The scientific community is constantly trying to expose its own mistakes — after all, what is a statement worth if it's never been the subject of scrutiny? However, no matter how hard it tries, some people just don't listen.
Recently, Redditor Jimbo_Jigs asked other platform users to share some myths and misconceptions that many still believe to be true, and they got what they asked for. Not just the classic "vaccines cause autism." Continue scrolling and check out the replies.
This post may include affiliate links.
That vaccines cause autism.
Personal carbon footprint or any green initiative which focuses on individual action. BP invented the entire concept during a marketing push to hide the fact that like ~72 companies produce 90% of pollution.
The earth being flat. We have literally done studies, taken pictures, boiled all of that down to the level that a kindergartener can understand it, and some idiots still don't get it.
The proof that earth is a globe is that if it were flat, cats would have pushed everything over the edge already.
To answer the question, vaccines being anything but safe and effective is a hoax that some people believe.
Vaccines are *by far* the medical intervention best-supported by evidence. Tens of billions of vaccines given to billions of people over the course of multiple centuries have proven them to be safe and effective. If you trust *any* part of medicine, you should trust vaccines.
I would hazard a guess that vaccines have saved more lives than every other medical intervention combined.
Vaccines are nothing but literally TRAINING for an individual's own immune system! Being anti-vaxx is like saying you don't believe in Training!
Detox.
B******t, b******t, b******t.
What do you think your liver and kidneys are doing all day? If they weren’t working you would be on a form of detox called dialysis.
edit: To clarify since it might not be obvious, I’m referring to pseudoscience detox teas and pills. Not medically justified detoxification like opioids, alcohol, acetaminophen, etc…
The case of the woman who sued mcdonalds because she spilled hot coffee on herself. The hoax was that it was a frivolous lawsuit, that she was driving while drinking and she spilled the coffee on herself and just didn't like it and sued mcdonalds and won a lot of money. But the reality was that she wasn't driving, the coffee was extremely hot, people had already complained it was too hot, I don't remember how she spilled the coffee, but anyway after spilling just a bit of it on her leg, she got severe burns on her leg and had to go to the hospital and go to the ER. If she had drunk that she could have suffered much more harm. All she wanted was for mcdonalds to pay for her hospital bill, they didn't, and she sued them and won. Then either mcdonalds or it was a corporation that represented a bunch of corporations spread the hoax that some clumsy woman sued and won a lot of money because she spilled her coffee.
The Big Lie. The United States election for president was not rigged. There was no fraud in the voting process.
1. There is only one election referenced when using the term "Big Lie", and that's discussing 45 and his allegations that he actually won. 2. Notice that 45 only says he was impacted and not anyone else who lost the election that year. 3. There have been more recent local and state elections since then.
"Catching a cold" from cold weather. It's a pathogen. You catch it from people.
Though disease does increase in the winter. It's commonly thought to be due to close quarters indoors and less Vitamin D from the sun, important for the immune system.
Crystals. They are just f*****g rocks. There is no scientific evidence proving that they have healing effect. Any possible effects are due to the placebo effect. People will actually go against medical advice because they think holding a crystal will fix all their problems.
However, for some people believing in something will make them feel better.
Scientology
Edit: Scientologists are programmed to reply to this with "dOn'T yOu MeAn ALL ReLiGiOnS?" and try to do the all lives matter thing when someone says black lives matter to dilute the message.
It's the internet age, cultists. We researched your tactics to put yourself on equal footing with actual religions. You are programmed by NLP, get help.
Homeopathy. It's water.
Hey, it’s not just water! It’s at least 0.0000000000001% something else!
0.0000000000001 is exaggerating the potency lol.
Load More Replies...The "power" of homeopathic... stuff ('cause it's NOT medication) is measured in "Centesimal dilutions", or CH. Even conceding the active principles used works (they don't), at 12 CH statistically there is not a single atom of the principle in a liter of water. At 30 CH (the dilution commonly used for flu "medication") you can expect to have a single atom of active principle every 10 BILLIONS BILLIONS (10^18) liters of water. That is roughly the volume of the Indian Ocean to have ONE SINGLE ATOM of active principle.
