17 health myths perpetuated by Hollywood

Films about physicians and hospital dramas are responsible for the spread of misconceptions.


It's easy to believe what you see on the screen: movies and TV shows have a major influence on us. And while there are some representations that you can easily reject as nothing but fantastic Hollywood, some of theFalse ideas and myths They are not so simple perpetuate to see through. For example, Hollywood CPR seen on shows likeEr andThe Gray Anatomy is a tool that works 99 percent of the time, able to bring everyone back to the edge of death. But in real life, CPR is not really able to save many lives. To help you separate the facts of the fiction, we have rounded Hollywood's health myths that could have you Berner.

1
You should put a part of the body cut into the ice.

homer cutting off his thumb in an episode of the simpsons
Fox

It is always discordant when you see someone do their finger cut on the screen, but you can be sure they go somehow the post-glued they wear around in a bag filled with ice, which is. As when margin accidentally cuts the inch of Homer in an episode ofThe simpsons, And they stick in aTupperware bowl filled with ice cream.But if you wereActuallyget your finger cut, theAmerican Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons warns against putting it directly into the ice, as this could simply damage further.Instead, you must "cover the amputated portion in a wet gauze film, place it in a waterproof bag with water and place this bag on the ice in a sealed container or in another waterproof bag. water. »

2
When someone drowns, they sleep loudly and violently.

baywatch drowning scene with david hasselhoff
Nbc

Do not letBaywatchto cheat you. When someone drowns, theyare usually not panicked The arms waving violently in the air like their head under the and out of the water as you see on television and in the movies. Although there may be a brief time of panic before they do not drink (called aquatic distress), are drowning is fast and noiseless, which is what makes it a silent killer, mortal. AsFrancesco Pia, Master swimmer and expert in the rescue of the water, explainedWebmd, A drowning victim does not usually "replacement breath" at the call for help and arms are usually stiff, stuck on the side with "hands pressed on the water to keep afloat. In fact, as well as silence, most of the body is steep, standing "and down" as if they were standing in the water. It only lasts 20 seconds to a minute, however, before they start to immerse.

3
The head of the man weighs an average of eight pounds.

Sony Pictures Release

AllJerry Maguirefan has probably regurgitatedthis information, Despite this not to be true. While a human head could theoretically weigh only eight pounds, most do not do it. According toGw osteopathy, Your body actually holds a head that, on average, weighs about 11 pounds. So, if you have a head that weighs eight pounds, you are really on the lighter side of things.

4
You have to piss on someone who has been stung by a jellyfish.

friends episode where monica gets stung by a jellyfish
Nbc

If you have already been on the beach and had a friend picking by a jellyfish, you probably looked around and asks you, "Which of us will piss on them? You can thank most of Hollywood, like this episode ofFriendsorMonica gets stung by a jellyfish, For the dissemination of this misinformation. There is no need to pee on your friend; It does nothing, as determined by many studies, including a 2016 published in aMarine Drugs. In fact, theCleveland Clinic says pissing on a jellyfish sting could even worsen things. You should rather dive the area in hot water (ranging from 104 to 113 degrees) for 20 minutes.

5
We use only 10 percent of our brain.

lucy brain power movie scene
Europacorp

The Hollywood hot concept on the scene these days is the idea we only use a small part of ourThe power of the brain With the largest part in key, prevents us from our true potential. He is the idea behind the2014 movieLucy and 2011 ofUnlimited. But this is just another myth people believe common. According toUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), most people almost useallof their brain, unless they have a neurological condition. Just "launch a bullet" uses a "important part of your brain", as many parts of the brain work actively and comes between them to complete the smallest task.

6
You can not wake up a somnambule in any circumstance.

step brothers sleep walking in movie
Columbia Pictures

InHalf brothers, you seeWill Ferrell andJohn C. Reilly Hilare engagement characters inAny misfortune acts while somnambulism And when their father is fed up, he shouted by their mothernever Wake up a sleepwalker because it could hurt them or someone else. And many people believe that to be true. However, theNational Sleep Foundationsaid that there is only the myth of the film. While waking up a sleepwalker could activate their answer "fight or leak" and bring them to be unleashed briefly, it is actually worse to let them wander around their own. Instead, they recommend trying to "gently guide the back of person in bed, without waking them completely. But if you want to wake them up, you can do it, just by "making a strong, suddenly the sound of a safety distance. »

7
CPR is a magic rescue tool that works almost always.

grey's anatomy CPR scene
ABC

If you look at an episode ofEr WhereThe Gray AnatomyYou have probably convinced you that, under no circumstances, the CP can bring someone back to the edge of death. And everything is nice to believe, the statistics are actually much darker in the real life they are on the screen. As a doctor of the emergency roomHowie Mell explained to theAmerican Heart Association, CPR works nine times ten in television shows and movies. But in reality? The survival rate is closer to something like two out of ten.

