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Medical myths  

redmustang91 64M
7764 posts
7/2/2019 8:44 am

Last Read:
7/2/2019 3:56 pm

Medical myths


Findings that contradict once widely held theories:

Peanut allergies occur whether or not a is exposed to peanuts before age 3.
Pediatricians have counseled parents to keep babies away from peanuts for the first three years of life. As it turns out, exposed to peanuts before they were even 1 year old have no greater risk of peanut allergies.

Fish oil does not reduce the risk of heart disease.
At one point, the notion that fish fats prevented heart trouble did seem logical. People whose diets contain a lot of fatty fish seem to have a lower incidence of heart disease. Fatty fish contains omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 supplements lower levels of triglycerides, and high levels of triglycerides are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Not to mention that omega-3 fatty acids seem to reduce inflammation, a key feature of heart attacks. But in a trial involving ,500 people at risk for heart trouble, daily omega-3 supplements did not protect against heart disease.

Ginkgo biloba does not protect against memory loss and dementia.
The supplement, made from the leaves of ginkgo trees, was widely used in ancient Chinese medicine and still is promoted to preserve memory. A large federal study, published in 2008, showed the supplement is useless for this purpose. Yet ginkgo still pulls in $249 million in sales.

To treat emergency room patients in acute pain, a single dose of oral opioids is no better than like aspirin and ibuprofen.
Opioids are powerful ; A clinical trial showed that aspirin and ibuprofen relieve pain just as well among emergency room patients.

Testosterone treatment does not help older men retain their memory.
Some men have low levels of testosterone and memory problems, and early studies had hinted that middle-aged men with higher testosterone levels seemed to have better preserved tissue in some parts of their brains. Older men with higher testosterone levels also seemed to do better on tests of mental functioning. A rigorous clinical trial showed that testosterone was no better than a pill in helping older men avoid memory loss.

To protect against asthma attacks, it won’t help to keep your house free of dust mites, mice and cockroaches.
The advice from leading<b> medical </font></b>groups was rid your home of these pests if you or your has asthma. The theory was that allergic reactions to them can trigger asthma attacks. But intensive pest management in homes with sensitized to mouse allergens did nothing to reduce the frequency of their asthma attacks, researchers reported in 20.

Step counters and calorie trackers do not help you lose weight.
In fact, the reverse is true. Among 470 dieters followed for two years, those who wore devices tracking the steps they took and calories they burned lost less weight than those who followed standard advice.

Torn knee meniscus? Try physical therapy first, surgery later.
An estimated 460,000 patients in the United States get surgery each year to fix knee cartilage that tears, often because of osteoarthritis. The tear is painful, and many patients fear that if it is not surgically treated, the pain will linger. But when patients with a torn meniscus and moderate arthritis were randomized to six months of physical therapy or surgery, both groups improved, and to the same extent.

redmustang91 64M
9760 posts
7/2/2019 8:46 am

People believe lots of things that are not factually true. We should change that.


PushThePace 40M
34 posts
7/2/2019 8:58 am

Good stuff, lots of misinformation and old wive's tails out there that are widely believed.


bitchkitty2017 71F

7/2/2019 9:12 am

I take fish oil capsules for the omega fats in it because omega fats help keep sensitive pain nerves from becoming too bad ..after i lost my leg i started taking them because my Doctor says that they work and they did...


redmustang91 64M
9760 posts
7/2/2019 3:56 pm

Fish oil does not reduce the risk of heart disease. Many think it does. The study shows it did not.


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