Editorial July 13, 1981 Issue

Health-giving conditions

NATHAN A. TALBOT

My, how "expert" opinion can shift. No wonder the public is sometimes puzzled over just what kind of conditions are supposed to be health-giving. I'm leafing through a stack of magazine and newspaper clippings that illustrate a wide array of views on what fosters, or may infringe on, our health.

Here's an item that shows a dramatic reversal regarding tonsils. Used to be that people generally thought it was a good thing to have the tonsils out. Now medical authorities aren't so sure. In fact, many specialists consider the majority of tonsillectomies to be unnecessary, tending to subject children to needless risk.^{See The New York Times, January 16, 1980 .}

And then there are endless accounts discussing the uses of various drugs—sleeping pills, tranquilizers, etc.—and the changing, shifting view of what effect these might have on a user. Iatrogenic illness (diseases caused by medical treatment and prescription drugs) has become significant. Of course there's the big fuss over whether cholesterol is harmful or not. On questions of nutrition it's hardly surprising that people really don't know whom to believe anymore. An article in The New York Times makes this observation: "Last February, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare issued a set of dietary guidelines. Two weeks ago those guidelines were disputed in part by the prestigious Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council. Several days later, the board's statements were in turn disputed by Government nutrition experts."^{The New York Times, June 11, 1980 .}

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Health-giving conditions

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access