Hi I’m Elliott. This is Mental Floss on YouTube. Today I’m going to talk about some
misconceptions about getting sick.
Misconception #1: Vitamin C can prevent or treat colds.
In 2007, researchers compared 29 studies containing a total of 11,306 subjects to determine whether
vitamin C was an effective way to prevent the common cold. All of the trials involved
subjects who took more than 0.2 grams of vitamin C daily as well as comparisons with subjects
who took placebos. They found that vitamin C didn’t reduce the incidence of common
colds, though it’s possible that the vitamin may have made the colds last less long.
So drink your orange juice, or… don’t.
Misconception #2: You can sweat a cold out. Some believe that when you catch a cold, the
way to cure it is by wrapping yourself up in blankets so you can sweat the germs out
of your body. That’s not true. As for whether you should exercise when you have a cold,
doctors have mixed opinions. It probably won’t cure you, but if you’re up for it, keep
the exercise moderate and you should be just fine.
Or do what I do, and get your exercise in by whining constantly.
Misconception #3: You can only get the flu once per season.
Usually during a given flu season, there are more than one strains of flu going around.
It’s quite possible to catch the different types of flu within that season. This is why
the flu shot protects against multiple strains, usually the ones that are expected to be the
worst offenders that year.
Misconception #4: Going out in cold temperatures will make you catch a cold.
You’ve no doubt had someone in your life tell you to bundle up or risk catching a cold.
And it sort of makes sense, right? People always seem to get sicker during the wintertime.
Still, we all know that the common cold comes from a virus. So, what’s the deal? In 2005,
the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff, UK tested this by putting the feet of 90 students in
cold water for twenty minutes. Within five days, this group had twice as many colds then
the people in a control group. Lucky test subjects! But, the researchers believe that
it wasn’t the cold water that made their subjects CATCH the common cold. Instead, these
people probably already had the virus present in their nose and the cold water hindered
their immune system. Then, the symptoms started to show.
So the next time you’re wanting an ice cold foot bath, don’t.
Misconception #5: Stomach flu = influenza. When a person is experiencing nausea, vomiting,
or diarrhea, they tend to say that they have the “stomach flu.” According to the Center
for Disease Control and Prevention, these can occur if you have influenza, but they’re
also symptoms of other viruses. Usually the flu will give you more respiratory problems
as opposed to stomach issues.
Misconception #6: If you have food poisoning, the last thing you ate is to blame.
It might be. But it also might not be. Every pathogen is different, so before you write
that nasty Yelp review, think back a little further than the past few hours. It’s possible
that what made you sick could have been something up ate up to three days ago. It also may not
have come from food at all -- you can pick up these bugs from a contaminated surface,
like a counter.
I got food poisoning earlier this year from a Super Bowl party, proving that I’m even
terrible at WATCHING sports.
Misconception #7: Vaccines are dangerous. Mark, do I really have to talk about this?
It's kind of more of like an OUTLANDISH RUMOR than a “misconception”? Okay, fine.
So, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the most you’re probably
risking when you get a vaccine is having a sore arm or mild fever. More serious symptoms
are so rare that the risk can’t be accurately determined, but it’s in the range of “one
per thousands to one per millions of doses.” The same goes for risk of death. It’s so
hard to draw a connection between death and vaccines, but they know the odds are very,
very low.
Let’s compare that with the BENEFITS of vaccination. According to the World Health
Organization, immunization prevents 2-3 million deaths annually, polio cases have decreased
by over 99% since 1988, and global measles mortality has decreased by 74% since 2000.
Misconception #8: The flu shot isn’t worth it because it isn’t that effective.
I know that shots are scary, but unfortunately, I have to tell you that it IS kind of worth
it. A 2013 study showed that flu vaccines led to 71% reduction in flu-related hospitalizations
in adults. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention also announced that 90% of
children who died of the flu in 2013 had not had a flu shot. It’s also helpful for pregnant
women. Receiving a flu shot makes it 92% more likely for infants to avoid hospitalization
for the influenza in their first six months of life.
Misconception #9: Starve a fever, feed a cold. You should be eating whether you have a fever
or a cold. But, it turns out you actually burn more calories when you have a fever because
your body temperature and metabolism are increased. So, you should definitely be eating calories
to keep up with this change in your system.
Doctors do not recommend Peanut butter Oreos dipped in milk, but I do. They’re amazing,
it's a great snack.
Misconception #10: You must have a weak immune system if you catch a cold.
Once you come into contact with the virus, your immune system has little to do with it.
A 1992 study put the virus in subjects’ noses and found that over 90% became infected.
75% of those people went on to show symptoms of the cold. Even very healthy people can
catch a cold.
Thank you for watching Misconceptions on Mental Floss on YouTube. If you have an idea or a
topic for an upcoming episode of Misconceptions, let me know what it is in the comments section
down below and I, will see you next week!