Our Health and Their unHealthy Studies

Heisenberg once said that the position of an electron and the accuracy of the measurement of its position are inversely proportionate.  Which means that if you find the position with a high degree of precision, you can safely assume that your measurement is highly inaccurate.  Health industry and its pronouncements are in similar vein.

All these years, Americans – and the world in general (for what’s good for US is also good for the world.. ain’t it?) – were told that they were deficient in every vitamin and his neighbor.  Especially Vitamin D.  That wasn’t enough, to lend enough weight to their pronouncements, the doctors and scientists had come up with a long list of diseases – existing and probably some made up – that were caused by deficiency of Vitamin D.

Everyone was asked to go out in the sun and stand for at least 10 minutes without sun screen.  Pretty soon, the sun bathing industry was booming.  Nude beaches were springing all over.  Heck, what is 10 minutes, why not lie on the beach in the buff for a hour or so and save $50 of Vitamin expenses huh?!

But all that was a bluff!  Intriguingly, or perhaps not so, the most surprised guy is the person on the panel which released the report – bone specialist Dr. Clifford Rosen!  This dude was busy recommending huge doses of Vitamin D a week back.. awright a few months back!  Same difference!

Now he is shocked!  Because high dosage of Vitamin D not only doesn’t help with any of those diseases he would rattle out to his patients but it harms!  It can actually raise the risk of fracture.

And its not like he is some quack or the village “compounder” type of a guy.  He is a Senior Scientist at Maine Medical Center’s Research Institute and associated with the Institute of Medicine in US.  He had several studies to back his quackery up in his last avatar.

Now, of course, its another study.  DIfferent study and different conclusions – exact opposite btw – but one thing that hasn’t changed is his confidence!  In his latest gadget – or his study in this case.  Every time a new study comes out he is out there with great excitement parroting forgive and certainly forget!

Meanwhile, hundreds of billions of dollars later, the Vitamin / health (oxymoronic though) companies are busy laughing in the background.  I can almost hear them.  With the slow accompaniment of many creaking bones out there.

One of these days, I am hoping that a doctor will be born who will say something very simple – eat three square meals a day with grains, veggies, milk (soy or otherwise) and nuts.  That’s all there is to good health.  And yes, don’t forget to move your arse a bit for a few minutes of exercise.  Its just that simple!