2
Not all heart attacks
involve chest pain.
Truth! A 2012 study of more than
1.1 million heart attack patients
found that 31 percent of men and
42 percent of women didn’t have any
chest pain before being hospitalized.
The American Heart Association
recommends calling 911 for other
symptoms, too, including shortness
of breath, light-headedness, and pain
elsewhere in the upper body.3
Being overweight shortens
your life expectancy.
Myth! It’s what researchers call the
“obesity paradox,” though the “over-
weight paradox” would be more
accurate. Obesity is linked with a
host of health problems, including
so-called all-cause mortality, but
the evidence isn’t strong for over-
weightness. A recent review looked at
ten studies of more than 190,000 peo-
ple and found that overweight people
had the same longevity as normal-
weight adults, though they did have
a higher risk of heart disease.4
You shouldn’t ice a burn.
Truth! Most skin damage from a
burn comes from the inflammatory
response, and ice can damage cells
and make it worse. Instead, immerse
the burn in cool water for about five
minutes. Then wash with mild soap
and apply an antibiotic ointment.5
Antiperspirants cause cancer.
Myth! Antiperspirants temporar-
ily keep sweat from escaping, and
some scientists have suggested that
letting it build up in the ducts could
cause tumors. But research hasn’t
confirmed that theory, and the
largest study to date on the subject
found no link between cancer and
antiperspirants or deodorants.6
CPR doesn’t require
mouth-to-mouth breathing.
Truth! A 2017 study found that when
bystanders gave CPR to people in
cardiac arrest, survival rates were
higher when they employed uninter-
rupted chest compressions rather
than pausing for rescue breaths.68 march 2019
Reader’s Digest Cover Story
1
Cold weather makes you sick.
Myth! Germs are the only thing that can make you sick.
You can go out in the freezing cold with wet hair,
and if there aren’t any germs around, you’ll stay sniffle-free.
But there is a correlation: The viruses that cause the
common cold thrive in low temperatures.previousspread:^ setby^ sara^ foldenauer,^arcady/shutterstock^ (flap)