Having a healthy view of the facts can help make you healthier.
We’ve had a lot of inquiries recently from folks asking why people believe falsehoods about their health and how to protect it, when actual facts are staring them squarely in the face. We think that’s important because it has such a profound effect on individual lives, on overall public health and on the economic well-being of people and the nation.
First, let’s look at two common misconceptions that an alarming number of folks seem to accept or advocate: 1) Vaccinations are hugely dangerous; 2) There is no such thing as climate change (whether man-made or natural or both) and it has no health repercussions.
The chance of experiencing a serious side effect from vaccination versus the benefit it provides (avoiding serious illness and death) is 1:40,000! Clearly, getting a vaccination is like winning the lottery — the benefits are enormous.
Before the polio vaccine: 15,000 cases of paralysis annually in the U.S. Afterward: No polio cases have originated in the U.S. since 1979.
Before the pertussis vaccine: From 1940 through 1945, more than 1 million cases of pertussis (whooping cough) were reported, with many deaths. After: Cases have been reduced by 80 percent; deaths by 99 percent.
Not getting vaccinated doesn’t just affect you, though: People who cannot be vaccinated for legitimate medical reasons, such as getting chemotherapy (that’s a lot of people!), can be at mortal risk for infection with flu, for example, if people around them skip immunization. And the economic cost of unvaccinated adults in the U.S. is $7.1 billion a year, according to a 2016 study out of the University of North Carolina.
The same kind of fact-suppressing dynamic surrounds the subject of climate change (whatever the cause). A Pew survey showed that 39 percent of Americans do not believe that climate scientists provide full and accurate information about the changing environment. But ignoring the data will not prevent floods and increasingly severe storms, rising temperature, fires or drought. The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment put out in 2016 by U.S. Global Change Research Program (GlobalChange.gov) gives in-depth evidence for far-reaching health problems, from mental illness to heart disease, asthma and heatstroke, caused by climatechange-related air pollution, increasing disease from ticks and mosquitoes, water-related illnesses and problems with food production, distribution and safety.
Why do folks disregard the evidence? When people choose to deny health-related facts, there’s usually an element of anger and fear involved. That triggers chronic elevation of stress hormones — cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine — that can damage blood vessels and arteries, increase blood pressure and raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. In addition, chronic stress affects the brain: The mind’s center for logical thinking, the amygdala, gets overwhelmed, and irrational emotions can take over.
We suggest that the impulse to ignore clear facts comes about when you feel there’s nothing you can do to improve a situation or to make yourself healthier. You give up the battle to attain a healthy weight, avoid or reverse Type 2 diabetes, reduce your town’s carbon footprint, use less plastic — you name it — because it seems hopeless. But it’s not! You can make a huge difference in your own health, in your community’s well-being and in the economic future of the U.S.A.
The best way to defuse fear and anger is to find the facts for yourself:
Keep in mind that coincidences are not correlations or causes. Just because a 6-year-old is diagnosed with autism after receiving vaccinations doesn’t mean they were the cause, any more than being diagnosed after eating brown rice would serve as evidence!
Take the time to look at studies and read articles from experts. Go to the source. Don’t play telephone with the facts.
Finally, remember that when you battle back against distrust and discouragement in yourself, you stop the chronic fight-or-flight response to a threat, whether real or perceived. That helps restore clearer thought and prevent disease. Q: We live in New York City, and the traffic noise has gotten so bad that it keeps us up at night. Sometimes you can’t even hear “The Doctor Oz Show” on TV if the windows are open. This can’t be good for us or the kids. What can we do? Lucy G., New York
A: You are right to be concerned, and you’re not alone. These days, more than 11 million people in the U.S. live within 492 feet of a major highway — bombarding them with stress-provoking, health-damaging levels of traffic noise. Regular city streets and high-volume roadways, especially in dense urban areas like where you live, Lucy, also deliver dangerous levels of din that trigger premature aging. In the 1980s, 100 million people in the United States were exposed to noise sources from traffic near their homes. These days, it’s millions more.
Chronic traffic noise causes anxiety; provokes stress, sleep disturbances and depression; and impairs memory and motor coordination, while reducing neural density in some parts of the brain! It also increases your risk for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, arthritis and cardiovascular disease. Studies have also shown that constant noise produces cognitive problems in schoolchildren.
So what can you do to protect your health if you live in a noisy place?
Make sure your windows close tightly; use weatherstripping if needed; hang heavy drapes.
Exercise in quiet zones, surrounded by nature.
Practice destressing routines such as deep breathing, mindfulness or yoga.
Check out “Pink Noise for Better Sleep” at DoctorOz.com to download apps that 75 percent of folks say help them sleep better.
And for a journey into 15 minutes of total silence, visit One Square Inch’s Breathing Space in Olympic National Park at onesquareinch.org/breathing-space.
Q: I read that eating organic can lower the risk for cancer. Do I really have to spend all that money to lower my cancer risk? What if I can even find organic produce at my local grocery? Jill B., Pierre, South Dakota
A: The news you’re referring to is the new French study that found that eating organic lowered cancer rates significantly, especially for lymphatic cancers. We know eating organic is important for three months prior to conception, and for women during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. But this study looked at cancer and organic food consumption in adults over age 40. Almost 60,000 participants offered a one-time report on their consumption of 16 organic foods in terms of whether they ate them never, occasionally or most of the time. Over five years, those eating the most organic foods had a 20 percent lower rate of cancer than the other groups, while the risk for non-Hodgkin’s and other lymphomas decreased by almost 70 percent.
But this study did not control for the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, something people who eat organic foods are known for. So we say:
1. To stave off chronic diseases, from cancer to diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease, eat seven to nine servings of produce a day, organic or not! A five-year study in the International Journal of Cancer found that eating lots of cruciferous veggies and red and yellow fruits and veggies (no mention of organic) reduces cancer risk, especially for the most aggressive kinds! And a U.K. study of more than 600,000 women found no correlation between eating organic foods and reducing cancer risk, except perhaps for non-Hodgkin’s and other lymphomas.
2. Become physically active. According to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, more than two dozen studies have shown that women who exercise regularly have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who are sedentary, and three dozen studies show that exercisers reduce colon cancer risk by 20 percent or more compared with sedentary people.
So don’t worry if you’re not eating organic. Just make sure you wash your fruits and veggies well.
It’s more important to eat a plant-based diet, sleep well and exercise (aerobics and strengthbuilding) for 60 minutes most days.