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It’s always useful to know if that new health trend is just a fad. Can you really detox your body with a juice cleanse? Or can it seriously damage our health? According to a 2021 review article, misinformation about health online is becoming a "public health concern." Researchers at the University of Cadiz in Spain found that the most common topics susceptible to misinformation are "vaccines, drugs or smoking, noncommunicable diseases, pandemics, eating disorders, and medical treatments."
However, some online spaces care for debunking health myths. And one of the people interested in this topic is the Reddit user u/imadepyramids. He asked other Redditors: "What are some [of the] most accepted health myths?" People shared misconceptions about health they no longer believe, and you can check them out below!
Bored Panda also had a chance to chat with the OP. u/imadepyramids told us more about why he decided to ask other Redditors this question and shared some health-related myths he used to believe in himself.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
That everyone is capable of breastfeeding. I'm going to get a lot of thumbs down, but so many of the myths associated with breastfeeding are harmful to babies and bad for mother's mental and physical health.
The Redditor imadepyramids often posts questions on r/AskReddit. Aside from learning new things, he says he likes it because of that sweet, sweet dopamine rush. "I always post questions on r/AskReddit because I love [the] engagement it gets me," the Redditor says. "It's just great to [wake up] in [the] morning to a 500+ notifications symbol."
However, it's not just selfish reasons that drive this user's curiosity. "I try to always ask thought-provoking questions which will benefit both me and the people who are reading the post," imadepyramids tells Bored Panda. And this post is one of such – there are plenty of things to learn from what the other netizens have shared.
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#2
Addiction is just lack of willpower. Couldnt be further from the truth. Addiction is a very complex physiologic, psychological and psychosocial process. It takes an enormous effort on the afflicted person as well as support from doctors, family, friends and sometimes mental health counselors to overcome.
Jo Davies 10 months ago
This should be higher up. Folk need to stop judging and start understanding in order to help. And let's not forget that addiction takes many forms; looking at you ex-friend who drunks 5 litre of original coke a day while looking down on her neighbour who has one spliff on a weekend.
#3
Homeopathy.
Kira Okah 10 months ago
The last time thi was mentioned here, geez. Herbal medicine is not homeopathy. Homeopthy is the theory that water molecules change shape to fit other substances in, and they can remember that shape when diluted to the point that none of the active ingredient is left, so the water acts the same as the medicine that it may have once contained. It's expensive placebo water.
This thread on r/AskReddit got pretty popular: it now has almost 6.5k comments and 5.3k upvotes! The author says he didn't expect the post to get so popular. The Redditor is honest with us and our readers, he admits he didn't read all the comments.
However, some still stood out to him. "People here and there claim that small quantities of alcohol can be helpful but all the comments were against it!" the OP says. "I also [got] to know about superfoods and how they are also a myth." He thinks that such popularity with a post like this indicates that this generation is quite conscious about their health.
#5
Oh my god how are chiropractors not the top answer. They are not doctors. It is not science. People can be permanently injured or unlived by them. F*****g stay as far away from those quacks. (My sister works at a chiropractic office and swears by them btw)
#6
Fat makes you fat. The tide is turning and this isn't as prevalent as it was, but people still believe this to be true. I know most people here are too young for this, but back in the 90s a company called Snackwell introduced a line of fat free cookies. Suburban moms bought them en masse and we all ate them like crazy. They were loaded with sugar, but hey "no fat!".
When we ask him whether there are any health myths he used to believe in the past but no longer does, the Redditor mentions two. "Detox programs are not what they claim and yoga and homeopathy can't cure big diseases," the Redditor shares.
I really get him on this one – I have to admit, I did believe in 'cleansing juices' for a short while too. And as for yoga, I'm still not missing my weekly class, but I don't think it will magically cure all my problems.
#7
"You're too young to have ______"
I feel like people under the age of 40 are told this so often. When I had abdominal pain a few months back, with the location and type of pain I was in, when I did some research it sounded exactly like diverticulitis, despite never having a diverticulosis diagnosis. When I shared my thoughts at urgent care I was told I was "too young" to have that kind of problem - I'm 29. Went to the ER the next day where they did a CT scan and yep, diverticulitis.
Daniela Lavanza 10 months ago
There's a big difference between "no, you don't have THIS disease because you're too young, full stop" and "you're far less likely to have it because it's usually for older people". Doctors tend to look for the most likely causes of a pain, because they'll be able to cure the patient earlier. However, there can indeed be younger patients with old people's diseases, so a good doctor should check these possibilities too when the most common diseases don't match the patient's case. The point is, it is unlikely to be the first explanation.
#8
That you can lose fat on certain body areas with certain excercizes. Nothing more stupid than that. As a person in the eating-disorder community, I know millions of these myths.
WonderWoman 10 months ago
You can tone muscles from exercise, but no you can't get flat abs by eating muffins while doing crunches. 90% of weight loss happens in the kitchen, not the gym.
#9
That BMI equates to health.
A very muscular person will have a BMI that says they're obese.
