October 2024
#CURED
We know we shouldn’t get medical information from the internet, but social media claims can be difficult to ignore. Instead of double-tapping ourselves into panic mode, let’s see what the experts say about some viral health and wellness myths.
At some point, against our best judgment, most of us have typed our symptoms into Dr. Google. Now Dr. Tik Tok, Dr. Instagram and Dr. YouTube have entered the chat, with creators making claims about nutrition, hormones, immunity and more. Some are licensed medical professionals, and some are “wellness experts” who want you to leach out your toxins by putting raw potatoes in your socks. There has been a significant rise in health and science influencers. Many have good intentions and other do not. These “experts” may proffer misinformation that is at best a waste of time and at worst truly harmful. Other health creators, even some MDs, are only interested in selling you products. To help us sort out suspect information, we asked legit members of medical social media to debunk five of the most viral myths.
The Myth: Certain health foods aren’t actually healthy. What’s not to love about good old oatmeal? Nutritious and filling, it’s a go-to for many health-conscious eaters. But on social media, the beloved breakfast has its share of haters, mainly the type of low-carb-living evangelists who label plant-based foods as poisonous. They insist oatmeal raises your blood sugar so high you might as well eat a candy bar. Oatmeal increases blood sugar, but that’s our body’s normal response to any carbohydrate-containing food. The real story is that most Americans need more whole grains and fiber. Almost all U.S. adults (95%) skimp on fiber, and we need it because it’s linked to improved heart health and digestion. A one-cup serving of cooked oats packs four grams (about 15% of your daily requirement). If your blood sugar is a concern, combine oats with protein like a poached egg and a plant-based fat like avocado to help your body more slowly digest the meal. If you prefer, you can add nuts to the oatmeal. And have you heard the hubbub about seed oils? Canola, corn, sunflower and peanut, to name a few. They’ve been maligned online for supposedly causing heart attacks, diabetes, and other issues. But the data were misinterpreted. Yes: health problems have risen in conjunction with our intake of seed oils. The culprit, though, are the products that often contain the oils: fast food, packaged snacks, and baked goods, which tend to be highly processed and have loads of saturated fat, sodium and calories. The oils themselves aren’t harmful. In fact, they’re rich in some of the fats we need in our diets. If you love to cook with canola oil, go right ahead, although use a mixture of oils to include olive and avocado oils as well, as these oils benefit heart and brain health. Finally, smoothies. They’re criticized for their high sugar content, but when they’re made correctly, they can be a nutritious, fiber-filled package. So, drink up because, again, the more pressing problem is that you probably need more produce in your diet. We’re in a real vegetable and fruit consumption crisis; just 10% of adults get the recommended amount of produce each day. And guess what’s an amazing vehicle for vegetables and fruits? Smoothies! Add a source of protein (milk, yogurt, protein powder) and healthy fats (avocado, nut butter), and you have a great, portable meal.
The Myth: You can “boost” your immune system to better fight off illness. If you want to help your immune system, don’t worry about turmeric cocktails, frozen carrot-and-ginger immunity cubes and salt baths for your feet. The immune system is an incredibly complex, tightly regulated network. White blood cells constantly patrol your body, looking for invaders to fight off. These cells work with certain organs (like your spleen, which produces antibodies), tissues like bone marrow, which produces blood cells), and the lymphatic system, which carries away destroyed bacteria and other waste products. Strengthening such an intricate system of interdependent parts isn’t just a matter of ratcheting it up. You can’t flex the immune system like a muscle, which is what some unsubstantiated claims suggest. And even if you could, pumping up your immune system wouldn’t necessarily be a good thing. Too much “strength” in your immune system is a hallmark of inflammatory disorders like allergies and autoimmune diseases, in which your body attacks substances it shouldn’t. What you can do is support your immune system with (surprise) healthy habits: getting enough sleep, regularly exercising, eating a well-balanced diet, limiting alcohol, avoiding tobacco and practicing good hygiene. Hopefully you’re trying to do all that stuff anyway.
The Myth: Your digestive/skin/mood woes are definitely a food sensitivity issue. Maybe you’ve seen an influencer claim they discovered a sensitivity to a certain food: lima beans, kiwi, brewer’s yeast, and once they eliminated it, their troubling symptoms disappeared. No matter how alluring you find the idea of a quick fix, hold off on ordering that pricey DIY testing kit. The term “food sensitivity” is vague. It’s almost meaningless. Have a food allergy means your body mounts an immune reaction when you encounter a specific protein (in cow’s milk, eggs, fish, etc.). Having a food sensitivity simply means that you don’t digest that food well. It’s a made-up term with no clear diagnostic criteria or consensus expert definition. Allergies can be detected by testing but there are no validated ways to detect sensitivities. If you order one of the at-home tests heavily promoted on social media, it will probably just measure IgG, an antibody that is part of a normal immune response to eating. The results can show only that you’ve eaten the food recently, not whether it’s problematic for you. Avoiding foods based on the results of these tests can lead to an unnecessarily restricted diet, nutritional deficiencies and disordered eating. Plus, influencers peddling the tests may use them as bait to enroll followers for long-term programs that call for more testing, and a lot more money. If you have serious concerns about your gastrointestinal tract, see your primary care provider, who can help diagnose you or refer you to a specialist.
The Myth: Everyone has ADHD. Social medial has encouraged open conversations about many mental health issues, which is definitely a positive thing, and connecting with others who share your struggle can be validating. The flip side is that quick video clips can oversimplify complicated issues, as is often the case with ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Once seen as a condition primarily affecting fidgety boys, it’s now recognized in more adult woman. Countless posts highlight the “hidden” symptoms that might indicate ADHD. It’s tempting to self-diagnose based on a cluster of symptoms seen in a Tik Tok video because we have a natural urge to want to understand ourselves, and finding an explanation for our challenges can be a relief. Further, once we’re convinced we’ve discovered the explanation, we may fall prey to confirmation bias, the tendency to pay attention to evidence that supports our theory and disregard anything that doesn’t. If you’re concerned, seek a full assessment by a trained clinician, such as a neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist or psychologist. Standardized neurological testing is used to diagnose mental health conditions, and the process can take several months. Often clinicians discover that even if you do have ADHD, there may be other things going on: a learning or reading disability, depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition. It’s in your best interest to see an expert.
The Myth: Your hormones need to be “balanced” (especially if you’re in perimenopause). The videos tend to follow a pattern: If you’re experiencing (insert long list of symptoms here: insomnia, mood swings, fatigue), your hormones are “imbalanced”. Hormones may indeed be involved in what’s ailing you. In some way, shape or form, hormones affect every part of the body, including energy and mood, so it’s not uncommon to have them evaluated as part of your workup. But since hormones can fluctuate throughout a person’s life, “hormone imbalance” is a very broad term. Still, some so-called women’s health experts will try to sell you an at-home hormone test or get you to take a hormone panel, then encourage you to buy supplements or begin therapy with some type of remedy. If someone is telling you to check your hormones and then selling you a quick-fix product that is profitable for them be very wary, especially if they’re not a board-certified physician. Discuss your symptoms with your physician who may refer you to an ob-gyn or endocrinologist.
Jessica Migala