HEALTH SCARE OF THE WEEK

Last week, MedicalDailyNews. com announced, "adults who average less than seven hours of sleep at night, have a higher risk of mental impairment, cardio vascular disease, and other illnesses."


As I swallowed that, in bold print the next paragraph said, "New research suggests that sleep deprivation may be a factor in Alzheimer's. Since the buildup of a sticky protein (Beta amyloid) in the brain increases with lack of sleep, it may start to cause damage long before actual memory problems develop."

Oh no!  Oh yes !!!!

This week a report declared, "Curtail your daily TV watching! Watching more than four hours of TV, increases your Altzheimer's risk."

Oh gee no!  Oh golly Yes!

So what do you do with the latest health scare news? Probably get less sleep, because you're worried about getting less sleep.

Each week there's something -- results of a questionnaire, a poll some poll-taker did to prove something with a statistic -- oddball conclusions like people over 55 who smile a lot are 50% more depressed than people 35 to 45 -- tidbits that are grabbed by the media, and blown up into big news.

Hey, remember all the health scares -- the NO NOs  about coffee, artificial sweeteners, eggs? And saturated fats -- they've been a huge No No since 1950.

Five minutes ago the latest big news --"margarine is a killer" was immediately repudiated by  UK'S Daily Telegraph saying "research shows that saturated fats do not cause heart disease."

Golly, we've got  52 weeks of health scares. Over and over we'll be hearing about cholesterol, bladder, heart, heartburn, rheumatic-digestive-diabetic-asthmatic troubles, various private-personal places on our bodies that medications will help, and tons of new things that compel you to believe that you'll achieve a healthier you if you get your doctor to prescribe them.

Facts. figures, testimonials -- they become bricks that build up our live longer routines, though they do not help you live longer. For instance, we are strongly, every day, encouraged to take 2 pain pills a day (NSaids that can create serious problems) rather than take 6 of the acetaminophen (that can cause liver problems if you use it continually.)

Whenever I hear about taking those 2 pills, not the 6 (I ended up in the hospital for a week after taking NSAIDS.), I shout shut up! That's a lie.

Okay, everyone has a common sense self -- a him or her who needs to be alerted and consulted, when we get these weekly health scares. Want to know what my common sense practical, realistic, knowledgeable Dr. Em-self says about all this?

Dr. Em says yell like hell at the TV. Yelling  at the TV definitely makes you feel better, wiser, healthier.