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27 Dangerous And Outdated Health Myths That Are Still Believed
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.
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#1
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.
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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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.
#4
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)
#5
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!".
#6
"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.
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
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.
#11
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.
#12
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.
#14
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.
#15
“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.
#16
“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.
#17
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
#18
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
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.
#23
“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 [jerk] 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)"*
#24
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.
#25
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 p**p a lot" disease. It's an autoimmune disorder that can literally [end] 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.
#27
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.
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