Файл: Medical_Myths_Lies_and_Half-Truths_guidebook.pdf

88

Lecture 24: Roundup—Decluttering Our Mental Closet

joints together. The joints are 

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 lled with 

À

 uid called synovial 

À

 uid, which 

expands when you stretch the joint and ligaments. An expanding liquid has 
less pressure, which causes gases that are dissolved in the synovial 

À

 uid to 

come out and form bubbles. When these large bubbles pop, they form the 
cracking noise. 

There actually has been only one published study looking at the health 
effects of frequently cracking one’s knuckles. The study examined 300 

people who were frequent knuckle 
crackers. It found no increased risk of 
arthritis, but there was an interesting 

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 nding. People who frequently cracked 

their knuckles did have loose ligaments 
and grip weakness, probably caused by 
repeatedly stretching those ligaments. 

Here’s another quick one: Does hair 
continue to grow after we die? The 
answer to this is a simple no. Neither 

hair nor nails continue to grow after we die. This observation may stem 
from the fact that after death the skin becomes desiccated, or dehydrated. 
The skin retracts, giving the false impression of the hair or nails being 
more prominent. 

It may interest you, or perhaps concern you, to learn that even physicians 
harbor myths. While medical school makes an effort to eliminate any 
lingering myths from physicians’ thinking, this is not a 100% effective 
process. Even physicians in practice may still have lingering myths that they 
simply have not had illuminated during their education or careers. 

A recent survey of pediatricians, for example, asked many questions about 
pediatric medicine, focusing on those beliefs known to be common myths. It 
turns out that 2% to 10% of pediatricians surveyed still believed many false 
things. Here are some examples: Some pediatricians believe that ice baths 
can be used to treat a high fever. In fact, you shouldn’t give somebody an 
ice bath to treat a high fever; it’s not necessary or safe. Some believe that 
chicken pox is not contagious before the rash appears. This is also false. 

Rather than seeing it as 
an unpleasant experience 
to be told that I am wrong, 
I’ve come to appreciate and 
even enjoy having my own 
myths corrected. 

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Is it safe to put infants to sleep on their side? It is, though 32% of pediatricians 
still harbored an older false belief that it wasn’t safe to do so. Small 
percentages of pediatricians think that drinking milk can cause an increase in 
phlegm, which is not true. Twelve percent still believe in the Mozart effect—
the notion that listening to Mozart will make babies smarter—though that 
has been entirely debunked. 

Having our false beliefs challenged is often not a pleasant experience. I 
understand that I have popped a lot of balloons in the course of these lectures. 
Perhaps I’ve even challenged some beliefs that were comforting and that you 
were relying on for a sense of control. I long ago accepted the fact that my 
head is 

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 lled with misinformation; that’s an inevitable consequence of living 

in our information society. We are constantly surrounded by information, 
and much of it is not true. 

Therefore I have tried to 

À

 ip my relationship with the notion that I harbor 

myths and misinformation. Rather than seeing it as an unpleasant experience 
to be told that I am wrong, I’ve come to appreciate and even enjoy having my 
own myths corrected. It is an empowering experience to have this intellectual 
clutter removed from our mental closet, as it were.

I don’t want you to treat me as a de

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 nitive authority. I’m just one physician 

trying to understand the evidence and the literature as I see it. I hope that I 
have given you a lot to think about and challenged many of your beliefs. 
Most of all, I hope that I have taught you that you can’t assume that what 
you’ve always heard must be true simply because many other people believe 
it and spread it around. You should challenge all of your beliefs. Whenever 
possible, try to rely on a consensus of authority or, even better, primary 
sources to verify what you think you know to be true. 

Ŷ

Barrett, “Questionable Cancer Therapies.” 

Jenicek and Hitchcock, 

Evidence-Based Practice

.

Shermer, 

Why People Believe Weird Things.

    Suggested Reading

90

Lecture 24: Roundup—Decluttering Our Mental Closet

1. 

What would you say about the idea that the medical establishment is 
hiding a cure for cancer?

2. 

Are there some types of medical myths that doctors themselves are more 
likely to believe?

