As a healthcare professional, it can be frustrating when your patients come to you with health concerns that they’ve bought on themselves by ignoring preventative advice. Too often, patients come into the clinic presenting symptoms caused by believing myths related to their health. One way in which you can stop this from happening is to educate your patients in the first place, reassuring them that their beliefs are nothing more than hearsay. With this in mind, here are five health myths which are damaging your patient’s health: Overloading on Vitamins Will Stop a Cold Whenever we start to feel a tickle in our throats, our first reaction is often to rush to the pharmacy and stock up on cold and flu tablets as well as plenty of vitamins. Many patients will look for the vitamins they’ve been told can ward off viruses, such as vitamin C, multivitamins and vitamin D supplements. Although vitamins are great for a patient’s health when they are deficient, exceeding the recommended dose can actually detrimental to their health. There is no strong evidence to suggest that vitamins can stop a virus dead in its tracks. Sunscreen Can Cause Health Problems Speculation surrounding the chemicals in sunscreen has left some patients with the belief that it can actually be harmful to their health, even as far as causing cancer. An older study was undertaken on oxybenzone, and one of the active ingredients in many sunscreens showed that rats exposed to the chemical experienced serious side-effects. Doctors have pointed out that the level of oxybenzone needed to cause harm to a patient is extremely high, and that being out in the sun for too long without wearing sunscreen can actually lead to premature skin aging and wrinkles. You Can “Detox” Your Body With Special Diets Detox and so-called “well-being” holidays have become increasingly popular among people looking to cleanse their body. While getting away from it all may be good for the soul, a juice detox or liquid diet won’t be the answer to weight loss problems, clearing acne or purging toxins from your system. It’s the job of the liver to cleanse the body, and no such detox can do it quite as well. Patients should be encouraged to make positive changes to their diet and daily habits to notice a difference in their health. Going Gluten-Free Will Help You Lose Weight The only individuals who need to stick to a gluten-free diet are those who have been diagnosed with celiac disease. Those who follow a gluten-free lifestyle without actually being gluten-intolerant risk damaging their health. It can cause constipation, because many gluten-containing foods contain fiber which helps with bowel movements. What’s more, it may also cause patients to miss out on muscle-building proteins because gluten-free products from supermarkets contain far less protein than their gluten-containing counterparts. You Can Cope on Less Than 5 Hours’ Sleep Many people believe the common misconception that humans can function on less than 5 hours of sleep a night. In contrast, there is extensive evidence to show that sleeping five hours or less consistently will increase a patient’s risk for adverse health consequences. This includes cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, and a shorter life expectancy. Everyone should aim for a consistent seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Many people also believe that you can catch up on sleep over the weekend, another myth that has also been quashed by sleep experts. They say that sleep dept simply doesn’t work in this way. What other myths do you hear? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments below! Source
