A Few Health “Facts” You Shouldn’t Trust

Every once in a while, you will hear or read the words of an individual or think tank who will tell you, straight out, that your doctor is lying to you, and that everything you thought you knew about your health is wrong. Let’s just get this out of the way upfront – this isn’t that kind of article. Most of what you know about your health is actually pretty accurate, and your doctor isn’t trying to make you ill so they can collect bigger payouts.

However, there are certain things that “everyone knows” which, when you probe a little deeper, actually turn out to be either completely inaccurate or a huge embellishment of reality. And just in case you’ve been subjected to these “facts”, which are more folk myths than anything, we’ll deal with the realities here.

Carrots give you excellent eyesight

There’s actually a sliver of fact and an entertaining story behind this one. Yes, carrots contain vitamin A, and that vitamin has been shown to have some benefits for eye health. However, if you have poor eyesight, carrots won’t make it good, and if your vision is already good it won’t become great. In fact, the reputation that carrots have gained is due almost entirely to a very successful bit of propaganda spread by British forces in World War II. They claimed that a diet of carrots had made their airmen keen-eyed enough to shoot down German planes. In actual fact, Britain had recently developed radar technology, but they didn’t want anyone to know about this advantage – so the lie went out. And stayed out.

Hearing loss is experienced only by the old (and rock musicians)

If you’re over 65, there is a 1 in 3 chance that you should be choosing a hearing aid to deal with the sensorineural hearing loss that tends to develop in old age. And perhaps because it is so prominent among the older generations, hearing loss has become synonymous with advancing years. The reality is that potentially 40% of the hearing loss experienced in America happens to people younger than 60. So it makes sense to take it seriously if you are suddenly straining to hear things you had no problem hearing before.

You need to drink eight glasses of water a day

The first thing that springs to mind with this question is “what type of glass?”. That’s a very imprecise measure which can cover anything from eight shot glasses to eight pints, or even eight comically large novelty glasses. In truth, there is no scientific basis for the need to drink that much water – it varies between people, but if you feel thirsty, you should certainly drink water. If it gets to the point where you’re noticing a thirst, you’re becoming dehydrated – and nothing will quench that thirst anywhere near as well as H2O. Keep sipping away at regular intervals, but bear in mind that too much water can leave you feeling sick with sodium depletion, so moderation is still a wise way to go.