Everyone has heard that we should drink eight glasses of water a day but there’s no way to determine where this belief originated nor has there ever been a scientific study to support it, explains Dr. Alex Finkbeiner, chairman of the UAMS Department of Urology. “Interestingly, one of my colleagues also questioned whether such a […]
Medical Myths
Is a Woman Who Has Never Given Birth More Likely to Develop Ovarian or Uterine Cancer Than a Woman Who Has Had a Child?
In ovarian cancer, the likelihood of developing the disease is reduced with each pregnancy, says Dr. Alexander Burnett, chief of UAMS’ Division of Gynecologic Oncology. “Also, if a woman takes birth control pills for at least five years during her reproductive life, she will have a reduced chance of developing ovarian cancer. It appears that […]
Will Feeding a Child a Lot of Candy or Food With a Lot of Sugar in it Make Children Hyperactive?
No evidence exists that feeding children a high-sugar diet will induce hyperactivity, despite the common belief that it does, according to Dr. Bryan Burke, an associate professor of General Pediatrics and Neonatology at UAMS. “By the same token I kind of like this old wives’ tale, despite it being wrong, because a high-sugar diet has […]
Can Some People be Carriers of Diseases Without Ever Appearing Sick?
Infections are transmitted by different types of “germs,” including bacteria and viruses. Some germs can cause asymptomatic infection, which means that the person can have the ‘germ’ in their body, but they don’t have any symptoms of the disease or they have very mild symptoms and don’t really feel sick, according to the Division of Infectious Diseases […]
Does Your Heart Stop for an Instant When You Sneeze?
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 […]
Will Taking Vitamin C Help You Avoid Getting a Cold?
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 […]
Do a Person’s Hair and Fingernails Continue to Grow After Death?
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 […]
If a Woman Carries a Baby Low, Does That Mean it’s a Boy?
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’ […]
Can Eating Honey Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms?
To “bee” honest, eating any kind of honey, raw or in any other form, may make you sweeter but it won’t prevent problems with seasonal allergies. The theory that eating so-called “natural” honey is beneficial is purely anecdotal and mostly found in homeopathic, or non-scientific, publications, according to Dr. Samuel Welch of the UAMS Department of […]
Can You Catch a Venereal Disease by Using a Public Restroom?
According to Doctor Robert Bradsher from the Infectious Diseases Clinic at UAMS, “Venereal diseases, or more recently called sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), are transmitted by direct contact with the bacteria or virus that is the specific cause of specific diseases. “We tend to say in medicine, ‘Never say never,’ when asked about the possibility of something, […]