6 Health Tips That Are Totally Bogus

You know a lot of those little things you're supposed to do to keep healthy, like flossing or getting an x-ray for lower back pain? Apparently, many of these little health tips are somewhat bogus and do pretty much nothing for you. Are you surprised? Well, you should be because health experts are the ones saying that they are useless.

Here are 6 health tips and procedures that many health experts are claiming are totally bogus. 

COMMENT on Facebook letting us know which of these surprised you the most. # 4 totally surprised me.  This article does not constitute medical advice. If you’re concerned about your health, talk to your doctor.

1. Are you one of those people who load up on as much Vitamin C as possible when you are struck down by a cold?

Consuming gargantuan servings of Vitamin C during a cold is likely ineffective.

This doesn't mean that you should avoid fruits and veggies that can be natural sources of the vitamin. 

2. Flossing your teeth. 

This is another shocker to most people. I can't count the number of times I was chastised for not flossing my teeth regularly. A recent review of all of the evidence available concerning flossing has shown that it may not be as effective as people think. Studies haven't conclusively shown that there's a benefit.

3. Peeling your vegetables. 

Did you know that tons of the best kind of fiber are packed into the peel of many veggies? Insoluble fiber helps to get things moving through the body again, aiding in digestion. Why would you peel off all of this good stuff?!

4. Using sterile saline solution to clean a wound. 

Using good tap water is as safe as cleaning a wound with a sterile saline solution. People swear by using saline to clean wounds, but recent research on wound healing shows that there isn't any more of a risk of developing an infection with tap versus saline solution. 

5. Treating children with medication to relieve constipation. 

It may be more useful to change aspects of your child's diet and lifestyle before resorting to laxatives to get things moving again. Increasing the amount of fiber the child eats as well as the amount of water they drink are two possible changes that may be particularly helpful. 

6. X-rays for back pain.

This may sound somewhat shocking, but recent research shows that using imaging on back pains can result in a high number of medical false alarms. In other words, a doctor may think that something is wrong with your back even if nothing too concerning is actually happening. 

SHARE this useful health article with your Facebook friends. You may just teach them something today.

h/t City A.M.