List of "Science" Rumors in March 2023: Can you take oseltamivir on your own after being infected with influenza A? Are wild vegetables green foods?

The list of "scientific" rumors for March 2023 is revealed! Can you take oseltamivir on your own after being infected with influenza A? Can lutein prevent and treat myopia? Can your skin become better after taking collagen? The truth >>

The monthly "science" rumor list is guided by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, the Beijing Municipal Cyberspace Administration, and the Capital Internet Association, and jointly released by the Beijing Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Association and the Beijing Regional Website Joint Rumor-Refuting Platform, and is supported by the Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Professional Committee of the China Science Writers Association, the China Evening News Science Editors and Journalists Association, the Shanghai Science Communication Association, and the Institute of Science and Technology Information of the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology.

1. You can take oseltamivir on your own after being infected with influenza A

gossip:

Oseltamivir is known as the "magic drug" for treating influenza A. It is very effective for all kinds of colds and can be taken directly for the symptoms.

the truth:

Oseltamivir is not a panacea for colds. It has a single effect and is only effective against influenza A and B, but not other types of colds. At the same time, oseltamivir is a prescription drug and should be used under the guidance of a doctor. It is not recommended to take it on your own.

Oseltamivir is a specific inhibitor of influenza virus neuraminidase, which can effectively cut off and inhibit infected cells and is an effective drug for treating influenza. For high-risk groups for severe influenza, such as the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with chronic underlying diseases, it is best to use oseltamivir within 48 hours of onset (it can also be used after 48 hours, but you still need to consult a doctor first and take it under the guidance of a doctor); as for non-severe high-risk groups, they only need to take antipyretics or physical cooling and other general symptomatic treatments.

Oseltamivir is an antiviral drug. If abused, it can cause the body to develop drug resistance. Once a critical illness occurs, this drug resistance will affect treatment. If a high-risk group for severe influenza comes into contact with an influenza A patient, they can temporarily take oseltamivir orally for preventive treatment, but it is not recommended as a routine preventive medication.

2. Lutein can prevent and treat myopia

gossip:

Lutein can resist blue light and protect eyesight. People who stay up late to study, overuse their eyes, or use their mobile phones for a long time can prevent and treat myopia by supplementing lutein.

the truth:

Studies have shown that lutein plays a positive role in protecting retinal health and preventing age-related macular degeneration, but its effectiveness for myopia has not been confirmed.

In addition, lutein does not need additional supplementation because our normal diet (such as mango, corn, spinach and all green vegetables) contains enough lutein. As long as we have a balanced diet, we can consume enough lutein through our daily diet.

There is currently no medical cure for myopia. We can only prevent myopia from getting worse through scientific correction and improving eye habits. The most effective way to prevent myopia is to develop good eye habits and increase outdoor activities. Reduce the time of using eyes at close range, ensure appropriate lighting when writing and reading, and use tables and chairs at the right height to keep the eyes at an appropriate distance from the objects being viewed. Two hours of outdoor activities a day, bathing in the sun and overlooking the green scenery, etc., can relax the eyes and effectively relieve visual fatigue. This is the most effective and economical way to prevent and control myopia. If you have a problem with myopia, you should seek advice from a professional doctor and take a variety of comprehensive measures to prevent and manage myopia.

3. Orthodontic braces can be purchased online for “self-service orthodontics”

gossip:

Compared to going to the hospital to customize dental braces, "self-service" orthodontics by purchasing braces online is both cheap and reliable, saving money and worry.

the truth:

Orthodontic treatment is different from general online consumption. It is a professional medical behavior. Consumers who choose to purchase dental braces online for "self-service" orthodontics may face many risks.

Due to individual differences, the orthodontic plan for each patient is different. Before correction, the patient must undergo comprehensive imaging and biochemical examinations so that the doctor can give a scientific orthodontic plan. In the process of online shopping for dental braces, these indispensable steps are omitted.

In addition, there are many dangers of wearing dental braces at home. Without the guidance of a professional doctor, some dental caries, periodontal disease, and temporomandibular joint problems may occur. It may also cause some forces that the teeth cannot withstand, causing the teeth to loosen and fall out. These oral diseases caused by improper correction may be irreversible for life.

