Medical myths

tallaght01

What are the common medical (or biological) myths that people come across on a regular basis? I know there's a lot. But I've had one or 2 recurring themes:

I've seen a few people having seizures who've ended up with someone slapping a spoon in their mouth to help them.

People always tell me they need an antibiotic for their viral infection because it's "gone to my chest".

"feed a virus, starve a bacterium" is another one that I can't imagine where it came from.

I'm sure I could think of more. But was wondering if there were any recurring examples?

tallaght01

Oh, and do other medics get all their friends and family thinking that surgeons are the doctors in charge? I've had a few people asking me will I stop at being a consultant, or will I carry on to be a surgeon. I've also been told that if I work very hard I might be able to become "Mr" Tallaght01 someday.

It's not worth explaining any more, as no one ever believes me :P

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4078

Here's an article on a few myths and explains them.

I'm also sure that they use defibrillators wrong all the time in movies.

John

"Scientists have discovered the gene for [insert complex behaviour here]"

"You only use 10% of your brain"

Salvelinus

What about getting a stiff neck/sore back from keeping a window open at night?

ZorbaTehZ

There are an incredible amount of myths to do with eyesight, for which there is no evidence to back them up with:

• Reading in dim light/using PCs a lot/straining to read etc. make your eyesight worse
• Sitting too close to the TV is bad for your eyes
• Use of eyeglasses cause your overall eyesight to deteriorate over time

And that's not getting into the glaucoma or cataracts ones...

But by far and away the most infuriating and just down right stupid is the claim that humans only use 10% of their brain... goddamn mumbo-jumbo practitioners et al chanting this whenever they can. Needless to say there is no evidence whatsoever to support this.

Miss Lockhart

"It's not broken, it only fractured"

"Eat your fat to grease your lung" - wtf??? My late granny used to throw this one at me!

"Don't swallow the mucus you cough up because it will go back down on to your lungs"

Carsinian Thau

If you eat less fat, your blood sugar will be lowered.

I have no idea how people expect this to work.
The only way that I've found to do so is to take insulin/be careful what I eat.


Oh and the fact that people continually think anyone with type 1 diabetes mellitus is exactly the same as someone with type 2 DM. God help these people when they encounter someone with diabetes inspididus. Their brains might explode.



The chocolate causes diabetes one (not entirely ridiculous if you consider the dietary factors of type 2 DM but BS for type 1).


And the strangest of all: excercising causes ketoacidosis. I know you're not supposed to excercise if you are ketoacidotic/ketonic because it will make things a hell of a lot worse but to call it as the only cause completely defies medical science.



And the only 10% of your brain thing. That really annoys me.

Carsinian Thau

King Mob wrote: »

I'm also sure that they use defibrillators wrong all the time in movies.

Yes, I think they do that too.

You can't use a defibrillator on someone if their heart has completely stopped pumping as they do in some movies. It won't do anything. At least, I think it won't. I can vaguely recall something about asystole being a non-shockable rhythm and that only CPR can help a patient under such conditions.

ZorbaTehZ

Carsinian Thau wrote: »

You can't use a defibrillator on someone if their heart has completely stopped pumping as they do in some movies. It won't do anything. At least, I think it won't. I can vaguely recall something about asystole being a non-shockable rhythm and that only CPR can help a patient under such conditions.

Reminds of the way chest compressions are done in some tv shows and movies: hilariously wrong most of the time.

Eerie

Carsinian Thau wrote: »

Yes, I think they do that too.

You can't use a defibrillator on someone if their heart has completely stopped pumping as they do in some movies. It won't do anything. At least, I think it won't. I can vaguely recall something about asystole being a non-shockable rhythm and that only CPR can help a patient under such conditions.

As my old anatomy lecturer put it "if you do that all you end up with is a burnt dead person"! :P

AmcD

"I need worm tablets for my child"
Me: "Why?"
"He's always hungry"
Me: "Have you seen any worms or is he always scratching his bum?"
"No"
Not worms. Normal child.

3greenrizla's

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

Reminds of the way chest compressions are done in some tv shows and movies: hilariously wrong most of the time.

forgive me, i have drifted into the biology & medicine forum & am way out of my depth, but would it not be highly irresponsible to preform CPR on someone who does not need it?

AmcD

3greenrizla's wrote: »

forgive me, i have drifted into the biology & medicine forum & am way out of my depth, but would it not be highly irresponsible to preform CPR on someone who does not need it?

