Public Health - Epidemiology Myths by Instructional Design @ UCC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3 In his TED Talk, Ben Goldacre stated that "Epidemiology is the science of how we know in the real world if something is good for you or bad for you". These days there are many opinions about what is good or bad, for example, does coffee cause cancer, or is it really good for us? Remember when low-fat foods were the craze? Let's use the Padlet below to debunk some of those dodgy claims. en-us 2016-12-19 11:38:20 UTC 2025-08-25 10:52:48 UTC hello@padlet.com Aerosol deodorants cause cancer https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153327462 Submitted by Carla Donnery

Countless articles have been published in the media stating that aerosol deodorants stop or block the body from removing toxins, which can lead to cancer, however, no research has ever confirmed this link.

 ]]> 2017-02-13 01:52:11 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153327462 Vaccines cause Autism https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153328196 Submitted by Carla Donnery

The 1997 study conducted by Andrew Wakefield, published in "The Lancet" suggested that the MMR vaccine caused autism in children. Although the article was retracted, discredited and Andrew Wakefield lost his medical license, some parents still distrust vaccines, and worry about their potential risks.

 

]]> 2017-02-13 01:58:20 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153328196 Eating eggs is bad for you https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153404228 Posted by Bernadette Leggett
People were advised to avoid eating eggs as it was believed that were extremely high in cholesterol it has now been proven that it is okay to eggs on a regular basis

]]> 2017-02-13 13:13:10 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153404228 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153409234 2017-02-13 13:33:15 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153409234 Super foods can prevent cancer https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153411224 Posted by Bernadette Leggett

People wrongly believe that certain foods labeled "super foods" can prevent or almost cure cancer. This is not true and there is no concrete scientific evidence to prove this claim. And there is no proof that they have any health benefits. They are giving people false hope.

]]> 2017-02-13 13:39:49 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153411224 Myth that antibiotics cure coughs and colds https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153579390 Posted by Bernadette Leggett
Many people still believe that antibiotics can be used to treat colds. They do not inderstand that a cold is a virus and therefore antibiotics are useless against it. The only thing that taking anitbiotics for a cold is doing is increasing the chance of mutli drug resistance.]]> 2017-02-13 21:45:29 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153579390 MYTH: Gluten-free foods are healthier? https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153814934 By Emma Noone
If you are coeliac or gluten sensitive, gluten is problematic. Otherwise, the body is technically able to process gluten. The absence of gluten in a food does not automatically make it healthier. A lot of gluten-free breads are made with refined starches, which are not healthy. However, shunning gluten from your diet doesn't put you at any sort of nutritional risk either.


]]> 2017-02-14 18:10:45 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153814934 When smoking was cool. https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153886590 Even after the first published data linking smoking to lung cancer, it was still being promoted as good for you in the 1970s. This was particularly true among women, to help them stay in shape.  It is still being promoted today despite all our evidence. http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1911796,00.html]]> 2017-02-14 22:43:09 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153886590 Dr Oz and miracle cures for weight loss. https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153980967 Posted by Sinead van der Hoeven
Dr Oz has made many dubious claims on his TV show but the one which landed him in front of a senate inquiry was his claim that green coffee extract was a miracle weight loss cure. He suggested that using this extract meant there was no need for diet or exercise, thus incorrectly influencing millions who watched his show. At the senate inquiry, his claims were totally debunked.
 ]]> 2017-02-15 12:54:07 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153980967 Edwina Currie crashes the egg market in the UK https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153982946 Posted by Sinead van der Hoeven

In 1988, an off the cuff claim by the then UK Junior Minister for Health Edwina Currie, saw the collapse of the egg industry in the UK. Currie remarked that most of the egg production in the UK was affected by Salmonella, causing widespread panic. Currie was forced to retract her comments and resign her post.]]> 2017-02-15 13:04:10 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/153982946 Seven Common Medical Myths. https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154087362 Posted by Elias Abdullah

1) Drink at least eight glasses of water per day: There is no evidence that a person has to drink that much water to satisfy an adequate fluid intake. On the contrary, drinking too much water can have negative consequences.
2) We use only 10% of our brains:  The remaining 90% are not futile or non functioning.
3) Hair and finger nails continue to grow after death:    It seems so because of dehydration which causes skin/soft tissue to under go shrinkage. The skin shrinks away from hair and nails, thus appearing  that these structure are growing.
4) Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight:  Dim light might not be the most ideal condition for reading or focusing, but it's unlikely to cause any permanent changes in the structure of the eyes.
5) Shaving causes hair to grow back faster and coarser: Shaving has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair growth. Shaved hair appears more course because it doesn't have the fine tapered ends as found with the unshaved hairs.
6) Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals:   Mobile phones have minimal interference and only at very close distances to certain machines.
7) Eating turkey makes people drowsy:   Eating any large meal can potentially make a person sleepy.

