That’s exactly what big water wants you to think. Don’t fall for the hype.
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It means the pharmaceutical industry commissioned a study that came to the conclusion that 33% more people “actually” have high blood pressure than previously thought and thus they should all buy their medication. More customers is a good thing…Cha Ching!
Yeah. While there have been many benefits come out of the pharma industry, it undermines everything they do when they start trying to milk everyone for money by convincing them they need medications they don’t need.
I’m Type I diabetic. Without big pharma, well, I’d be dead! But when my doctor says, “Well, considering your age, you might want to think about going on a statin.” This was after ONE TIME I had an elevated LDL level. Rather than even ONCE ask me about my diet and why my LDL level was higher, he just ASSUMED and wanted to prescribe medication. I then said, “No. I know why my LDL is high. I has been a stressful time and I’ve not been eating well at all. I’ll have it back down to normal by my next appointment.” He seemed skeptical.
So, I went back to eating healthy, and started exercising more. That was several years ago. Never once have I had an elevated LDL level again, and in fact, my HDL levels are phenomenal.
Of course, what makes it all kind of silly is that elevated LDLs versus HDLs isn’t ACTUALLY the most significant factor in determining risk of heart disease. It is fasting triglyceride levels. Elevated triglycerides generally come from eating diets high in carbohydrates! (And yet, if people have high LDLs, the first recommendation that is given, other than statins, is to go on a low FAT diet? It makes no sense!)
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I heard a study today that showed that the germiest place in the airports is the bins you put your stuff in to go through the xray machine. EVERYONE touches these things all day long. Recommendation was to wash your hands ASAP after going through security.
Also, be careful with the hand sanitizer, some of them are heavy on alcohol, which if used too often without moisturizer can lead to dry, cracking skin, which is more succeptible to infections.
While I do agree that using hand sanitizer is wise in various circumstances, one of the things I hate about such studies is a vast majority of “germs” they are detecting are harmless, and in some cases, actually beneficial!
I remember many years back how the media was touting a study that talked about how if you refill a water bottle after initially using it, the amount of germs on it jumped by like 10000% or something (obviously not the actual number). I remember people now insisting that you should never refill water bottles as a result. But it was all an attempt for ratings or something, because they failed to note that those germs came from, duh, the person’s own mouth/hands, etc!
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Never thought of that one before but…ewwww! I will wash hands after from now on! One other thing I always do is wipe down the phone and remote control in hotel room w Clorox wipes (I bring multiple travel packs) immediately upon arriving. Also doorknobs of bathroom and door.
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Back in college my microbiology class swabbed random things around campus and one of the worst were elevator buttons. I always use my knuckle to push the buttons now.
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I’m a biologist and I really appreciate your calm, common-sense answers. I’m always harping on the “correlation doesn’t equal causation” thing…and nothing, nothing beats sensible diet, enough sleep, and staying hydrated. Although everyone coughing on a plane flight gets me plenty nervous!
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