Busting Health Myths Round 2

In this episode we address common health myths you may have heard before.

Transcript

Welcome And Myth Busting Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Hello, listeners, and welcome back to the Salt Lake County Employee Wellness Wellcast. Go to Spot for tips and updates to help you live your healthiest, happiest life. I'm so glad you're tuning in today. This is Cody Ryan, your host for this month's Wellcast. You are seeing me, or I should say hearing me, two months in a row. As Jane introduced me to you all last month, but today I'm taking over the mic. We are going on an adventure to do some debunking of those health myths that we have grown up hearing. I'm sure we've all had a well-meaning parent or friend give us advice that sounds, hmm, well, a little suspicious. Today we're putting those tall tales to the test with actual science. Getting started with some of the classics. Let's start with one of the classics from the depths of our elementary school memories. Swallowing chewing gum. We've all heard that when you swallow chewing gum, it stays in your stomach for seven years, right? Well, the good news is that is totally false. Your body can't digest the gum base, it doesn't just sit there. It passes through your system in just a few days, just like anything else. So if you ever accidentally swallow gum, you know it's not just sitting there. Another interesting myth that I think we've all been told at one point or another is that we only use 10% of our brains. This is entirely false. In reality, brain imaging shows nearly all parts of our brain are active at some point or another. Even when we're doing simple tasks like making up a cup of coffee or listening to this well cast. So no need to fret over that. If you're up and going about your day, your neurons are firing away and you're using all of your brain in one form or another. The next one is for my fidgeters out there. This one definitely applies to me. Does cracking your knuckles give you arthritis? Hmm. Well, the science says no. That popping sound that you hear is actually just gas bubbles releasing from the fluid that lubricates your joints. There even was a doctor, Dr. Donald Ungler, who did a study and cracked the knuckles on his left hand for 60 years and never cracked the knuckles on his right. After six decades, there was zero difference in arthritis from one hand to the other. Some studies say that you might have a little bit of a weaker grip if you are excessive with popping your knuckles. But the good news is you are not popping your way into arthritis or a joint disease. Let's jump over to another topic since we're on our bodies. Let's talk about gray hairs. Have you ever heard that if you pull out one gray hair, two more will grow in its place? This is also a myth. It's absolutely not true. It is impossible for one follicle to suddenly sprout two hairs just because you plucked one out. If that were the case, I would definitely be pulling out all the gray hairs. I would love to get a little bit more hair density. But alas, we can take a deep breath. If we pull out a gray hair, those are not multiplying any faster for having done that. Next, let's take a little trek into the great outdoors. I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, my mom always said, don't go swimming for an hour after you eat. This actually stems from the theory that the blood flow would be so busy digesting that you'd drown. Truthfully, the only real danger of jumping into a pool or into a lake right after lunch, you might have a potentially upset stomach. So feel free to go swimming if you want to right after you eat, but just know you might upset your tummy a little bit. Moving on to our skin health. Have you ever been told that candy causes acne breakouts? The research on this also says no. Candy does not necessarily cause acne. While a lot of sugar isn't great for your overall health, your skin clarity mostly boils down to genetics and balances in your hormones. This next one is pretty fun and has a little bit of a controversy. It's a bit of a debate. So let's tackle that one. One of the biggest myths in nutrition that does contain controversy is breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For decades we've been told that skipping breakfast shuts down your metabolism and leads to massive weight gain. The reality is that this rule was popularized by companies making breakfast foods like cereal and bacon in the 1800s. While a balanced breakfast is a great opportunity to get nutrients like fiber and protein, science shows that skipping breakfast doesn't automatically ruin your health or slow down your metabolism. Conversely, information showing that skipping meals might lead to weight gain often stems from lack of mindfulness when skipping meals. Typically, that information is coming from when we're rushed and we skip a meal and then tend to make poorer choices later in the day. Evidence also suggests that your daily total intake matters more for your long-term metabolic rate than the specific timing of your meals. Some people feel more energetic with a morning meal, while others thrive on intermittent fasting. What it all boils down to is the best time to eat your morning breakfast is when you're actually hungry. And just trying to make consistent, mindful choices that are easy for you to stick to. Okay, let's dive into another fun one. We're on the topic of habits. Did your parents ever tell you that reading in the dark will ruin your eyesight? I definitely did. I remember I'd be staying up at night in my room trying to read the Harry Potter books, and my parents would come in and be like, put that book away, you're gonna ruin your eyes. While reading in the dark can definitely cause eye strain or a temporary headache, according to a Harvard medical study, it doesn't actually cause permanent damage to the structure of your eyes. And then here is one for our deep sleepers. Is it dangerous to wake a sleepwalker? You might have heard that if you wake someone while they're sleepwalking, you'll give them a heart attack. In reality, it's not dangerous for them unless they have another underlying condition. However, they might be confused or frightened, and it might be a little bit dangerous for you because they might swing a limb at you because you've started them. So the best move is to gently guide sleepwalkers back toward their bed. For another sleep myth, this one is one that I always heard growing up, and I did not like. Have you ever heard that you will eat eight spiders a year in your sleep? I have great news. This is not true. I'm so glad this is not true. Spiders are actually terrified of us. Our heartbeat, our breathing, and snoring create vibrations that tell spiders to stay far away. Plus, your lips are incredibly sensitive. You would likely wake up if you had something crawling on them. It's a very, very rare event for a person to eat a spider in their sleep, not an annual tradition or an eight times over annual tradition. So I hope that's as comforting to you all as it was to me. Another fun myth that I came across was going over to the topic of exercise. I don't know if you've ever heard that you should never exercise if you're feeling sick. Science actually shows the opposite. I didn't know this and I thought it was fascinating. So the science actually shows that mild to moderate exercise, if you have an upper respiratory infection or like a common cold, may actually help you feel better faster. And continuing with the topic of exercise, have you ever been told that running will ruin your knees? I always was told this. I did it anyway. I've done marathons and half marathons and Spartan races. But I was always told, oh, you gotta be careful, you gotta do all the right things because running will ruin your knees. Modern studies actually show the opposite: that getting out there and pounding the pavement seems to protect your joints. One large study found that runners were half as likely to develop knee osteoarthritis compared to non-runners. And additionally, runners typically have stronger quadricep muscles, which help protect your knee joint. So if you were thinking about it, I guess it's time to sign up for that 5K. So looking at all of these myths that we have explored today, the bottom line is that wellness doesn't have to be scary or full of don'ts. When we look at the facts and we realize our bodies are a lot more resilient and smarter than we think they are. Try not to pay attention to all of the myths and fads out there and do what feels best for you. Thank you so much for joining me on this little myth busting session today. I hope I've cleared up a few things and maybe given you a little peace of mind. I know I'm still experiencing that over the spiders. As always, stay curious, stay active, get out there and get those steps for March into May. I hope you all are having a great day, and I'll catch you next time. Happy stepping. Bye.