10 Medical Myths Even Most Doctors Believe

By Dr. Mercola of www.mercola.com (Edited for brevity)

CNN has published a list of the "truth about twelve 'health myths'". Among the myths this article
busts? “If you cross your eyes, they’ll stay that way.” “Eat the crust of your bread because it’s full
of antioxidants,” and, “to get rid of hiccups, have someone startle you.”

There is massive amount of medical misinformation circulating right now, which is causing an
epidemic of chronic disease, unprecedented in human history. With all the medical misinformation
we’re currently exposed to on a daily basis, it’s disappointing to see CNN waste time and space
on yet another entertainment-style fluff piece, discussing “health myths” that have no real bearing
on your health.

Below I will review 10 real health myths that CNN didn’t bother to mention, even though these are
the cause of a lot of unnecessary suffering and premature death. Because, believe me, there is
no shortage of real health myths that can, and do, have a massive impact on tens of thousands if
not millions of people. Here is my list of the top 10 health myths, none of which CNN bothered to
mention:

1: Cardio is the Best Type of Exercise

In recent years, researchers have begun to realize that conventional cardio, such as jogging, is
not all it’s been cracked up to be, and that you can actually improve your health and increase fat
burning by making slight modifications to your cardio routine.

The problem is that traditional cardio only works on the slow twitch muscle fibers in your
red muscle, completely ignoring your white muscle super-fast twitch fibers. “Peak 8” refers
to peak exercises done once or twice a week, in which you raise your heart rate up to your
anaerobic threshold for 20 to 30 seconds, followed by a 90-second recovery period. To perform
these properly you will want to get very close to, if not exceed, your maximum heart rate by the
last interval. Your maximum heart rate is calculated as 220 minus your age.

Researchers have found that interval cardio produces a unique metabolic response that is in
large part responsible for its superior benefits. Intermittent sprinting produces high levels of
chemical compounds called catecholamines, which allow more fat to be burned from under your
skin and within your muscles. The resulting increase in fat oxidation is thought to drive the
increased weight loss.

It is also the only type of exercise that will increase growth hormone levels. This becomes
especially important after the age of 30, when growth hormones steadily decline. It is much safer
and far less expensive to have your body make growth hormone naturally though Peak 8 type
exercises than inject it like many athletes do to the tune of $1500 per month.

2: Vaccines are Safe and Effective and Prevent Disease

I completely understand that for many this issue is not debatable as they believe that vaccines
are one of the greatest gifts to public health in the history of civilization. If you believe that, then
let me encourage you to open your mind and explore other views held by many well respected
physicians, scientists, clinicians and pro-vaccine safety educators. You might want to review the
article Read This Before Vaccinating for Anything, to help you start your exploration process.
When it comes to vaccines, there are three primary questions that need to be considered.

• First, is the vaccine in question safe?

• Secondly, does it effectively prevent disease?
• And third, which vaccines can safely and effectively be given together or in close
succession?

Unfortunately, these issues have not been sufficiently studied for most vaccines, and those
vaccines that have been studied frequently show that they are either unsafe, ineffective, or both!

When several vaccines are administered together, or in close succession, their interaction
may completely overwhelm your child’s developing immune system. Now consider that if
your child is vaccinated according to the CDC's recommended schedule, by the time your child
starts kindergarten he or she will have received 48 doses of 14 vaccines. Of these, 36 doses will
be given during the first 18 months of life – a time when your child’s body and brain is undergoing
massive development!

Public health officials have NEVER proven that it is indeed safe to inject this volume of vaccines
into infants. What's more, they cannot explain why, concurrent with an increasing number of
vaccinations, there has been an explosion of neurological and immune system disorders in
American children.

This issue covers so much ground, it’s impossible to even try to summarize the many hazards
and the lack of efficiency data for all the vaccines currently being given, in this article. For more
information please visit our vaccine section at http://vaccines.mercola.com. [Better health tip: For
excerpts from key major media news articles revealing the serious risks of vaccines, click here.]

3: Fluoride in Your Water Lowers Your Risk of Cavities

The theory behind the introduction of fluoride in your water supply initially seems beneficial – to
reduce the incidence of dental caries in children. However, the health dangers of fluoride are so
numerous; they far outweigh any benefit to your teeth, and that’s IF water fluoridation actually did
what it's claimed to do.

