Medical Myth #1: Cold Weather Makes You Sick

This first medical myth is that cold temperatures can make you sick. It can make you miserable, but you can’t get sick without exposure to an infectious agent, like a “cold” virus. The colder seasons are when cold and flu viruses are the most active due to spending more time indoors in poorly ventilated areas. This is one reason to consider a flu shot if you have underlying medical issues that make a lousy flu case much worse. Consider a COVID shot too.

Myth #2: Hair and Nails Keep Growing After Death

No, they don’t, but the dehydration that occurs after death shrinks the soft tissues making it seem like they’re still growing. The dead heart no longer pumps nutrients needed for tissues to survive and thrive.

Myth #3: Expired Medicines are No Longer Useful

Sometimes…some lose effectiveness faster than others, but the expiration date is somewhat arbitrary. The FDA has required expiration dates since 1979. They were required to pick a date, up to which time they would guarantee the medicine. Selected dates have a very low likelihood of having unusable medication in the pills. The Department of Defense stockpiles scads of medicines for wartime surges, and they have an interest in knowing how long they last. There’s no sense in dumping 50 million pills if they’re still good. They found that many last 5-15 years beyond expiration dates. Some even lasted up to 25-50 years! Bottom line, if you only have recently expired medications and you need them, you can probably safely take them if there are no signs of deterioration of the actual tablet or capsule, or container. Heat and humidity are more likely to be bad for the medicines. All bets are off, though, for liquid medications. To be safe, get a new Rx as soon as you can.

Myth #4: Your Doctor Is Hiding Things From You

That’s highly unlikely in this day and age of shared decision-making. The tabloids that shout “Five Things Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You” are designed to grab your attention. Check, mission accomplished. The best way to help your doctor is to be honest and forthcoming in answering their questions. It’s possible they don’t know a lot about the condition or treatment you are wondering about. To get a straight answer, ask the question straight up. Doctors are getting better at it, but often they are unaware of the costs of X-rays or surgeries, or medications.

Myth #5: Women Have Less Heart Disease Than Men

False, but they tend to die more often at their first heart attack. Once women get past menopause, they lose the heart-protective effects of estrogen, and that’s when heart disease starts to climb. Women also have more “atypical” symptoms of heart disease, mainly because “typical” symptoms were initially defined while studying men.

Things aren’t always what they seem. Return here for more myth busters, or do your own search, or submit a question in the contact tab.

To Your Good Health,

Kevin McCurry, MD