HealthyLife Articles

Tag: news

  • Health News: Sorting Fact From Fiction

    WELL-BEING

    Older man on reading on a tablet.

    Misinformation is rampant in the internet age. While technology allows us to stay up to date and connected, it can also amplify false information and spread confusion.

    Finding reliable health information is especially important as you want to make good choices for your long-term health. But, it is all too easy to get tripped up by pseudo-science and unqualified individuals who present themselves as experts.

    So, how do you sort fact from fiction?

    Know how to spot reliable sources

    *  Look for .gov, .org, and .edu websites as most reliable.

    *  Check the authors’ credentials.

    *  Compare suspicious information to the information onmedlineplus.gov.

    *  Be skeptical of information on social media or .com sites that you can’t verify from a more reliable source.

    Ask good questions

    *  Does it sound too good to be true?

    *  Is the source linked to a reputable national or global health institution?

    *  What is your emotional reaction?

    *  Are the headline and content straightforward or sensationalized?

    *  Can the information be verified by other trusted sources?

    Dig a little deeper

    A quick internet search can tell you know the kinds of websites that are sharing the information. Check for .gov, .org, or .edu sites on the first page of results. You can also go to a fact-checking website such as:

    *Snopes.com

    *Factcheck.org

    *Quackwatch.org

    *Healthnewsreview.org

    Keep an open mind

    We all have a health philosophy that guides our choices. This can be useful, but it becomes a problem when we only believe information that aligns with our bias. This prevents us from learning and growing, and from changing our minds if our bias turns out to be incorrect.

    Instead of immediately accepting or rejecting new information, stay curious. Be open to the possibility there is more to learn.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Tasty News

    HEALTHY EATING

    Image of women of a hot cup of tea.

    What we view as the sense of taste is actually a combination of smell, taste, and texture, with smell playing a major role. A single taste bud can have dozens of receptor cells that send signals of sour, sweet, salty, and bitter through nerve channels to the brain.

    The tongue is covered with taste buds, and the back of the mouth is sensitive to bitter tastes-perhaps as a last-ditch chance to expel something toxic. Taste also plays a role in digestion, preparing the stomach for a meal.

    But one of the most interesting things about taste, according to University of Virginia neuroscientist David Hill, is that taste cells regenerate, or turn over, about every 10 days, much like skin cells.

    Burn your tongue? No worries; those cells will regrow and you’ll regain your normal sense of taste within days.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine