7 little lies that can harm your health

When you speak to a healthcare provider (HCP), it’s important to be direct and honest. Telling them the whole truth about your lifestyle habits, sexual issues, or scary symptoms may feel awkward, but it’s the only way to ensure that you get the care you need. 

With that in mind, here are seven small, common lies people tell in an HCPs office—and how these fibs may endanger their health.

If you don't drink or drink only a moderate amount of alcohol, your HCP may have little reason to look for serious diseases caused by excessive alcohol intake. But drinking too much alcohol can lead to liver problems, including fatty liver disease and serious liver damage called cirrhosis. It also increases risk for a number of other health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, inflammation of the pancreas, and certain cancers.

“People routinely lie about how much they drink,” says Keith Roach, MD, associate professor in clinical medicine in the division of general medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. “The liver is a common area for problems, and we don’t routinely test its function unless we have reason to suspect a problem.” 

How much is too much? It can depend, but drinking in moderation is defined as one drink or less per day (for women) or two drinks or less per day (for men).

HCPs routinely ask patients about their mood during check-ups, but some people find it hard to admit to symptoms that might suggest a mental health problem. Instead, they fall back on a stoic, “Everything’s fine,” even when they feel consistently down, anxious, or overly stressed. 

“Not discussing mood issues with your doctor is a mistake,” says Dr. Roach. “It’s something for which we now have many treatment options, and I think there’s a lot of unnecessary suffering because people are too proud or embarrassed to speak up.” Men, who die of suicide at nearly four times the rate of women, can be especially reluctant to talk about symptoms of depression.

Some people minimize symptoms for fear of what they might mean, or because it can be difficult to discuss certain bodily functions. But it’s a potentially dangerous practice. Symptoms can be warning signs for bigger health troubles.

“A woman who hasn’t had a period in years who’s suddenly having vaginal bleeding, for example, might hesitate to bring that up, but it could be a sign of something serious, such as uterine cancer,” Roach says. “Another major concern would be denying chest pain or other signs of cardiac problems. Most people with heart disease don’t actually experience chest pain—they get pressure, discomfort, squeezing, or tightness, and they need to speak up about any unusual symptoms.” 

Using illegal drugs can cause problems as varied as the substances themselves. Men who smoke marijuana on a regular basis may experience low libido and erectile dysfunction. Ecstasy can lead to depression and psychosis. Cocaine use can trigger a debilitating or fatal heart attack. Opioids are a type of drug that includes prescription medications like oxycodone and fentanyl, as well as illegal drugs like heroin. They can be addictive and lead to opioid use disorder. In some cases, misuse can cause loss of consciousness and death. 

You may feel reluctant to admit to using these drugs, but Roach says HCPs have heard it all. “Your doctor isn’t there to judge you. But the more information you share, the better they can help you and give you information about how much harm you’re potentially doing,” he says. While cannabis use is legal in many states, it’s still something you’d want to bring up since the drug does have possible health effects.

Sexual dysfunction is common among older men, but bedroom problems can affect both men and women at all life stages. Both sexes, Roach says, can find it difficult to talk to their HCPs about problems in their sex life, but these issues can be a sign of a physiological problem. 

In men, for example, erectile dysfunction might be the first sign of blocked blood vessels or neurological disease. In men and women, physical causes of sexual problems include diabetes, heart disease, bladder problems, or hormonal imbalances. Whether the root cause is psychological or physiological, it’s important to share your difficulties with your HCP. 

Maybe you have only the occasional cigarette and don’t consider yourself a smoker, so you don’t mention it to your HCP. But research has shown that smoking fewer than five cigarettes a day increases your risk of dying from heart disease by nearly threefold compared to nonsmokers. It also raises your risk of stroke and cancer. 

Roach notes that, among lifestyle habits, smoking has one of the highest potentials for harm. “Cigarette smoking is an incredibly powerful risk factor, not only for cancer, but for heart disease, lung disease, and many other problems,” he says. Your HCP is also likely to know you’re lying. “Cigarette smokers smell like smoke, so it’s usually not hard to figure out.”

While it may be tempting to “borrow” a prescription pain medicine or anti-anxiety drug from your spouse or even a friend, don’t do it. And if you have, tell your HCP. Opiate painkillers are highly addictive, and a drug that controls pain in someone with a serious illness or injury can kill a person who hasn’t built up tolerance to it. Interactions between different drugs can also cause dangerous side effects. HCPs can’t account for those complications if they don’t know what you’re taking.