Why Do We Cling To Medical Myths?

newsweek.com:

Rachel Vreeman and Aaron Carroll weren't looking to start a controversy. They're both pediatricians at Indiana University who, as a side project to their day jobs, put together a study on a few medical myths that many doctors believe. The results weren't exactly earth-shattering: they revealed that you don't actually need to drink eight glasses of water and nails do not continue to grow after death. And the research definitely wasn't new. "We looked through old research and basically put it all together," explains Vreeman.

Read the whole story: newsweek.com

Comments

[NoSillyName]

The Biggest Myth of all: doctor's are gods.

[mamacat]

Personal anecdote: I was told in public school that the story about God creating woman from one of Adam's ribs was just a way to explain why women have fewer ribs than men. I went through most of my life believing that women had one fewer set of ribs than men, until someone with actual medical training told me it is not true. It really shocked me to find that something I was told repeatedly in school was a myth.

[NoSillyName]

Good one! i wondered about that for years myself. Not a "set" of ribs, just one less. lol.

[Donatella]

The Newsweek article was nothing but a promotion of the book. It listed two "myths", water and sugar, but left out remaining 64 myths; the issue of vacines leading to autism really needs more research.

This is nothing more than shameless promotion of a book. The lease the writer could do is provide a list of the top 10 myths, even if the myths are not directly from the book.

Everyone knows that there misinformation on medical issues is widespread, why not educate the public on them instead of just promoting the sale of a book. I don't need Newsweek for the information they provided, I can get this review on Amazon. Is it any wonder that the weekly is in financial trouble!

[AngieMom57]

It is true that the majority of our medical professionals, health insurance companies and pharmaceutical corporations have the whole system a$$-backwards.

"Today's world is rampant with injustice because young and old alike have made pleasure and gain the primary aims of life....Consumerism urges everyone to pursue satisfaction of personal wants, and not general welfare."

Somewhere along the line medicine became too one sided on prescribing drugs instead of prescribing non-invasive treatments for early ailments like back pain, sprains, non life threatening symptoms .

Again, the insurance corporations would "allow" a physician to prescribe a pain killer pharmaceutical drug costing hundreds of dollars a month, yet would not "reimburse" a few messages, chiropractic, acupuncture and these non invasive treatments have as good if not a better result than the drugs.

Wake up! Balls in our court folks.

[TigersEye]

All too true, and the pharmaceutical companies make a mint because people don't take the time to look into other options. Prevention is the key, keep your body healthy by what you put into it just like you would take care of an expensive rare car. What you put in is eventually going to come out, usually in some form of disease or another, if you're not careful.

[curiousasheck]

They cling to the myths because people are afraid of death they will do anything to prevent this inevitable transition (s).

[Kungfublood]

Myth number one: Doctors are not working for drug companies and insurance corporations they are only attempting to help you and will keep your interests foremost and place your health above all others.

[Norge]

People have been conditioned to believe authority. At some point, some authority some where created the now myth as the then truth.

[yogajan]

I read once a great statement, "man is the only animal who eats when they are not hungry, drinks when they are not thirsty and makes love in all seasons". I agree with two out of the three.

I never agreed with the 8 glasses of water a day. It doesn't make sense physiologically and can lead to water toxicity and makes glaucoma worse. If I listen to my body, I know when it is time to drink water.

Science pre-empts myth everytime.

[odyssey58]

8 glasses of water consumed throughout the day will not lead to water toxicity. That occurs when you drink a very large amount of water in a very short time, say a gallon of water in an hour or two.

[dru]

I think people cling to medical myths for the same reasons some people gravitate toward conspiracy theories. More significantly, some medical myths are happily perpetuated by physicians, to protect their incomes. (Example: Lumbar fusion for axial back pain, without spondylolisthesis. Surgery is just as effective as not doing surgery. But surgeons do surgery and once it is offered, patients are convinced it is medically necessary and without it they are risking paralysis "or why would the doctor have ordered it?" never imagining that elective means elective.) Other unproven treatments abound: and are prescribed every day - IV antibiotics for viral syndromes? no one benefits and many are potentially harmed (superbugs anyone?).

[Principaldad]

If you think about it, the whole eight glasses myth was suspect from the start. No matter how many times you hear it the number is always the same and there is never any other qualifying information. To claim that a 105 lb female secretary needs the exact same amount of water as a 200 lb male construction worker doesn't make sense. Then to claim that it has to be water and not any other healthy beverage is even more siIIy. It is still a good idea to keep well hydrated though.

[Epiphany2b]

I was taught that the body required x-number of ounces per pound of weight. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact formula. But it certainly make more sense.

The belief which is much more dangerous to health, however, is that all fluids count. I know someone who never drinks anything but coffee (a diuretic) and diet Pepsi and claims it is sufficient. Dehydration is rampant, especially among older people.

