Medical Myths

Not only is it a bad idea to starve a fever, it will hinder your ability to recover from the cold according to Philip Kern, M.D., Department of Endocrinology/Metabolism at UAMS. “Drinking plenty of fluids is important since fever promotes fluid loss from the body and dehydration can result,” Dr. Kern says. While drinking or […]

“You cannot get the flu from a flu shot or the nasal-spray vaccine,” says Dr. Charles Smith, of the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at UAMS. The best way to avoid getting the flu is to get the influenza vaccine, available by shot or by nasal spray, each fall before the flu season starts. “The […]

This is partly true, partly myth. The poison ivy rash itself is not contagious, according to the Dermatology Clinic at UAMS. Neither will fluid from the blisters of a poison ivy rash spread poison ivy. A poison ivy rash is caused by contact with urushiol, the oil from the leaves of the poison ivy plant. […]

According to Robert Bradsher, M.D., Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UAMS, colds are really upper respiratory infections and can result from more than 200 different viruses. These include the rhinoviruses, the group most often associated with the common cold, which primarily affects the nose and throat.  Cold weather usually makes people stay indoors, […]

According to the Dermatology Clinic at UAMS, it is very important to immediately cool the skin after receiving a burn. This helps stop the damage from the burning process. Putting butter or other greasy ointments on a burn may actually make things worse, since the grease will slow the release of heat from the skin. This […]

As a rule, you cannot damage your eyes by using them, according to Nicola Kim, M.D., an assistant professor of ophthalmology at UAMS’ Jones Eye Institute. “There are a few specific exceptions, like looking directly into sunlight and laser light, but other than this, reading in dim or bright light will not change the health […]

You sneeze and your body reacts. Your eyes squeeze closed and your heart seems to jump. Did your heart just stop?   According to the UAMS’ Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, your heart doesn’t exactly stop. When you sneeze, the intrathoracic pressure in your body momentarily increases. This will decrease the blood flow back […]

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is good for preventing scurvy, which British sailors discovered in the mid-1700s. However, it won’t prevent colds or relieve any of the symptoms associated with them, according to the UAMS College of Pharmacy. Many people are convinced that taking large quantities of vitamin C will keep them from […]

Hair and fingernails may appear longer after death, but not because they are still growing.  Instead, a persons fingernails and hair may appear longer because the skin around them has retracted, according to the Dermatology Clinic at UAMS. After death, dehydration causes the skin and other soft tissues to shrink. This occurs while the hair and […]

Of course we know the sex of the child is determined at the time of conception. Conventional wisdom says, if a woman carries her baby high in the uterus and her stomach has a round appearance, she is expecting a girl. Likewise, most individuals say a boy is carried low and relatively more sideways. UAMS’ […]