MDs dispel some old wives' tales
There are innumerable old wives' tales about health that doctors hear every day. But the truth is not always so easy to figure out.
Dr. Kathryn Szabo, a family medicine doctor with Butler Medical Associates in Seven Fields, said she especially hears a lot of myths and misconceptions this time of the year as people come into the office with colds and the flu.
Going out in the cold with wet hair or without a coat won't automatically bring on the common cold, she said. It's more likely people are getting sick because they're spending more time indoors in close quarters, sharing germs with one another.
“The biggest one I hear is that if you go outside with wet hair, you'll get pneumonia, which doesn't really correlate,” Szabo said.
Dr. Brian Donnelly, a pediatrician with Pediatric Alliance, said if you're cold then the stress of that can weaken you, increasing your chances of catching something. But cold temperature doesn't always cause colds.
Donnelly said has heard a lot of myths regarding vaccinations in recent years. Childhood vaccines do not cause autism, nor does getting the flu shot cause you to get the flu, Donnelly said. The influenza virus inside the shot is not live, he said.
“You can get a cold the day after you get the flu shot, and the timing is such that people think it's from the shot,” he said.
Some think the color of their mucus determines whether they have a viral or bacteria infection. Not quite, Szabo said. The discoloration in mucus comes from white blood cells fighting an infection, although it doesn't determine specifically what type of infection.
The color of your mucus is used as one clue in the entire picture of your diagnosis, which also includes how long you've been sick and other symptoms you're experiencing, Szabo said.
The adage “feed a fever, starve a cold” or vice versa also is not entirely true.
Donnelly said when you have a fever, you may not feel like eating or drinking anything. So you want to try to eat and drink more to stay hydrated, therefore “feeding” the fever. But you shouldn't starve a cold.Eating chicken soup can actually help you feel better when you're sick, Donnelly said. The sodium from the broth helps you retain fluids, and the chicken provides much-needed protein and other nutrients.“Then if it's made by someone who loves you, there's that aspect as well,” he said. “I wouldn't write that off.”Szabo said no matter what illness you have, it's important to maintain nutrition and hydration regardless of how you do it.“The better you maintain yourself, the faster you'll feel better,” she said.There has been an increase in recent years of people moving back toward homeopathic remedies and alternative medicine, the doctors said. Szabo said as long as what her patients tell her they're doing is not going to hurt them, she doesn't discourage it.And when in doubt or when you have questions, always ask your doctor, Szabo and Donnelly said. That's why they're there.
