Daily Dose of Common Sense

There’s no shortage of products that claim to alleviate arthritis. Copper bracelets are some of the more popular products sold. It is believed by some that wearing a copper bracelet or wrist strap will relieve the pain and discomfort of arthritis. Here is how one site claims it works:

It is no secret that copper is a most excellent conductor of electricity, and besides that, the skin is as much an entry point in the body as a barrier.

Micro doses of copper enter the body and bolster the immune system, and as it’s on the skin, it enters as and when needed (not as in dietary copper).

The copper bracelet seems also to emit elemental and molecular vibrations and other physical phenomena such as a corona effect of the ends of the bracelet.

These vibratory emissions appear to convey some medicinal benefit. In the case of body pains due to some rheumatoid arthritic condition, it appears to be very effective indeed.

Really? Just all from that one tiny bracelet?!

Sounds all very scientific, doesn’t it? Well, as with most products that hint at science but don’t back it up with real facts, it’s bunk. A study just released by a group of scientists in England has concluded that there is no scientific proof of medical benefit from wearing these bracelets. The test subjects experienced no difference in pain, discomfort, or stiffness while wearing copper jewelry. Any benefit felt someone wearing a copper bracelet or wrist band can likely be attributed to a placebo effect.

So, if you thought wearing a piece of copper to cure arthritic conditions sounded too good to be true, you were right.

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On a plane a few days ago, the man sitting directly in front of me sneezed repeatedly. While this occurrence is not noteworthy, perhaps this will grab you: he never covered his mouth or nose ONCE. Okay, you sneeze unexpectedly and you might not contain your germs in time. But, you only get that excuse once. The rest of the time, cover your mouth!

If you don’t think a little sneeze is a big deal, watch this video from CNN: The Anatomy of a Sneeze. It shows what happens when unchecked sneezes are released into small spaces (such as airplanes and subway cars).

As H1N1 deaths climb, a lot of people are wondering what this flu season may hold. Every little bit of effort we put towards not spreading germs helps.

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Sure, most of us techno-geeks and science nerds get worked up when some movie or TV show blatantly mungs some bit of science or technology (the “sound” from explosions in space, for instance), but do you know what gets our beanie-hat propellers really spinning? When our non-technically minded friends buy some pseudo-science claptrap that they heard from “them”, or read on the Internet.

Nothing fits that mold better than confusion about radiation. Just like with any other word or phrase, it’s always a good start to understand its origins. The word radiation is derived from the word radius, which is the distance from the center of a circle to its edge. So, any phenomenon that spreads out in all directions from where it originates can be said to radiate, and thus can be called radiation.

Sadly, few call sound “acoustic radiation”, or perhaps people might get the commonality. Either that, or they’d think that loud noises will give them cancer. Scratch that idea.

That bad, cancer-causing kind of radiation is “nuclear radiation” (that’s not a real term, just used for emphasis) and is the kind being talked about when something is called radioactive. Its real name is ionizing radiation (because it can strip an atom of electrons, turning it into an ion), and it consists of actual subatomic particles getting thrown around. While it is associated with things like nuclear reactors and bombs, it also just happens naturally. Almost all of the lead in the earth, for instance, once started out as another element, and was transformed into lead by the process of radioactive decay.

Ionizing radiation is bad, and can injure or kill us, because when atoms get ionized, they become very chemically reactive, and all kinds of unintended reactions start to happen in our cells. Cells can die, or worse, accumulate genetic mutations and turn cancerous. When cancer had another cause, however, ionizing radiation can help, as its targeted use can kill just the cancer cells and spare healthy cells.

Then there’s electromagnetic radiation, otherwise known as radio waves or light waves. Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental forces of the universe, and I won’t attempt to explain it here. But, in the frequencies/energies in which we use it to run our modern world of technological marvels, it is not, I repeat, not, ionizing radiation. The electromagnetic radiation from your radio, Wi-Fi, cell phone or even microwave oven (which is by far the most powerful electromagnetic device most of us encounter) can not injure you the same way ionizing radiation can. Electromagnetic radiation is a wave, just like a ripple of water in a pond. What radiates out in such a ripple is not particles, like an explosion, but the motion of the water.

(Note: A damaged microwave oven CAN injure you, in the same way that it affects the leftovers you heat up: by heating the water molecules inside your body. NEVER use a microwave oven with a broken door, hinge, latch, etc.)

Now here’s the tricky bit. Although nearly all of the confusion between ionizing radiation and the benign electromagnetic kind comes from the common word being used in the sense of “radiate”, there is another connection.

