Do you need to use antibiotics immediately when you have Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection? Here comes the list of scientific rumors for October →

1. Does Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection require immediate use of antibiotics?

Rumor content: Once infected with Mycoplasma pulmonary infection, it is recommended to use antibiotics for treatment immediately. Antibiotics can alleviate symptoms and shorten the course of the disease.

Truth: This practice is inappropriate. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is not the same as mycoplasma pneumonia. You need to consult a doctor whether you need to use antibiotics.

If Mycoplasma pneumoniae invades the human body but only causes an acute upper respiratory tract infection with mild symptoms, antibiotics may not be necessary because some patients will naturally get better. If the Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is severe or causes pneumonia, antibiotics are still needed for treatment.

It should be noted that cephalosporins and amoxicillin-type penicillins are ineffective against mycoplasma infections.

Source: People's Daily Health Client Check Disease

2. Can cold and wet weather cause arthritis?

Rumor: When it rains and winter comes, joints start to ache and arthritis must be caused by cold and wet weather.

Truth interpretation: The pathogenesis of arthritis is relatively complex and may be related to multiple factors such as immunity, genetics, infection, and metabolism. Therefore, it cannot be said that arthritis is caused by wet and cold weather.

However, a damp and cold environment can indeed aggravate arthritis. The reason why arthritis worsens in a damp and cold environment may be related to the damp and cold stimulation causing vasoconstriction and tissue hypoxia in the damaged joints.

If arthritis causes redness, swelling, heat and pain during an acute attack, you can first apply ice to relieve the pain, and then switch to hot compresses after the pain is relieved. In cold weather, keeping the joints warm can prevent the occurrence of arthritis to a certain extent.

Source: Scientific rumor refutation, People's Daily Health Client Disease Check

3. Is high-calcium milk better for calcium supplementation?

Rumor content: If you want to supplement calcium, drink more high-calcium milk. High-calcium milk has a high calcium content and has a better calcium supplement effect.

Truth: High-calcium milk may not be a good calcium supplement. Although high-calcium milk contains more calcium, most of its calcium is added calcium carbonate or calcium lactate, which has a low absorption rate and is not very effective in calcium supplementation.

Furthermore, adding extra calcium to milk can easily destroy the stability of its protein system and affect the taste and sterilization stability of milk, so a lot of extra calcium is not added to dairy products. The human body needs about 800 mg of calcium per day, and the extra few dozen mg of calcium in high-calcium milk cannot play a big role.

In addition, although the calcium content in high-calcium milk is relatively higher, if too much is consumed, it cannot be fully absorbed by the body. The remaining calcium will instead place a heavy burden on the human kidneys and digestive system, and in severe cases may cause hypercalcemia.

Source: Science Refutes Rumors

Sunshine Rose grapes that cost 4.10 yuan per pound are not edible. Eating one grape equals eating 24 times of pesticide?

Rumor content: Most of the Sunshine Rose grapes sold on the market at 10 yuan per pound have been sprayed with pesticides 24 times. The pesticide residues basically exceed the standard and they also contain harmful ingredients that can cause infertility. Don't buy them to eat because they are cheap.

Truth: This is a pure rumor. The reason why the price of Sunshine Rose grapes is cheaper than before is not because the variety is impure or farmers abuse pesticides, but because the output has increased, so the price is naturally cheaper.

The application of pesticides to fruits and vegetables needs to be based on the needs of the crops and the environment. If too much pesticide is applied, the land and fruit trees cannot bear it. "Soaking in pesticides" is a common operation after harvesting fruits and vegetables, because after harvesting, fruits and vegetables have to be transported over long distances to supermarkets before being bought by consumers. During this process, it is easy for damage and pests to occur, especially for "delicate" fruits such as grapes, so farmers usually use some preservatives, fungicides, plant growth regulators, etc. to prevent insects and bacteria.

The country has strict restrictions on the use of these products. As long as they are used reasonably and meet the standards, they will not cause harm to the human body.

Source: Tencent

5. If you shave your head frequently, will your hair become thicker?

Rumor content: If a child has sparse hair, you can shave his head frequently. The more times you shave, the darker and thicker the hair will be.

Truth interpretation: Hair grows from hair follicles. The hair papilla in the hair follicles determines the number, thickness and quality of hair. "Shaving your head" will not activate hair follicles and promote hair growth.

"Shaving your head" only trims the hair shaft and does not affect the hair follicles. The hair shaft is composed of dead keratin cells, which cannot absorb nutrients and have no blood vessels and nerves. Therefore, whether you shave or not, and how often you shave, it will not affect the amount of hair.

After shaving, the cross-section of the hair will become larger, and visually it will appear that there are more hair, but in fact the number of hair has not changed. If you have problems such as hair loss, it is recommended to seek medical treatment in time.

Source: Science Refutes Rumors

6.Are organic vegetables more nutritious than ordinary vegetables?

Myth: Organically grown vegetables have a stronger, purer flavor and contain higher amounts of organic nutrients than regular vegetables.

Truth interpretation: There is no significant difference in the content of vitamins and trace elements between organic vegetables and ordinary vegetables of the same type. In fact, the nutrient content of some ordinary vegetables may even be higher than that of organic vegetables of the same category.

The nutritional value of vegetables is affected by many factors, including variety, growing conditions, and harvesting time. The main advantage of organic vegetables is that they have lower pesticide residues, but the pesticide residues of fresh vegetables purchased in regular markets or supermarkets usually meet national standards and can be eaten with confidence.

The cultivation process of organic vegetables often requires more labor costs and organic input costs. The high price of organic vegetables is mainly due to their high production costs, and they have no obvious advantages in nutritional value.

Source: Science Refutes Rumors

About the Science Rumors List

Released by the China Association for Science and Technology, the list is reviewed by experts every month. Based on criteria such as timeliness and harmfulness, hot rumors are selected for special interpretation and pushed across the entire network.

Jointly published: Scientific rumor-busting platform, China Internet Joint Rumor-busting Platform, "Study to Strengthen the Country" learning platform

Supported platforms: Weibo rumor refutation, Toutiao rumor refutation, Tencent Jiuzhen, NetEase Health, Toutiao Health, Baidu Knows, Douyin

Scientific rumor debunking: Sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the State Administration for Market Regulation and other ministries and commissions, guided by the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, and jointly created by national societies, authoritative media, social organizations and scientific and technological workers, it aims to effectively improve the dissemination, guidance and influence of rumor debunking information, so that rumors can stop at the wise and let science outrun rumors.

List of review experts

(In order of the number of strokes of surname)

Ruan Guangfeng, Director of Science and Technology Department, Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center

Song Shuang, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Chen Rui , teacher at the Institute of Communication Psychology, School of Journalism, Communication University of China

Tang Qin, Chief Researcher, Department of Science Popularization, Chinese Medical Association

Gu Lei, PhD in Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor, Capital Normal University

This article is produced by "Science Facts" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.