If they didn't need it they would probably tell you. If they are already dead, it won't make them any deader.
Unfortunately CPR isn't the wonder revival technique it is made out to be on TV.

Vorsprung

You can't give paracetamol before taking blood cultures.

AmcD

Vorsprung wrote: »

You can't give paracetamol before taking blood cultures.

I remember that one from the wards! As far as I remember, paracetamol doesn't have any bacteriocidal properties, but god forbid you would make somebody more comfortable by bringing down their temperature.

ceegee

AmcD wrote: »

If they didn't need it they would probably tell you. If they are already dead, it won't make them any deader.

Think it was meant as in performing actual chest compressions on an actor who's just pretending to be dying

Carsinian Thau

Eerie wrote: »

As my old anatomy lecturer put it "if you do that all you end up with is a burnt dead person"! :P

Brilliant! Your anatomy guy sounds like fun.





And to drag down the tone of this thread:


You can't get pregnant if it's your first time.

AmcD

ceegee wrote: »

Think it was meant as in performing actual chest compressions on an actor who's just pretending to be dying

Fair enough. Probably quite unpleasant. Fake CPR is funny to watch though.

AmcD

Going to bed with wet hair gives you pneumonia

Carsinian Thau

AmcD wrote: »

Going to bed with wet hair gives you pneumonia

I've also heard going to bed with wet hair gives you neck pain.


All it's ever given me is a wet pillow and an epicly bad hair day.

spurious

Sitting with your back to a radiator 'dries up your spine'.

Piste

Haha srsly? That's just crazy.

Carsinian Thau

spurious wrote: »

Sitting with your back to a radiator 'dries up your spine'.

I think I woke my family up with my laughter.


And, just of out curiosity, what are the consequences of drying up your spine?

bigeasyeah

That Ireland has a healthsystem.

Miss Lockhart

spurious wrote: »

Sitting with your back to a radiator 'dries up your spine'.

LOL!

You get piles from sitting on a radiator

tallaght01

Miss Lockhart wrote: »

LOL!

You get piles from sitting on a radiator

I used to get told that was from sitting on a cold surface. Or was that a kidney infection?

PhysiologyRocks

I love this thread!

The worst I've heard was that condoms give you AIDS.

tallaght01

Anyone ever hear the urban myth about the guy in jail who was a drug addict. His mate was supposedly HIV positive. It was the very early days of the epidemic and there wasn't a lot of public education.

So, this guy was desperate for a hit. BUt the only needle available was one his HIV+ mate had just used. So, he used it anyway to inject himself.

But he wore a condom for protection!!!!



The above could be entirely bolix.

Piste

Do you actually get varicose veins from sitting cross-legged all the time, or is that another medical myth?

Carsinian Thau

Piste wrote: »

Do you actually get varicose veins from sitting cross-legged all the time, or is that another medical myth?

I thought varicose veins occured from standing too much (and other possibly age related factors too)?

Maybe if you were occluding venous return from your legs while sitting like that but I think you'd have to be sitting pretty awkwardly for that to happen.

tallaght01

Crossing your legs isn't an independent risk factor for varicose veins as far as I know. But prolonged standing is.

Esel

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

There are an incredible amount of myths to do with eyesight, for which there is no evidence to back them up with:

• Reading in dim light/using PCs a lot/straining to read etc. make your eyesight worse
• Sitting too close to the TV is bad for your eyes
• Use of eyeglasses cause your overall eyesight to deteriorate over time

And that's not getting into the glaucoma or cataracts ones...

Will 'reading' a stroke mag under the covers by torchlight harm your eyesight, though?

MrCreosote

Sitting on a cold floor gives a kidney infection.

Clear snot- virus. Green snot- bacterial infection, needs expensofloxacin.

And not really a medical one, but I like the urban myth about the guy doing his exams, knew he was doing badly, pointed his pencils, stuck them up his nose, and smashed his head down RAMMING THEM STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN!!! (this really happened to a guy I know....well not to him actually....his cousin knows a guy in his school who did it....no really...)

tallaght01

MrCreosote wrote: »

Clear snot- virus. Green snot- bacterial infection, needs expensofloxacin.

The amount of times I've had parents bringing their kid to me for an antibiotic "because his phlegm is yellow/green".

Not as good an indicator of illness as the mum in Scotland who used to bring her son in saying "he's not well, because his balls are hanging lower". She was onto something. The kid would always be brewing something, and we reckoned the high temp was making his nuts do the opposite of what they do when you're cold. That was her only criterion for assessing if the kid was unwell.

metrovelvet

"I've got the flu."

rgnmb

AmcD wrote: »

I remember that one from the wards! As far as I remember, paracetamol doesn't have any bacteriocidal properties, but god forbid you would make somebody more comfortable by bringing down their temperature.