8
Shocking A person who has revived them capped.

ER defibrillator scene
Warner Bros Television

Like television broadcasts and movies often make you think that the CP is an indispensable rescue tool, Hollywood also helps to perpetuate the myth of the rescue defibrillator. As soon as a flatlines of character, someone appears as magic with electric pallets toChoking them to life. But in reality, you can not use a defibrillator on a capped person, because there is no shock scheme again in normal rhythms. AsJeremy SHERE written forPublic Media IndianaThe doctors will not shock a heart otherwise known as Flatlined Asystolie-because it can simply make things worse. Instead, they will try CPR, drugs, or try other procedures.

9
Brown of M & M are healthier than other colors.

Columbia Pictures

Fan ofThe wedding planner? Then you might have easily been convinced whenMatthew McConaughey of character saysJennifer Lopez character than theM & M brown are healthier because they have less artificial coloring in them. You know, since the chocolate is already brown. And the thing is, itsounds plausible, the more McConaughey's character is a doctor, so he knows, right? Wrong. nutritionistElissa Goodman ExplainWeekly entertainmentAll M & M have a candy coating, even the browns. You can cut them in half and see that all colors have a white inner coating, which means they understand all artificial dyes.

10
In a saving gesture, you can directly inject medicine into someone's heart.

pulp fiction shot of adrenaline scene
Lionsgate

One of the most famous scenespulp Fiction ToJohn Travolta drabt drabt a needle inUma Thurman of Heart to save her from an overdose of heroin. However, this practice of intracardiac injection died off in the 70s, according toEric F. Reichman in his bookEmergency medicine procedures. Indeed, those in the medical field reported that other routes of drug administration, such as needles simply injecting into the veins, were safer and simpler, and there was no "advantage" at the time. intracardiac injection on any other means. Not to mention, many serious complications can result from trying to stick a straight needle into someone's heart.

11
If you eat a seed, you can grow this fruit in your stomach.

Nickelodeon

If you grew up lookingRazmokeYou may have convinced yourself that eating the seed of something will grow up in your stomach, like whenChuckie swallowed a watermelon seed. But your inner child can be assured that it is not possible. AsWonderopolis Explains, seeds like the watermelon of other foods will simply go through your digestive system and go out in a few days. Fortunately, with all acidic juices in the stomach, there is no suitable place for plants or fruits to grow inside anyway.

12
You should put something in someone's mouth with seizure.

the death at a funeral seizure scene
Screen Gems

Many people believe that when someone has a crisis, they might swallow their language. So you are told to put something in their mouths or keep their tongue. Even in comedies likeDead during funeral, they or theypusher. TheCenters for Disaster Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that you do not put anything in someone who has a crisis, as it can actually hurt their teeth or jaw. And you do not have to you that they will swallow their language, because it's just not possible.

13
The average person has five non-digested red meat pounds in their bowels.

beverly hills cop movie scene with undigested red mat
Paramount Pictures

To listenReinhold J. characterBEVERLY HILLS COP,you might think you haveFive pounds of undigested red meatJust sitting in your bowls. And that's a big enough amount. This number is not true, however. So, how much is it actually in your entrails? Nothing! There are a number of reasons why people believe that red meat is bad for you, but this particular statistic is only an unpleasant myth. As gastroenterologistDavid Yamini explained toMagazine Mel, nothing just "is sitting in your colon and his breeds." Although the meat can make you live a brief constipation, it will leave your digestive system normally in a few days.

14
After someone dies, their hair and their nails continue to grow.

the tingler movie characters talking
Photos of Columbia

Whether movies or real conversations, you have probably heard that people's hair and nails continue to grow after their death. To takeTingler for example; This film came out in the 1950s, and he already spreading this false concept. Your hair and your nails couldappear more after death but according to theUamsOnly because the skin around the nails and the hair of the person retracts over time because of the dehydration of the body, which makes it decrease, not because everything is still growing.

15
You must suck the venom of someone who has been bitten by a snake.

snakes on a plane sucking venom out of snake bite scene
New line cinema

To concernSnakes in an airplane too many times, and you could convince you that you are supposedsucking the venom out of someone with a snake cabin. Emergency doctorRobert A. Barish explained toWebmd That does not do anything to help the victim of an SnakeBite. The venom propagates quickly and is probably not easily located. And not only that, but about 25% of the snake bites are anyway "dry" and do not contain any venom. Instead, you should avoid setting up and slow down medical help; Transport the victim to a medical institution as quickly as possible.

16
You should tilt your head if you have nosebleed.

rachel having a nosebleed in friends
Nbc

Many people think they should tilt the head from the head if they have a bleeding of nose, preventing the blood from fleeing their nose, but it is a myth of Hollywoodwood to perpetuated. Do you see itFriends, likeRachel is sitting on the sofa with Ross When he tells her that they can no longer see each other. TheChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia Explains that it is in fact the opposite of what you should do. Tint the head back can scare the blood flee into the throat, which could make you stifle or vomit. Instead, you should sit straight, the head titled slightly before while gently pinching your nostrils.

17
Doctors can do all jobs in the medical field.

house scene with dr. house played by hugh laurie
Nbuniversal television distribution

In fact, doctors are specialized people who work in specific areas. Doctors eliminating brain tumors are not the same as those who deliver a baby because they are formed in two different areas. However, if you had to look at any episode oflodge, you would probably seeHugh Laurie's Character do it everything. It does not happen in real hospitals.


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