Just to compare, at CH 10 in a deciliter of water you are going to have 1.000 atoms of "principle", and 75.000.000.000.000.000 atoms of ARSENIC from natural sources.
Load More Replies...It spells homeopathy, it reads "I'm screwing your money". omeopatia-...13e0b4.jpg
Not sure where all the hate is coming from. Not all alternative medicine = homeopathy. Some alternative ones do have science to explain why it works. And well, when 2 doctors and 3 scans can't find what the hell is wrong with me. And one guy studying alternative things can, ... I then told the doctor to check for x. He asked why, didn't tell. He was surprised. Needless to say I didn't take the antibiotics he gave me, i followed the alternative one. Not saying, to let just anyone operate on you, or set your broken bones. I am saying, to stop being so darn closed minded to think that every form of alternative medicine is a bad one. And sadly, there fakes out there. Another example is, people taking vitamin pills like b12. Even though the pill may contain the vitamin, if your body isn't missing it, then you don't need it and its useless. However, if your body does miss it, and you take the wrong one like my doctor did. You are just drinking water as well. Alternate guy found the right on
I have used a combination of homeopathic and other alternatives as well as doctor prescribed medications. I was advised to use Arnica Montana for injuries and a combination of arnica and raspberry leaf tea prior to giving birth to make delivery easier and healing faster. Turns out it is what Native Americans have been using for centuries. I kept Arnica in my rugby teams med kit. I have a book on Homepathic medicines, the thing about the book , is not one claims to be a CURE, they all say they will help to RELIEVE the symptoms of the health concern. The problem lies in those who think they cure. But if the symptoms are relieved, lessened , it is far easier for the body to fight off infection and heal faster. My book on Homeopathic also states "If you don't notice any health improvements after three days, go and see a medical doctor."
Load More Replies...This needs to be clarified. Some forms of Homeopathy are legit, and have science behind them. Quick example - white willow tree bark tea is good to reduce pain. The science that backs this up? White willow tree bark is a chemical compound found in asprin and used to reduce pain.
Nope. White willow bark is an example of herbology or naturopathy, not homeopathy. Homeopathy is specifically the idea that an illness can be caused by a dilute sample of toxin or pathogen that caused the illness; it is not a catch-all term for all complementary medicine.
Load More Replies...Do you know what the worst thing about modern day homeopathic remedies is? A lot of them don’t even contain any additional ingredient (other than sugar) not even at a diluted state. A lot of modern day homeopathic remedies are “made” using vibration. That’s right. Your practitioner looks up the frequency at which the ingredient vibrates in a catalogue, then puts a sugar pill into the bowl of their Sulis Remedy Maker (look it up!) sets the frequency to whatever the catalogue said, switches on the machine for a bit, and hey presto, here’s a sugar pill that vibrates at the same frequency as arnica.
I once made a joke about homeopathy and got an earful from a friend about how people like me are just agents for those doctors (real doctors) who think homeopathy is not a science.
"The less it has of something the more POWERFUL the effect!" If I didn't see these products being hawked all over the place I never would have believed anyone in the world would fall for something like this deranged.
Then there was the homeopath who committed suicide by taking 1/100 of the recommended dose...
Steve Aylett wrote a brilliant story about a guy who wanted to unalive himself but wasn't totally sure...so instead of throwing himself off a fifty-storey building, he threw himself off a one--storey building fifty times.
Load More Replies...Two things. First, homeopathy is the belief that you can cure a symptom by taking something that causes the same symptom. Homeo (same) pathy (symptom). Second, most "medicine" is so dilute that there isn't likely to be even a single molecule of active ingredient in the entire supply.
I used homeopathy when my children were teething and since they are too young to know better, there's no placebo and I can tell you it soothed them. I used it for other stuff too and it worked.
I would highly recommend homeopathic meds, 0 side effects, very specific, works quickly and if it hasn't worked for what your taking it for by the end of the day, your taking the wrong tablet
Yes. You're taking a homeopathic tablet which is, in all cases, the wrong tablet. The reason they have no side effects is because THEY DON'T WORK.
