Fake! Rubbing oils in the navel does not cure diseases

This idea that rubbing oil in the navel cures dozens of diseases is not something new and a post is now circulating on Facebook that cites the supposed wonders of doing so.

The post, which has over 800 shares and over a thousand likes, reads as follows: “Applying oil to the belly button cures dry eyes, poor eyesight, pancreas, chapped heels and lips, keeps glowing face, healthier hair, for knee pain, chills, lethargy, joint pain and dry skin (sic)”.

See? Wonder then.

But before you dare to buy them, we tell you that the experts we consulted explained that although the oil (essential, amix, don't think it's cooking) can be used to reduce pain -and in fact this is part of Ayurveda therapy-, actually it does not have to be rubbed on the navel, it can be on any part of the skin. I mean, the belly button is not THE magical place.

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Also, experts say, oils are part of a therapy, not a way to permanently cure chronic ailments.

The idea sounds so great that network users have replicated this content and others even appreciate the information, even if it is misinformation.

Leave your belly button!

Doctor Gregorio Rafael Benítez Peralta, an academic at the Department of Anatomy at UNAM, explains that the publication refers to Ayurveda therapy, but then take some data out of context.

Benítez insists that it is important to know that this type of therapy has been used for 500 years and, therefore, the medical interpretation of what is said must be very c-u-i-d-a-d-o-s-a, but always with the idea that it is an adjuvant. That is, it can be useful, but it is not a cure as such.

“Our skin does not get water, but it can absorb fats, so most of the medicines that can be used on the skin, in any part of the skin, have to be properly dissolved in fat or oils says Benitez.

“The navel itself has no more or less absorption capacity (than the rest of the skin or the area of ​​pain)”, adds the Anatomy teacher.

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Putting oil on your belly button won't get rid of your acne

The viral post also adds that using neem oil on your belly button gets rid of blackheads and acne, and that spreading neem oil on Almonds on the belly button help to achieve a glowing face.

And no, friend. Dermatologist María Isabel García Rodríguez explains that dealing with acne and dryness problems doesn't work that way.

“If you apply cream to one part of the skin, it doesn't correct another,” says García.

So if you have acne and want your face to look more beautiful, the recommendation is to go to a dermatologist for a check-up, since acne is a disease that must be treated.

Noup, rubbing oil on your belly button won't make you more fertile either

No and no. Putting olive or coconut oil on your belly button will not give you more fertility, as the viral post says.

Gynecologist Jorge Alberto Campos Cañas, from the Ángeles Acoxpa hospital, explains that fertility depends on many factors, but none of them has to do with any oil.

“(Fertility depends on) the permeability of the fallopian tubes, that the uterus is fine, that it does not have any abnormalities such as fibroids and uterine polyps, that (there is) a hormonal balance, that one ovulates correctly says Campos.

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“Smearing oil is not going to influence any of these variables. It is impossible to uncover some tubes that are covered, that even at the surgical level is difficult; at the uterine level, if there are fibroids or polyps, it does not have any influence either, this can only be solved with surgical means. As for ovulation (the oil) does not influence the hormonal balance”, details Campos.

And another “NO”: putting brandy in the navel does not stop colic

Part of the viral publication also explains that placing a cotton ball with brandy in the navel serves to “relieve menstrual pain and cramps”. cramps”, but this is also false.

Yes, you can feel relaxed, but be careful, it can also be toxic!

Enrique Rosas, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology and an academic at the University of Guadalajara, gives an example of the use of alcohol. If it is made of cane, you can feel a slight relaxation, but if it is industrial it can intoxicate you.

Hey, why? The doctor says that the first thing we should know is how the absorption of substances through the skin works.

In the case of the navel, below we have the abdominal cavity, which is "a little" called the parietal peritoneum. "It's like a layer of fat, but we're going to think of it as if it were a plastic bag."

After that 'plastic bag', there is something called the epithelium, "it's like the fabric of an apron and inside are the intestines."

So what happens if we put alcohol or any other liquid in the belly button? It is like making a hole in the plastic bag (parietal peritoneum), so the fabric of the apron (epithelium) will get wet.

“This alcohol begins to be absorbed, it goes to the blood, to finally reach the nervous system”.

But that does not cause the contractions of the uterus to end, it only makes you feel relaxed or intoxicated, explains the expert.

In conclusion: it is false that rubbing oil on the navel cures diseases. In any case, the oil should be applied to the site where the injury is, not the navel, and it will be done under the idea of ​​therapy, not healing.

PS. Do not forget that everything you wear must be recommended by a health professional. Never do it to the viva Mexico!