[Principaldad]

I heard about the formula once or twice. I can't remember the specifics either. It makes a little more sense, but it too ignores the water we receive from food.

The concept that fluids such as coffee and Diet Pepsi "do not count" is very much a myth (sorry but true). The minor diuretic effects of coffee and soda are not sufficient to render them ineffective for hydration. The water gets metabolized either way. Water is still far better than these other liquids (cutting caffiene intake is always good). However, from a hydration standpoint, other liquids do the job. If you are stranded on a deserted island with nothing but coffee and Diet Pepsi, you are not going to die of dehydration.

[hollyo]

This 'not needing eight glasses of water' got me a urinary tract infection and, maybe, gallstones.
It's not that hard if you have two before and during breakfast...only six to go. Urologists say if women drank more water they'd be out of business.

[kwinter]

You may have had "a urinary tract infection and, maybe, gallstones", but you have no way of knowing that if you had had a larger water intake, those things would have been prevented.

And ... "Urologists say if women drank more water they'd be out of business."
If your urologists said that, and was serious, you should find another urologists.

[Epiphany2b]

Regardless of what urologists might say or believe, I KNOW that if I don't drink at least 4 tall glasses of water a day, I will get an UTI. Cranberry capsule every morning to ward off that boogey man.

[Willow712]

Probably over 50% of UTIs in nursing homes is caused by the problem that women don't drink enough water. Especially in nursing homes, where one usually needs to urge them to drink and the aides are very busy. If we notice someone's urine smelling strong or getting cloudy, we begin pushing cranberry juice and lots of water. Usually that is all it takes to stop an infection. The problem is that everyone is so very busy and forgets to push fluids on everyone. I pass meds and always ask them to drink a full glass of water for me. They usually don't mind at all.

[protagonia]

One myth is the effectiveness of chemotherapy. It is poison.

[Seldon]

Have you ever known anyone who died of cancer without taking chemo? It is horrible. I am assuming from your comment you are aware of the Daniel Hauser story.

Chemo is not fun. Yes, in a way it is poison. The point is that it is worse for the cancer than it is for you. How rigorous and how effective chemo is depends on the cancer. Sometimes radiation is enough, sometimes (as in the case of Hodgkin's Lymphoma) chemotherapy is the only option.

At first the only pain you feel may be a result of the chemo. This is true. But not taking it in the case of Hodgkins is a death sentence and a horrible one at that.

[protagonia]

Rare cases have a place for it.

[protagonia]

In my lifetime and within my immediate family, I have seen two perish with chemo and three without. The two who died during chemo were unable to communicate and had lost recall of who was even in their family.

The three without chemo died in comfort and had far greater clarity. Their spirits were higher and their senses of humor (a sign of the highest functions still working) were intact. It is how I will choose to go, if and when it is my turn.

[NoSillyName]

Medical research is learning more & more about targeting the cancer instead of killing everything with chemo.

My aunt had lung cancer but was doing fine at home and then in the hospital until the chemo; she went rapidly downhill.

[TheBlackCat]

Childhood leukemia used to be a death sentence.

I work at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, a NON PROFIT cancer hospital. We do use alternative medicine like massage therapy and acupuncture to help with paliative care, but we use traditional treatments like chemo, radiation, and transplants.

The survival rate for childhood leukemia is now over 80% at our institution.

So please,explain to me how going from a 0% survival rate to over 80% survival rate qualifies as "ineffective treatment"

[protagonia]

Always interesting to see who takes the bait, Black Cat.

Mission accomplished.

[NoSillyName]

Many people live through chemo, but it is "poison" in that it kills everything and does not target the tumor(s).

Like antibiotics... kills the good bacteria along with the bad.

[LeftRight]

We believe them for the same reason that we believe everything ELSE, because it makes us feel like we are important!!

[Epiphany2b]

No, I don't think so. I think because it makes us feel that we can have some control over our lives, whereas in most areas of our lives we have none.

[HeevenSteven]

Same reason we cling to religious myths--we torture evidence to fit our current views.

[Dap]

))))))))))))))))))) BAM ((((((((((­((((((((((

[VicDaring]

Great piece by Newsweek!

I'd suggest picking up Michael Shermer's "Why People Believe Weird Things" for further reading on the subject.

Truth is sometimes counter-intuitive.

So often, people just reject the truth because it doesn't "feel" right. Happens here on HuffPo all the time with a lot of the New Age nonsense.

[Principaldad]

Shermer's book is excellent.

[TheBlackCat]

Ain't that the truth.

[protagonia]

What better hands could the very future of rational thought be placed in, than those belonging to VIC DARING and his side kick the BLACK CAT? Their tireless crusade to steer people away from their instincts.

LOL!

You two are like Harry Potter characters - but without any spark of life or imagination. You certainly deserve each other however, and on that fact we can all agree.