Health tips of the Stars: better to stay away - Reuters

Doctors warn to stay away from the advice dished out by celebrities and VIPs who in most cases are the result of ignorance and can be very dangerous. Despite this, there are many famous people who believe they know more than others

Star and VIPs can be a double edged sword that can now promote greater information and awareness about health issues, now promote confusion and contradictory messages and dangerous . That’s why a group of doctors and Canadian researchers conducted a study, later published in the online version of the British Medical Journal ?? (BMJ), which calls for controlling the flow of information conveyed by Star and their influence on the public to transmit real advice on health and safe.

There are many celebrities who feel compelled – often in good faith – to give advice on diets, remedies, and so on that often, however, have the disadvantage of being contaminated by what has been called “unconscious incompetence” : something that can have deleterious effects, however, more than you may think.
On the other hand, the same authors of the study, praised the actors and artists that increase awareness and raise funds for good causes, such as Michael J. Fox, whose foundation has raised more than £ 200 million for research on Parkinson’s disease, of which he himself is suffering.
Similarly, Sir Elton John has raised many £ 200 million for the fight against ‘HIV / AIDS. And not to mention how the actress Angelina Jolie, of which much has been said by the double mastectomy that she underwent and which showed the genetic risks for breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

“There bases are important biological, psychological and social factors that account for why people follow the medical advice of celebrities – says Steven Hoffman, an epidemiologist at McMaster University in Canada and lead author of the study – Their power can be harnessed to disseminate information based on the best available research evidence, or it can be abused to promote the products useless and bogus treatments. “

And so here it happens that you have the double of people undergoing screening for cancer in the same year that Star TV Jade Goody dies of cancer of the uterus (in 2009). Or, in contrast, there are empirical methods to assess the presence of prostate cancer proposed by the aforementioned M Michael J. Fox says that “if you can pee against a wall over two feet [about 60.96 cm],” you do not have prostate cancer.

And then there’s the “dietician” Gwyneth Paltrow that, at a conference on cancer in 2007, has promised to subdue his “evil geniuses” eating organic foods.
But there is also the case that broadcast journalist Katie Couric colonoscopy during the NBC Today Show, in 2000, and so the screening of colon cancer by 400 endoscopists Americans increased by 21% the following month. And, again, the actress Suzanne Somers Actor promoting his brand of medicines, including bioidentical hormones for reverse aging and the proteolytic enzyme therapy against cancer pancreas, despite its lack of scientific evidence on the efficacy therapies.

According to Dr. Hoffman we are all victims of the influence that celebrities have on us, we are “psychologically programmed” to trust the advice of celebrities despite their lack of scientific credentials. And this cloak of reliability that cloaks the Star often extends well beyond their field of expertise or activity.
Apart from these, experts warn, people are also victims of belief that imitating the behavior of celebrities can become more like them . But the damage is lurking, because often, the recommendations of the celebrities can also be very dangerous – not to mention the attitudes and behaviors that are driven by marketing managers of companies: a classic is the actor tries to scream smoking a cigarette brand or drink a certain type of alcohol, and so on. Caution, therefore, the “smoke and mirrors”.