Again and again rumors, misconceptions and assumptions persist around the topic of health. We clear up with the typical and well-known errors. The following 20 false assumptions are taken under the microscope, refuted and corrected, so that you no longer fall into the trap of a faith healer or amateur doctor. Do vegetarians live longer? How can tinnitus be treated? Is snoring dangerous? Does pre-tanning in a solarium protect against sunburn? Answers are here.
1. stains on fingernails mean calcium deficiency
False. The white spots that appear in the nail and grow out with it are not the result of calcium, zinc or vitamin deficiency. Most often, they are small injuries or pressure points that occur, for example, during nail care or due to air pockets in the nail plate.
2. carrots are good for the eyes
False. It is true that carrots provide a preform of vitamin A, beta carotene, which is important for the eyes. However, this has no effect on our vision in normal amounts. However, there is a substance that is responsible for light-dark vision. It consists of a protein and vitamin A. Twilight vision therefore actually depends on vitamin A. However, a deficiency of this vitamin is rare in this country, unlike in some developing countries.
3. vegetarians live longer
False. According to some studies, vegetarians have a higher life expectancy. However, this is not related to a renunciation of meat or other animal products, but to the otherwise very conscious lifestyle of vegetarians – with a balanced diet, little alcohol and cigarettes and more exercise.
4. alcohol warms
False. Immediately after drinking alcohol, it does indeed warm up for a short time, because the alcohol gets the pulse going. By the likewise caused vasodilatation, the blood pressure sinks however, so that a reasonable blood circulation is no longer ensured. The body then threatens to cool down quickly, which results in exactly the opposite effect.
5. reading in dim light damages the eyes.
False. Reading in low light is one thing above all: exhausting for the eyes. They dry out and begin to burn, so that for the moment the vision is actually limited. Driving a car, for example, should be avoided afterwards. After a recovery period, however, the eyes are fully capable again.
6.Spinach is healthy because it contains particularly high levels of iron.
False. Spinach is a valuable vegetable that stimulates muscle growth, strengthens vision and respiratory system. But it contains only a little more iron than chocolate. And the iron actually contained in spinach is not even readily usable. The myth of this particularly iron-rich vegetable has its origins in a comma error. During an iron analysis more than 100 years ago, the actual iron content of 2.9 milligrams in 100 grams of spinach was mistakenly given as 29 milligrams. This comma error has been passed down through generations like this.
7. fresh vegetables are healthier than frozen vegetables
False. If the vegetables are not from your own garden or from a local farmer, you can assume that frozen vegetables contain more vitamins and are therefore healthier than vegetables from the supermarket. This is because vegetables are often transported long distances and stored for long periods of time. In addition, they are often harvested unripe, while frozen vegetables are shock-frozen within an hour of being ripe and freshly harvested. In this state, vital substances break down only slowly.
8. nothing can be done against tinnitus.
False. It is important that a doctor should be consulted at the first ringing in the ears or the first noises in the ears. Even more so if the symptoms do not diminish after a few hours or restful nightly sleep. If additional symptoms exist, such as loss of hearing or feelings of dizziness, a doctor should be consulted immediately. The earlier tinnitus is treated, the better the chances of successfully treating it. In this regard, the greatest chances are in the first three months after the onset of symptoms.
9. snoring is harmless
False. Snoring is a complex relationship between breathing and slackened muscles of the nose and throat. Whenever the airways are constricted, the typical snoring sounds occur. There are some anatomical prerequisites for this, such as enlarged adenoids and pharyngeal tonsils, which intensify the effect.With increasing age, the muscles also slacken, which also promotes snoring. People who snore sometimes have choking attacks during sleep. During these usually unnoticed choking attacks, breathing stops for up to two minutes at a time. Harmless snoring, on the other hand, is during colds with sniffles.
10. pre-tanning protects against sunburn
False. Pre-tanning on the tanning bed is of no use at all. In solariums, mainly UVA radiation is used. Although these tan the skin immediately, they do not provide adequate protection for the skin at all. Because only by means of the UVB rays of the sun a protection of the skin can be built up.
