William Atkins
Saturday, 20 December 2008 01:56
Science -
Health
Page 2 of 5
Dr. Carroll adds,
"Sometimes you hear these myths from people you consider to be experts. And, often, there's a kernel of truth in some of these myths. For example, sugar gives us energy, so some people might leap to the conclusion that too much sugar gives you too much energy." [Washington Post]
1. Poinsettias are toxicity
“With flowers and leaves of red, green, and white, poinsettias are widely used in holiday decorations. Even though public health officials have reported that poinsettias are safe, many continue to believe this is a poisonous plant.”
For instance, they found analysis that had been performed on 849,575 plant exposures, as reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Carroll and Vreeman discovered that none of the 22,793 cases involving poinsettia resulted in
“considerable poisoning.” In addition, nobody died from such exposure or ingestion of poinsettias, and in 96% of the cases the person did not even require medical treatment.
2. Suicides rates increase over the holidays
“Holidays can bring out the worst in us. The combined stresses of family dysfunction, exacerbations in loneliness, and more depression over the cold dark winter months are commonly thought to increase the number of suicides. While the holidays might, indeed, be a difficult time for some, there is no good scientific evidence to suggest a holiday peak in suicides.”
“Further debunking myths about suicide, people are not more likely to commit suicide during the dark winter months. Around the world, suicides peak in warmer months and are actually lowest in the winter. In Finland, suicides peak in autumn and are lowest in the winter. In a 30 year study of suicides in Hungary, researchers again found the highest rates of suicides in the summer and the lowest in the winter. Studies of suicide rates from India also show peaks in April and May. Studies from the US reflect this pattern, with lower rates in November and December than in typically warmer months.”
The researchers admit that suicides do happen during holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and others. However, the rate of suicide is not increased during these holiday times.
Dr. Collins states,
"There are such high expectations around the holidays. Holiday anxiety and depression are very common, so a better question might be whether or not people are more unhappy during the holidays." [Washington Post]
Page three continues with more myths.
