5 Health Myths People Need to Stop Believing
False. Flu vaccine effectiveness varies on any given year but, on average, "science shows that the flu vaccine is about 60 percent protective at preventing the flu," says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "If you do get the flu despite the vaccine, the flu you get will be less likely to be severe, and less likely to result in hospitalization, pneumonia, and death," he says.
Cranberry juice cures UTIs
Nope. Cranberry juice and UTIs have been lumped together since forever, but the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that cranberry products are not effective in treating a UTI if you already have one. While some research suggests that cranberry juice, extract, or pills might help prevent UTIs, there's not enough evidence for this, the NIH says.
Flu season only happens in the winter
Many flu cases do happen in the winter, but flu season usually starts in October and can last as long as May, says the CDC. Also, you can technically get the flu at any time of year. "It may be less likely in the middle of the summer but it still can occur," Dr. Adalja says.
You have to wash your hands in hot water
"It’s more the soap and the rubbing action that has the effect than the temperature of the water," Dr. Adalja says. "You don’t want or need to burn your hands in order to get them clean."
Only men need to worry about heart disease
Heart disease is "definitely not" just a man's disease, says Jennifer Haythe, MD, co-director of the Women's Center for Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. "It is the number one cause of death for men and women in this country—more than all cancers combined," she says.