Doctor Strange 10 months ago
I'm 6'2" and 190 pounds. I'm a land surveyor, a martial artist, a blacksmith... basically I may not be a body builder but most of my daily life involves very physical activity. My former doctor said I was overweight and needed to lose at least ten pounds.
#10
Essential oils cure illnesses. Too many people die because of this misconception.
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 10 months ago
Essential oils are generally too strong to take internally anyway. They're better used as a topical treatment (as in lotion) or as aromatherapy. The problem with these is that people get "treatment" and "cure" confused.. essential oils and herbs are remedies. A remedy is not a cure. A remedy eases the symptoms so that your system can work on healing (with some help of prescription drúgs, as needed). Garlic can apparently lower your blood pressure; it cannot cure your heart disease. There's a difference.
#12
That having a tan is healthy. You’re just wearing your skin damage
BlueBlazer999 10 months ago
“Getting a tan” is literally your skin cells dying off so you don’t get cancer. Some is normal, excessive tanning is harmful.
#13
Oh oh oh! I'm a health care provider, here is my most common ones.
Thinking that being mildly cold in isolation will make you get sick.
Thinking people (45+) don't need to work out
Letting scabs dry out on purpose
Vastly overstating the effects of turmeric, blueberries, cherries, etc.
Thinking pain level has anything to do with injury severity.
Believing that tan skin is healthier than pale skin.
Believing that diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, hypertension etc are "cured" by medicines. Nope just managed. I could go on all day.
#14
Weed cures everything and has no downsides. I have nothing against cannabis use and it's clearly the least harmful recreational drug in common use but it's not without downsides. If you want to 420 blaze it all day despite that all the power to you but don't pretent inhaling burning plant matter and taking in copious amounts of thc doesn't have negative effects on physical and mental health.
Corvus 10 months ago (edited)
This! "Least harmful" and "harmless" are two completely different things. Weed is usually seen as "safe" due to the relatively mild short-term effects... however, the long-term effects of sustained usage can be very nasty (and quite comparable to the harm of "regular" cigarettes). These effects include full-blown mental disorders as well. And yes, weed is addictive, contrary to the myth that it isn't (the "I can stop at any time, duuuude" mindset).
#16
GMOs are bad... No Karen GMOs don't mutate you or mess with your body's balance. They mean we can feed more with less and crops are more resilient to natural disasters. It also means less pesticides that do cause harm.
#17
Morning sickness ends within a specific time frame, solutions include: saltines, ginger ale, and Gatorade. Also, that your next pregnancy won’t involve morning sickness.
I vomited for 9 months straight and that includes hours before my child was extracted thru the sun roof via emergency c-section.
I had HG. No one believed me. I suffered, I struggled, and before my daughter was even born, people (including nurses and doctors) were already talking about my “future pregnancies” not being so bad.
HG in a subsequent pregnancy has over a 75% recurrence rate. You could have serious health complications, and so could your baby. It is dangerous, and it used to kill women (and still could in bad enough circumstances).
It is not f*****g morning sickness and there is no cure, and no OTC remedy is going to make it go away.
#18
“Tilt your head back if you have a nosebleed.”
Do not do this because the blood could drain down your throat and make you sick or into your airways and obstruct them.
Instead you should sit upright, hold a tissue under your nose, tilt your head slightly forward, pinch the soft part of your nose just forward of the bone, and keep pinching for 10-15 minutes.
Bored something 10 months ago
Yeah, when I was 9 I learned this the hard way. We were visiting grandparents and I got a nosebleed. They made me tip me head back. It wouldn't stop, I started coughing and vomiting blood. I was terrified. Th called a home Dr visit. He tipped my head forward and pinched my nose it stopped pretty soon.
#19
“Ulcers are caused by stress.” Nope, the vast majority are caused by a quickly curable bacteria, and the rest are usually caused by chronic NSAID use.
#20
That almost everyone with Type 2 diabetes just ate way too much sugar and didn’t look after themselves.
Genetics play a role too, even if you do your best to prevent it
Ace 10 months ago
Yes but... there is a huge correlation between obesity and T2 diabetes. Not historic sugar intake per se, although that may of course be a major contributor to the obesity. Many people who are 'pre-diabetic' can avoid it developing any further by simply losing weight and in some cases even once it has developed it can be effectively reversed such that long term drug treatment is not necessary.Yes, there are other factors, but even if genetically pre-disposed to it it's often avoidable by modifying diet and controlling weight.
#21
It’s a messed up myth that Black people and minorities in general don’t feel pain the same way and get less things like pain killers and anesthetics than others. There are still people in the medical community who were taught this decades ago who still believe this.
#22
Circumcision is cleaner and necessary to prevent UTIs
Kira Okah 10 months ago
While it can help UTIs, not only would it take 400 instances of mutilation to prevent a single infection, but UTI's are easily treatable. Wash your d!ck. There are no health benefits to cutting up anyone's healthy genitals. And before I get anything about phimosis, it is treatable with steroid cream, and foreskin is not meant to be retractable before puberty.
#23
I cringe at people who “cleanse” aka starve themselves for three days.
#24
Detox programs.
