6 Medical Myths and the Truth

November 3rd, 2014

There are many “medical myths” which continue to be perpetuated.  Some of them are harmless, but others can cause severe health problems.  Here is my list of top 6 medical myths, how they can be dangerous and what are the real facts.

1. “Starve a cold, feed a fever”  When you have an infection, whether it be the common cold or a bacterial infection such as pneumonia, your immune system needs energy to fight.  You should definitely eat adequately and stay well hydrated when you have a cold.  I would recommend chicken soup and ginger tea.
2. “Ginger ale for an upset stomach”  Ginger tea is helpful, but not ginger ale.  Most ginger ale does not truly have any ginger extract.  Also, the carbonation in soda is carbonic acid.  This acid is strong enough to cause your stomach lining to become irritated.  The gas produced can also contribute to gas pains, perhaps the last thing you need when you have an upset stomach.  Instead, you should drink plenty of cool water and keep your diet simple (avoid acidic foods, caffeine, and spicy foods)
3. “Vitamin C will prevent me from getting sick”  Many supplements which are purported to protect you from cold and viruses contain vitamin C.  Unfortunately, many studies have disproven this myth and have shown it may even cause you harm.  One study from Sweden published in JAMA found that taking in even as little as an extra 1000mg of vitamin C supplements can double your risk of developing kidney stones.
4. “You can get the flu from the flu shot”  For most flu shots, it is impossible to get the flu as there is no live flu virus in the injectable vaccine.  Whenever you get any immunization, you are stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies.  In a way, you are fooling your immune system into thinking it has an infection.  It is normal and common to have some reaction to a flu shot which lasts 24-48 hours, much less and generally less severe than having the full-blown flu infection.  Having some reaction after a flu vaccine shows your immune system is working well and may indicate you will have good protection against the flu.
5. “Water is the best liquid to drink when you are dehydrated”  Water is very important to our bodies.  In fact our bodies are over 75% water.  However, we are not composed of pure water.  We also have a large concentration of electrolytes.  These are elements such as potassium, sodium, and chloride which help us to hold onto water in our bodies.  Think of the last time you tasted your sweat.  It’s salty, isn’t it?  Whenever you lose fluids from sweating, diarrhea, or bleeding, you are losing water AND  electrolytes.  Replacing them with just water alone does not often fix the problem.  Instead, you should drink water and some fluids containing electrolytes such as Gatorade, Powerade, tomato juice or coconut water.  Be careful if you have a history of high blood pressure as these fluids can raise your blood pressure.
6. “Eating excess amounts of salt will cause me to develop high blood pressure”  High blood pressure also called hypertension is a partly genetic condition.  Risk factors include smoking, family history, obesity, diabetes, older age, and kidney disease.  While high blood pressure can be reduced somewhat by reducing salt (sodium) intake, the reverse is not true.  However, we still should not eat too much salt as this can cause headaches and fluid retention.