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Title: Top 10 E-Mail Health Hoaxes of the Decade
Author: Manolito Montala
Article:
Here, In no particular order, are the 12 worst a-mall health
hoaxes of the last decade. Al1 have been thoroughly debunked by
health ant medical experts
1. Antiperspirants cause breast cancer. This hoax began
circulating In 1999 and claims that the use of antiperspirant
(deodorants are safety) is the leading cause of breast cancer.
Citing a ''health seminar'' as the source of information, the
writer alleges that antiperspirants prevent the body from
eliminating toxins through sweat, resulting in the accumulation
of toxins in lymph nodes, which eventually leads to cancer. Men
are less likely to develop breast cancer through the use of
antiperspirants "because most of the antiperspirant product is
caught in their (armpit) hair and is not directly applied to the
skin. '' .The writer then urges readers to pass on the message
''to anyone you care about ''.
2. Aspartame causes serious disease. Also making its first
appearance in 1999, this hoax claims that the artificial
sweetener aspartame causes more than a dozen serious medical
conditions, including brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, and
lupus, ant confusion, memory loss, and severe vision loss among
diabetics There are two versions the first and more popular was
supposedly written by a Betty Martini, an alleged lecturer at
the World Environmental Conference. In the second version, a
Nancy Markle is the author. The Multiple sclerosis Foundation
denies any knowledge of association between aspartame and
multiple sclerosis, whale the American diabetes association
debunks the allegations regarding aspartame and diabetes. The US
FDA attests to the safety of aspartame.
3. Bananas spread flesh- eating disease. This hoax first
appeared In January 2000 and claimed that several shipments of
bananas from Costa Rica were infected with a flesh-eating
bacterium that causes necrotizing fasciistis. The e-mall cites a
Manheim Research Institute as the source of the warning.
Necrotizing fasciitis is a real but rare infection caused by
Group A streptococcus, the same bacterium that causes strep
throat. It attacks soft tissues under the skin, resulting In
gangrene, amputation and even death. Group A streptococci are
spread by direct contact with secretions from the nose and
throat of infected persons or by contact with infected wounds or
sores. The germ lives in the human body and cannot survive long
enough on the surface of a banana.
4. Cough CPR can save your life. In 1999, e-mall purportedly
endorsed by the Rochester General Hospital and Mended Hearts (a
support group for heart attack victims) claimed that repeated,
vigorous coughing could save the life of a person who suffers a
head attack while alone. According to urbanlegendsaabout.com,
through CPR'' (or "self-CPR'') is a real procedure occasionally
used in emergency situations under professional supervision. It
is not, however, taught in standard CPR courses, nor is it
advised by most medical professionals as a ''lifesaving''
measure for people who experience heart attacks while alone.
5. Fish Contaminated With Deadly 'Zulican Virus '' After
Tsunami. Immediately after the Asian tsunami disaster In
December 2004, a wave of text messages (SMS) and forwarded
e-mails warned Asian consumers to avoid eating seafood ''because
fish killed bathe Indian Ocean tsunami are infected with the
deadly 'Zulican virus ''. This hoax caused not only fear among
consumers but also a drastic drop. In sales of fish and fish
products. In several Asian countries HeaIth authorities have
since declared that the ''Zulican virus'' is bogus, and there is
no evidence suggesting toadfish caught after the tsunami are
unfit for consumption.
6. Freezing Water In Plastic Battles Releases Cancer-Causing
Dioxin. This widely circulated 2004 hoax purportedly relayed
information from a Johns Hopkins newsletter claiming that
freezing water in plastic bottles can release toxic dioxin and
cause cancer. Johns Hopkins university denied they issued such
information in a special news release. Professor Rolf Haiden of
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said "This is an
urban legend Freezing actually works against the release of
chemicals. Chemicals do not diffuse as readily in cold
temperatures, which would limit chemical release if there were
dioxins in plastic, and we don't think there are ''
7. Woman Catches Leptospirosis From Unwashed Coke Can. In 2002,
several variants of this hoax claimed that a woman in North
Texas (or Belgium, Botswana, etc was infected with the deadly
leptospirosis disease after drinking Coke straight from an
unwashed can contaminated with dried rat urine. Leptospirosis is
a real disease transmitted via rat urine or feces. Urbanlegends
about.com says soda cans are usually stored and shipped in
shrink-wrap or cardboard cases and are, therefore, unlikely
vehicles for dried rat urine, contaminated or otherwise. Of
course, washing off the top of a soda can-or any bottle, for
that matter-before drinking. It is always a good idea.
8. Lead In Lipstick. This 2003 hoax claimed that several
brand-name lipsticks (Christian Dior, lancome Clinique, YSL, etc
) contain "cancer-causing lead '' and Its presence can be tested
by scratching products with a 24-karat gold ring Urbanlegends
about com found neither reliable Information to support the
claims nor warnings or references of any kind in International
medical Journals and the FDA'S online database on the presence
of lead in lipstick.
9. Tampons Contain Asbestos. This e-mall scare story began
circulating In 1998 It alleges that tampons pose a serious
health threat to women because they contain asbestos As usual,
the message was unsigned, urged recipients to send It to every
Woman they knew, and positively unsettling. Experts dismissed
the allegations as absurd ''Tampons do not contain asbestos and
never have. No research has been published anywhere to even
suggest lid's according to urbanlegends about com
10. Shampoo Causes Cancer. Circulating since 1998, this hoax
claims that sodium laureate sulfate, a synthetic chemical found
in brand-name shampoos and other personal-care products, causes
cancer Again, the message Is unsigned and cites no references to
support its claims It Is true that sodium Iaureth sulfate (SLES)
is found frequently In shampoos ant occasionally In toothpastes
However, the chemical does not appear on any official list of
known or suspected carcinogens, says urbanlegends about com
SMART SKEPTIC Why do people create and sent hoax messages?
Hoaxbusters com says only the original writer knows, but cites
some possibilities to see how far a message would go, to damage
a person's or organization's reputation, or simply for the
perverse pleasure of spreading misinformation Whatever the
motivation may be behind hoax messages, maintain a healthy dose
of skepticism when checking your inbox When you receive an
e-mall that looks like a hoax, the most prudent course of action
Is to verify the Information with a medical professional before
acting on or sharing It Or just hit the delete button As
hoaxbusters com aptly puts it, ''When in doubt, don't send it
out ''
About the author:
Manolito Montala is a webmaster and one of his interests is
collecting local medicinal herb plant information which can be
found in Filipino Herbs Healing Wonders. You can visit his site
in
http://www.filipinoherbshealingwonders.filipinovegetarianrecipe.c
om/
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