Recently, I had a conversation with a patient and his mom about acne. I went through my usual talk about what to do to help clear it up and which medicines to use. After I was done, his mom said: \u201cAnd no more chocolate for you!\u201d I was tempted to blurt out, \u201cSorry, I think you should know there\u2019s just no science to support that,\u201d but I decided to let it go.<\/p>\n
This conversation prompted me to ask my colleagues: What other myths do they bust on a regular basis during office visits? What do our parents and patients believe that just isn\u2019t true and might even be hurting them?<\/p>\n
Here are the responses:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Playing in the cold gives you a cold<\/a>.<\/strong> Nope. Viruses give you colds.<\/p>\n Green mucus means you need an antibiotic.<\/strong>\u00a0Not always.<\/p>\n Cracking knuckles causes arthritis<\/a><\/strong>. I wish this were true, then everyone would stop making that awful noise. But it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Sugar causes hyperactivity.<\/strong> I\u2019m not saying sugar is good for your child \u2013 but it\u2019s not the cause of hyperactivity.<\/p>\n Tilting back or forward with a nosebleed<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0stops it. Nope \u2013 stay upright.<\/p>\n Teething causing fevers.<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Teething causes teeth \u2013 not fevers.<\/p>\n Chocolate and french fries make acne worse<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0No, and see above.<\/p>\n Milk creates more mucous during a cold.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s fine to drink milk when you have a cold!<\/p>\n Letting a baby stand will make them bowlegged or pigeon-toed<\/a><\/strong>. Not true.<\/p>\n Holding a baby too much will spoil them.<\/strong> You can spoil fruits and veggies. Not babies.<\/p>\n Fevers are bad<\/a>. <\/strong>Fevers are not always bad and can even be helpful in fighting infection!<\/p>\n The flu vaccine gives you the flu.<\/a> <\/strong>This is simply not true, and it\u2019s a dangerous myth. Please have your family\u00a0vaccinated!<\/p>\n