3. 

What false beliefs might you be harboring, and how is it best to deal 
with them?

    Questions to Consider

91

Glossary

M

yths sometimes stick in the mind even after more accurate 
information has been presented. For that reason, this glossary 
focuses on currently accurate medical information pertaining to 

myths discussed in the course. Each entry also mentions speci

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 c  lectures 

where relevant information is discussed or mentioned. As always, for speci

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 c 

medical advice or treatment, consult a physician. 

acupuncture

:

Acupuncture originated from multiple prescienti

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 c  belief 

systems, including blood-letting, and its current practice lacks both the long 
tradition and evidence of ef

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 cacy that is widely presumed. There are currently 

no proven indications for acupuncture. Published scienti

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 c evidence shows 

that acupuncture points have no basis in anatomy or physiology, that needle 
placement does not relate to effectiveness, that needle penetration through the 
skin is not necessary, and that the training or experience of the acupuncturist 
does not affect outcome. What does impact outcome is the compassion and 
interaction of the acupuncturist. All of this suggests that acupuncture has no 
speci

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 c biological effect but is essentially a ritualized placebo intervention 

(Lecture 17).

amnesia

: Amnesia is a loss of memory, which can be either temporary or 

permanent. Amnesia for events occurring prior to an injury or other cause is 
called retrograde amnesia; for events after an injury, it is called anterograde 
amnesia. Amnesia never causes one to forget one’s name or identity—such a 
state is a psychiatric condition known as a fugue state (Lecture 20). 

animal magnetism

: Animal magnetism is a term invented by Franz 

Anton Mesmer in the 18

th

 century, which he used to refer to a hypothetical 

magnetic 

À

 uid that he claimed existed within living creatures. He claimed to 

manipulate this force of nature in order to effect cures of his clients. Mesmer 
was eventually exposed as a fraud, and the notion of animal magnetism 
never caught on as a scienti

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 c concept. However, the term survives with a 

very different colloquial meaning (Lecture 18).

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Glossary

antibiotics

: Antibiotics are speci

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 c to bacteria and do not work against 

colds (Lecture 9), other viruses, or other types of germs.

Use in animals is 

not directly dangerous to people, although may hasten resistance (Lecture 
5). They may reduce the normal bacterial 

À

 ora, especially broad-spectrum 

antibiotics (Lecture 6). Overuse of antibacterial products can cause bacteria, 
not people, to become resistant to an antibiotic (Lecture 12).

antimicrobials

: Antimicrobials are drugs that are used to treat infecting 

organisms, such as viruses, bacteria, fungus, or protozoans (Lecture 12). 

antioxidants

: Antioxidants are a class of chemicals that react with oxygen-

free-radicals and stop them from reacting with and damaging components of 
cells. They occur naturally in living organisms (such as vitamins C and E and 
enzymes such as superoxide dismutase). Claims for antioxidant supplements 
have generally not been supported by clinical evidence. For example, the 
evidence does not support claims that antioxidants reduce cancer risk or 
prolong longevity (Lecture 8).

antivirals

: Antivirals are a class of drugs that inhibit reproduction of viruses 

but do not kill viruses. They are useful in a subset of speci

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 c viral infections 

(Lecture 12). 

applied kinesiology

: Applied kinesiology (not to be confused with simply 

“kinesiology,” which is the study of human movement) is the technique of 
using muscle strength testing to diagnose a host of diseases and ailments, 
including allergies. It is used mainly by chiropractors, but has been adopted 
by other practitioners as well. Published research, however, shows that 
applied kinesiology is not reproducible under blinded conditions, and is 
likely nothing but self-delusion and what is called the “ideomotor effect”—
subconscious muscle movements based on expectation (Lecture 15).

attention de

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 cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

:

ADHD is a genuine 

neuropsychological disorder that is currently considered to be a de

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 cit 

of executive function and correlates with reduced activity in the frontal 
lobes. Recommended treatments include prescribed central nervous system 
stimulants and behavioral management using clear routines, boundaries, and 
positive reinforcement (Lecture 7).