What Are 10 Medical Myths That Have Been Debunked by Recent Studies?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BillTre
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Medical Myths
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around a New York Times article that highlights ten medical findings contradicting previously accepted theories. Key points include the ineffectiveness of fish oil in reducing heart disease risk, the lack of impact from keeping homes free of allergens on asthma prevention, and the suggestion that physical therapy should be prioritized over surgery for knee meniscus tears. Some participants express skepticism about the article's claims, particularly regarding peanut allergies, arguing that the summary misrepresents the findings. Clarifications are made about the nature of the studies cited, emphasizing that they come from reputable medical journals and that the article aims to challenge outdated beliefs rather than present new myths. The conversation also touches on broader themes of unnecessary medical procedures and the importance of evidence-based practices in healthcare.
BillTre
Science Advisor
Gold Member
2024 Award
Messages
2,670
Reaction score
11,538
Summary: A variety of studies have contradicted several medical practices and theories.

This NY Times article lists 10 findings that contradict what were once widely held theories:
  • Peanut allergies occur whether or not a child is exposed to peanuts before age 3.
  • Fish oil does not reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • A lifelike doll carried around by teenage girls will not deter pregnancies.
  • Ginkgo biloba does not protect against memory loss and dementia.
  • To treat emergency room patients in acute pain, a single dose of oral opioids is no better than drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen.
  • Testosterone treatment does not help older men retain their memory.
  • To protect against asthma attacks, it won’t help to keep your house free of dust mites, mice and cockroaches.
  • Step counters and calorie trackers do not help you lose weight.
  • Torn knee meniscus? Try physical therapy first, surgery later.
  • If a pregnant woman’s water breaks prematurely, the baby does not have to be delivered immediately.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes Klystron
Biology news on Phys.org
BillTre said:
Summary: A variety of studies have contradicted several medical practices and theories.

This NY Times article lists some medical ideas contradicted by studies:
I call BS. Cancelling my subscription immediately
 
pinball1970 said:
I call BS. Cancelling my subscription immediately
On which one? The studies in the NYT article are all linked: they come from either The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, or JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), all of which are reputable (and very esteemed) medical journals. What would you have had NYT do instead?
 
  • Peanut allergies occur whether or not a child is exposed to peanuts before age 3.
Is this the finding that has been contradicted or is this the new finding that contradicts previous beliefs?
 
  • Like
Likes ChemAir
Ygggdrasil said:
Is this the finding that has been contradicted or is this the new finding that contradicts previous beliefs?
It's a poorly written summary. There were two studies (LEAP and LEAP-on) in the last few years: the first one (LEAP) showed that introduction and sustained exposure of peanuts to high-allergy risk infants decreased peanut allergy development by 81%. The second (LEAP-on) introduced peanuts to another set of infants, then removed them for 12 months, and observed that the peanut allergy development was not significantly different from the LEAP trials.

The summary probably refers to the notion that if you keep your kid away from peanuts, they won't develop an allergy to them. This is not true: they can develop an allergy regardless of whether they're exposed or not. NYT unfortunately leaves out the most important finding: if you expose your kid to peanuts at an early age, they are far less likely to develop an allergy than if you don't.
 
The opening post is somewhat misleading. The way the post is phrased currently:
BillTre said:
This NY Times article lists some medical ideas contradicted by studies:

Makes it seem like the quoted statements are the ideas being contradicted by the studies, when in fact the statements are the findings that contradict previous beliefs. So for example, the statement that "Fish oil does not reduce the risk of heart disease" is supported by data from a large clinical trial that contradicts previous notions that fish oil would reduce the risk of heart disease.

I would suggest that @BillTre or a moderator edit the wording of the first post to clarify this point. The wording from the NYT article ("Here are 10 findings that contradict what were once widely held theories") would be more clear that the current wording of the opening post.

Also, while the NYT article focuses on ten medical myths, the article refers to a study, published in the scientific journal eLife, that found close to 400 such "medical myths" that were later proven wrong by clinical studies.

The journal article is freely available here:
https://elifesciences.org/articles/45183
 
  • Like
Likes hutchphd and Klystron
I speed-read the NYT comments as of about noon PDT. Though most of the 10 items from the article involve medicine, many comments concern unnecessary surgery. Item #9 concerning exercise and physical therapy for knees before a surgical solution morphs in the comments into repudiation of the (facetious) adage to surgical residents,
"Heal with cold steel*".
[* Samuel Shem (Stephen Bergman), House of God , 1978]

Also from the novel,
The delivery of good medical care is to do as much nothing as possible.
 
Last edited:
TeethWhitener said:
On which one? The studies in the NYT article are all linked: they come from either The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, or JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), all of which are reputable (and very esteemed) medical journals. What would you have had NYT do instead?
Yes I retract the statement as I was factually incorrect. I have never had subscription with the NYT
 
Content aside, the title has the feeling of social media clickbait.
 
  • Like
Likes 256bits
  • #10
Let's move his to General Discussion.
 
  • #11
Ygggdrasil said:
The opening post is somewhat misleading. The way the post is phrased currently:

Thanks for clarifying, I couldn't understand what the OP was trying to say.

Cheers
 

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top