Ok, so I have Acid Reflux. And it developed into Barrett's esophagus, which is supposedly a "precursor" to cancer. Sounds scary, right? My doctor certainly made it seem so. What he didn't tell me is that only a very small percentage of those with Barrett's develop cancer. And that no one knows what, exactly causes it to turn into cancer (and that as many as 12% of Barrett's cases are misdiagnosed).

So that got me thinking - we are often told by someone (a doctor, the evening news, etc) that doing something increases our risk of something bad, but how often do they put that risk (or increased risk) in context?

For instance, say eating Big Macs increases your risk of terminal explosive flatulence (I made that up) by 50%. But your original risk was only 1 in 10,000,000. So is eating Big Macs really all that risky? No, but reporting that wouldn't make headlines.

We are bombarded with scary health news all the time. But finding reliable fact based reporting about that news is very hard to find.

How do you guys filter/process that type of information?

It seems to me that the basic stuff I know about health hasn't changed all that much since I was young. Eat a balanced diet, exercise, and keep your drinking in moderation.

I tend to dismiss all the "sky is falling" stuff altogether. It changes on a daily basis anyway.

So in answer to your question - I live my daily life without worrying too much about that stuff. If I feel poorly, I will see a doctor. For me, that is about a once in five years occurance so far.

My wife's family hangs on every word that comes from the health care commmunity. They panic at every announcement. And, to a person, they are all in less than good health. I think the mental attitude has as much to do with it as anything.

By the way, don't you agree that practically everything has been dubbed a precursor to cancer these days?

Here's my sarcastic reply: Living is a precursor to death!

Hope you tame this problem and don't worry too much about it. It's just not worth it.

I had acid reflux a few years ago, and it wasn't much fun, especially when you wake up in the middle of the night with that stuff coming back up your throat.

I changed my ways and quit having trouble with it: smaller meals, eat earlier, and watching the late night snacks ... especially ice cream and chocolate. We had to give up a couple of resturants because their food was always too rich and creamy. I tried that business of raising the head of the bed a couple of inches, but it didn't make as much difference as the other steps.

Then wife and I take these "health panic" things with a grain of salt. We do pay attention, but too many of them are overblown. Like the Chief said, doing the basic things to stay healthy is the main thing, and excessive worry is not good for you.

I agree with you both - the basics are important.

I guess my concern is when well meaning but misguided people go all Third Reich on us. The attacks on saturated fat (including calls for a tax on it) are classic in that regard.

I remember a PBS show on the different popular diet plans. Ornish was screaming at Adkins that he was "killing people" with his plan. But then he'd have to say that, since he has a competing diet plan that is a major cash cow for him.

It's not about health or science any more with our media and "experts" - it's about money and fame.

first off, happy new years guys. i don't get on here as much as i used to. next, i try to look at who did the study. if a representative of the tobacco industry said that cigerettes will lower my closterol by 100 points i would look at that differently than if a cardiologist said it. all those diet gurus are full of it in my opionion. btw, had the same problem with the late nights waking up with that stuff coming up by throat, and by doing as pecos did, helped.