Why do the things least likely to hurt us get the most attention?

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  • February 28, 2017 at 1:31 pm #65671
    Avatar photonittany ram
    Moderator

    Link: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/why-do-things-that-are-unlikely-to-harm-us-get-the-most-attention/

    February 28, 2017 at 8:22 pm #65680
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    yeah. seems like healthcare or access to healthcare. or things like clean water and clean air. or say a habitable planet would be bigger priorities than say a terrorist attack which would be less likely to kill us all.

    March 1, 2017 at 1:20 pm #65705
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    Interesting about Aristolochia

    “…Kabat tells a fascinating detective story. Doctors in the Netherlands were seeing an epidemic of kidney disease, and they traced it to a mixture of Chinese herbs used at a local weight loss clinic, eventually determining that a toxic herb, Aristolochia, had been inadvertently substituted for one of the intended herbs. The pathology was reminiscent of that seen in a mysterious disease that spottily affected certain villages in the Balkans, and they eventually figured out that Balkan endemic nephropathy was caused by contamination of wheat supplies with a weed, Aristolochia. They found that aristolochic acid modifies DNA and causes a unique mutational signature, leading to kidney cancer many years after exposure. Also known as birthwort, Aristolochia is a widely used herbal remedy in China. Taiwan already has the highest rate of kidney disease and kidney cancer in the world, and it is estimated that 100,000 people have been exposed to the toxin and are at risk of developing kidney cancer down the road. More than 100 products containing Aristolochia can be purchased on the Internet. This is a cautionary tale: delayed toxic effects of herbs were missed by herbalists for centuries. So much for “natural” and “ancient wisdom!” Of the 51,000 new dietary supplements introduced since 1994 under DSHEA, only 0.3% have any documentation of their safety. There may be other Aristolochias waiting to be discovered…”

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