4. When the sky is covered with dust, a sandstorm is coming.

gossip:

When the sky turns yellow and there is dust floating in the air, it means a sandstorm is coming.

the truth:

Whenever sandstorm weather occurs, people are accustomed to saying "the sandstorm is coming", but in meteorology, sandstorm weather can be divided into five types according to its intensity: floating dust, blowing sand, sandstorm, strong sandstorm and extremely strong sandstorm - not all sandstorm weather is sandstorm.

Among the five types of sandstorms, floating dust is the lightest, which refers to dust and fine sand floating evenly in the air, making the horizontal visibility less than 10 kilometers. Floating dust often makes distant scenery appear yellow-brown or gray-yellow, and the sky appears pale or slightly yellow.

During sandstorms, the wind blows up dust on the ground, making the air quite turbid and the horizontal visibility within 1 km to 10 km.

When it reaches sandstorm level, strong winds will blow up a large amount of sand and dust on the ground, making the air very turbid and the horizontal visibility less than 1 km.

A severe sandstorm is when strong winds blow up sand and dust on the ground, making the air blurry and turbid, with horizontal visibility less than 500 meters.

When the most severe and extremely severe sandstorms occur, strong winds blow up sand and dust on the ground, the air is extremely turbid, and horizontal visibility is less than 50 meters.

5. Eating collagen can improve your skin

gossip:

Collagen is very important to skin quality. If you eat more foods containing collagen, your skin will improve.

the truth:

This statement is "changing the concepts".

In fact, it is impossible for collagen to enter the skin just by eating it. After collagen reaches the body, it is first broken down into amino acids one by one. Eating more collagen only means that more amino acids are consumed, but the body will not synthesize more collagen.

6. If you have the habit of breathing through your mouth for a long time, you can use a "mouth breathing patch" to correct it.

gossip:

Long-term mouth breathing will affect your appearance. Using products such as "mouth breathing patches" can correct your breathing habits.

the truth:

"Mouth breathing patches" use strips of tape to forcefully stick a person's upper and lower lips together to prevent the mouth from opening to breathe while sleeping. However, it can only play an auxiliary role in helping the mouth close. For mouth breathing caused by oral or dental reasons (such as underbite, protruding front teeth, etc.), mouth breathing patches can be used to correct it. If mouth breathing is caused by obstructive diseases, mouth breathing patches cannot be used, otherwise it will cause severe hypoxia in the user and cause more problems.

Whether children or adults, if mouth breathing cannot be relieved for a long time, they should go to a professional otolaryngology department for treatment. For obstructive mouth breathing, the cause should be identified and the diagnosis and treatment opinions of otolaryngologists should be followed. For example, tonsils, adenoids, and nasal polyps that compress the airway should be removed, and obvious nasal septum deviation should be corrected. Chronic rhinitis is generally treated conservatively, and obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome can be treated by expanding the pharyngeal cavity or reducing the tongue volume.

7. Non-fried foods are healthier

gossip:

Fried foods are not good for your health. In comparison, “non-fried” foods are healthier. Eating them will not make you fat or cause you to get irritated.

the truth:

"Non-fried" is not necessarily healthier. In fact, the only difference between fried foods and "non-fried" foods is the production method. The oil content, fat, and calories of the ingredients themselves have not decreased. In order to ensure the crispy taste of the food, puffed foods (non-fried) such as shrimp strips and crispy strips still need to be brushed with oil on the surface, and the fat content is not low. The fat content of puffed foods is usually above 15%, and a few products are even as high as 30%, which is not inferior to fried rice crust and fried instant noodles.

In addition, the harmful substances (such as acrylamide) contained in some "non-fried" foods have not been reduced due to different production methods. For example, fried potato chips are made by frying, while "non-fried" potato chips are made by air drying and baking. Among them, the baking temperature is often above 200℃, and potato chips still have the risk of producing acrylamide at high temperatures.

