Health Series: Myths that Break the Bank – Exercise

This next health myth looks at building muscle, and shows you how to save time and money while maintaining a great physique. Normally this requires going to the gym. This step can be eliminated by understanding the processes in your body when you work out.

Muscle growth is caused by repairing damage to muscle fibers. This damage is the result of repeatedly straining the muscles, through the lifting of weights, or repeated movements. Luckily, there is another way to cause this muscle damage, without all the lifting, sweating, grunting and admiring yourself in the mirror between reps.

In about an hour, this man will be covered in a thin film of grease, accompanied by acute muscle soreness.  Unfortunately, it can't fix his face.  Image from White Castle.

The trick is to eat foods high in both saturated fats and protein. By itself, saturated fat will just make you gain weight. When combined with protein however, the fat cannot be properly absorbed into your bloodstream. It makes its way to your muscles where it just sits, producing strain and tearing up the muscle fibers till it can be released through the skin. The foods which work best for this include Taco Bell cheesy bean burritos and White Castle sliders. Anyone who's eaten one too many of these foods can attest to the previously unexplained muscle soreness, followed by a day or two of feeling greasy. As explained, that muscle soreness is the strain from the saturated fat and the greasy feeling is that fat being excreted from the body through the skin. If you were to replace your monthly gym membership and daily protein shakes with a Crave Case every week or two, you would find yourself putting on the same mass at just a fraction of the cost and effort.

Health Series: Myths that Break the Bank – Gum Disease

Typical dentist propaganda.  Image from http://periotherapy.com/

I chose to address this second myth because it saves me unnecessary trips to the dentist.  Any dentist will tell you that dark red gums are unhealthy and if left untreated, you will end up with periodontal disease, and eventually lose your teeth.  As you could expect, dentists perpetuate this myth because the more you worry about your mouth, the more you give them in co-pays and insurance.  The truth is the actually the exact opposite.  Your gums are at their reddest when there is a a healthy blood flow to the roots of your teeth.  This can easily be mistaken for a disease because at times, there is so much blood flow that the gums become swollen and will bleed at the lightest touch.  If you wait for a day a two however, the swelling will go down as the gums begin to harden in a process similar to the formation of calluses.  Ever since I first read the truth about gums, I've been going to the dentist far less frequently.  It's been almost four years since my last visit and as far as I can tell, I still have all my teeth.

Health Series: Myths that Break the Bank - Sneezing

As almost all people get older, they find themselves spending increasing amounts of time and money treating new health issues.  Many feel that there's not too much that can be done about it.  In actuality, there is plenty that can be done.  The problem is that there are many health myths that are perpetuated by various groups and industries, with the purpose of relieving you of your money.  This health series will address these myths, one per blog post, to teach you where you can afford to spend less.

Image Source: CDC Public Health Image library ID 11162

This first myth is my favorite, since it is spread by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), an irrelevant government agency that needs to convince Congress that they deserve funds.  After every major viral outbreak in the past 10 years (SARS, Avian Flu, Swine Flu, etc), the CDC has advised people to wear dust masks and sneeze into their armpits.  The goal has been to prevent the further spread of the virus through sneezes.  This cannot be further from the truth of what's actually happening.  When you breathe in a virus through your nose, it is filtered through the nasal cavity.  Likewise, when you sneeze, you are again filtering out any traces of virus.  Sneezes are so sterile, in fact, that I'll frequently sneeze on kitchen counters, doorknobs, or even toilet seats.  Doing so means I spend less on household essentials such as tissues, bleach, and laundry detergent.