From: Michael Friedland, MD
February 01,2009
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Throughout history, every institution and culture has had its share of myths. The medical field is no different. Medical myths refer to popular remedies for illnesses that are not based in fact. Following is a list of some medical myths that have existed over the last several centuries:
A typical response to the anecdotes above is to laugh at the simplicity of these remedies and, by extension, laugh at the people who believed in them. How could they think a nail being pounded into wood could cure a hernia or why would they rub anything on a corpse and then rub it on their skin? Yet, before we laugh too boldly at the lack of knowledge of our forefathers, let’s examine some medical myths that exist today about heart disease—the number one cause of death in the United States. By dispelling some of these myths, people could make more informed decisions and improve their chances of preventing, detecting and treating heart disease more effectively. MYTH #1: The first myth worth addressing concerns the symptoms of heart attacks. Many people believe chest pain or chest tightness will warn them that a heart attack will occur in the near future and afford them an opportunity to seek medical attention. Unfortunately, this belief is terribly and dangerously wrong. If a person ignores mild chest symptoms and waits to have crushing chest pain or shortness of breath before addressing the symptoms, it is often too late. One out of three people who have a heart attack die suddenly before they ever have an opportunity to seek help. Additionally, 80 percent of women never have a crushing feeling in their chest when having a heart attack. (2) MYTH #2: Another myth that is important to dispel is the false belief that atherosclerosis (accumulation of blockages in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes) affects only older people. Over the last few decades, we have learned that atherosclerosis, in fact, begins at a very young age when people are in their 20’s. While the effects of these blockages happen more often when a person is older, an increasing number of people in their twenties and thirties are suffering heart attacks. For this reason, it is important that younger people see their doctors to begin screening for risk factors for atherosclerosis such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. (2) MYTH #3: A final myth that actually is reassuring to learn is false regards the effects that suffering a heart attack will have on the rest of your life. The good news is that heart attack victims who make appropriate lifestyle changes usually enjoy as good or better quality of life than before the attack occurred. Lifestyle changes—which include weight loss, smoking cessation and exercise—can result in improved stamina and more energy. Patients who make these changes often feel younger months after the heart attack than they did in the years leading up to the heart attack. (3) The above myths are only a few of many that circulate in our society without any clear sense of where they began. Whether it is concerning heart disease or any other field of medicine, the worry is that by falling prey to such false information people will make poor decisions regarding their health. Hopefully, by seeking information from reliable sources and recognizing myths as false, we can all improve our chances of living healthier lives.
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