Medical Myths That Can Kill You

Medical Myths That Can Kill You
Monday, April 06, 2009

Some myths are harmless. But some can kill you if you don’t get the facts from a doctor. In this LifeScript exclusive, NBC News medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman debunks the most dangerous health misconceptions – and shares secrets that could save your life. Plus, test your women’s health IQ…
Myths can steer people toward illness, hardship and even death, says Snyderman, in her book Medical Myths That Can Kill You: And the 101 Truths That Will Save, Extend and Improve Your Life (Crown Publishers). From tetanus shots to colonoscopies, the book helps readers manage their medical destinies by disproving common beliefs that can send us to the morgue before our time.In this exclusive interview with LifeScript, Snyderman, a practicing physician and chief medical editor for NBC News, reveals the most lethal misconceptions we tend to have about our health.
She also gives us the lowdown on whether widely circulated warnings (like coloring your hair when you’re pregnant can harm the baby).

Myth 1: Doctors don’t play favorites.What’s the greatest threat to women’s lives? A lack of assertiveness with doctors and other medical personnel, Snyderman says.
As patients, we like to believe that physicians treat everyone with equal care and concern, but they don’t, Snyderman says. “There are inherent biases in health care, whether it’s racism or sexism or ageism.”Such discrimination means some groups of patients get short shrift when they most need the best care. For example, obese women often receive inadequate doses of chemotherapy because doctors discount them for being overweight, Snyderman says. The same holds true for poor women.The long-term solution? Women should see as many different physicians as possible until they find one who takes their complaints seriously and shows dedication to healing them. In the short term? Women need to speak up and insist on attention and care from doctors and nurses. “When it comes to navigating the health care system, good manners are not conducive to good health.”
For example, if you’re going to the emergency room, take someone with you, so you’ll have an advocate who can speak up for you when you’re weak or incapacitated.

Myth 2: You can skip annual checkups. Wrong! You should visit a primary care doctor every year and make sure their services and tests are tailored to your sex, age and risks based on family history. Annual tests are one reason her father is still alive, Snyderman says. Her grandfather died of colon cancer in his 60s, so at every annual checkup her father insisted on getting a sigmoidoscopy, an exam of the lower colon.
When the colonoscopy, a more accurate treatment, became available, he told his doctor he wanted one.
It revealed a cancerous mass in his intestines, which the sigmoidoscopy might have missed.
Because he demanded the colonoscopy and caught the problem early, he survived treatment and has remained healthy for the last 21 years, Snyderman says.Snyderman also stresses the importance of routine checks, such as blood pressure and urinalysis, which help detect problems before they turn into crises.
Because many of us forget to schedule yearly exams, pick a memorable date, like your birthday, to make the appointment, she says.
Click here for Women’s Medical Checklists for Every Age.

Myth 3: Adults don’t need shots. Shots are not just for kids. Some 70,000 U.S. adults die every year from causes that vaccinations could have prevented.
Many of us think that once we’ve completed the childhood series of shots for polio, measles and the like, we’re done. But we may need tetanus booster shots, human papillomavirus (HPV) injections to prevent cervical cancer, and even a vaccine against meningitis, a deadly bacterial infection of the brain that tends to strike on college campuses.If your parents dropped the ball on childhood vaccinations for diseases such as chicken pox and measles, you’re not out of danger. Talk to your doctor about getting immunized.Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, www.cdc.gov, for a detailed rundown of what you need.

Myth 4: Only old people get heart disease and stroke.Heart attacks strike only elderly, paunchy middle-aged men, right? Not necessarily. Strokes, which occur when there’s a stoppage of blood flow to the brain, also can affect young people.
If you’re not a member of either of those groups, you could still be at risk. Everyone should begin heart checks at age 20, the American Heart Association says.
That’s because problems that lead to arteriosclerosis, the buildup that blocks blood flow to the heart, can start when you’re young − a possible consequence of factors such as a fat-laden diet, smoking and obesity.In fact, Snyderman attributes her own heart problem, discovered when she was in her 50s, to careless eating habits in her youth. (She’s reversed them).Women should be tested for high blood pressure, cholesterol count and body mass index (BMI). They also need to be aggressive about getting to the emergency room at the first sign of danger, Snyderman says.
Whatever your age, if you experience signs of a heart attack (pressure in the chest or pain radiating from the chest) or stroke (a sudden numbness on one side of the body), get medical help immediately.
Symptoms can differ by gender. In women, heart attacks are often preceded by jaw pain, a feeling of breathing icy air or overwhelming fatigue. Call an ambulance if you have any of these symptoms.
And never drive yourself to the E.R.
“When you arrive with sirens, you’ll get treatment faster,” Snyderman says. “Or walk right up to the desk and say, ‘I think I’m having a heart attack.’ That’s how you get past the paperwork.”
Get more answers to your top heart-health questions here.

Myth 5: Natural means safe.Two natural, plant-derived substances, Snyderman says, can end lives: tobacco and arsenic.
So what about the hundreds of holistic remedies and diet supplements − from wheat grass juice and blue-green algae to biotin capsules − that health food stores dispense? Is our faith misplaced?
There aren’t easy answers, Snyderman says, because most such products haven’t received the extensive clinical testing that prescription drugs go through before entering the market. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t require such trials for natural substances.If you decide to try natural products, take these sensible steps:
First, be frank with your conventional doctor. Tell him or her what you’re taking and how much, and who else (for example, an herbalist or homeopathic professional) has been giving you advice. “Everything you put in your mouth can affect something else you’re taking,” she says. Your conventional doctor needs to have all the information before giving you prescription drugs or anesthesia for surgical procedures.
Also, do your homework before you try any natural remedies. “It’s best to look at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [www.ajcn.org] or the Tufts University Web site [http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/subjectGuides/cam.html],” Snyderman says. “And remember, medicine is a moving target. Wisdom changes.”

Debunking 6 Small MythsWe compiled a short list of medical urban legends we’d heard for years and asked Snyderman if they’re fact or folklore. Here are her answers:1. LifeScript: Is coloring your hair while pregnant really dangerous to the fetus? Snyderman: There’s never been a link between hair coloring and hurting a baby. 2. Is it true you can have one glass of wine per day while pregnant?Yes, but sip it slowly and have it with food.3. We hear a lot about people testing their “toxin load.” But do we really have to remove all toxins from our environment? Isn’t some exposure healthy?We’re all walking around with toxic things inside us, but is it worth testing? No. It’s BS. The only exceptions are if you have a child with a neurological problem or have an old house. It wouldn’t hurt to test for lead. There are simple home tests you can use for that.
4. Can talcum powder really give you ovarian cancer?An interesting question, because no one knows for sure. As doctors, we used to have talc on our gloves, and we learned to rinse it off because little deposits could show up in the [patient’s] abdominal cavity.5. Do you really have to drink water right after a massage?No. And you don’t have to drink eight glasses of water a day either. Drink when you’re thirsty.6. What do people believe that always surprises you?That dietary supplements are as good as food. You can’t replace food with supplements.Want to learn more? Get your own copy of Medical Myths That Can Kill You.
Women’s Health: How Much Do You Know?How you take care of yourself has a huge impact on your future, affecting everything from your ability to have children to your risk of heart disease. Test your smarts with this women's health quiz.
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