By Marilyn, on March 15th, 2013
For my post this week, I wanted to share a little from a post I read that was posted on Facebook. I had inadvertently misplaced the website that I wanted to review, so I Googled the words “ 6 medical myths” and found there are many medical myths that are myths and myths that doctors still believe. I am going to focus on the myths that were brought to my attention on Facebook by Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum this week and next week six totally different myths.
Medical Myth 1: Skinny People Live Longer
“Being overweight won’t kill you—it may even help you live longer.” WOW! It is drilled into us over and over because we are not skinny and thin we have no life worth living! Commercials and doctors on news shows, give you the impression if you have any extra weight YOU ARE OBESE and are in risk of dying. (That is how I feel because of the constant deluge of noise from the “experts” and the media.) So, when I read this, I was given hope. Dr. Teitelbaum referenced a Canadian study that analyzed 11,326 adults ages 25 and older who were followed over a 12 year period. This study was recently published online in the journal Obesity. The study found that overall, “people who were overweight but not obese were actually less likely to die than people of normal weight. By contrast, people who were underweight were more likely to die than those of average weight. Their risk of dying was 73 percent higher than that of normal weight people, while the risk of dying for those who were overweight was 17% lower than for people of normal weight. The finding adds to a simmering scientific controversy over the optimal weight got adults.”
What has always bothered me about those weight charts is—they do not take into consideration family builds and how your family shapes can be seen throughout your family history. Yes, I have lost the weight over and over, but if I am not on a very strict “diet”, I go back to the average weight that I was after my fourth child. I eat “healthy” and feel very healthy, but I am one of those considered overweight and obese by weight charts.
Medical Myth 2: Salt is Bad For You
There have been several studies that show that lowering salt does not help lower blood pressure and in a recent study, ”investigators found the less salt people ate, the more likely they were to die of heart disease.” In 2011, Scientific American stated, that in a meta-analysis by the American Journal of Hypertension of seven studies with a total of 6,250 subjects, it was found that there was no strong evidence that cutting salt intake does not reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal or high blood pressure.
Medical Myth 3: Oily Food Is Bad For You
As we have stated in our blogs, it depends on the kind of fat. “Trans fats (added to many processed foods – especially margarine, which was touted as more “heart healthy” than butter) is a major killer. Butter is much healthier.” Please look at the healthy oils that we have written about to see what oils are the “good oils (fats)” that you need. There is still many, many people who follow the misguided “low fat diet” mandate despite the science that has come out disputing it.
Dr. Teitelbaum says fish oil is especially healthy. “Fish oil deficiency is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.
Medical Myth 4: Eggs Raise Cholesterol
“Several studies (six studies at my last count) showed that eating six eggs a day for six weeks had no significant effect on cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, eggs are the best (most complete) protein source available.”
Medical Myth 5: Chocolate is Bad
“Dark chocolate has shown to be high in antioxidants and offers numerous health benefits. Simply enjoy in moderation.”
Medical Myth 6: The most Deadly Myth: Avoid Sunshine
This dangerous mal-advise is causing an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. This is estimated to be causing 85,000 excess cancer deaths a year in the U.S. Vitamin D deficiency also contributes to causing obesity and numerous other medical problems. “ Avoid sunburn, not sunshine.”
The Overriding Fallacy—thoughts from Dr. Teitelbaum
“The great fallacy is that things that make you feel good are bad for you. Listen to your body, and see how you feel overall with different pleasures. If they leave you feeling better overall long term, I suspect that odds are they are beneficial. I trust what our body and feelings tell us much more than the busted myths put out by our usually well meaning, but our often wrong, medical system.”
Original Article on Public Health Alert
And on Dr. Jacob Teitlbaum’s Website
