Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Dispel Medical Myths That Some People Still Actually Believe

People Dispel Medical Myths That Some People Still Actually Believe
Image by Parentingupstream from Pixabay

If you ever find yourself administering first aid in a chaotic emergency situation, here's hoping Hollywood movies and middle school rumors aren't the only things running through your mind.


Nobody knows exactly were common medical myths get started. But one day, it just seems that everyone shares belief in some oddly specific fact about human health and illness.

And it's a miracle that most of these totally misguided "facts" are harmless, interesting descriptions more than advised remedies.

But there are some myths that could be a real problem and endanger the health of the countless people that believe them. But thanks to Reddit, the record was recently set straight on at least a few of them.

locks_are_paranoid asked, "What medical myth do people still believe?"

Anything to Make it Stop

"Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis" -- VodkaMargarine

"A guy actually tested this! For over 60 years Donald L. Unger cracked only his left hand to prove that cracking knuckles doesn't cause arthritis." -- SourTomato123

"The person who first said this, did so likely because the sound is f***ing irritating." -- Schneetmacher

Stop Peeing People!

"People always want to pee on you when you get stung by a jellyfish."

"It doesn't help. Keep it in your pants and get me some vinegar to pour on it instead." -- ConflictDonuts

"You need heat and/or acidity, depending on the jellyfish. Urine has both, but has neither in sufficient quantities to do anything." -- Malvania

Don't Underestimate the Pinch

"Leaning your head back when you have a nosebleed. You do this if you enjoy blood running down your throat."

"What you need to do is to lean forward and pinch your nostrils shut and start breathing from your mouth. Give it 5-10 minutes and the bleeding usually stops then."

-- SageOfSixCabbages

A Very Important PSA

"All strokes/heart attacks start with the same symptoms for all people. Especially when symptoms are ignored because they don't fit what we've seen on TV/movies." -- FakingGumption

"I had a heart attack at 35. I'm a woman. I literally sat on the sofa for 10 - 15 mins working out how on earth I had pulled a muscle in my shoulder."

"As the pain spread and changed I then thought about if I was having some sort of panic attack. I have anxiety so wouldn't be unreasonable."

"It was 2 am, by the time I woke my husband to tell him I was calling the ambulance my whole arm was numb and cold and I couldn't breathe properly."

"It just didn't occur to me that I could be having a heart attack, it didn't appear like any heart attack I'd ever heard off." -- lynara82

Nobody Tell Rambo

"You can't suck the venom out of yourself from a snake bite, idk why movies show this." -- Datsunking

"Probably because they're movies and aren't required to follow the same rules we are." -- CyanOyster

Keep the Steak Away from Wounds

"Putting a steak on a black eye helps it heal. Don't do this! It could cause a bacterial infection!"

"Back in the day, ice was very expensive so they wouldn't put ice on the black eye but instead reach in the cooler and grab the steak because the steak was less expensive than the ice."

-- Dan514158351

"I'm Not Toast, Grandma!" 

"My gramma heavily believes that smearing butter on burns will help it out."

"If you are curious, no, its not helpful, you are just making your already sensitive tissue more tasty to the bacterias that will probably try to infect your burn."

"I am 5 pictures of infected burns away from making her see how bad of an idea it is."

-- Mikratos_

Inside vs. Outside

"Being thin is the same as being in shape" -- Ahyeeoobee

"My stepdad was as thin as a bean pole and from all outside appearances seemed healthy. In fact, his diet was sh** and he rarely exercised."

"He died two years ago at the age of 37 as the result of a heart attack. He had coronary artery disease that wasn't discovered because no one thought to look for it. Still hurts." -- debonair_dahling

Weight Loss is Not a System of Lasers and Shrink Rays

"That you can lose weight from a specific part of your body" -- TheYungestYonk

"Spot training, and how it doesn't exist, is the biggest thing I've had to educate middle aged women on when doing any sort of physical training." -- JeetKuneBro

"I wish but having done the whole weight loss thing, pretty sure genetics have something to do with where weight disappears/appears first, last, faster, slower."

"It's definitely interesting to watch the changes happen over time but yeah turns out you can't just do a ton of sit ups and expect ripped abs. It'd be so nice to be able to pick and choose cause sometimes I just want to skip leg day." -- TechToTrail

A Classic 

That deoxygenated blood is blue. It's actually a darker red than oxygenated blood." -- NeutralityTsar

"Actually had this argument with my sister in law who is an actual nurse in a hospital! I'll never go to that hospital." -- deeboe

"Easy way to check this - Get your blood drawn. The inside of the tubes are vacuum, the blood coming from the veins is a dark red." -- acoupleabcs

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Kelly Clarkson
Denise Truscello/Live Nation Las Vegas/Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson Reveals Horrific Comment Her Ex-Manager Once Made About Her Body—And Fans Are Livid

"Kids say the darnedest things" is a popular phrase for a reason, and while it might not have the same ring, maybe we need to change "kids" to "entertainment managers"?

While doing her Las Vegas residency, Kelly Clarkson mixed her most iconic songs with audience interactions and stories of things that have happened during her career.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mid-shot of a female doctor, wearing a stethoscope.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Medical Professionals Break Down Times Patients Accurately Self-Diagnosed With Google

Medical professionals often advise against Googling when we are feeling ill.

WebMD is the enemy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Virginia Foxx and Yassamin Ansari

GOP Rep. Melts Down After Dem Rep. Calls Out Republicans' '8 Weeks Of Taxpayer-Funded Vacation'

North Carolina Republican Representative Virginia Foxx was fuming after Arizona Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari welcomed her back from the GOP's "vacation" after House Speaker Mike Johnson kept the House out of session for eight weeks.

Johnson adjourned the House after September 19, following the passage of a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown.

Keep ReadingShow less
La Toya Jackson
@latoyajackson/Instagram

Fans Concerned After La Toya Jackson Shares Cryptic Videos About Her Health At Doctor's Office

We may not all like the same things or be fans of the same celebrities, music, books, or films, but we all understand the anticipatory grief that comes with the fact that our favorite artists are human, just like us, meaning they will age and eventually create their last piece.

Fans of Dolly Parton, for instance, went through a scare last month when her sister shared a cryptic Facebook post about Dolly, only for the country singer to later have to post a video to reassure her fans that she "ain't dead yet" and was healthy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gordon Ramsay
Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images

Gordon Ramsay Sparks Debate With NSFW Take On Creating Menus For People Taking Weight Loss Injections

Chef Gordon Ramsay is famous for his outspoken, often acidic take on things arguably even more than he's famous for his food.

His tirades on his television shows Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares are renowned for having sparked their own memes and gifs years after they were actually on the air.

Keep ReadingShow less