Today, even promoters of fluoridation concede that the major benefits are only from topical
applications; fluoride works from the outside of the tooth, not from inside of your body, so why
swallow it? Statistics tell us that water fluoridation is ineffective for preventing caries.
There is practically no difference in tooth decay between fluoridated and non-fluoridated
countries, and no difference between states that have a high- or low percentage of their
water fluoridated.

Meanwhile, fluoride can cause significant harm, from dental fluorosis to thyroid damage to
reduced IQ... and much more. I’ve joined forces with the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) to help
end water fluoridation poisoning in Canada and the United States.

For more about the dangers of fluoride, and information about how to get involved in this
campaign, please see this recent article, which also includes an excellent interview with Dr. Paul
Connett, who created FAN and is one of the foremost experts on this topic. [Better health tip: For
a key media article revealing scientific skepticism on the benefits of fluoridated water, click here.]

4: GMOs Crops are Safe, Well Tested and Economically

Beneficial
GMOs may be the greatest health disaster in the American diet. Within 9 years of their
introduction in 1996, multiple chronic illnesses jumped from 7 percent to 13 percent of the
population, food allergies doubled in less time, and many other ailments have exponentially
increased with the introduction of GM foods.

Millions may already be suffering health problems caused by genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) in their diet. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has already urged
doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients, citing studies that show how GMOs cause
disorders such as vital organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system problems,
accelerated aging, infertility, and dysfunctional regulation of insulin and cholesterol.

But not only are GM foods a health disaster, they also pose a significant environmental
threat, and industry promises of financial benefits have turned out to be false as well.

For a quick introduction, I recommend reading the article 10 Reasons to Avoid Genetically
Modified Foods, which delves into everything from the health problems associated with eating
GM foods to the evidence against GM crops as a sustainable, economically and environmentally
viable alternative to traditional farming. [Better health tip: For many major media articles showing
these dangers, click here. A powerful essay on the science of GMO dangers is available here.]

5: Sun Causes Skin Cancer

There are many misconceptions about melanoma – the most dangerous type of skin cancer that
accounts for more than 75 percent of skin cancer deaths. But despite all the bad press linking sun
exposure to skin cancer, there’s almost no evidence at all to support that stance. There is,
however, plenty of evidence to the contrary.

Over the years, several studies have already confirmed that appropriate sun exposure
actually helps prevent skin cancer. In fact, melanoma occurrence has been found to
decrease with greater sun exposure, and can be increased by sunscreens. In my interview
with vitamin D expert Dr. Robert Heaney, he explains how the conventional recommendations are
in fact causing the very health problem they claim to prevent.

How does sunlight prevent, rather than cause, skin cancer? In short, it’s the vitamin D formed in
your skin from exposure to sunlight that provides this built in cancer protection. The vitamin D
goes directly to genes in your skin that help prevent the types of abnormalities that ultraviolet light
causes. Unfortunately, if you follow the conventional recommendation to avoid sun exposure or
always use sunscreen, your skin will not make any vitamin D, leaving you without this built-in
cancer protection.

Statistics confirm the truth of these findings, as melanoma rates have increased right along with
sun avoidance and increased use of sunscreens. If avoiding the sun actually was the answer,
then melanoma rates should have decreased exponentially over the past couple of decades.
Instead, sun avoidance and the excessive use of sun screen are actually the two primary reasons
for the rise in melanoma. [Better health tip: For an ABC News article on vitamin D and cancer
prevention, click here.]

6: Saturated Fat Causes Heart Disease

As recently as 2002, the "expert" Food & Nutrition Board issued the following misguided
statement, which epitomizes this myth:
"Saturated fats and dietary cholesterol have no known beneficial role in preventing chronic
disease and are not required at any level in the diet."

This dangerous recommendation, which arose from an unproven hypothesis from the mid-1950s,
has been harming your health and that of your loved ones for about 40 years now.

The truth is, saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources provide the building blocks
for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances, without
which your body cannot function optimally. They also act as carriers for important fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are also needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A,
for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes.

In fact, saturated is the preferred fuel for your heart! For more information about saturated fats
and the essential role they play in maintaining your health, please read my previous article The
Truth About Saturated Fat.

7: Artificial Sweeteners are Safe, Well Tested and Help Promote

Weight Loss
Most people use artificial sweeteners to lose weight. The amazing irony is that nearly all the
studies that have carefully analyzed their effectiveness show that those who use artificial
sweeteners actually gain more weight than those who consume caloric sweeteners.

