Health Myths Idahoan’s Need to Kiss Buh-Bye in 2018

How many health myths do you believe? Sitting too close to the TV won’t damage your vision...and eating carrots won't improve your vision either...thanks for lying to me mom! It’s shocking how many health myths pass as fact these days. (I blame the Russians) This recent study is proof of just how many dumb things we believe about our health.

The project, organized by MedicareSupplement.com, asked over 1,000 Americans to look at a list of 50 health myths and facts and select the ones they believe to be true. The answers were pretty surprising. It turns out that many of us believe a ton of "health hearsay"....Mom lied to me about swallowing gum...she always my brothers and sisters and I, that gum will stay in our stomachs for 7 years before it passes...  LIES!!!!!!

One myth that is widely believed by those interviewed, regardless of gender or age, was that people only use 10% of their brain.....I believe we only use 10% of our heart. (Thanks Wedding Crashers)

How many of these debunked medical myths do you, or have you believed?

• If you swallow gum, it takes 7 years to digest.
• Natural sugar is better for you than processed sugar.
• Eating carrots will give you great vision.
• Chocolate is an aphrodisiac.
• Muscle will become fat if you stop working out.
• Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.
• Being cold can give you a cold.
• Your hair and nails keep growing after death.
• Here's a biggie that I hear a lot...Modern vaccines cause Autism

These are just a few of the medical myths check out a larger sample from the study by clicking on the link below.

While we're at it, why don't we talk a little bit about the flu.  I'm starting to catch a little something, which I hope is just a cold and not the Flu. (I got the Flu shot in October) Flu season across America has been especially bad this year...and there is no shortage of myths having to do with the Flu, so let's put some of those to rest too.

According to an article published in the Huffington Post, here are five myths about the flu it's time to stop believing . . .

Myth #1.  "The flu isn't a serious illness." 

Last year, 34 million Americans got the flu, 710,000 were hospitalized, and about 56,000 died.  To put that in perspective, the flu kills more people in the U.S. each year than the Ebola virus has killed in the history of the world.

Myth #2.  "A healthy lifestyle will protect you against the flu." 

It won't hurt, but it might not be as big of a help as you'd think.  Washing your hands and eating right are important, but you cannot completely stop an airborne virus with a healthy lifestyle alone.

Myth #3.  "It doesn’t matter if you get the flu shot, because if you get sick, you can just take medicine." 

Since the flu is a viral infection, antibiotics aren't effective against it.  The antiviral drug Tamiflu IS an option, but it's not effective for everyone and isn't a cure.

Myth #4.  "Flu shots can give you the flu. "

It doesn't matter if it happened to your best friend's cousin's dog groomer.  It's NOT possible to catch the flu from the flu shot.

It IS true that some people feel sick shortly after getting the vaccine, but it's either because they're having a bad reaction to the shot . . . or they had already caught the virus and weren't showing symptoms when they got vaccinated.

Myth #5.  "It's too late in the flu season to get vaccinated."

It's true that flu season loses steam in February and it can take up to two weeks for the immunity to kick in, but it's never too late to get your shots.

Read the whole article and see all the myths here