Terrible how this one still lives on....oh no don't give them paracetamol until the intern has done blood cultures.....nonsense

No so much of a myth, but there is alot of research indicating that preop fasting periods are often overkill, i.e from midnight before, and just lead to patient discomfort, dehydration and may infact increase the chance of aspiration...

dubcitycentre

"come in out of the cold, you'll get pneumonia"

"im dying with the flu today, i think its becasue i got caught in the rain yesterday"

what drives me totally insane is the common misconception that antibiotics will do anything for a cold/flu. However, i blame ****ty doctors for this one as many a time my friends/family have been given antibiotics for a cold.

Drinking lots of water is good for you and makes ur skin clear. I had a friend in school who drank about 10 pints of water a day and still had bad skin. Our recommended intake of water is covered by the foods we eat and the milk/juice/tea etc we drink. Theres not much need for "8 glasses" per day

Also...shaving does not cause your hair to grow faster, thicker or longer.

Capt'n Midnight

PhysiologyRocks wrote: »

I love this thread!

The worst I've heard was that condoms give you AIDS.

only if you use second hand ones :pac:


raping virgins cures AIDS :mad: :mad:

Capt'n Midnight

Carsinian Thau wrote: »

You can't get pregnant if it's your first time.

You can't get pregnant if it's your first time, you haven't had your first period( or are on your period) , do it in the bath and jump up and down afterwards or douche with coke (which supposedly explains the shape of a coke bottle :rolleyes: )

Capt'n Midnight

esel wrote: »

Will 'reading' a stroke mag under the covers by torchlight harm your eyesight, though?

not if you eat enough carrots
and don't forget to take zinc supplements too




You get piles from sitting on a wet bicycle saddle.

tallaght01

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

raping virgins cures AIDS :mad: :mad:

saw this one in a baby unit in South Africa, sadly

nesf

Heard this lately.

After pleurisy going out for long walks to "get you some air" will speed up recovery.

tallaght01

nesf wrote: »

Heard this lately.

After pleurisy going out for long walks to "get you some air" will speed up recovery.

This reminds me of a medical myth, as a family member of mine had this a while back.

Pleurisy is not a diagnosis. I didn't even know what it was until I googled it a few months ago :P

Mark Hamill

"White marks in your nails are a sign of mineral deficiency"

My mom actually believed this, was always trying to make me take zync tablets.

AmcD

It is dangerous not to have a period every month because you will get a "build up" inside. Therefore no depo provera injection or mirena coil for contraception.

tech77

MrCreosote wrote: »

needs expensofloxacin.

Faith

AmcD wrote: »

It is dangerous not to have a period every month because you will get a "build up" inside. Therefore no depo provera injection or mirena coil for contraception.

Does that not happen to an extent though? I read somewhere (probably a completely unreliable source) that, while on the pill, the lining of your womb continues to thicken. This is then what supposedly causes spotting if you run a couple of packs together.

Or are you specifically referring to a build up of blood, rather than womb lining? Or am I completely wrong? (I'm not a medic.)

AmcD

Faith wrote: »

Does that not happen to an extent though? I read somewhere (probably a completely unreliable source) that, while on the pill, the lining of your womb continues to thicken. This is then what supposedly causes spotting if you run a couple of packs together.

Or are you specifically referring to a build up of blood, rather than womb lining? Or am I completely wrong? (I'm not a medic.)

Actually the opposite happens - methods like the pill and mirena coil thin the lining of the womb. They are both given to treat heavy periods. No build up.
The period that happens on the week off the pill isn't even a "period" as such. It is just a reaction to stopping the hormone tablets.

Faith

AmcD wrote: »

Actually the opposite happens - methods like the pill and mirena coil thin the lining of the womb. They are both given to treat heavy periods. No build up.
The period that happens on the week off the pill isn't even a "period" as such. It is just a reaction to stopping the hormone tablets.

I know it's not a "real" period, but it still contains more or less the same stuff, doesn't it? I mean, the actual... eh, texture and consistency... of periods doesn't change much with the pill, except for being lighter.

Capt'n Midnight

Mark Hamill wrote: »

"White marks in your nails are a sign of mineral deficiency"

My mom actually believed this, was always trying to make me take zync tablets.

rubbish,
everyone knows it's a sign of Calcium deficiency