Columbus, OH,
11
February
2016
|
18:42 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

ABC6: Busting Health Myths

 

Is hand sanitizer better than good old soap and water?

Should you stretch before or after working out? Or both?

Should you avoid gluten?

In this story, featured on ABC6, OhioHealth family medicine experts, Laurie Hommema, MD and Steven Auciello, MD with Riverside Family Practice, do a little health myth busting when it comes to some commonly practiced health and wellness habits. Follow along as members of the Columbus community are quizzed on the streets, and learn what is true and what is false in the wide world of health myths.

True or False? Community Members Take the Health Myth Quiz

1. Hand sanitizer works better than soap and water.

False. While hand sanitizers do help in killing most viruses and bacteria, it has the same effect as washing your hands with soap and warm water.

2. Hand sanitizer stops working after a while

False. You can’t build up an immunity to hand sanitizer over time.

3. Gluten is bad for everyone.

False. Gluten in general doesn’t have negative effects on the majority of the population.

4. Stretching is especially important before a workout.

False. There is currently no data that shows stretching before a workout prevents injuries. In some cases, stretching pre-workout has been shown to decrease performance. It can actually be more helpful to stretch after a workout.

5. You should ask your doctor for an antibiotic at the first sign of a cold.

False. It is highly perpetuated that an antibiotic should be taken whenever you are sick; however, they only work against bacteria. Additionally, antibiotics can have side effects and can sometimes cause an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria in your body.