Medical Myth Busting - by Dr. Steve Sainsbury

 

2011,  2010  and 2009 Columns

 

 

December, 2011       Head Injuries

 

Head trauma can be very scary. We tend to remain calm for the more common injuries, such as broken bones or lacerations. After all, they do not pose a risk to our most precious organ, the brain. But even a minor blow to the head often creates a sense of panic in everyone connected to the event.

 

November, 2011       Red Dye and Hyperactivity    

 

Remember Red Dye #3? It was supposed to bring about a variety of medical ills, not the least of which was hyperactivity in children. In the 1970's, Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a pediatric allergist from California, suggested that there was a definite link between certain food additives and ADHD. The Feingold diet, void of such substances as Red Dye #3, was supposed to cure, or at least greatly decrease, hyperactive behavior. Yet the subsequent research to prove Dr. Feingold's contentions have been mixed at best.

 

October, 2011          Myths Surrounding the Common "Cold"   

 

Jon and Matt, your three-year old twins have just started daycare. They are excited to interact daily with a new group of playmates, and you welcome the brief respite for a few hours a day. However, within a week, the frosting comes off the cake as both boys develop a runny nose, slight fever, sneezing, and cough — their first "colds."

 

September, 2011      The Business of Myth Busting

 

Sitting in the comfort of your home, you are scrolling through one of my columns. The title, Medical Myth Busting, holds the possibility to be fairly informative and entertaining. But then you suddenly see one of your own sacred medical beliefs dashed to pieces. Without ceremony, you will toss me into the trash heap of quackery.

 

August, 2011            No-Circumcision Myths

 

Circumcision used to be routine and non-controversial in the United States. But in the 1980’s and 1990’s, opposition grew to the point that the procedure became demonized as barbaric and medieval. Vociferous "NO-CIRC" critics of circumcision are currently trying to have the procedure completely banned—even for religious reasons. Despite their efforts, circumcision rates remain at about 50% in the United States.

 

July, 2011                Water Myths

 

A certain subset of Americans love to exercise. Go to the gym and you will hear the trainer's frequent refrain, "Drink up, people. Stay hydrated." Cyclists, joggers, and hikers are everywhere—look closely and many are constantly drinking water. Even non-exercisers are told to drink water regularly, whether they are thirsty or not. Much of this emphasis on water intake stems from the myth that we need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

 

April 2011                 Seven Transplantation Myths

 

Many years ago, I submitted a 55-Word Essay to a contest in the New Times, here on the central coast. Titled The Transplant, it won honorable mention, and was published in The World's Shortest Stories of Love and Death. It is short enough to repeat here.

 

March, 2011             Childhood Fever Myths    

 

Parental concerns about fevers are a common reason for midnight visits to the emergency room. With the bewildering assortment of oral, rectal, skin, and ear thermometers, along with dozens of varieties of fever-reducing medicines, a whole fever phobia has developed in our culture.  

 

February, 2011         Reefer Madness    

 

The recent arrests of several local residents for distributing medical marijuana through a legally mandated collective has created significant controversy. Those arrested were not people selling marijuana on street corners, nor were they Mexican cartel gang members infiltrating our community. They appear to be normal, law-biding citizens, who were selling marijuana to patients with the legal right, through a doctor’s prescription, to its medicinal use.

 

December, 2010       Alcohol Myths

   

With the holidays upon us, there is a frequent tendency to eat and drink in excess of our normal routine. New Year's Eve has always been a traditionally terrible time to work in the ER— I can vividly remember more than one December 31st night filled with alcohol-induced tragedies and mayhem. This month's column will hopefully make you think twice about some aspects of alcohol use. Who knows? The life you save may be your own.

 

August, 2010            Head Injuries   

 

Head trauma can be very scary. We tend to remain calm for the more common injuries, such as broken bones or lacerations. After all, they do not pose a risk to our most precious organ, the brain. But even a minor blow to the head often creates a sense of panic in everyone connected to the event.

 

July, 2009                Myth Busting    

 

Be prepared to have some long-held beliefs in medical knowledge exposed as myths. Be prepared to question my credibility, to get annoyed, and perhaps, become upset. And be prepared to gain some insight into our marvelous and remarkable bodies and the world of medicine around us.

 

 

                                                                                       

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