Are you being fooled?

This page will explain the operation or effect of some substances that are mentioned in the advertising of certain products. In some cases, displayed as toxic substances: 

“Phenylalanine free”

Or as very favorable and healthy:

“Contains Omega 3”

We present here accurate information to help you know if the statements on the products we consume prevent us from a real risk or are simply marketing. 

If you’re curious about the supposed dangers or benefits of any substance, you can ask in the comments (below) and we will make a research to find out if they’re real or not. Don’t remain in doubt! 

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4. Can magnets cure diseases?

Magnet therapy is an alternative medicine  practice that uses magnets and magnetic fields to cure certain diseases through changes in blood flow. According to some people who earn thousands of dollars a year thanks to the promotion of magnetic therapy [1], it could even be used to reverse cancer.

It is noteworthy that not the same to talk about static magnetic fields (which can not produce electric currents) that oscillating magnetic fields. When a magnet is attached to the body, we speak of static magnetic fields. The magnet therapy usually refers to the  static use of magnets in alternative medicine.

In this case, it’s believed to function because the blood in the body contains iron, the metal that magnets attract. Also, it is thought that the electricity of the human body can be altered from the magnetic field of the previously magnetized bracelets, rings, and shoes (or even water).

So, it’s claimed to be a safe therapy with no side effects, that you can even save the hassle of using drugs or going to a doctor. Therefore, it might be too good to be true and make us think that if we say that is because its effect on the human body is null.

It is proved that the magnetic force of the magnets used is too weak to make a real impact on the human body. In addition, there have been double-blind studies (in which neither the patient nor the test applicator know what they are studying) with people who have pain in any body part and have concluded that the diamagnetism or ferromagnetism of hemoglobin is not enough for a magnet to generates a curative effect on it.

To see with your own eyes if the magnets have an effect on the iron in the blood, you just need to get cut and do the experiment of seeing if the droplet of blood is moved or not by passing a magnet over it. You can try different magnets (some are stronger than others) and with different amounts of blood.

Despite this, there remains controversy about the effectiveness of magnet due to the lack of a good way of using “placebos” that can’t be distinguished from magnets. A patient who uses magnets to treat illness can verify that the holder brings any metal to the magnet. This problem is not easily resolved and therefore, although there is no good reason as to the magnets working, its usefulness could not be completely ruled out.

However, most scientific studies published in journals of conventional medicine agree that magnetic treatments reported no improvement in disease and tend to be effective thanks to suggestion, the placebo effect or the trust in who promises a cure. This on the grounds that it doesn’t seem to be a test that magnet therapy will help those who are skeptical.

Good references on the subject:

Quackwatch

CSIcop

(Image from Craftygoat)

3.  Does cell phone causes cancer? 

Much has been told that cell phones can be dangerous by the radiation they emit. Some say they can cause cancer, while phone companies say that this fear is baseless. Cell phone use is dangerous for health or not?

The type of electromagnetic radiation emitting the cell is the same as that of a microwave oven, but many times less potent. The fear of the scientific community relies on the possibility of they “cooking” neurons in the same way a microwave cooks food. The use of cell phone may cause an increase in temperature and hence the brain tissue damage, so that it eventually becomes a cancer.

Early studies showed that cell phones did not have enough energy to cause tissue damage, at least not immediately.

The increase in temperature of brain tissue didn’t seem to be enough to damage it. The experiments were conducted in rats, whose brains are more vulnerable and no damage was reported, but the experiments were carried out in relatively short time compared to the time a person can spend on the phone during his life, what kept them in doubt about the long-term effects.

The discussion took a group of researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to collect data on the increase of people with brain cancer (gliomas or meningiomas) who had been using cell phone over 10 years.

The results of this research seem to be for telephone companies, as there was an increase in the number of people with cancer in those who use cell phones in moderation. However, they detected an increase by 10% of people: those who used cell phones more frequently. This showed that there may be a long term hazard if cell phone use is excessive.

It’s not a baseless fear that cell phone use can cause cancer, but neither it seems to be a risk too great to stop using it or ban it. In the short term there is no evidence that it causes health problems and all investigations indicate that it’s a secure system. In the long term risk for cell phone use seems to depend on the frequency used.

2. Is Omega 3 good for you? 

Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that the body doesn’t synthesize. This acid is found naturally in plant tissues such as nuts or animals such as fish. It has been shown [1] that this acid helps prevent cardiovascular disease, however, speculations and alleged evidence that the omega-3 helps improve cognitive abilities are very doubtful [2].

It is true that  some properties of this fatty acid seem to help in the treatment of psychiatric diseases. Probably for this reason they began to believe that food suplements with omega-3 could help improve learning in children. However, supplements containing omega-3 typically also contain mercury, which can be harmful rather than beneficial. On the other hand, foods such as nuts can generate allergies or poisoning.

In conclusion, eating foods with omega-3 can help prevent cardiovascular disease, but is unlikely to make you smarter or with a better memory. Eating too much of these products, however, may cause allergies and poisoning.

1. Is phenylalanine bad for you?

Many products contain the seemingly reassuring “Phenylalanine free.” Have you ever wondered what does phenylalanine to your body? How dangerous is this substance?

Phenylalanine is an aminoacid. Amino acids are organic molecules that form chains called proteins (or polypeptides if they’re short chains). This amino acid is one of the eight essential to humans, namely the human body needs to get them through nutrition because they’re not synthesized.

The problem with this amino acid is that certain people (between 2 and 6 per 100,000 persons) have an inherited disease called phenylketonuria, which prevents their bodies from breaking down this amino acid. When ingested by these persons, it causes neuronal damage, that is particularly severe in infants or fetuses in utero.

Clearly, the consumption of phenylalanine for people with this disease or for pregnant women with a  phenylketonuric baby in their womb can be very dangerous, but there is no special reason to warn of the lack of phenylalanine and not warn of many other substances that cause allergies or other illnesses. For example, it would be more important or useful to more people a statement like “contains sugar” or “sugar free” with respect to diabetes, a much more common  disease  (1 in 20 people have this disease according to WHO estimates) .

In short, phenylalanine is dangerous only for people with phenylketonuria or pregnant women that may fear their baby has this condition.