Health Myths That Every Woman Should Know Are Bogus

6. Can you get pregnant when you’re breastfeeding? Yes, you can!

It definitely wouldn’t be fair to say that you can’t get pregnant when you are breastfeeding because there is a chance of it happening. If you are only breastfeeding, you will need to do so roughly every 4 hours. If you are not supplementing with formula or solid foods when the baby is older, then it is unlikely that you will get pregnant while breastfeeding. When you breastfeed, your hormones that produce milk suppress the hormones that have you make an egg and ovulate. That doesn’t mean that it won’t happen because it certainly can and has before.

If you don’t want to become pregnant soon after having your baby, it would be a good idea to speak with your doctor or ob-gyn and plan to go on birth control. You can go on the pill or get an IUD while breastfeeding, and it is entirely safe. When you talk to your doctor, you can determine the best form of birth control. If you don’t want to take anything, you can continue to breastfeed and can use condoms as well. Just know that your chances of getting pregnant are greater.

5. If you have itching and discharge, it could be more than a yeast infection.

Itching and discharge are common symptoms of many STDs and other vaginal infections, so to say that those two symptoms are only signs of a yeast infection is false. If you are sexually active, then there is a good chance it could be something else, especially if you are unsure if your partner has had other partners. Sometimes symptoms for STDs don’t present themselves for several weeks. If you are unsure, you need to make an appointment with your doctor. If you leave it untreated, there could be further complications down the line and significant discomfort for you.

There are over-the-counter yeast infection medications you can take. However, when you take these, it can be harder to diagnose another STD than it could be. The cultures in your vagina need to be present, and the medication for yeast infections gets rid of these. It is best to wait for a diagnosis from your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications. Sometimes, if you have had a yeast infection before and haven’t been sexually active recently, your doctor will just tell you to take over-the-counter medications. If you are unsure, make sure you advocate for your own health and get checked out to be sure.

4. Health Myth: You need to go carb-free to lose weight.

With the ketogenic diet being one of the most talked-about and hyped up diets right now, it’s no wonder you see headlines like “you need to be carb-free to lose weight!”. The ketogenic diet is very similar to the Atkins diet, where carbohydrates are limited, and you burn fat instead to lose weight. The ketogenic diet works very well for many people and isn’t as restrictive as some other diets. However, you don’t need to cut out carbs or eat only small amounts of carbs to lose weight. You can still enjoy your carbohydrates and lose weight.

Weight loss is as simple as calories in versus calories out; however, eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly is one of the best ways to lose weight healthily. Living a healthy lifestyle involves exercising regularly and eating well, so it is a no-brainer that this would also allow you to lose weight. If you want to lose weight, you will need to eat in a caloric deficit, which doesn’t restrict carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. It is often better for your health to avoid refined carbohydrates like white bread and white rice, but natural ingredients like potatoes are good in moderation.

3. Health Myth: Women don’t need to worry about heart disease as much as men.

Men and women both need to worry about heart disease more now than ever. With more and more people gaining weight and being overweight, heart disease risk is much greater. Higher cholesterol due to poor diet and lifestyle choices are a common cause and worry for heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in The United States, so everyone should be looking to prevent it. There are multiple heart disease types, and using the term ‘heart disease” is just an umbrella term for all of them.

Heart disease includes arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease (CAD), and other heart infections. These can lead to heart failure, which also causes heart attacks. Women, in particular, need to be careful when it comes to heart disease, as this is often called “the silent killer.” Many women can have complications with their heart and have heart disease and not know it. Sometimes no symptoms are present. That is why women need to lead a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly.

2. Health Myth: You don’t need to have your cholesterol checked in your early adulthood.

More and more young adults are experiencing higher cholesterol, so it is something that both men and women should be worrying about as early as their early 20’s. More elevated cholesterol can have extremely adverse effects on the body, and you might not even know it because there are usually no symptoms. It is vital to get your cholesterol levels checked regularly, especially if high cholesterol runs in your family. High cholesterol can be one of the causes that lead to heart attacks and strokes. The good news is you can do things now to lower your cholesterol.

If you need to lower your cholesterol, you will want to avoid unhealthy foods, especially trans fats and saturated fats. Focus on healthy fats that you will get through nuts, seeds, and fish. If you are going to have saturated fats, have them in moderation. Also, quitting smoking and lowering or quitting alcohol will help reduce your cholesterol levels as well. Sometimes higher cholesterol can be linked to your genetics, so eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly can be even more essential. Also, for women, after menopause, your risk of having higher cholesterol increases, so it is recommended to have your cholesterol levels checked more frequently.

1. Are hand sanitizers and antibacterial soap both needed in handwashing? No, not at the same time!

Now more than ever, we are constantly reminded to wash our hands with the Covid-19 pandemic. We need to be diligent with this to protect ourselves and our loved ones. What is the difference between these soaps and sanitizers, and which ones are better for us? While neither one is more crucial than the other, they are all critical now, but they serve different purposes. It can be best to use all of them throughout the day. We should be washing our hands multiple times a day.

Regular and antibacterial soaps are used to wash out hands of any dirt or debris. Soap is used to get soiled hands clean, and antibacterial soap has the added benefit of killing more bacteria. Regular soap can do this, too, as long as your washing your hands properly. Hand Sanitizer is not meant to actually “clean” soiled hands but rather only kill bacteria and germs on our hands. It’s not meant to wash the dirt off. Hand sanitizer is great for when your hands aren’t soiled and when you want to make sure your hands are free from bacteria, for example, after you’ve touched door handles.

Where do we find our stuff? Here are our Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol

womenshealthmag.com/…1805/40-health-myths

cdc.gov/heartdisease/index.htm

Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Colon cleanses

healthline.com/…rition/is-soy-bad-for-you