More Common Health Misconceptions

I just thought this was cute.

As I promised before, here are some more medical misconceptions. You've probably heard them before because they do make sense, but things aren't always as simple as they seem.

Here we go:

You need to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day to avoid dehydration. No one is going to tell you not to drink water if that is what you want to do. After all, it is important to stay hydrated. However, this exact amount is rather arbitrary. It came from a 1945 government-run that stated that people should take in 64 oz (8 8-oz glasses) of fluid a day. However, the next sentence of that article stated that we already get a good portion of that from our food. That makes sense if you consider that koala bears don't need to drink water at all because they get all they need from their eucalyptus leaves. I know we're not koala bears (koala bears are much cuter than some people I've seen), but the point is that there is water in our food as well. It's not just in that liquid form. Also, note the word 'fluid'...meaning drinks like juices and teas also 'count'. While you might have to adjust your intake depending on things like activity and the weather, your body is pretty good at telling you when it needs water. Listen to it.

Your genes determine your fate. In other words, if it runs in your family, you're going to get it. While many conditions (breast cancer, heart disease, mental disorders) do have a strong genetic component, different genes behave in different ways. For instance, I asked my doctor what kind of chance I had of passing on my bipolar disorder. I was concerned because it runs in both my and my husband's families pretty strongly. He told me that, while there is a chance, it's not the same as hair color or eye color; it's not a 'dominant' or 'recessive' trait. The same goes for other things-high blood pressure, certain forms of arthritis, etc. That gives me hope.

Also, how you take care of yourself plays a huge role. One way to look at it is that the genes you inherited from your parents only make up part of the pie chart that is your health-the rest is determined by your personal habits. Just because no one in your family had cancer, high blood pressure or cholesterol problems doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with 'impunity'-things like smoking, excessive drinking and a sedentary lifestyle aren't good for anyone.

You lose most of your body heat through your head. This probably seems true because the head is often the only part of our bodies that isn't covered, but there isn't anything special about the head that makes it lose heat faster than any other part of the body. Any exposed area can give off heat.

Humans only use 10 percent of their brains. Imaging scans such as MRIs have long showed that no part of the brain is completely inactive. Some parts might not be used at all times and we may not be aware of them, but there isn't any part of the brain that is truly not used. This was probably made up by someone in the pharmaceutical or 'snake-oil' industry as a way to hawk their products.

As you can see, there are quite a few medical 'facts' that are really no more than old wives' tales or sneaky marketing tactics. I hope you found this as fun to read as it was to write. Have a good day!

De-Coding Some Commonly-Heard Medical Terms

Have you ever been to a doctor's office or hospital and heard a lot of things you don't understand? Do you ever wonder what some of the terms you hear on those prescription-drug commercials really mean?  Are you ever curious about what the gorgeous male doctors on House and Grey's Anatomy are talking about when they're not dazzling us with their 'baby blues' and 'pearly whites'? My answer is 'yes' to all of them. While the doctors and voice-overs we hear are technically speaking English, they may as well be speaking Greek or some other odd language. Luckily for you, I've managed to find some 'translations' of what some of those terms mean. Here is a short, basic rundown.

• CBC-Complete Blood Panel. This is testing four different components of the blood at once, the most important being white blood cell count and hemoglobin levels.
• CT scan (or CAT scan)-computed axial tomography. It's a computerized scan that shows the body part being scanned (often the brain) from several different angles to give doctors a more complete picture than a standard x-ray.
• MRI-Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This is the machine that looks like a giant tube. This scan uses magnetic energy instead of radiation and is very useful for looking at organs and soft tissue. 
•  Sonogram-a scan that uses sound frequencies to create an image. These are often used to tell the condition and/or sex of an unborn child.
• Benign-harmless.
• Malignant-harmful.
• Stroke-the rapid loss of brain function that happens when its blood supply is disrupted.
• Hematoma-blood that has collected and clotted outside of a blood vessel.
• Melanoma-a malignant skin tumor.
• Hemorrhage-An active bleed.
• Edema-Fluid accumulation. Pulmonary edema refers to a fluid buildup in the lungs.
• Lacerated-torn, as in a wound.
• Suture-Stitching or some other way of closing a wound.
•  cc.-cubic centimeter. This is how fluid going in or being taken out of the body is measured.
• Biopsy-a test involving taking a tissue sample for examination. These are often done to test for a specific condition or abnormality.
• Lesion-injury.
• Contusion-bruise.
• Seizure-a surge of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Many people probably think of the type of seizure that causes someone to fall down, shake all over and lose consciousness, but this is only one type of seizure. Sometimes only part of the body is affected, such as the legs and arms. What happens and where depends on which part of the brain is affected.
• Auto-immune disease-An illness where the body attacks itself. In other words, the immune system can't tell the difference between an 'outside invader' and person's own body.
• Chronic-a condition that is ongoing and/or persistent. Examples are diabetes and arthritis.
• Acute-a condition that has a sudden onset of symptoms and lasts for a finite period of time. They can be mild, severe or sometimes fatal. Examples are colds, flu, and appendicitis.

There are also many common prefixes and suffixes that indicate what is happening and what part of the body is involved. For instance-

• Intra-within.
• Endo-inside
• Peri-around.
• Inter-between
• -itis-inflammation. For instance, sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses.
• -algia-pain. Fibromyalgia is an illness where overactive nerves cause chronic, widespread pain.
• -pathy-a disease. For instance, a 'neuropathy' is a disease that affects the nervous system.
• -plegia-paralysis. A quadraplegic is someone who is permanently paralyzed from the neck down.
• -ectomy-taking something out of the body. For instance, an appendectomy is a removal of the appendix.
• 
  
• Cardi-relating to the heart. For instance, when my husband had endocarditis, he had an infection inside his heart.
• Gastro-referring to the stomach and intestines. A gastroenterologist is a specialist in this area.
• Pneum-referring to the lungs.
• Neuro-referring to the nervous system. For example, Dr. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) on Grey's Anatomy is a neurosurgeon, meaning he cuts into/works with people's brains. However, I'm not sure how many look that good while doing it. :)
• Renal- referring to kidneys. Someone in renal failure is in need of dialysis and a kidney transplant.
• Oncology-referring to cancer.
• Carcinogen-something that causes cancer. For instance, asbestos is a known carcinogen because it causes lung cancer.

As I said before, this is a basic rundown of some of the terms you might hear from your doctor or on television. As with all of my articles on this blog, don't hesitate to ask your doctor if you have questions!