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20071220/7-common-medical-myths-debunked]]> 2017-02-15 17:21:29 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154087362 Eating Fat does not make you fat: "Top 9 Biggest Myths About Dietary Fat and Cholesterol" https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154094217 Posted by: Iman Ahmed Feb 15.2017

For nearly 5 decades, we have been bombarded and cornered by biased studies demonizing dietary fat and telling us to stop eating fat, alter our current eating habits and totally abandon some natural food elements. From eggs to ghee, our diet has been dissected and selectively named and shamed.  The link below debunks 9 myths about dietary fat.

]]> 2017-02-15 17:39:00 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154094217 An Apple a Day ... Manufacturing Public Health Opinion https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154099002 Posted by: Iman Ahmed Feb.15.2017
The article below in my view shows how weak epidemiological evidence and the authority of publicaton outlets such as Harvard Health Publication are ued to persuade the public to beleive in something that is not scientifically proven. The "apple a day" myth has occupied our minds for quite a few decades with no strong proof. Biased studies have been used, without proper isolation of other factors influencing health.]]> 2017-02-15 17:49:57 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154099002 "Shaking up the Protein Myth" https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154103759 Posted by Iman Ahmed Feb.15.2017

Whey supplements are a craze, linked to athletecism, endurance, body shape. The extra protein we take as supplement will simply be burned as calories, excreted or worse of all converted to fat.]]> 2017-02-15 18:01:45 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154103759 Myth: Excessive Exercise is Good for Your Health https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154120351 Most people believe that running long distances and lifting light weights for many repetitions is good and that running 10K's and marathons are healthy. Long distance cardiovascular exercise increases cortisol secretions which inflame the body and damage joints & ligaments leading to injury/over-training and possible weight gain.

Deirdre O' Driscoll


]]> 2017-02-15 18:43:49 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154120351 Myth': Chocolate is Bad for Your Health https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154122976 Scientists have zeroed in on a family of fragile molecules known as cocoa flavanols. Research suggests they can relax blood vessels, improve blood flow and, as Small found in his study, even increase activity in a part of the brain involved with age related memory loss.

Deirdre O' Driscoll]]> 2017-02-15 18:50:36 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154122976 "Don’t leave this house with wet hair ... you will catch pneumonia!!!” https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154165892 This is a favourite threat of Irish Mammy’s and no doubt mothers everywhere. However, there is no evidence to suggest that exposure to cold or wet hair for that matter increases the risk of contracting pneumonia or any other infectious disease. Sorry Mammy!!!  Orna Rooney


]]> 2017-02-15 20:54:32 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154165892 Diabetes Saga 117221109 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154642675 Diabetes is curable !! the biggest secret in medical history revealed.

Pseudoscientific propaganda activists tend to use the same tactics:

·         Usually they give you a demonizing hint directed towards doctors and health authorities.
·         Stressing on the corruption and profits making drives of the pharmaceutical industry.
·         No harm of circulating some fake news about people who lost their lives in a mysterious way after they published the researches. 
·         Then come the promise of the final cure and the end of miseries.

The link below is a long article on how Diabetes is a curable disease , and the Diabetes industry is hiding the truth from people..

 