ShellsBells 10 months ago
The best one I saw was the "put these stickers on your feet to detox your entire body overnight from harmful chemicals, metals, and waste." I'm guessing they've never heard of lungs, liver, kidneys, GI tract, etc that have been doing this naturally even before humans existed.
#25
Sugar makes kids hyperactive. It doesn't. Kids are naturally high energy. And situations where they eat a lot of sugar are often things like birthday parties and Christmas which just amp them up regardless of what they've eaten.
Kira Okah 10 months ago
The "sugar causes hyperactivity" myth comes from a 50 year old study with a sample size of 1. A meta analysis showed zero link between sugar and hyperactivity (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/391812). Othar studies show that, rather, what it showed was that it's based wholly on the expectation of parents - if the parent expects that sugar will cause hyperactivity, then they will attribute normal kid behaviour to hyperactivity caused by sugar (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7963081/). I hope studies are showing, I have paper access accounts through the uni and I don't know if that is affecting visibility.
#26
“MSG is bad for you”
*"Monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as sodium glutamate, is a sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese in this glutamic acid form. MSG is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer with a savory taste that intensifies the meaty, savory flavor of food, as naturally occurring glutamate does in foods such as stews and meat soups."* *"A controversy surrounding the safety of MSG began on 4 April 1968, when Robert Ho Man Kwok wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, coining the term "Chinese restaurant syndrome". In his letter, Kwok suggested several possible causes before he nominated MSG for his symptoms."* *"Chinese restaurant syndrome' has the same symptoms as hypernatremia. (salt poisoning)"*
#27
i'm going to get some hate for this and I swear it's not coming from a fat shaming place... but the myth that when you're pregnant, you can eat whatever you want, however much you want, because you are "eating for two".
you actually only need 200-400 extra calories, even in the last trimester.
anything over that will result in weight gain. which is not necessarily a bad thing if you stay within your healthy weight for height.
but if you start to cross over to moderately obese...it's a problem.
being a good parent means setting a good example for health, and also being able to keep up with them physically.
#28
That IBD and IBS are essentially the same. I don't want to dismiss what people with IBS go through, but roughly 70% of people with Crohn's or Colitis will require major surgery within their lifetime, and per an NIH report, have a 20% higher mortality rate. It's not a, "lol, you poop a lot" disease. It's an autoimmune disorder that can literally kill people by their intestines being so filled with scar tissue that they close entirely. But IBD and IBS often get lumped together, and I think that's harmful for suffers of each.
Susan Bosse 10 months ago
I have IBS and a cousin has Crohn’s. It’s not even remotely the same. Im fine most days. She’s in a constant battle.
#29
Chiropractors are legitimate medical professionals akin to MD or DO doctors.
Murph 10 months ago
I had a DO that only did manipulation when I was pregnant in order to help me be able to walk (pinched nerves). It was very gentle, not a magic bullet, and he discontinued it as soon as I was postpartum and "able to do it myself with yoga". So much more reputable than a chiropractor that thinks they can solve everything and wants someone to be seen every week for forevermore.
#30
You should wash your chicken before cooking it. If you're buying your chicken from wet markets - do it. If you're buying it from grocery stores - do not.
The only result of washing chicken before cooking is contaminating your kitchen.
What do you think ?
Strawberry Pizza 10 months ago
To the Redditor that decided to post about how you need cholesterol to survive so therefore high cholesterol can't kill you: b******t. Just because you need something to survive doesn't mean too much of it can't kill you. Love from, Don't Take Medical Advice From Randos On The Internet
Kristal 10 months ago
Water poisoning is a perfect example. Water is critical for the human species but, if you drink to much, you CAN die. It has happened before. Everything is about balance and moderation in the body.
Load More Replies...
JenC 10 months ago
No I cannot cure my depression by "just being positive and think of good things." My serotonin receptors aren't receiving properly, and my antidepressant medication helps me to function and be myself.
JenC 10 months ago
Taking medicine forental health does not make you weak. It's acceptable to take medicine when your heart doesn't work. Or for a diabetic to take insulin because their body doesn't make enough It should also be acceptable for people to take medication for mental health, because their brain isn't producing or processing chemicals properly.
Load More Replies... Strawberry Pizza 10 months ago
To the Redditor that decided to post about how you need cholesterol to survive so therefore high cholesterol can't kill you: b******t. Just because you need something to survive doesn't mean too much of it can't kill you. Love from, Don't Take Medical Advice From Randos On The Internet
Kristal 10 months ago
Water poisoning is a perfect example. Water is critical for the human species but, if you drink to much, you CAN die. It has happened before. Everything is about balance and moderation in the body.
Load More Replies... JenC 10 months ago
No I cannot cure my depression by "just being positive and think of good things." My serotonin receptors aren't receiving properly, and my antidepressant medication helps me to function and be myself.
JenC 10 months ago
Taking medicine forental health does not make you weak. It's acceptable to take medicine when your heart doesn't work. Or for a diabetic to take insulin because their body doesn't make enough It should also be acceptable for people to take medication for mental health, because their brain isn't producing or processing chemicals properly.
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