It's truly absurd how many people out there believe all sorts of medical myths. Believe it or not, there is no magic pill designed to help you lose weight. It's as simple as diet and exercise (and yes, what that looks like will depend a lot on your own body, which is why meeting with a dietician or speaking with a trainer might be a good option if you want to delve a bit deeper). There is no crazy new diet or detox regimen that will help you out... unless you want to risk your health. Sorry to disappoint.
People were keen on sharing what other weirdo myths annoy the hell out of them after Redditor Eichberg asked the online community,
"What is an annoying myth people still believe?"
"It is a human-specific virus..."
"That you get warts from frogs. Warts come from the human papillomavirus and come from contact with the virus through broken skin. It is a human-specific virus and cannot be spread through different species."
Why do people believe this crap?
Do they still think you can kiss a frog and turn him into a prince, too?
"This is an ongoing battle..."
"Cracking your knuckles makes them bigger/gives you arthritis.
This is an ongoing battle between myself and my older coworkers.
https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-news/knuckle-cracking-q-a-from/"
Quite the common myth––I was warned about this all the time as a kid. Even then, I knew it didn't make much sense.
"Many people still believe..."
"Many people still believe hymens are like plastic food seals that cover up the hole and get popped when you have sex for the first time, and if a girl doesn't bleed she's not a virgin."
The myths surrounding women's bodies are just ridiculous thing, aren't they?
Here's an idea: SEX ED!
"My fish..."
"That fish only have a 5-second memory. My fish are fed automatically on a timer and they know dinner time better than my goddamn cat."
"That certain animal..."
"That certain animal 'parts' have healing/magical properties. Like tiger whiskers protect the wearer or rhino horn cures impotence and hangovers."
"That you have to wait..."
"That you have to wait 24 hours before filing a missing person report."
We can definitely pin some of the blame on movies for this one. "Oh, you know for certain your daughter was kidnapped and might possibly be murdered? Looks like you'll have to take matters into your own hands and pursue some good old fashioned vigilante justice, sorry."
"That people with OCD..."
"That people with OCD just repeatedly wash their hands and like things clean and organized. This is how it presents in some people. There is so much more to this mental illness that people aren't aware of that leads to people not getting diagnosed or help."
"Repeated diarrhea..."
"You can "detox" your body from toxins and parasites by drinking certain teas or taking some weird medication.
Repeated diarrhea and frequent urination don't indicate toxins leaving your body, your liver and kidneys do the job. If your liver is not functioning or you have a kidney disorder, obviously you need help but it won't be teas that someone on Instagram is boasting about."
Don't follow diet trends on Instagram. Or detox trends for that matter. There's so much nonsense out there. Trust your doctors!
"That poor lady..."
"Not sure if this fits here exactly, but the McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit being a frivolous case filed by a money-hungry customer. That poor lady was a real victim who suffered legitimate injuries who only wanted her medical costs covered."
"That is false."
"That historically, corsets were extremely dangerous. That is false. "Tightlacing", which is basically just what's seen in the movies, where they make the corset as tight as they can, was not very common, and only used in the extreme upper class. Most people wore corsets completely safely, lacing down very little, if at all. Women climbed mountains, biked, did sports, and everything, in corsets."
If reading these has made you lose your hope for the human race, congratulations... for finally joining the rest of us. But seriously though: Do your part and steer people away from these myths. Some of them aren't so innocent and may do more harm than good. One minute, your loved one is recommending a new detox regimen and the next they're in the hospital with liver and kidney failure. Who wants that?
Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to tell us all about them in the comments below!
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