Therefore, when buying food, you don't have to pay too much attention to the concept of "fried" or "non-fried", but should pay attention to important information on the food packaging, such as the shelf life, ingredient list, and nutritional information. Try to choose products with low fat content, low calories, and low sodium content; try to choose foods that do not contain hydrogenated oil ingredients to reduce the intake of trans fatty acids; try to choose foods that have low processing temperatures and simple processing processes.

8. Hangnails on your hands indicate a lack of vitamins

gossip:

The reason for hangnails on fingers is a lack of vitamin B6 or vitamin C. As long as you supplement these vitamins, hangnails will not grow.

the truth:

If it is just a simple hangnail, most of the time it is just a local skin abnormality rather than a reflection of a systemic disease.

The scientific name of hangnails is "reverse peeling", which is a common skin problem around the nails and is not caused by vitamin deficiency. Most hangnails on fingers are caused by physical friction or excessive hand washing. The reason is that the cuticle at the end of the nail continues to accumulate and thicken. When the cuticle is over-keratinized and not cared for, the edge of the skin is prone to dryness and cracking. The tiny cracks are enlarged by friction, and then hangnails appear. If the climate is dry and there is too much water loss, the cuticle of the nail is prone to dryness and cracking, making hangnails more likely to appear.

Certain vitamins are indeed related to skin health, but they have nothing to do with the appearance of hangnails. For example, a deficiency of vitamin B6 can lead to seborrheic dermatitis in areas where sebaceous glands are more abundant, such as the scalp, face, chest, and other skin folds on the body. However, there are no sebaceous glands in the root of the nail, which is prone to hangnails. Vitamin C can inhibit the production of melanin and anti-oxidation, and can also promote the synthesis of collagen in the dermis. However, hangnails are caused by the dryness and friction breakage of the stratum corneum, and do not involve the problem of collagen synthesis in the deeper dermis.

9. Wild vegetables are all “green food”

gossip:

Because wild vegetables are wild, they are all green foods and are healthier than cultivated vegetables.

the truth:

Even natural wild vegetables are not necessarily green food, and eating them frequently may be harmful to your health.

Green food pays more attention to "no pollution" or "no public harm" than general food, and has the dual advantages of nutrition and safety. my country has clear regulations on green food, which is divided into two levels, AA and A. A-level green food requires limited use of limited chemical synthetic substances; while AA-level green food has stricter requirements, and no chemical synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, veterinary drugs, feed additives, food additives and other substances harmful to the environment and health are allowed to be used in the production process, and it must be produced in accordance with organic production methods. Although wild vegetables grow naturally in nature, they are not green foods. After all, there is no supervision on the quality and safety of wild vegetables. The soil, air, and water sources where wild vegetables grow may have been polluted, and may even be contaminated with pesticides and insecticides.

A study has reported the risk assessment of heavy metal pollution in 9 wild vegetables in Jilin Province, including commonly eaten Acanthopanax senticosus, prickly ash, bracken, dandelion, Artemisia selengensis, Shepherd's purse, Sonchus endive, Celery, and Allium spp. The results showed that the order of the degree of pollution of 5 heavy metals in the 9 wild vegetables was cadmium> chromium> lead> arsenic> mercury, and cadmium, chromium and lead were slightly polluted. Compared with vegetables cultivated in artificial controlled environments, these contaminated wild vegetables pose a greater health risk to the human population.

There was also an experiment to test the lead and cadmium content in 90 wild vegetable samples of amaranth, shepherd's purse and water celery from eight regions in Zhejiang Province. The results showed that the heavy metal lead content of the three wild vegetables exceeded the standard rate by 56.7% (there will be differences in different regions). Excessive lead intake can damage the nervous system, hematopoietic system and kidney health.

(Image source: Visual China; content sources for this issue: Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News, Science and Technology Daily WeChat public account, China Internet Joint Rumor Refutation Platform, CCTV.com, China Consumer News, Science Refutation, Tencent Jiuzhen, Beijing Science and Technology News, Beijing Daily, "Popular Science Times" WeChat public account, rumor refutation platform)

Produced by: Science Central Kitchen

Produced by: Beijing Science and Technology News | Beijing Science and Technology Media

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