Myth: Allergies aren’t dangerous.
Reality: A lot of people have allergies that are not dangerous. Hay fever is annoying, and the hives that some people get when exposed to certain plants or chemicals are merely itchy. However, an extreme reaction can cause anaphylactic shock which is a condition where the throat and airways swell shut and blood pressure plummets. It can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Reactions to bee stings, nuts and shellfish are the most likely to be severe and dangerous. Carrying a pre-loaded, self-injectable syringe of the drug epinephrine is the most common precaution that these severe allergy sufferers take.
Myth: Indoor house plants and flowers cause allergic rhinitis
Reality: Allergic rhinitis is usually triggered by outdoor grass and tree pollens. Dull wind-pollinated plants and grasses cause more allergies than brightly coloured outdoor insect-pollinated flowers. However indoor cut flowers such as Lilies give off brightly coloured pollens and can cause conjunctivitis symptoms in sensitised individuals.
Myth: Smoking does not trigger asthma
Reality: Babies who are born to smoking mothers have a greater chance of developing asthma than children of non-smoking mothers. Smoking is also a known trigger of asthma attacks and should not be ignored. So if you must smoke, do it outside and away from your children.
Myth: Allergy testing is dangerous and should not be performed in young children
Reality: Occasionally skin testing for allergies can trigger a slight skin reaction or wheezing, but this is very rare. Blood RAST testing for allergies is safer in highly allergic people. Children can and should be allergy tested from 4 months of age if an allergy is suspected.
Myth: Asthma inhalers can make your allergies worse and you should rather use breathing exercises (Buteyko)
Reality: Asthma is due to inflamed airways, breathing exercises will not clear this inflammation, only low-dose steroid inhalers can do this and control the asthma. Breathing exercises may have a complementary effect but it’s the airway inflamation that needs attention in asthma.
Myth: I don’t use table salt, so I’m in control of my sodium intake and my blood pressure.
Reality: In some people, sodium can increase blood pressure. But controlling sodium means more than just putting down the salt shaker. It also means checking labels, because up to 75 percent of the sodium we consume is hidden in processed foods like tomato sauce, soups, condiments, canned foods and prepared mixes. When buying prepared and prepackaged foods, read the labels. Watch for the words “soda” and “sodium” and the symbol “Na” on labels. These words show that sodium compounds are present.
Myth: People with high blood pressure have nervousness, sweating, difficulty sleeping and their face becomes flushed. I don’t have those symptoms so I’m good.
Reality: Many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. It’s often called “the silent killer” because it usually has no symptoms. You may not be aware that it’s damaging your arteries, heart and other organs. Know your numbers and don’t make the mistake of assuming any specific symptoms will let you know there’s a problem.
Myth: I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, but I have been maintaining lower readings, so I can stop taking my medication.
Reality: High blood pressure can be a lifelong disease. Follow your healthcare professional’s recommendations carefully, even if it means taking medication every day for the rest of your life. By partnering with your healthcare team, you can successfully reach your treatment goals and enjoy the benefits of better health.
Myth: Blood pressure is controlled, so I can stop taking pills.
Reality: Unfortunately like many other NCDs, HTn cannot be cured, once diagnosed, it can only be controlled/managed. The moment treatment is withdrawn there are high possibilities HTn bounce back.
Myth: All HTn pills have side effect and nothing can be done for that.
Reality: Gone are the days when HTn pills had major side effects and nothing could be done but now scenario has changed, now doctors prescribe pills which are practically without side effects. But, yes exceptions are there a pill which suits one might have some side effect for other, like ACE inhibitors might induce dry cough in some, but these effects are of mild nature, do inform about even any slight change you notice.
Myth: Old age means HTN.
Reality: Age has no specific relation to HTN. There are many factors which cause hypertension-genetic, stress, lifestyle, kidney impairment, etc. Collecting in simple words, HTN is caused when due to some reasons heart has to work harder to pump blood to different parts of body.
Myth: High cholesterol levels means definitive HTN.
Reality: Poor eating habits with sedentary life style may increase may increase both but not necessarily that high cholesterol means also high BP.
MYTH: I should feel pain when my liver is unwell.
REALITY:: In the early stage of liver disease, your liver may become inflamed. However, unlike most other parts of your body that become hot and painful when inflamed, an inflamed liver may cause you no discomfort at all. Liver inflammation can slowly worsen, causing scarring or fibrosis to appear. As fibrosis worsens, cirrhosis develops and the liver becomes seriously scarred, hardened and unable to function properly. By the time you experience symptoms such as jaundice, your liver would have been severely damaged.
MYTH: Fatty liver only affects fat people.
REALITY: Thin people or those of average build can also get fatty liver. People can develop fatty liver even if they do not have health problems such as diabetes or obesity. Regardless of built, people can get fatty liver from an unhealthy lifestyle that causes fat deposits to build up in their liver cells.
MYTH: A liver transplant is a cure for liver disease.
REALITY: Liver transplants are treatments of last resort; however, they are not cures. In some cases, the transplanted livers get rejected by the body – leading to the need for repeat transplants anywhere from 24 hours to many years later. In other cases, the newly transplanted liver may become infected with a virus that is still circulating in the bloodstream (i.e. Hepatitis C).
MYTH: People get Hepatitis B by eating contaminated food.
