Exposing health myths

Top health myths and what the truth really is....

People often follow old home recipes or grandma's tales when it comes to fixing an ailment or maintaining their appearance. While there are cases where these remedies might work, most of them are often based on half truths or no truth at all. Knowing the right remedy or right symptom is important for one's health. Here we investigate some popular health myths and what the truth really is:

Myth one: A vasectomy is a protrated and painful procedure that could damage your sex life.

The truth: According to experts, a vasectomy is a relatively simple and painless procedure that only takes a few minutes to perform.

Myth two: Acne is caused by not washing properly.

The Truth: Acne is caused by the effects of hormones on sebaceous glands. This is why it particularly affects teenagers and can also be increased by stress. Cleaning your face too often can actually increase acne as the body compensates to replace the body oil washed away.

Myth three: Depressed people need to 'pull themselves together' and then they would be fine.

The truth: Depression is an illness involving an imbalance of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. It is not a character flaw or a sign of personal weakness. You can't make yourself by trying to 'snap out of it'. Counselling and medcation may be needed to treat depression, and a doctor should be consulted.

Myth four: You should always rest during your period.

The truth: You should do whatever makes you feel comfortable, but don't be afraid to exercise. It is a good way of controlling PMS by increasing endorphins, the happy hormone, and helps cramps by increasing the supply of oxygen to the muscles. Swimming is fine provided you wear a tampon.

Myth five: A lump in your breast means you have breast cancer.

The truth: About 80 percent of breast lumps are benign (non cancerous). Sometimes there can be cysts, nipple discharges and calcification (calcium salt deposits in breast tissues) resulting from injury or bruising, hormonal changes or infections. However, should you find a lump you must contact a health professional straight away, because catching cancer early significantly increases chances of recovery.

Myth six: People are overweight because they have slow metabolisms.

The truth: Unfortunately, a slow metabolism is no excuse for being overweight. Studies reveal that fat people have faster metabolisms and burn off more energy than slimmer people simply to keep their bodies going.

Myth seven: Cholestrol is bad for you.

The Truth: Cholestrol is a fatty substance that is made mostly by the liver. We all need some blood cholestrol as it's used to build cells and make vital hormones - and there's good cholestrol and bad cholestrol. Saturated fats found in food like meat, cheese, cream, butter and processed pastries tend to raise low density lipoprotein - or 'bad' cholestrol - and this delivers cholestrolto the arteries. However high density lipoprotein - or 'good' cholestrol - transports cholestrol away from the arteries, back to the liver. This can be increased by the exercise.

Myth eight: Bananas are fattening.

The truth: They are actually low in fat. there is only half a gram of fat and 95 calories in a banana. Not only that but they are packed with potassium, come in their own packaging, are clean and very handy as a snack!

Myth nine: It's fine to skip breakfast.

The truth: Breakfast is a very important meal. Although people who skip breakfast catch up on their energy requirements later in the day, they're unlikely to get all the vitamins and minerals that a simple breakfast can provide.

Myth ten: There is no need to worry about sexually-transmitted infections (STIs). It only takes a course of antibiotics and you are fine!

The truth: It is true that most sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) can be completely cured if they are caught at an early stage, and the treatment may be as simple as a course of antibiotics. However, if left untreated, STIs can pose a long term risk to your health and fertility. The infections chlamydia and gonorrhea can both lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) if they are not treated. This can, in turn, lead to long-term pelvic pain, blocked Fallopian tubes, infertility and ectopic pregnancy in women, and pain and inflammation of the testicles and the prostate gland in men.

So, the next time you try to fix an ailment yourself, make sure you have your facts in place, before you end up causing yourself more pain than relief.

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