One of the great mysteries of our universe is that in certain situations, matter and electromagnetic radiation behave like both a wave AND a particle. Light is the most famous example, and is how science first came across the phenomenon. Some ionizing radiation, like x-rays and gamma rays, which are high-energy particles like other ionizing radiation, are ALSO very high frequency electromagnetic waves. Ain’t the universe just the coolest?!

So, while that connection is true, it does not mean that your cell phone, which emits electromagnetic “radiation” of very much less energy/frequency, where the difference in quantity becomes a difference in kind, is radioactive in the sense of a nuclear bomb. Ditto with the cell phone towers, radio station antennas, etc.

In short, Stevie Wonder said it best: “When you believe in things you don’t understand, then you suffer; superstition ain’t the way.”

Photos: SC Fiasco, Comic Book

If you’ve watched TV with commercials lately, chances are you’ve had to suffer through a Jamie Lee Curtis yogurt ad. After hearing the claims made in this ad, you might think yogurt is the next super food. Yogurt will help my digestive problems! Yogurt will keep me healthy! Yogurt will paint my house!

Okay, we made up the last one. But, seriously…has yogurt ever gotten so much healthy street cred? The secret ingredients in Activia, and other similar products, are probiotics. According to the New York Times:

Probiotics are live micro-organisms that work by restoring the balance of intestinal bacteria and raising resistance to harmful germs. Taken in sufficient amounts, they can promote digestive health and help shorten the duration of colds. But while there are thousands of different probiotics, only a handful have been proved effective in clinical trials.

The bottom line is this: there are a lot of different strains of probiotics. Not all of them have been proven to work. The claims of most of these products are unsubstantiated, as recent lawsuits and rulings have declared. In fact, a $35-million decision in a class-action lawsuit against Dannon (makers of Activia) is forcing them to list the specific probiotics used in the yogurt, as well as remove the word “immunity” from the package.

Science-based Medicine has a great article that busts the “immune-boosting” myth. The author does a great job of explaining exactly what is your immune system, and why any product claiming it can “boost” it is ludicrous.

What does that mean: boost the immune system? Most people apparently think that the immune system is like a muscle, and by working it, giving it supplements and vitamins, the immune system will become stronger. Bigger. More impressive, bulging like Mr. Universe’s bicep. That’s the body part I am thinking about. What they are boosting is vague, on par with chi/qi or innate intelligence. They never really say what is being boosted.

The other popular phrase is “support”. A product supports prostate health, or breast health or supports the immune system. It sounds like the immune system is sagging against gravity due to age and needs a lift.

The immune system, if you are otherwise healthy, cannot be boosted, and doing those things you learned in Kindergarten health (reasonable diet, exercise and sleep), will provide the immune system all the boosting or support it needs.

Most experts agree that more research is needed into these claims to see what helpful effect probiotics have on the body.

“The evidence for the general immune strengthening is just not there,” said Barry R. Goldin, a Tufts professor who helped discover LGG but no longer receives royalties from the patent.

So, eat yogurt and other probiotic products because you want to. Don’t eat them and think you’ll be protected against all of society’s ills. Instead, go for a walk, eat some broccoli, and watch this Activia parody from Saturday Night Live.

Coke has come up with a way to solve America’s obesity epidemic: smaller cans of soda. So, instead of slugging down 155 calories, you’ll get only 90 calories in a 7.5 oz can. Hooray, our problems are solved!

Face it, if you’re slugging down a Coke, you’re not worried about calories. I’m all for portion control, but how about switching to diet soda, instead? Or, (gasp!) water?

The beverage companies have been under attack as a major contributor to America’s bulging waistlines. So, it’s not surprising to see them try to shake things up a bit. But, in our bigger-is-better-and-supersize-it-please society, do we think folks will buy mini-Coke when regular-size Coke is still available?

Photo courtesy of businesswire.com

As Halloween approaches, it’s time for some old urban legends to be dusted off and circulated. First stop: Bobtown, Pennsylvania where the kids won’t be allowed to go door-to-door looking for treats. The scrooges in the small community have cancelled trick or treating. Community leaders say the radical step is being taken to keep kids “safe.” Safe from what, exactly? We’re not sure.

With a party at the fire hall, he says both the kids and the candy they receive would be safe.

Huh?

As Lenore Skenazy pointed out in her book “Free-Range Kids”:

Was there ever really a rash of candy killings? Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, took it upon himself to find out. He studied crime reports from Halloween dating back as far as 1958, and guess exactly how many kids he found poisoned by a stranger’s candy?