Load More Replies...No. It never works, at all, ever, because there is no possible mechanism by which it *could* work. It's just a scam to profit on fear and ignorance.
Load More Replies...Personally, I've found relief on my stress when I take Bach flowers. I don't know if there's an actual scientific explanation but it works for me (ofc it's not the Ultimate Solution for stress but it helps, just like going out when you are feeling down)
I was raised on homeopathy by folks who were also raised on homeopathy. Some parts of it work extremely well, others not so much.
None of it works at all. Homeopathy is not a synonym for complementary medicine.
Load More Replies...Homeopathic 'medicines' are so diluted they contain only water. water is of course good for you, but you can get it anywhere.
Load More Replies...Still collecting all that colloidal silver - in a few years I'll have a gram and be on my way to retirement.
Definition of Homeopathy: the treatment of disease by minute doses of natural substances that in a healthy person would produce symptoms of disease. It is very popular in Europe and until the introduction of sulfa drugs and antibiotics was popular in the US.
What do you think people did before modern medicine. Does everybody forget that people actually used what they around them back then. For f**k sakes.
That logic doesn't hold water. It's like saying that photographs aren't real because they don't have any of the original substance in them.
No, it isn't. Nobody is pretending that a photograph of an aspirin tablet will cure your headache. Try not to be stupid.
Load More Replies...Homeopathic medicine, yes, total bs. Homeopathic remedies, however, should get a little credit, like aloe vera to soothe a sunburn, or ginger to calm an upset tummy.
Why are so many people making this mistake? Neither aloe vera nor ginger is a homeopathic remedy. Homeopathy is not a catch-all term to describe any form of complementary medicine or folk remedy. It refers very specifically to an idiotic and utterly debunked belief that elements in microscopically trace concentrations have magic healing powers.
Load More Replies...First, if it were water, it would, by definition, be liquid. It’s not. Homeopathy uses tiny amounts, undetectable amounts of various substances. I don’t know if it works, though.
Centuries of tests prove it doesn't. And yes, all homeopathy is done with dilution in water.
Load More Replies...As a doctor, I've studied and used homeopathy for 5 decades. It is a wonderful natural medicine compounded from herbs, roots, bark of specific trees. It's been valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. It has saved my life countless times, and kept my body clear of toxic chemical medicines with horrific side effects. Only the TRULY ignorant mock and condemn homeopathy.
You're not a medical doctor, you have a PhD in nutrition. Not even dietetics, which is at least a real medical discipline. Please stop shilling for this dangerous nonsense.
Load More Replies...It literally doesn't. You are living proof that homeopathy, used correctly, will not kill anyone because it contains no active ingredients.
Load More Replies...They always bury the work homeopathic in the print on the container so you don't realize you've been screwed until you get home. If it worked they'd have it in headline print all over the box.
I like the idea that homeopathy is based on; that regular medicine can be overkill sometimes, giving too strong a dose of medication to fight disease, and that just a trace amount of a virus or condition is enough to trigger our immune systems. It’s a great concept, and I would like to see more research done on it. The problem right now is that it’s really difficult to know if the medicine that’s being sold actually contains that trace amount or not, or if it’s just water in tiny bottles being sold at an exorbitant price as homeopathic medicine. Should be better regulated.
No, the idea that homeopathy is based on is that "like cures like" (from homo, Greek for "same", and "path", Greek for "disease"). So in homeopathic logic, the cure for arsenic poisoning is diluted arsenic, and never mind that arsenic's effect is cumulative. Ironically, the only medical principle in which like really can be used to cure like is...vaccination. Which is already used in general medicine so you don't need a complementary medicine to get it.
Load More Replies...They have proven placebos can have the same effect as taking medicine if the patient believes they are taking medicine. Homeopathy has at least the same effectiveness as a placebo. You should read more science articles in these misinformation you are covering.
Homeopathy definitely has no more effectiveness than a placebo.
