Medical Myths that Don’t Hold Up

A personal peeve of mine is when people parrot common mythology as fact in polite conversation. I can’t stand it, and I hate being the “know-it-all” who tries to set these people straight. Finally I have a little bit of help…

Sugar makes kids hyper. Parents insist this one is true, even though 12 studies have shown no effect between children’s behavior and the sugar in their foods.

You can prevent colds with vitamin C, echinacea or zinc. All colds eventually go away on their own after a few days, so people can be tempted to credit their recovery to something they did to find relief. But 16 studies show that echinacea is no better than a sugar pill. Thirty studies including a total of 11,000 people found vitamin C had no effect. Three of four well-done studies of zinc found no effect. But using zinc nasal gel can destroy the sense of smell for years.

Adding cereal to a baby’s diet will help him sleep longer. Parents and pediatricians alike are perpetuating that myth, perhaps because sleep-deprived parents are willing to believe anything that might help them and their infants get more sleep. But studies dating to 1974 show that babies who are fed cereal get no more sleep than other babies.

Iron in baby formula causes constipation. Studies actually have found no difference in baby’s bowel movements, whether infants received iron-fortified food or not. But babies who get iron-fortified formula are less likely to be anemic.

Teething causes a fever. Studies show that teething babies are no more likely to run a fever than others.

Going out in cold or wet weather makes you sick. Colds and flus are seasonal and tend to strike during the winter. But even when scientists put cold viruses directly into people’s noses, people who were chilled were no more likely to become ill than those who were warm and comfortable.

… and more …

Read more at USA Today

… and I’ll add one of my own …

Homeopathic medicine works. Homeopathic medicine is 100% PURE WATER with no active ingredient! There is no known mechanism by which pure water can treat ailments other than dehydration. In pill form, homeopathic medicine is a classic placebo… a freakin sugar pill.