2-15 有关医疗的谬论与事实（在线收听）

Medical Myths and Facts

You've read them before and these health tips have been passed down over generations, but do they really work? We applied modern science to some of the most often repeated words of old fashioned wisdom. Some held up, but sorry, Mom! Others didn't. Here, medical experts reveal which advice is based on myth and which is based on fact.

Q: Is it true that you should feed a cold and starve a fever?

A: Not really. I don't think either starving or feeding would make a difference to a cold or fever. As long as there's no vomiting or diarrhea, there's no reason to restrict diet. More critical is to drink plenty of liquids during either illness. Fluids help maintain appropriate blood pressure and, in the case of fever, replenish¹ the water lost through sweating and breathing as you dissipate² body heat.

Q: Is it unsafe to take a warm bath during your period?

A: No. Mother may have warned you that a hot bath could increase menstrual³ bleeding, but there's no evidence that this is so. A heavier flow is more likely to be induced by stress or exercise. If you submerge⁴ an open wound in hot water, this causes blood vessels to dilate⁵ and bleed more. But it does not mean that you can make the assumption that a warm bath affects the vessels of the uterus⁶ the same way. There's also no evidence that a warm bath during your period would increase the risk of infection.

Q: Does eating chocolate cause acne⁷?

A: No. Overactive sebaceous glands⁸, not candy bars, cause the blemishes⁹ that can embarrass adolescents and adults. Under normal conditions, the sebaceous glands produce sebum¹⁰, an oily secretion¹¹ that moistens and protects the skin. But these glands can produce too much sebum, usually as a result of hormonal changes or bacteria on the skin, and cause pimples¹². The fats that we absorb through our diet have no impact whatsoever on the oil glands themselves. If that were the case, people who had higher blood cholesterol¹³ or triglyceride¹⁴ levels would be more prone to acne, but they're not.

But there may be something to the chocolate/acne myth. A small number of people do seem to have a pimplelike reaction to certain food groups? ? chocolate is one, but more commonly, nuts. Some of the thinking in the old days may have been related to the chocolate products that contained peanuts.

Q: Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

A: Yes. Fasting overnight lowers the body's level of glucose¹⁵ (blood sugar), which is needed to produce the brain chemicals that keep us focused throughout the day. Breakfast brings those blood sugar levels back up to normal, and helps our bodies wake up so we don't feel sluggish¹⁶. Those who eat breakfast report feeling more alert, less depressed, less irritable¹⁷ and less restless during the day. They are more productive at work in the morning, too.

注释：

1.replenish [ri5pleniF] vt. 补充；把……再备足

2.dissipate [5disipeit] vt. 消耗；使消失

3.menstrual [5menstruEl] adj. [生理]月经的

4.submerge [sEb5mE:dV] vt. 浸没；使浸入

5.dilate [dai5leit] vi. 膨胀；扩大

6.uterus [5ju:tErEs] n. [解]子宫

7.acne [5Akni] n. [医]痤疮，粉刺

8.sebaceous [si5beiFEs] adj. 脂肪的，皮脂的；～gland[解]皮脂腺

9.blemish [5blemiF] n. 疤；黑头粉刺

10.sebum [5si:bEm] n. [生理]皮脂

11.secretion [si5kri:FEn] n. [生理]分泌物

12.pimple [5pimpl] n. [医]丘疹；小脓疱

13.cholesterol [kE5lestErEul] n. [生化]胆固醇

14.triglyceride [trai5^lisE7raid] n. [化]甘油三酸酯

15.glucose [5^lu:kEus] n. [生化]葡萄糖

16.sluggish [5slQ^iF] adj. 懒怠的；呆滞的

17.irritable [5iritEbl] adj. 急躁的，易怒的

有关医疗的与事实

　　你对此已有所耳闻，这些保健诀窍已经流传了好几代，但是它们真的管用吗？我们利用现代科学对人们常挂在嘴边的一些老生常谈进行了检验。有些是站得住的，但是，对不起,妈妈，其他的却是没道理的。在此，医学专家们向我们揭示哪些话是道听途说，哪些则是有着事实根据的。

问：感冒多吃、发烧少吃这种说法对吗？

答：不是这样。我不认为感冒或者发烧可以通过饥饿或者饱餐得到改善。只要不呕吐或者腹泻，没有理由限制饮食。更重要的一点是，无论是感冒还是发烧都要大量饮水。水能保持适当的血压，并能补充发烧散热时从汗腺和呼吸中失去的水分。

问：在例假期间洗温水澡不安全吗？

答：不对。妈妈或许警告过你洗热水澡会增加经血，但是这是没有根据的。经血过多更多是由于紧张或运动造成的。如果你把伤口浸在热水中，这会造成血管扩张而流血增加。但是这并不意味着你可以断定洗温水澡同样会影响子宫血管。此外，也没有任何证据表明例假期间洗温水澡会增加感染的风险。

问：吃巧克力会使人长粉刺吗？

答：不会的。造成令年轻人和成年人苦恼的粉刺的罪魁祸首是过于旺盛的皮脂腺，而不是糖块。在正常情况下，皮脂腺产生一种湿润护肤的油质分泌物——皮脂。但是，通常由于激素的变化或者皮肤细菌的原因，皮脂腺可能产生过量的皮脂而导致粉刺。我们通过饮食吸收的脂肪是怎么也不会影响皮脂腺的。如果真是那样的话，那些胆固醇或者甘油三酸酯含量较高的人会更容易出粉刺，但是并没有出现这种情况。

但是巧克力与粉刺有关的说法也许也有一定道理。有一小部分人确实好像因一些食物而产生类似粉刺的反应。巧克力是其中之一，但更常见的是坚果。过去人们之所以有巧克力导致粉刺的说法，或许是因为含有坚果的巧克力产品的缘故吧。

问：早餐是一天中最重要的一顿饭吗？

答：是的。一晚上的空腹使人体内的葡萄糖（血糖）含量下降，葡萄糖是产生脑部化学物质使我们一整天都精力集中的必需物质。早餐使我们的血糖恢复正常，帮助我们的身体苏醒过来，不感到懒怠。那些吃早餐的人都说在白天他们感觉反应更加敏锐，较少沮丧、急躁和不安，上午工作效率也更高。