It’s just part of getting old isn’t it?

Memory loss that is, but here is a scary word for you:

DEMENTIA

Are you scared yet? I am and this is why: Stigma

But what is dementia and why are we frightened, why am I talking about this now. Well, there have been a few news stories recently about treatments and I was interested in looking at why they were reported in the way they were.

First some background, 

The biology of crime

Before I start I have to thank jdc, Ben Goldacre’s mini blog on the Badscience.net site and Cynical OT from the Bad Science forum for pointing this article out to me.

I’m starting to think I should add “bad media” to my byline…

The link in the mini blog is to the ITV news report on a study examining the cortisol response of the body to stress in adolescent males with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (F91.3). The report has been described as flaky,

The obfuscating nature of electrosmog

[BPSDB]

I thought I had dreamed this but I found it on the “Today” website , at about 6:45 this morning I heard an interview about phone masts and electrosensitivity. Now this has been blogged at length by others, notably here,  but I was struck by the folowing exchange:

When asked if he would take part in a blinded study of electrosensitivity the gentleman who was expounding the view that phone masts etc were the cause of ill health said:

Why oh why oh why? (Do I read the BBC news health section)

I did it again, this was going to be a follow up post about the mental health act but instead here I am ranting about the BBC’s coverage of a health story.

The story in question is: Sick leave link to “early death”.

Why am I picking on this? (the inverted commas are in their title BTW)