Load More Replies...Homeopathy is not the same as herbal medicine. One uses the naturally occuring chemical elements of plants and one uses imagination and is a placebo and sugar.
Load More Replies... That using a tampon can take away a females virginity. It’s crazy that people still believe that myth even though it’s been busted many years ago.
There is not enough evidence that it can take away an individuals virginity. It shouldn’t even matter if your child is a virgin or not. You should love your child no matter what.
Your child should be able to have the right to use tampons when they’re on their period. Not everyone wants to miss out from a chance of going swimming, and not everyone wants to wear a diaper everyday for 7 days straight.
That cows just produce milk naturally without being impregnated and giving birth first.
they are simply mammals, and produce milk for the sole purpose of feeding their young.
MLMs, Boss babes, "be your own boss" scams.
I'm not sure how many documentaries need to be put on YouTube before people will stop buying into these companies and wasting their money.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. They're all equally as important, Kellogg just convinced everyone of that to sell more cereal.
That MSG is bad for you.
I meet people regularly that think it's a super insta-cancer ingredient that will cause you to die or something based on 80s/90s false scares. Then I tell them "you do know it naturally occurs on tomatoes, yes?"
So I can keep my instant noodles. Was worried I'd have to toss the lot
That GMOs cause cancer. Literally no evidence to prove this. Everything that has gone through evolution or adaptation is GMO.
Now there are issues with monoculture, but that's a whole different discussion.
We'd be screwed if GMOs caused cancer because 99% of the veges we buy today have been genetically modified of the last 10,000 years...
People simply *giving away* drugs or edibles on Halloween. As if.
Now remember kids, if someone gives you drugs on Halloween, you say thank you. Because drugs are expensive.
That dogs can only see in black and white. This is false.
Wolf hierarchy with alpha on top and omega at the bottom.
Qanon
That NASA spent billions developing a pen to work in space and the Russians just used a pencil.
Actually pencils were a major problem on space stations - tiny bits break off and get into every system.
That Kitty Genovese was murdered as people heard her screams and did nothing. To this day people believe in the Bystander Effect.
In fact multiple neighbors called the police. One even went to her to comfort her believing police were on the way and was driven off by the murderer coming back to finish her off.
The New York Times asked the police about it in their reporting, and without checking, believed them that they didn’t get any calls. In fact the police were covering for them badly dropping the ball. If they’d actually responded when the first call came in, Genovese could probably have been saved.
The lazy reporter later became the editor of the New York Times, having eroded a large amount of humanity’s trust in itself.
Isn’t that whole Myers-Briggs personality test recognized as a complete fabrication.
Touching a baby bird will make its parents reject it.
Edited to add: Any baby animal. When in doubt, reach out to your local wildlife rehabilitation network/individual.
Blood in your veins is blue and red in your arteries. Literally every elementary school teacher I had kept this lie going.
Different parts of your tongue don't actually detect different types of taste. Your tongue is the same all over.
Using a cell phone a lot will give you cancer.
The radiation phones give off is harmless. They use radio waves to operate, which many of us here will have been exposed to our entire lives whether or not we use a phone. AM/FM radio causes radio waves to be going through us at all times.
SOURCE: Am currently studying the effects of different kinds of radiation on microorganisms in my microbiology class
Numerous studies on this topic have all come up showing zero evidence of this being a problem, even the ones not sponsored by cell phone companies. Physical models of the effect of this radiation on proteins and other organic chemicals show it's not even possible to have an effect.
A lot of cryptocurrency scams.
Majority of the suckers often either continue to hold their investments; that was worth less than dirt, or go on to invest in yet another scam.
Got a call a while ago. Scam: Do you want to invest in cryptocurrency? Me: sure Scam: go to Invest.com Me: how u spell it? Scam: I like in Italy ... (20 minutes later).. Me: no still page not found, I type "invest.comilikeinitalytlikeintomato" Scam: goodbye
That the Great Wall of China is visible from the moon. I swear I even had my history teacher in High School stating that it was true.
That people are “right” or “left” brain thinkers and that it has any bearing on her personality and level of logic or creativity.
