We live in an era where the latest breaking news is accessible at the touch of a screen, click of a mouse, or pushing a button on a remote. News is everywhere, isn't it great? Never before, have we had such an influx of information available to us from so many sources. This information can be very helpful, especially in regards to taking care of our health. However, health studies and scientific research reports abound, promoting a particular product one day, then warning us about the same product the next day. With so many studies and reports, who are we to believe? What criteria do we use to sort out the truth?
Jeff Novick points out in his article that we tend to "thrive on an endless flow of (mis)information that we hear in the news." He says that the media also "presents it in such a way that it creates endless doubt and confusion, which is very good for readership, advertisers, and product sales."
Jeff goes on to say, "In regard to health, decisions about what we eat and how we live should be based on a logical and reasoned analysis of the overwhelming majority of evidence, as evaluated and supported by the majority of the research studies. It should not be based on any one study (or two), especially when it has just come out, and especially if all we have read (or know) is a mass media account of the new study. Sure, you can always find a study that appears to say the opposite or support an opposing view, but we have to look closely at it: the methodology, the statistical analysis, how the results were interpreted, who funded it, its strengths and limitations, and the totality of the evidence to date. And, of course, our own biases, which we all have." Read the entire article, "Confused About Today's Breaking Health News?" by Jeff Novick here.