Study Debunks Conventional Wisdom

CBS Evening News: New Evidence Suggests Age-Old Truisms Not Necessarily So True

(CBS)  For generations, mothers have doled out their own brand of medical advice, keeping their children bundled under hats in the winter, away from the fridge at night, and full of chicken soup when they're sick.

But a new study proves that many of those long-held medical truths aren't true at all, CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports.

"Sometimes they just get perpetuated, I think, because they come from people we respect -- from our parents, from teachers, and from doctors, and that causes us to believe they're true," says Indiana University medical professor Dr. Aaron Carroll.

Carroll and his colleague Dr. Rachel Vreeman took a scientific look at those popular beliefs for a report published today in the British Medical Journal.

Take the conventional wisdom about kids and sugar-that it makes them go wild for a couple hours.

The report found no connection between sugar and hyperactivity, and 12 highly scientific studies back that up. One of those studies concluded that "the differences in the children's behavior were all in the parents' minds."

Then there's the notion that eating at night is an invitation to packing on the pounds.

In reality, several studies have found "no link at all between eating at night and weight gain." Researchers have repeatedly found eating too much makes you fat, regardless of what time you have a meal.

And what about wearing a hat in cold weather?

Here's what the report found: "There is nothing special about the head and heat loss. Any uncovered part of the body loses heat and will reduce core body temperature proportionally."

"We look into this to try to, in a fun way, remind people that we should look at the science," Vreeman said.

There is some good news in the report for this time of year. Despite the conventional wisdom suicides do not appear to increase around the holidays.

One other thing: Despite what you've been told, poinsettias are not poisonous. In almost 23,000 cases where people ate poinsettia leaves, only 4 percent needed some kind of medical attention.

Another piece of conventional wisdom shattered.

[osiod9]

And next week there will be a study saying this study was flawed. So who thought all of this was so important that they needed to spend money on a study? Moreover, who''s money was spent on it? They should be pi$$ed.

I find no connection between professors who do worthless studies, and monkees who fling poo.

[incog-nito]

What about unconventional wisdom? Were they able to debunk that? Didn''t think so. HA!

[forever1973]

YES! Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, including the subset Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy, can have a profound and lasting positive effect in a very short time for many suffering from traumatic incidents.


Posted by memerider at 05:19 PM : Dec 19, 2008

___________________

News flash -- everyone suffers from "traumatic incidents". CBT is good for anyone.

[hdc77494]

Putting on a hat will make your feet warmer. What happens is, your brain will be warmer, so your body will relax blood vessels and allow more blood to flow to extremities. Without the hat, your body will constrict blood flow to ensure warmth to your head. It is not an old wives tale.

[hdc77494]

Putting on a hat will make your feet warmer. What happens is, your brain will be warmer, so your body will relax blood vessels and allow more blood to flow to extremities. Without the hat, your body will constrict blood flow to ensure warmth to your head. It is not an old wives tale.

[hdc77494]

Putting on a hat will make your feet warmer. What happens is, your brain will be warmer, so your body will relax blood vessels and allow more blood to flow to extremities. Without the hat, your body will constrict blood flow to ensure warmth to your head. It is not an old wives tale.

[hetup-2009]

Great article, it made me give serious thought to the topics.

[gaye5]

The article says..
"We look into this to try to, in a fun way, remind people that we should look at the science," Vreeman said.
Well it is science, (pharmaceutical compaines and Drs who are the fourth cause of death in America).. yep we sure can trust them eh..

12 highly scientific studies back up that sugar makes no difference.... where and who did the studies, anyone can say that studies have been done, I can make us a few myself... I once believed that sugar didnt make a difference also but after seeing my well behaved, gentle son become depressed after a binge on sugar I sure dont believe it now.. for years my teacher husband said that most hyperactive children just needed a jolly hard smack and he still believes that but we now believe that there are some hyperactive children who are really effected by sugar and other things.
It has however become an excuse in many cases for parents to blame sugar on their rotten undisciplined children as the parents find it hard to face up to the fact that they are to blame for their rotten kids so it is easier to blame food or what ever..

[grayedout]

I hope my tax dollars didn''t pay for that study. If you are cold and a hat warms you up, put one on. If not don''t. There, free advice based on a life time of research.

[memerider]

""Sometimes they just get perpetuated, I think, because they come from people we respect -- from ... doctors."

Do a similar study on classical psychoanalysis.

CBT -- the only modality supported by good science.


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Posted by forever1973 at 10:45 AM : Dec 19, 2008"

YES! Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, including the subset Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy, can have a profound and lasting positive effect in a very short time for many suffering from traumatic incidents.

[wl7bzh]

I am a holistic health counselor by profession, and so I know what I''''m talking about here. There is absolutely a connection between sugar consumption and hyperactivity.

Posted by kurlikew at 09:13 PM : Dec 18, 2008

Holistic health counselor? Isn''t that kinda like calling a trash collector a sanitation engineer?

You have a Phd in....? an MD? a PharmD?

How bout a DDS for Ding-Dong School with Miss Anne?

Admittedly it is an impressive title-correspondence school?

[wl7bzh]

"I''''m one of the few men with p- envy." --WA

Posted by forever1973 at 10:52 AM : Dec 19, 2008
p-envy?

Is that pianist envy? So I guess your were a big fan of Liberace?

[xxunknown]

Right, and I suppose next they''''re going to come out with a study claiming that Green M&M''''s DON''''t make you h0rny. Studies, schmudies!
Posted by redstripe11
-----------------------------------
Green M&Ms sure make me *****.

[e7eryday]

In other news... The color of your car does NOT affect the price of your car insurance.

[healingnews]

Add to the list of debunked wisdom - chicken soup. Chicken, turkey and duck are the main causes of the flu, and consuming chicken soup would be like adding fire to flames needing to be put out. For more pertinent information, go to HealingNews - the Healing News Network.

[healingnews]

Add to the list of debunked wisdom - chicken soup. Chicken, turkey and duck are the main causes of the flu, and consuming chicken soup would be like adding fire to flames needing to be put out. Go to: http://www.healingnews.com/Healing_Flu_article101.html

For more pertinent information, go to: http://www.HealingNews.com

[forever1973]

actually, I guess it was, "...who suffer from..."

Annie Hall is funny.

[forever1973]

Posted by fsw3 at 10:50 AM : Dec 19, 2008

"I''m one of the few men with p- envy." --WA

[forever1973]

"Sometimes they just get perpetuated, I think, because they come from people we respect -- from ... doctors."

Do a similar study on classical psychoanalysis.

CBT -- the only modality supported by good science.

[mitdgreenb]

Hi Red...

I suspect that it makes a noticeable difference on average snip
Perhaps, but here''s where you can get the bias of the scientists in to make sure the study comes out the way their sponsors want it to. If the sample size is just right, the overall result ("no difference") can be shown to be a statistically sound conclusion while your conclusion ("a small change from the average") can be shown to be not supported by the statistics even if true. And that all is just the mathematics. Behavioral tests -- how active is the child -- are bound to be subjective with even slight amounts of opinion ("Is she a 3 or a 3.5?") having dramatic effects on the numbers. The conclusion on average is therefore all BS and, like I said, the only interesting thing is studying outlier cases.

and that there is money involved which came from a company that sells sugar-filled treats snip
Yep.