10 Rampant Health Myths That Need to Die

1. Myth: Deodorant causes cancer

'That makes a great headline, but a few researchers used techniques that show correlation—not causation, and there's a big difference. Humans and the world we live in are complex so it's very unlikely that one particular behavior causes cancer. It's likely a complex combination of genetics, environment, and behaviors. In addition, follow-up studies haven't been able to corroborate a link.' —Matthew Amsden, expert in research protocol and analysis and CEO of ProofPilot (If you're still concerned, try these homemade deodorants.) 

2. Myth: Alcohol warms you up 

 

Your mother lied to you: Carrots will not improve your eyesight. 'Perception versus reality can cause people to report things that simply aren't true. For example, if you ask a study participant 'Does alcohol warm you up?' the answer may very well be yes. But, that's not what's really happening in your body. Alcohol causes your blood vessels to dilate, moving warm blood closer to the skin and making you feel warm. But in reality this causes you to actually lose body heat faster. ' —Matthew Amsden, expert in research protocol and analysis and CEO of ProofPilot.

 

3.  Myth: Carrots are good for your eyes

 

'While carrots are a healthy snack, and they do contain a vitamin A precursor (beta-carotene), the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A in the body is limited. Almost everyone in America already has plenty of vitamin A stored in their liver. And even if we supplement with beta-carotene or vitamin A, it won't change the 'refractive error' or glasses prescription needed to see clearly.' —Jeff Anshel, OD, FAAO, E Street Eyes and founder, Ocular Nutrition Society 

 

4. Myth: Bottled water is better than tap water 

'Global bottled water sales have skyrocketed over the past several decades thanks to the misguided belief that 'spring water' is healthier or cleaner than the water that comes out of your tap. Bottled water is generally not worse or better than tap water because over 50 percent of it is just tap water. Plus the EPA publishes detailed data about water quality, while most bottled water companies won't tell you anything.' —Morton Tavel, MD, clinical professor emeritus of medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine.

 

5. Myth: Put butter or ice on a burn

'Most of the damage from a burn actually comes from the skin's inflammatory response to it. The best way to keep a partial thickness burn from going to full thickness is to immediately immerse the burn in cool water. Makes sense, right? That feels good and the body has learned how to protect itself. Butter, however, spreads heat very effectively so it will actually make a burn worse. Ice can damage cells and has also been shown to make burns worse.' —Amy Baxter, MD, emergency pediatrician, founder and CEO of MMJ Labs LLC (You can also try these home remedies to treat burns.) 

 

6. Myth: You can 'detox' your body with special diets

'People are obsessed with finding a quick fix or the one cure for all their health problems, but the truth is there isn't one. So-called detoxes with juices or other liquids don't have unique powers to help you lose weight, clear up acne, or even purge toxins from your system—that's your liver's job and it does it quite well. Instead of seeking a brief detox regimen try incorporating a few small but meaningful life changes. My favorite 'detox' is to plan a trip somewhere outdoors with bad cell phone reception.' —Elizabeth Trattner, AP, doctor of oriental and integrative medicin.

 

7. Myth: Humans only use 10 percent of our brains

 'This is categorically false. We use the majority of our brains the majority of the time. For instance, a simple task like getting a glass of water requires neuronal activity from at least five distinct areas of the brain to signal thirst, coordinate the movements, signal satiety, and keep us upright throughout. If such a simple task requires this much effort and coordination, one can imagine how much more brain power quantum mechanics requires. Therefore, we use the majority of our brains for most tasks—simple or involved.' —Abhishiek Sharma, MD, a neurosurgeon practicing in Scottsdale, A.

 

8. Myth: If you're logical, you're left-brained; creative types are right-brained 

 

'There is no significant evidence to support the notion that certain people are left-brained and logical while others are right-brained and creative. The myth is based on early surgeries in seizure patients where, in an attempt to attribute different functions to different parts of the brain, it was found that visuospatial information was processed better in the right hemisphere while verbal information was processed better in the left hemisphere. But brain scans of healthy people have found that both creative and logical activities cause widespread activation of neural networks on the left and right hemispheres of the brain.' —Abhishiek Sharma, MD, a neurosurgeon practicing in Scottsdale, AZ.

 

9. Myth: Getting a base tan will prevent sunburns

'No amount of tanning is safe or a good idea. A tan is actually the earliest sign of sun-induced DNA damage in our skin. Studies have shown that the additional melanin produced while tanning provides very minimal protection overall, roughly equivalent to applying a sunscreen with a SPF of 3 or less. Moreover, tanning has been shown to cause premature aging (skin discoloration, fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging), and significantly increases our risk of skin cancer. At the end of the day, it's best to avoid tanning altogether, and to apply a good, broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 before any sun exposure.' —Faiyaaz Kalimullah, MD, board-certified dermatologist at the Center for Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine in Chicago, IL. (These are the skin cancer myths you could be ignoring.)

 

10. Myth: You must drink eight glasses of water daily 

'You should drink to your thirst, not to meet an arbitrary number of cups or ounces. And if you're worried about your skin you would have to be drastically and dangerously dehydrated (not having any water for many days) before your skin would show any signs of suffering or distress. Skin dries out from the outside due to low humidity and moisturizer much faster than from the inside.' —Neal Schultz, MD, NYC dermatologist, founder of DermTv.com and creator of BeautyRx