Medical Myths....

On The View yesterday, Dr. Nancy Snyderman was on the show with her book Medical Myths. It debunked all these medical myths that we have learned from generation to generation passed on by our mothers and doctors! It was really intriguing to hear some of these myths. Here are some of them:

• Medicine cabinets are best kept out of the bathroom. The worst room in your house to stockpile your medicine is the bathroom. The humidity and swings in temperature can age medications prematurely, so you should keep real medicines — the ones taken by mouth — in a separate area in a hall closet. Use your built-in medicine cabinet for things like bandages and dental floss.


• Sugar does not cause hyperactivity in kids. There is no scientific evidence that sugar triggers hyperactivity in children, but it will make them obese. Sugar is a major problem for children because many high-sugar foods are also loaded with fat, so if your kids are eating a lot of sugar and fat-laced foods, they will start putting on pounds even to the point of being at greater risk for "adult" diseases such as diabetes.


• Earwax may predict breast cancer risk. Ear wax is a buildup of oil and dead skin cells that act like the oil in your car. It lubricates the gentle lining of the ear, keeps your ear moist, and protects it against infection. And contrary to what you might have heard, ear wax is not dirty. There are two genetically determined types of ear wax: dry (dry and flaky) and wet (honey brown to dark brown and moist). Most blacks and caucasians have the wet type while most Asians and Native Americans have the dry type. One of the genetic traits associated with breast cancer is wet earwax. The breasts and glands that produce earwax are both apocrine glands. According to the National Cancer Institute, women with excessive wet ear wax are twice as likely to develop breast cancer as are those with dry ear wax.


• Grilling meat can increase cancer risk. Grilling or pan-frying meat creates chemicals called heterocyclic-camines which can be harmful. These chemicals are found in higher quantities when meat is well done or burnt. Experts recommend limiting the amount of grilled meat in your diet and avoiding the burnt parts altogether. To cut down on HCSS, marinate and precook meats in a microwave before cooking by other methods.

On a side note, it's nice that the ladies of The View finally discussed someone else's book besides Barbara Walter's Audition! They've been making me nauseous plugging that book every day! I mean I am interested to read it, but enough already.