Cooperative Living October 2018 - 22

Six Common Health Myths
HealthyTake | by Allison Goldberg, Contributing Writer
H
ealth and nutrition are young sciences, and better
information is constantly emerging from more recent
studies. It's easy to miss this new information because our
brains naturally cling to the first versions of what we hear. Let's
take a look at a few common health myths.
1. Antiperspirants cause breast cancer: According to the
American Cancer Society, researchers found no link between
antiperspirant or deodorant use and breast cancer risk, based on a
study comparing 813 women with breast cancer and 793 women
without breast cancer.
2. Being cold will give you a cold: A cold is a virus, and
catching a cold means you've become infected by a virus (or
many viruses - there are thousands!). Cold air is not a virus.
However, there are several reasons we're more likely to catch a
cold during winter months: We're more likely to be in close
quarters indoors (and thus sharing more air and germs), drier
indoor air leads to drier nasal cavities (mucus membranes are
better at protecting us when moist), and rhinovirus germs
replicate faster at lower temperatures.
3. Cracking your joints will cause arthritis: Those cracks and
pops you hear when you crack your joints are simply air being
released from the liquid that lubricates your joints. While this
doesn't cause arthritis, that doesn't mean it's good for you.
Harvard University Medical School says people who crack their
knuckles tend to have lower grip strength and increased
inflammation in their hands.
4. 4. Organic food is more nutritious and pesticide-free:
A study by British researchers reviewed 162 scholarly, peerreviewed,
published articles that compared organic and
traditionally grown produce. All told, this review found no
difference in 15 noted nutrients, including vitamin C, betacarotene
and calcium. They also analyzed results for organic and
traditionally raised meat, dairy and eggs, and found that organic
livestock products actually had higher levels of fats. In regard to
chemicals, both traditionally grown and organic farms use
pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. According to the Scientific
American, over 20 chemicals have been approved for use by the
U.S. Organic Standards. Even though organic pesticides,
herbicides and fungicides are created from natural sources, that
doesn't necessarily mean they're safer.
5. Vaccines cause autism: In 1998, a British gastroenterologist
published a falsified paper in which he linked the measles,
mumps and rubella vaccines to autism. His findings were not
replicable, the conclusions he drew were not supported by
data, and he had financial conflicts of interest. His autism
study has since been discredited and he is no longer allowed
to practice medicine in the U.K. According to Autism Speaks,
risk factors for autism include parental age, pregnancy and
birth complications, closely spaced pregnancies and
environmental risk factors.
6. You need to cleanse your body of toxins (also known
as " detoxing " ): Your body is a self-cleaning machine. Your
lungs expel carbon dioxide, while your kidneys and liver clean
your blood. Your colon removes waste and your sweat releases
excess salts from your skin. Therefore, the best way to " detox "
is to treat your body right by drinking plenty of water and
moderating unhealthy foods, alcohol and drug use - and that
includes quitting tobacco. There's no need to fast or deprive
yourself. In fact, eating an abundance of fresh or frozen
vegetables and fruit, staying hydrated and getting more sleep
are the best ways to help your body perform optimally. 
Allison Goldberg writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade
association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives.
From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops
serve as engines of economic development for 42 million
Americans across 56 percent of the nation's landscape.
20 | Cooperative Living | October 2018
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Cooperative Living October 2018

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