In 2005, data gathered from the 25-year long San Antonio Heart Study showed that
drinking diet soft drinks increased the likelihood of serious weight gain – far more so than
regular soda. On average, each diet soft drink the participants consumed per day increased their
risk of becoming overweight by 65 percent within the next seven to eight years, and made them
41 percent more likely to become obese.

The reasons for this ironic reality are still being investigated, but there are several potential
causes, including:

• Sweet taste alone appears to increase hunger, regardless of caloric content.

• Artificial sweeteners appear to simply perpetuate a craving for sweets, and overall sugar
consumption is therefore not reduced—leading to further problems controlling your
weight.
• Artificial sweeteners may disrupt your body’s natural ability to “count calories,” as
evidenced in studies such as this 2004 study at Purdue University, which found that rats
fed artificially sweetened liquids ate more high-calorie food than rats fed high-caloric
sweetened liquids.

There are also a large number of health dangers associated with artificial sweeteners and
aspartame in particular. I’ve started compiling a growing list of studies pertaining to health
problems associated with aspartame, which you can find here. If you’re still on the fence, I highly
recommend reviewing these studies for yourself so that you can make an educated decision.
[Better health tip: For an incredibly revealing, carefully researched documentary on the dangers
of artificial sweeteners, click here.]

8: Soy is a Health Food

The meteoric rise of soy as a “health food” is a perfect example of how a brilliant marketing
strategy can fool millions. But make no mistake about it, unfermented soy products are NOT
healthful additions to your diet. If you find this recommendation startling then I would encourage
you to review my Why Soy Can Damage Your Health, which contains links to dozens of articles
on the topic, and a video I recently did.

On the contrary, thousands of studies have linked unfermented soy to malnutrition,

digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline,
reproductive disorders and infertility—even cancer and heart disease. Not only that, but
more than 90 percent of American soy crops are genetically modified, which carries its
own set of health risks.

Here is a sampling of the detrimental health effects that have been linked to soy consumption:

• Breast cancer
• Brain damage
• Infant abnormalities
• Thyroid disorders
• Kidney stones
• Immune system impairment
• Severe, potentially fatal food allergies
• Impaired fertility
• Danger during pregnancy and nursing

I am not opposed to all soy, however. Organic and, most importantly, properly fermented soy
does have great health benefits. Examples of such healthful fermented soy products include
tempeh, miso and natto. [Better health tip: For a powerful essay on the dangers of genetically
modified soy and other foods, click here.]

9: Whole Grains are Good for Everyone

The use of whole-grains is an easy subject to get confused on especially for those who have a
passion for nutrition, as for the longest time we were told the fiber in whole grains is highly
beneficial. Unfortunately ALL grains, including whole-grain and organic varieties, can
elevate your insulin levels, which can increase your risk of disease.

It has been my experience that more than 85 percent of Americans have trouble controlling their
insulin levels -- especially those who have the following conditions:

• Overweight
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Protein metabolic types

In addition, sub-clinical gluten intolerance is far more common than you might think, which can
also wreak havoc with your health.

As a general rule, I strongly recommend eliminating grains as well as sugars from your diet,
especially if you have any of the above conditions that are related to insulin resistance. The
higher your insulin levels and the more prominent your signs of insulin overload are, the more
ambitious your grain elimination needs to be.
If you are one of the fortunate ones without insulin resistance and of normal body weight,
then grains are fine, especially whole grains. It is wise to continue to monitor your grain
consumption and your health as life is dynamic and constantly changing. What might be fine
when you are 25 or 30 could become a major problem at 40 when your growth hormone and level
of exercise is different.

10: Low-Fat Diets are Healthy

The low-fat myth may have done more harm to the health of millions than any other dietary
recommendation. Again, just as the recommendations to avoid sunshine has increased
melanoma rates, the low-fat craze led to increased consumption of trans-fats, which we now
know increases your risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. To end the confusion, it’s very
important to realize that eating fat will not make you fat!

The primary cause of excess weight and all the chronic diseases associated with it, is
actually the consumption of too much sugar -- especially fructose, but also all sorts of
grains, which rapidly convert to sugar in your body. If only the low-fat craze had been a low-
sugar craze, then we wouldn’t have nearly as much chronic disease as we have today.

For an explanation of why and how a low-fat diet can create the very health problems it’s claimed
to prevent, please see this previous article. [Better health tip: For an informative Washington Post
article on this subject, click here.]