think the rule is that it's preferable to have your urine very light yellow and not dark. If you're dieting and losing fat, extra water helps that process.

Though the dangers of over-hydration are often mentioned, it's a bit difficult to over-hydrate unless you work at it.


[edit on 21-12-2007 by Badge01]

reply to post by Badge01


...totally agreed on your points. I understand about hydrating through foods, yet some foods, drinks (alcohol) are dehyrating, so that needs to be considered.

Seems controversial, the question of whether coffee/liquor are dehydrating or not:

www.whfoods.com...



[edit on 21-12-2007 by anhinga]

on the water point , it is probably the quantity .. i mean 8 tumblers? 8 buckets full?

See what a lot of people do not know is that it has to be just water , u cant dilute it with juice / squash / pop. because the body processes water differently.

when its mixed with soemthing the body processes it as food .. water on its own is dealt with slightly differently ...

on a side note i never drink water .. ever .. i have been to the doctors once when i was 16 .. (i am now 33)

i probably have 1 glass every 3 months .. no joke .. eeeeeeeek
however i do consume copius amounts of a popular diet fizzy drink. my insides ..o.m.g i gotta go with freeborn on this one i like his water alterations

Originally posted by Grailkeeper


'Fa-tus-bass-turd~ , a well known obesity problem, has often been cited as the probable culprit

lmao

[edit on 21/12/07 by Quantum_Squirrel]

reply to post by Quantum_Squirrel


I would dispute your claim that 'the body processes water differently (than water in other drinks or foods)'. Can you give a citation from Medline?

From the Mayo Clinic:

How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.

A couple of approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate.

* Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is 1.5 liters a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.
* Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Even apart from the above approaches, it is generally the case that if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce between one and two liters of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.

I'm not disputing that a little extra water is good for you, depending on your situation, level of activity or if you're dieting (fat loss requires water, but not excessive amounts)

Other medical 'myths':

Most research is done on animals (generally rats) and not a lot of studies are done on primates. (it's expensive).

So when you read a claim, you might consider adding "...in rats" to the end of the claim. (best to research and make sure).

Many doctors, if not most, are incompetent. Once they leave Medical School, if they don't actively keep up on a field they start rapidly falling behind. Increase their workload and this is nearly assured. Most people now realize the benefits of a second or third opinion, and the value of doing your own research. However, due to the 'godlike' status that many doctors assume, they'll frequently lie, or give a biased opinion, all the while being aware (on some level) that they are doing so. Thus 'surgeons' like to "cut", medical doctors like to give drugs.

Edit: Conclusion - it's best to be proactive and stay healthy so you don't need to go into the medical system. Doctors are very good with some things - minor surgeries, etc., but it's well-known that up until recently, too many antibiotics were prescribed for 'flu' and colds. (Note the way Chinese doctors are supposedly paid - they get a fee as long as you stay healthy, iirc.)

Many drugs are released without adequately being researched for side-effects. In fact the drug companies are in charge of the process and use influence and payoffs to get things past the FDA.

Research, in general, is often suspect. Because of the pressure to 'publish or perish' researchers frequently bias or even outright 'fake' results in order to 'prove' their thesis. This is far more pervasive than many people realize. Of course some research is very good. It's jus hard to tell which.

Any more?

[edit on 21-12-2007 by Badge01]

Originally posted by Badge01
reply to post by Quantum_Squirrel

 

I would dispute your claim that 'the body processes water differently (than water in other drinks or foods)'. Can you give a citation from Medline?

Perhaps i explain it to black and white.


When you drink just water it goes straight through your system and out the otherside (most of your blood is actually water)

When it is present in foods or mixed with anything , your body has to process it via kidneys , liver etc etc to deal with the other impuraties and the full water benefit is not gained.

i hope this adresses your query, i have no idea how match water the body actually needs as i said i would be a bad person to ask as i do not partake in it very often.

Anyway not to focus to much on 1 of the seven particular myths ...
i am still intrested to know how many of the '7' myths you all believe yourselves?

[edit on 21/12/07 by Quantum_Squirrel]

reply to post by Freeborn


Yeah, I was surprised by that shaving bit myself. I've always thought that my hairy legs (hairier than any in my family) was the result of me testing out the shaving razor on my legs when I was much younger. You see, at that time I had just grown facial hair, and I was kind of scared to use the shaver for the first time on my face. So I tested it out on my legs instead... and then it went too far. Shaved off everything.

It glided over, man! That was the coolest thing I've seen at that age. I had no idea the blade was so sharp that I'd barely feel a thing as it cut of every single strand of hair protruding from my skin.

Originally posted by Quantum_Squirrel

When you drink just water it goes straight through your system and out the otherside (most of your blood is actually water)

When it is present in foods or mixed with anything , your body has to process it via kidneys , liver etc etc to deal with the other impuraties and the full water benefit is not gained.

