10 Absurd Things Women's Magazines Claim Are Going To Kill You

Women's magazines are full of stories about seemingly harmless objects and habits that have killed or almost killed someone, but how much of it is true? Sure, they may share real stories about some rare accident or another that happened to an unlucky person, but how much attention should be given to these articles? Jennifer Nelson, author of Airbrushed Nation: The Lure and Loathing of Women's Magazines claims that these magazines tell women that everything in their lives needs improvement. They use this tactic to force the reader to feel like that magazine is the key to survival. Here are just ten of the absurd things that, according to women's magazines, will eventually kill you.

Hot Tubs

One magazine suggests that hot tubs are not for everyone: if someone does not have the time and dedication to clean it properly, a bacteria can be spread through the pipes and be shot into the hair once the jets are turned on. This bacteria can cause a dangerous cough or even pneumonia. It is also said that if someone with herpes has recently sat in the same spot, it is possible to contract genital herpes even if they are wearing a bathing suit.

Makeup Brushes

Most women are aware that cleaning makeup brushes frequently is an essential step to avoid germs and harmful bacteria. This precaution is commonly taken as a way to prevent a terrible skin or eye infection. However, Good Housekeeping magazine shared with their readers a story of a woman who contracted a serious community-associated MRSA infection through her dirty brushes, and the virus attacked her spine. The woman stated that she caught it after borrowing her friend's makeup brush to cover a pimple, not knowing that something like this was a possibility.

Yoga

Practicing yoga alone can be risky, as some accidents are due to the clumsiness of the individual. SelfMagazine tried to strike fear into their readers by sharing the account of a woman who slipped out of bed and fell on the floor while practicing yoga at home. She managed to drag her body to the phone and call for help, but it was later discovered that she had torn her left carotid, which resulted in a clot forming and traveling to her brain. Feeling betrayed by yoga, this woman quit the practice for a year but was eventually brave enough to return.

A neurologist says that it is possible to treat one of the carotid artery's layers by simply extending the neck a looking towards the sky. It is unlikely that it will happen, but it is also unwise to accuse a form of exercise as the cause of this accident.

Water Fountains

magazine published a story of a woman who, days after graduating from college, collapsed in a bookstore. She explains that she caught giardia - an infection in the small intestine - from drinking water from a fountain on her graduation day. Giardia is usually sorted out with a course of antibiotics, but the woman's doctor discovered that she had an immune deficiency and was lacking white blood cells.

Cell Phones

A man named Gonzalez shared his story with Woman's Health magazine, which is a scary tale about the dangers of using a cell phone. He had a cancerous tumor removed from above his left ear and another from his left hand, which he believes was brought on by his cell phone. His proof is that researchers suggest that the radiation transmitted by cell phones may be potentially hazardous.

It is up to each person to decide if they want to ditch their phones or not, as the evidence regarding cell phone use and its correlation to cancer is murky at best.

Shaving

reader had her shaving horror story published in the magazine: three days after shaving, she noticed a small red bump on her bikini line. A day later it was as big as a golf ball, and she claimed to "look three months pregnant." Her doctor told her that it was a staph infection, and if the abscess was not drained within days, it could spread internally and cause sepsis, a deadly blood infection. This can not only happen from shaving but also waxing or picking an ingrown hair with unclean tools. The solution is either not to care or let the hair grow wild.

Donating Eggs

Marie Claire shares a story that may put people off from donating their eggs, even though it is clear to be the victim's fault this incident occurred. A woman regularly frequented a donation center to donate her eggs for cash. On her last visit, she was told she should wait at least another month before another donation, to give her body time to get back to its regular cycle. Due to growing student loans, the woman chose to ignore the warning and donated her eggs shortly after. Not long afterward, she began to feel an odd cramping feeling, which then turned into a stabbing pain in her abdominal area. It was discovered that she had an ovarian cyst, and the woman collapsed as it burst inside her.

Tampons

A story published by Cosmopolitan shares the curious tale of a woman found unconscious, with a high fever and her internal organs shutting down after a heart attack. She was rushed to the hospital, where she developed gangrene due to the lack of blood flow in her legs. Doctors were forced to amputate one of the woman's legs just below the knee, as well as all five of her toes on the other foot. It was discovered that the woman fell ill from a bout of Toxic Shock Syndrome or TSS.

A very small percentage of women who have Staphylococcus aureus in their regular vaginal flora can contract TSS. They also must lack the protein that protects them from the bacteria. On top of that, TSS happens when a woman is experiencing her menstrual cycle and fails to change out her feminine hygiene product. TSS can lead to death if untreated, although it only kills about five percent of the patients who contract it.

Birth Control Pills

Another woman tells a story of a large blood clot found in her left lung, which had damaged part of the lung. She was also at an increased risk, as the clot could move to her heart or brain, where it would surely take her life. Doctors decided to test her for the Factor V Leiden gene, which causes the carrier to be predisposed to life-threatening blood clots. Only four to seven percent of the population is a Factor V Leiden carrier. The woman's issues were a result of frequent birth control use, so she was instructed to try different contraceptive methods.

Henna Tattoos

Seventeen Magazine targets a teenage audience, and this story is more relatable for those who are too young to get a permanent tattoo. A teen girl visited a local shop to have her henna tattoo retouched, and after a few hours, the tattoo site started to swell. Her skin began to peel until it looked like an open flesh wound. It was discovered that the burn was caused by a synthetic coal tar dye not approved by the FDA that is found in black henna. The unfortunate girl in question was unable to go out into the sun for at least two years without protection, and could not dye her hair.