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Shoeberto
06-15-2013, 02:48 AM
I've been really interested in health and medicine for a while now and I thought it would be good for us to have an EoFF thread on this. I've noticed there tends to be some half-truths, misconceptions, and misunderstandings about health and the human body both here and on the web at large so this thread is for posting and discussing facts tht might not be widely disseminated but could be really beneficial. Here's a few of mine:
- Full-sugar soda is known to cause large blood sugar spikes, which likewise results in a large insulin reaction from your pancreas. This actually increases your metabolism significantly due to all of the energy being burned by the insulin-sugar combustion cycle. Additionally, the caffeine from soda increases your heart rate, further increasing your metabolism. Mountain Dew is actually really overall beneficial to your health if used regularly as part of a well-rounded diet.
- Following that, it's said frequently that the rise of diabetes is a result of the modern lifestyle of too much of a high-carb/sugar diet. In truth, studies have shown that we're just a lot better at diagnosing diabetes, which people have from birth. Historically, lots of people may have had diabetes and just not known it due to the difficulty of properly diagnosing. The modern diet likely plays no part in the onset of diabetes and if you aren't diagnosed at a young age you probably won't get it.
- Potatoes are something of a superfood, containing a multitude of vitamins and minerals essential to your diet. However, most cooking processes totally destroy them - aside from flash-frying, which actually seals in the vitamins before the heat can touch it. Contrary to popular belief, french fries and other fried potato dishes should actually be a part of your standard diet rather than a guilty treat.
- Regular brushing and flossing of your teeth is prescribed as a standard practice these days, but recent research has shown that doing this actually kills colonies of GOOD bacteria that help keep your mouth healthy as well as aiding in the digestion of food. It's thought that a significant amount of modern stomach issues - heart burn, diarrhea, indigestion, acid reflux - are due to people not having enough good bacteria in their mouth. Additionally, killing the bacteria in your mouth reduces your ability to build immunities to the bad stuff, overall weakening your immune system and making you more susceptible to illness.

Those are just a few I've encountered that I thought should be more widely known, but feel free to discuss and contribute your own!

Shoeberto
06-15-2013, 02:48 AM
also I am a fucking liar and this advice will probably kill you in 10 years

zx12y
06-15-2013, 03:04 AM
Blood is never blue, your veins are blue because it is being viewed through skin. Blood comes in different shades of red.

There's another thread about the misconception about what drowning looks like. People can't call for help when drowning.

Denmark
06-15-2013, 03:09 AM
dear lord, i thought this was true at first, fu shoeburto

Slothy
06-15-2013, 03:37 AM
also I am a fucking liar and this advice will probably kill you in 10 years


Ten years may be generous. Your initial post was so absurd I wasn't sure if you were insane or just trolling until the bit about potatoes.

blackmage_nuke
06-15-2013, 05:45 AM
Potato chips are worse for your teeth than sugary stuff because of starch or something. Heard it on QI.

noxious.sunshine
06-15-2013, 02:12 PM
lmao

Dried Cherries are good for Gout

Strokes can cause diabetes.

Pot is good for you.

That is all.

Madame Adequate
06-15-2013, 04:04 PM
Joke's on you, I've been following the OP's advice (except dental care) for almost thirty years and I'm still alive :smug:

Shoeberto
06-15-2013, 04:05 PM
Pot is good for you.
[trufacts follow, no trolling]
That's painting things with a rather broad brush.

Cannabinoids, such as those found from combusting and inhaling cannibus, have been shown to have beneficial effects in fighting cancer cells, and may also help reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. It also behaves as an anti-nausea agent, which is beneficial for patients in chemotherapy and/or radiation in addition to its anti-cancer properties.

On the other hand, it can be dangerous to those with mental illnesses or a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia. Additionally, the effects that is has on the developing brains of youths is still unknown but preliminary studies have shown that it can negatively affect the development of teens.

That said, there's absolutely no reason it should be illegal. If you set the smoking age to the same as drinking, and make sure that people with mental illness in this country aren't stigmatized out of society, the only real big change would be a massive increase in profits for Taco Bell shareholders. I just don't like how it's seen as some magical miracle drug that can do no harm when, like anything, there's good and bad parts to it.

escobert
06-15-2013, 07:11 PM
Joke's on you, I've been following the OP's advice (except dental care) for almost thirty years and I'm still alive :smug:

this.

I mean seriously I eat what I want whenever the hell I want. I don't work out or anything. Hell besides going to work my ass is usually planted here in front of the computer. But I am more apt to lose weight than I am to gain it. I've been in the 150-160 lbs for bout 15 years now :p

kotora
06-15-2013, 07:40 PM
links to academic sources or gtfo

krissy
06-15-2013, 08:08 PM
Joke's on you, I've been following the OP's advice (except dental care) for almost thirty years and I'm still alive :smug:

this.

I mean seriously I eat what I want whenever the hell I want. I don't work out or anything. Hell besides going to work my ass is usually planted here in front of the computer. But I am more apt to lose weight than I am to gain it. I've been in the 150-160 lbs for bout 15 years now :p

yeah but wait till your overall metabolism changes as you age

escobert
06-15-2013, 11:42 PM
Joke's on you, I've been following the OP's advice (except dental care) for almost thirty years and I'm still alive :smug:

this.

I mean seriously I eat what I want whenever the hell I want. I don't work out or anything. Hell besides going to work my ass is usually planted here in front of the computer. But I am more apt to lose weight than I am to gain it. I've been in the 150-160 lbs for bout 15 years now :p

yeah but wait till your overall metabolism changes as you age

LIES!

Pike
06-16-2013, 12:27 AM
Damn you I saw the Mountain Dew thing and got excited :mad2:

Miriel
06-16-2013, 08:15 AM
this.

I mean seriously I eat what I want whenever the hell I want. I don't work out or anything. Hell besides going to work my ass is usually planted here in front of the computer. But I am more apt to lose weight than I am to gain it. I've been in the 150-160 lbs for bout 15 years now :p

Not saying this necessarily applies to you, but just because a person is not overweight, doesn't mean that they're healthy.

Thin people who eat crap can have fat deposits surrounding their internal organs and be just as at risk for diabetes and heart disease as those who are outwardly overweight. Just sayin'.

Quindiana Jones
06-16-2013, 01:57 PM
Porn is good for the soul.

Pike
06-16-2013, 06:43 PM
Joke's on you, I've been following the OP's advice (except dental care) for almost thirty years and I'm still alive :smug:

this.

I mean seriously I eat what I want whenever the hell I want. I don't work out or anything. Hell besides going to work my ass is usually planted here in front of the computer. But I am more apt to lose weight than I am to gain it. I've been in the 150-160 lbs for bout 15 years now :p

This was me until I turned about 28 and then my metabolism went to shit

:(