REALITY: Hepatitis B is found in the blood and body fluids of someone with the infection. You can only get hepatitis B by coming into contact with someone with the virus through unprotected sex, sharing needles or syringes, and using unclean equipment at barber shops and tattoo parlors. Additionally, pregnant women also can spread the virus to their babies during childbirth.However, Hepatitis B is only spread through blood and body fluids.
MYTH: : Hepatitis B is a rare disease, so I am not likely to come into contact with it.
REALITY: Hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. More than one-third of the world’s population is infected with the Hepatitis B virus. Some 400 million people worldwide are chronically infected. This means theyhave a serious form of the disease that can lead to serious liver disease and liver cancer.
MYTH: People with Hepatitis B know they have the disease because of symptoms like yellow skin or yellow eyes.
REALITY: Many people with Hepatitis B do not feel sick.Only 30% of the people who are infected with the virus show any signs or symptoms of Hepatitis B.The only way to know if you have Hepatitis B is to ask your medical professional. He or she can do a Hepatitis B blood test to find out for sure.
MYTH: People with the Hepatitis B virus will develop Hepatitis A and Hepatitis C infections over the course of time.
REALITY: There are several different types of hepatitis and each is caused by a differentvirus.However, Hepatitis B won’t turn into another type of hepatitis. People with the Hepatitis B virus are still at risk for becoming infected with one of the other hepatitis viruses.
MYTH: I can inherit hepatitis B from my parents.
REALITY: You can only get Hepatitis B by coming into contact with the blood or body fluids of someone with the virus.Hepatitis B cannot be inherited from your parents. However, pregnant women with Hepatitis B can spread the virus to their babies during childbirth.
MYTH: You cannot be cured of Hepatitis C.
REALITY: Not only can patients with hepatitis C be treated, they can also be cured. “Cured” means that the Hepatitis C virus is not detectable in your blood months after treatment has ended. Relapse or reinfection is still possible and you can still have liver disease even after you have been cured, so stay in regular contact with your doctor. Today, there are more treatment options than ever before.
MYTH: Hepatitis C can survive outside the body.
REALITY: Hepatitis C is rarely spread this way. The Hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature. It can live on surfaces for several weeks. But if infected blood does get on a surface, it’s important to clean it up while wearing rubber gloves and using a mixture of 1 part bleach and 10 parts water.
MYTH: IBS is similar to (or the same thing as) IBD/Crohn’s/colitis.
REALITY: : Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While IBD sounds similar to IBS, they are very different from each other. IBD is an organic disease characterized by the presence of inflammation in the intestine. In IBS, there is no visible disease and the symptoms are a result of an improperly functioning digestive tract. IBS does not turn into IBD, and people with IBS aren’t at an increased risk for any of the complications associated with IBD, such as surgery, requiring an ostomy, or developing colorectal cancer. However, it is possible to have both conditions.
MYTH: Cutting out dairy and gluten can get rid of IBS symptoms, since IBS is just another term for these intolerances.
REALITY: Some individuals with IBS do have intolerances to the milk-sugar, lactose, and some might have gluten intolerance as well. There are also people who do not have IBS but who do have these intolerances. Lactose intolerance is rare in people of Northern European descent, whose ancestors have historically consumed large quantities of dairy. Approximately 5% of these people are lactose intolerant. However, in people of East Asian descent, it is extremely common, with up to 90% being lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is also fairly common in those of West African, Jewish, Italian, Greek, and Arab descent.1 Overall, an estimated 16% of Canadians are lactose intolerant.2 Gluten intolerance, which is not the same thing as celiac disease, is less common, affecting approximately 3-6% of the population.3 In some individuals with IBS, removing these foods can reduce or eliminate symptoms. In most of the Canadian population, these foods cause no problems at all because they are not lactose or gluten intolerant. IBS is a distinct disorder with its own diagnostic criteria and neither lactose intolerance nor gluten intolerance are on the list.
MYTH: leaky gut syndrome causes IBS.
REALITY: Many individuals believe that a proposed disorder called ‘leaky gut syndrome’ causes many ailments, often including IBS. The claim is that toxins and bacteria leak through damaged sections throughout the digestive tract, and then enter the blood stream where they proceed to wreak havoc on the body. However, there is no evidence that this disease even exists, let alone causes IBS, which is a functional disorder, not an organic disease.
MYTH: : Only a drastic diet can ease IBS symptoms.
REALITY: Diet changes can sometimes make a difference. But they can't cure IBS, and they don't work for everyone.Talk to your doctor about possible diet changes that might work for you. Some people with IBS find that going easy on foods like beans, vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and kale, and sugar substitutes like xylitol can ease gas, bloating, and pain.
MYTH: IBS and lactose intolerance are the same thing.
REALITY: Lactose intolerance means your body can't digest lactose, a natural sugar found in milk and dairy foods. It causes digestive problems such as gas. But with IBS, there's no single food that's to blame.
MYTH: Fiber can cure IBS.
REALITY: Fiber, the part of carbohydrates that the body can't digest, can help ease IBS-related constipation. It's not a cure, though. Some people with the disease even find that it makes pain and bloating worse at first.If your condition does give you constipation, add more fiber to your diet slowly so your body has time to get used to it.
MYTH: Yeast causes IBS.
REALITY: There's no research to prove that a sensitivity to yeast [in foods like bread and beer] causes IBS
MYTH: IBS can lead to serious health problems like cancer.
REALITY: IBS has no relationship to cancerand while some of its symptoms are similar to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), they're two different conditions.
