Stupid Health News
Posted by VickyC on May 18th, 2010
It’s been a while since the last Stupid Health News post, and there are some real gems this week!
Cell phone use is linked to cancer. Who saw this coming?! Sorry, you don’t get a prize.. But guess what, as usual, the findings were deemed inconclusive. The study was conducted over the past 10 years and pooled data from hundreds of researchers who interviewed thousands of people and studied a whole boat load of different cell phones. This international study, quite ingeniously named “Interphone”, found evidence that people using their cell phones for at least 30 mins a day for 10 years have a greater risk (maybe as much as a third higher) of developing brain cancer. The study is to be published this week and governments from around the world are eager to get their hands on it – as are the cell phone execs. Somehow, I don’t think this multimillion dollar study took into about the crazy cell-phone-wielding kids? And what about hands free devices and the thing where you can make your car stereo turn into a phone (is it still called a stereo?!). No doubt more money will need to be spent on this.
Ok, next. Gluten is good for you (unless, of course, you’re allergic). The hot new diet is the no-gluten one (Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham are big fans), but apparently, not consuming gluten is bad for you. It can lead to headaches, tiredness and weight gain! Yep, that’s right. Gluten is found in bread, pasta, beer.. So don’t feel bad about eating french toast or pizza! 
It’s good for you! Dietitans have looked into the pros and cons of gluten free diets, and found that initial weight loss will happen, but switching to gluten free food will induce weight gain because people are more likely to eat potatoes, rice, buckwheat.. Also, foods that are manufactured as “gluten-free” contain more sugar and salt – which is super unhealthy. And, like organic and free-range things, gluten free will do a number on your wallet because its very expensive. So crack open a cold one and enjoy it with some garlic bread – it’s all part of a balanced diet!
This last tit-bit of stupidity made me laugh. Research has shown that insomnia is caused by our inability to “switch off” at night. No kidding! Apparently, the doctor behind this groundbreaking finding thinks we should look to the cavemen for the secret to a good night’s sleep.. Of course we can’t switch off at night – we have a million different things to worry and stress about! Did I turn the stove off? Is the door locked? Is the tap dripping? Mr. Caveman didn’t have any of this to disturb his slumber. He may even have found that the gentle sound of running water near his cave was relaxing. AND, lets not forget the invention of the light bulb. This has had such a big impact on how we sleep – instead of darkness and stars, there’s always that dim city glow.. Unless you’re lucky enough to live in the country. But still, we need down time. If you can’t find time to nap during they day then at least try not to work through lunch or at home.. We all need breaks – I’m sure Mr. Caveman took breaks during the day too! We have to rediscover the art of stopping.
With that being said, it’s time for a cup of tea!
Tags: Bread, Cell Phone, Diet, Gluten, Gluten Free, Health, Research, Sleep, VickyC, VickyC.me
[...] it’s free.. which isn’t good! Everything in moderation! Check out my other post on the health news of the last few [...]
been gluten-free for like 5 months now bc of stomach problems. definitely haven’t gained weight because of it, or had headaches, felt tired.. etc. i’d really like to read what you read that says it’s bad for you to be on a gluten-free diet.
Hayley! How is your stomach? I hope it’s getting better!
As long as you’re getting the nutrients and vitamins you need, then all is well 
xx
http://www.celiac.com/articles/22117/1/Side-Effects-of-a-Gluten-Free-Diet-and-How-to-Manage-Them/Page1.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1279267/Giving-bread-make-FAT-Why-gluten-good-you.html
Everything in moderation right.. I think if you’re careful with what you eat, then its ok.. Like crappy brands of pet food use rice and corn and stuff as filler, which makes the animal gain weight because its filling and not nutritional..
So it depends on what you’re subbing gluten with. Like instead of 1 piece of bread you eat 7 bowls of rice.. then there may be an issue
I hope you’re doing ok though!
following a gluten-free diet is very hard because there is gluten in pretty much every processed food. so naturally, when you start the diet, the first month or so you realise your choices of food are severely limited, so you end up just not eating. i think that is why a lot of people lose weight when they start the diet, because of not eating, not because of not eating gluten. when they start getting used to being able to eat comforting things such as rice, potatoes or sugar, they over-compensate and eat too much. the point of it isn’t to sub gluten carbs with other bad carbs (like the gross gluten-free cookies and breads that taste like cardboard frozen in the store), that’s not changing anything. but it’s also not gaining weight by being gluten-free, it’s gaining weight by eating too much (something that the whole world has a problem with, look at the show man vs. food, that show seriously puts it into perspective for me) the point is to learn to eat as much as you burn, with foods that aren’t processed and bad for you. living gluten-free is more of a healthy lifestyle change than a diet in my opinion. it challenges you to eat more good things like local raw foods. it challenges you to cook your own food so you know what is going into it, instead of buying cheap tv dinners or fast food. those who aren’t getting the nutrients they need, aren’t losing them by being gluten-free, they’re just not eating the right foods that will give them what their bodies need. also, on a last note, i’ve read somewhere that everyone has a reaction to gluten, but non-celiacs just recover from it more quickly. i haven’t been able to find the studies or articles that support that though. but read this thread on a forum of someone who asked the same question http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/66052-is-gluten-free-diet-safe-for-non-celiac/ , also this article http://www.examiner.com/x-7948-Detroit-Holistic-Health-Examiner~y2009m4d12-Going-Gluten-Free
personally, after being on the gluten-free diet for one week, i felt about 95% better. it’s a process to get used to but definite a benefit for me. thanks for asking!
also as for the insomnia study you were talking about, i wouldn’t be so surprised as to the power of the mind.. read this book i’m reading right now called “the power of now” it’s funny that your blog covered everything that i’m dealing with right now..
Well yes, the gluten-free community revels is all the high carb foods that they can now eat without getting sick. But this can’t be used to indict the diet. Note that it was dietitians that came out against the gluten-free diet. They are mouth pieces for the food business. They have an incentive to keep people buying the highly profitable wheat. (Low labor foods = high profit.)
The diet we all should be on is the one our bodies evolved to work best on. This is the paleo diet. The dietitians don’t like this one either. Not enough carbs and too much fat for them. But it you want to avoid the diseases of civilization it is the way to go. For an explanation see: http://paleodiet.com/definition.htm
thank you