So much for weightlifting

According to a just-released study, weightlifting may lead to glaucoma in men. That's just great.

It seems no matter what doctors, trainers, nutritionists or others recommend as being good for us,   it invariably turns out to be just the opposite.

Obviously, this is only one study. And, according to the broadcast coverage of the findings, doctors want to take a much deeper dive into the findings, but still...

It makes me think of the old adage: "the only thing certain in life are death and taxes."

It also reminds me of Woody Allen's character in the long-ago movie, Sleeper. When Allen wakes up after a prolonged Rip van Winkle-like sleep, he finds out that everything that was once considered bad is now good. So, a doctor offers him a cigarette and tells him it will do him good. Another suggests a thick red steak. Amazing how spot on Allen's commentary has become.

As for me, I'll keep lifting. But, I'll also make sure to include a glaucoma test when I go for my annual eye check-up.

Comments

[Beth]

True, Rep, conflicting medical advice abounds. But when dealing with something as complex as the human body, and individual people, there's bound to be some confusion. Despite that, a pretty good chunk of the problem is the media who will jump on any tidbit of research and make it the next big thing. How often do you see a big headline along the lines of "Green Tea Prevents Breast Cancer" and then read the article to find a quick mention of the fact that the study was on three people and is not at all conclusive? The media needs to take a bigger role in filtering out the real information from the crap, and not publish something just because it's a sexy story. In the meantime, we just need to take every health headline with a grain of salt.