http://www.rense.com/general58/diabetes.htm

]]> 2017-02-17 17:06:09 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154642675 Dancing is Dangerous for You https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154762334 In the early part of the 20th century, dancing was thought to be dangerous, most particularly for females. ]]> 2017-02-18 21:15:15 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154762334 Fluoride in your water lowers your risk of cavities. https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154833671 Post by Carmel O'Sullivan
The health dangers of fluoride far outweigh the benefits to your teeth. Benefits are only seen from topical applications, so why swallow fluoride]]> 2017-02-19 23:17:12 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154833671 "Them bones, them bones need calcium...." https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154834506 Post by Carmel O'Sullivan
These were the lyrics to a milk commercial jingle in Ireland and still ring in my ears!!
So is milk good for us or has the industrialisation of dairy products altered them so much that any health benefits are non-existent?? ]]> 2017-02-19 23:32:08 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/154834506 Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.Submitted by Evelyn EgarReading in dim light can feel like it is causing difficulty in focusing. It can also reduce blinking and cause discomfort from your eyes drying, especially when squinting. However this is only temporary and doesn’t last. In the past people read in candle light and used lanterns, this involved conditions with much less light. increases in nearsightedness has not increased since then. Hundreds of online expert opinions conclude that reading in low light does not hurt your eyes. The majority of ophthalmologists agree that reading in dim light does not damage or hurt your eyes. (http://www.bmj.com/content/335/7633/1288) 104119355 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/191478870 2017-09-26 22:17:35 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/191478870 Top 9 Myths about dietary fat and cholesterol https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/191530682 posted by Carol Summerville
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-9-biggest-lies-about-dietary-fat-and-cholesterol]]> 2017-09-27 05:59:59 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/191530682 Diet and Fitness low fat myths https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/191530836 posted by Carol Summerville
http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Diet-And-Fitness/low-fat-myth-diet/2016/09/01/id/746256/]]> 2017-09-27 06:01:31 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/191530836 Bloggers and body confidence MeghanKearney https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/191608124 The following article written in January of this year I feel is an interesting take on what social media has done to our perception of health and body confidence. Have we become too enthralled in searching for the perfect diet/body and comparing ourselves to online influencers that we can never be happy with our own health achievements?

https://www.irishtimes.com/student-hub/life-on-the-treadmill-they-ve-got-you-hook-line-and-sinker-1.2953509

]]> 2017-09-27 11:40:53 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/191608124 Cardio vs Strength Training in Weight loss 107306024 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/192021801 http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/06/health/cardio-lifting-weight-loss-partner/index.html]]> 2017-09-28 12:10:26 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/192021801 Exercising more, or eating less 107306024 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/192024116 https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/upshot/to-lose-weight-eating-less-is-far-more-important-than-exercising-more.html?mcubz=0

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/exercise-vs-diet-for-weight-loss_n_5207271.html]]> 2017-09-28 12:16:25 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/192024116 Does eating cheese give you nightmares 107306024 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/192026668 http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120417-does-cheese-give-you-nightmares]]> 2017-09-28 12:23:00 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/192026668 Flu vaccine can give you the flu! https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/229377201 Posted by Mags 9th Feb 2018
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121126-do-flu-vaccines-give-you-flu]]> 2018-02-08 00:05:45 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/229377201 Celebrity Diets quinnrk https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/287209898 https://www.bda.uk.com/news/view?id=195

Every year the British Dietetic Association publishes a list of the 5 diets to be avoided starting off the new year. These are the diets that have received the most coverage that year - headline hitters endorsed by celebrities. Here's the list for 2018. 

Maybe it's because I'm a dietitian and I work with these misconceptions all the time, but I do think that a large majority of damaging epidemiological myths seem to be about nutrition. It is a very difficult area to study, with multiple confounding factors. And people are always looking for the newest diet that will help them shift the pounds. But unfortunately "Eat less and move more" doesn't make headlines. The diets that do can often be quite damaging in the long-term.]]> 2018-09-29 13:11:00 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/287209898 Guinness is good for you 118225281 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/287691717 Researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that a pint of stout at meal times may work as well in preventing heart attacks as a daily low-dose  aspirin 
Researchers gave dogs with narrow arteries a pint of lager or  a pint of Guinness (or was it a pint of lager and a pint of Guinness?)
The Guinness-drinking dogs were found to fall off their bar-stools (only joking) receive the most health benefit.
The study concluded that antioxidants compounds in stout can slow down atherosclerotic cholesterol build up.

]]> 2018-10-01 15:46:42 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/287691717 Do you really need to drink eight cups of water a day? 119224113 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/327750547 Drinking 8 cups of water per day is well known advice but is it really necessary?
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24464774

Julianne Harte]]> 2019-02-05 13:40:07 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/327750547 DOES A GIN AND TONIC A DAY KEEP MALARIA AWAY? 119224022 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/328329068 Ex-pat employees would prefer a G&T than to take anti-malarial medications in high-risk areas!]]> 2019-02-06 16:10:11 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/328329068 MMR Vaccine 119224193 https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/332180381 2019-02-17 22:59:37 UTC https://padlet.com/instructionaldesign/MPH_unit3/wish/332180381