The left and the right brain are definitely different. Watch this - https://youtu.be/wfYbgdo8e-8 - it might blow your mind but which one!
If you pull out a grey hair three more grow in its place, my sister still believes this one.
It's true, though not because you've pulled one out, it's because you're going grey! I know, lol.
That carrots improve your eyesight. I think it was used in the Great British blackout because there was a food shortage and carrots was the easiest thing to get. Don't quote me on that tho.
That Kennedy called himself a jelly doughnut in a speech to Berliners and they all laughed at him. Not true, he was fine using "ich bin ein berliner" there.
Essential oils.
Well, they don't treat or cure stuff, but can alleviate some symptoms. Some smell great. I usually put some mint oil on my pillow when i have a cold so I don't wake up every hour to inhale the minty stick or whatever it's called. Oils have benefits, but they don't magically heal, just like a massage doesn't cure my bad bones and muscles, but it sure helps with pain. I feel like people with too much time on their hands and money to buy the oils just have nothing better to do than spew s**t like this instead of listening to medical experts, but who knows what that disorder is called anyway? It's just certain that it cannot be "cured" by the oils.
It’s illegal to keep the light on in the car while driving.
Note: this post originally had 58 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.
Stop believing anyone's uterus is your business. You are killing women. That's all.
Cheetos make good presidents. The amount of people that still believe this is astonishing.
A few of these are just personal opinions of the author I think, however Myths and conspiracy theories sell well :D
I was hoping GMOs would be on the list. People think they are dangerous when they are not.
The thing with these post is that they just say a word or two but don't let us know why and/or why not. For ex. Essential Oils. Okay, what about them? The other thing is that nothing is supported with reports/facts, etc. either.
Well for one many are poisonous and any oil can cause pneumonia and death if ingested and accidentally inhaled into the lungs (like people do with beverages) because it disrupts surfactant. They can poison children and small animals when used in a diffuser. Just don't buy them.
Load More Replies...Why is/are god(s) not on this list? Just as much nonsense as anything else on the list.
One thing I have learned... and it's not universal and so it does not apply to everyone. Some people just have weak immune systems. Most of the people who always have sniffles, a cold, stomach flu and get the flu annually... don't wash their hands after using the toilet.
My immune system was just fine until I went through pregnancy and childbirth. After that, I catch everything that's going around. I haven't changed my hand washing policy.
Load More Replies...Humans are not the only intelligent species in the whole entire universe. There are other mutch higher intelligent species roaming around outer space. They just don't want to mingle with us because they look at us like the way we look at pond scum.
Not een the only intelligent species on this planet. :-)
Load More Replies...Stop believing anyone's uterus is your business. You are killing women. That's all.
Cheetos make good presidents. The amount of people that still believe this is astonishing.
A few of these are just personal opinions of the author I think, however Myths and conspiracy theories sell well :D
I was hoping GMOs would be on the list. People think they are dangerous when they are not.
The thing with these post is that they just say a word or two but don't let us know why and/or why not. For ex. Essential Oils. Okay, what about them? The other thing is that nothing is supported with reports/facts, etc. either.
Well for one many are poisonous and any oil can cause pneumonia and death if ingested and accidentally inhaled into the lungs (like people do with beverages) because it disrupts surfactant. They can poison children and small animals when used in a diffuser. Just don't buy them.
Load More Replies...Why is/are god(s) not on this list? Just as much nonsense as anything else on the list.
One thing I have learned... and it's not universal and so it does not apply to everyone. Some people just have weak immune systems. Most of the people who always have sniffles, a cold, stomach flu and get the flu annually... don't wash their hands after using the toilet.
My immune system was just fine until I went through pregnancy and childbirth. After that, I catch everything that's going around. I haven't changed my hand washing policy.
Load More Replies...Humans are not the only intelligent species in the whole entire universe. There are other mutch higher intelligent species roaming around outer space. They just don't want to mingle with us because they look at us like the way we look at pond scum.
Not een the only intelligent species on this planet. :-)
Load More Replies...