A hundred and five? A dozen? Well, one, at least?

“The bottom line is that I cannot find any evidence that any child has ever been killed or seriously hurt by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating,” says the professor. The fear is completely unfounded.

Give kids their costumes and candy. They are in more danger of being hit by a car than poisoned treats. So, keep them safe by following some simple common sense rules, like:

• Always accompany young children and, if they’re too old to have an uncool parent tag along, be certain they travel in groups that are as large as practical. Be certain they know not to accept rides from, or go inside the homes of, strangers.
• Get your kids to agree to a move along a pre-planned route and stay in the neighborhood. It’s best to know generally where they are and to set a time at which they must return home to prevent unnecessary risk or worry.
• Be sure the costumes have reflective surfaces and have your kids carry flashlights and glo-sticks. Caution the trick-or-treaters to stick to the sidewalks and be very aware of moving vehicles and only cross at designated crossing areas and traffic lights. Spirits may be running high (in more ways than one), and nighttime driving can also affect the vision of the soberest driver.

The most you have to worry about from Halloween candy is a high dentist bill.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: YAXZONE

In New York City, a law was passed in 2008 that required chain restaurants post the calorie counts of their menu items. The early results are in, and it appears that most people don’t change their eating habits after knowing the amount of calories in the food.

A new study, performed by some NYU and Yale professors, tracked customers in four fast-food restaurants in poor neighborhoods of NYC:

It found that about half the customers noticed the calorie counts, which were prominently posted on menu boards. About 28 percent of those who noticed them said the information had influenced their ordering, and 9 out of 10 of those said they had made healthier choices as a result.

But when the researchers checked receipts afterward, they found that people had, in fact, ordered slightly more calories than the typical customer had before the labeling law went into effect, in July 2008.

Anyone who thought these calorie postings would be the end to the obesity problem in this country were deluded. People want to eat what they want to eat. Knowing how unhealthy it is doesn’t counteract the convenience and the cost. It will take a lot more than a few small numbers up on a menu board to educate people on how to make smart food choices. Also, these restaurants don’t offer a ton of healthy options. Even some of the salads aren’t exactly healthy in terms of calories.

Plus, it’s hard to order a salad when the smell of french fries is swirling around you like a cloud. A greasy, delicious cloud.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: ebruli

The New York Times does a good job of calling Bill Maher to task for his ignorance and misinformation on the flu vaccine. Maher hosts a chat show on HBO and is usually known for his political commentary. But, lately he’s been spending a lot of time leading people astray about vaccines and the H1N1 virus.

He [Maher] said he did not believe that healthy people were vulnerable to dying from the new H1N1 virus. This contradicts statements from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that young, healthy people from ages 5 to 24 appear particularly vulnerable to this flu. About a third of the 76 children who have died of H1N1 since April have had no underlying health problems.

Here is Maher getting schooled by Dr. Bill Frist, a heart surgeon.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB5DLf1Qt78&feature=player_embedded

Do not listen to talk show hosts when considering your safety and health. Please talk to doctors and other health professionals. He may have a big mouth, but Maher may not be right. Get the facts for yourself.

I know recycling and “going green” are really hot topics right now. Sure, we all want our kids and grandkids to have an Earth to call home. But, turning a placenta into a keepsake? I’m just not sure if it will catch on like hybrids did…

A crafty alternative for those who don’t necessarily want to eat their baby’s placenta, but want to pay their respects to the life sustaining organ by turning it into a one-of-a-kind teddy bear.

The best part? It’s a do-it-yourself kit! I’m generally not squeamish, but…ewwwww.

I’m not sure how many people fall into the “Gee, I wish I could eat my baby’s placenta” category. I’m guessing not a whole lot.

If you want to pay your respects to the organ, why not donate the placenta to stem cell research? It just might save someone’s life someday.

A Japanese company has produced a business suit that it claims will protect the wearer form contracting the H1N1 virus.

According to the company:

The suit is coated with the chemical titanium dioxide, which reacts to light to break down and kill the virus when it comes into contact with it.

Well, it’s nice that your clothing won’t contact the virus. But, if you know anything about how viruses are transmitted, this suit won’t solve your problem. The special fabric isn’t going to prevent your hands, face, neck, or head from coming into contact with H1N1.

Unless you wear it over your head. If you do, I suggest cutting out some eye holes first.

[Thanks, Gizmodo!]