OK. Thanks. BTW, this is utter nonsense. All water is processed through the kidneys, after being absorbed by the gut. There's no distinction between the water, say in coffee or watermelon, than bottled or tap water.

Please give your qualifications for the above contention, or at least citation that is not from a quack site.

more medical myths well it seems thier are quite a lot....

In the UK, researchers have assessed this in a variety of different parts of the health service, from busy GP surgeries to specialist hospital haematology units.

BBC NEWS REPORT ABOUT TREATMENTS

Originally posted by Badge01

Originally posted by Quantum_Squirrel

When you drink just water it goes straight through your system and out the otherside (most of your blood is actually water)

When it is present in foods or mixed with anything , your body has to process it via kidneys , liver etc etc to deal with the other impuraties and the full water benefit is not gained.

OK. Thanks. BTW, this is utter nonsense. All water is processed through the kidneys, after being absorbed by the gut. There's no distinction between the water, say in coffee or watermelon, than bottled or tap water.

Please give your qualifications for the above contention, or at least citation that is not from a quack site.

Of course it is all processed through the kidneys , but with other stuff present it is handled differently ...

Stop quibbling over semantics..

Personal qualifications in this field ..NONE
Link to QUACK website... sorry not available and not derived from here.


the person that told me this was my father .. he is a DOCTOR.. i rang him 30 seconds before replying to you .. asking is this medical fact or your opinion .. he said this is a medical FACT. i am sorry but thats all i can give you .

Please do not let this thread turn into an argument about a singular topic. if it makes you feel any better i bow to your water knowledge and proclaim you king of the H2O...

Now can u answer the original question how many of the 7 myths did you belive as facts?

you probably have a valid point but i don't want a derailing of the thread to occur on one little point ... maybe you could start a thread about water and how its proccessed i would be glad to contribute with the little information i have.

[edited to attempt to stop a derailing of thread]

[edit on 21/12/07 by Quantum_Squirrel]

OK, here is some research on the subject:

(From: South African Medical Journal, Aug, 2007, Vol. 97, No.8)

(Valtrin, H) ...found ‘no scientiic studies’ in support of this recommendation (to drink 8 additional glasses of water). In fact, it seems one of its earliest mentions was in the obituary of a respected nutritionist (Dr Stare).

Dr Stare ‘was an early champion of drinking at least six glasses
of water a day’. In addition, ‘A former colleague … found the
following passage’ in a book that Dr Stare co-authored in 1974:
‘How much water each day? This is usually well regulated by
various physiological mechanisms, but for the average adult,
somewhere around 6 to 8 glasses per 24 hours and this can be
in the form of coffee, tea, milk, soft drinks, beer, etc. Fruits and
vegetables are also good sources of water.’

The current precise recommendation of ‘at least eight glasses
of water a day’, which often excludes other fluids, is quite
clearly contrary to the above imprecise one. Valtin goes on to
state that there is a ‘… large body of published experiments that
attest to the precision and effectiveness of the osmoregulatory
system for maintaining water balance’. In other words, our own
built-in mechanism reduces (or increases) urine output and tells
us to drink when we need to.

This discussion is naturally limited to normally active
healthy people, often the target of this recommendation. Large
or very small volumes may be indicated in various disease
and activity states. Valtin goes on to dispel myths like ‘thirst is
too late’ and ‘dark urine means dehydration’, but the analogy
I found most useful is that insisting on at least eight glasses
of water a day ‘… is akin to arguing that our homes run on
electricity, and that, therefore, every house needs at least 1,000-
ampere service’.

So you may believe a folk tale from your Dad, if you wish, but I'd rather hear about evidence-based medicine, and not just someone's limited practical experience (though experience, carefully researched is not without benefit).

Edit:
-----
On the myths I believed? Only one, the tryptophan sounded plausible, but I eat a lot of turkey and have never experienced any somnolence due to that. So I'd say none of them were news to me.

Thanks for your reply and I'll consider the 'water' discussion over.


[edit on 21-12-2007 by Badge01]

ty for answering the original question.

the data you posted seems to relate to the 8 glasses of water needed theory? i have not disputed or proclaimed this to be fact at any point.

i thought we were talking about the processing of water in the body no where in that quote do i see relevant information.. so i will go with the Doctor that wouldn't lie to me .

oh and .....

Main Entry:
se·man·tics Listen to the pronunciation of semantics
Pronunciation:
\si-ˈman-tiks\
Function:
noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Date:
1893

1: the study of meanings: a: the historical and psychological study and the classification of changes in the signification of words or forms viewed as factors in linguistic development b (1): semiotic (2): a branch of semiotic dealing with the relations between signs and what they refer to and including theories of denotation, extension, naming, and truth2: general semantics3 a: the meaning or relationship of meanings of a sign or set of signs; especially : connotative meaning b: the language used (as in advertising or political propaganda) to achieve a desired effect on an audience especially through the use of words with novel or dual meanings