this morning I made the mistake of turning on BBC TV news. I heard a Doctor talking about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer refer to the oesophagus as 'the food pipe'. Dear God, what is their target demographic? 5 year olds?
I knew that the BBC had continuously lowered standards over the last 25 years, but I hadn't realised just how far.
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The end of the world... a rant...
(10 posts) (9 voices)
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be reasonable
offlineMemberPosted 2 years ago # -
Ironduke
offlineMemberI used to use similar anatomical terms in consultations, but increasingly I make a snap judgement on pitch level and sometimes enquire if I'm being too technical or oversimplistic.
I would say more commonly than not the oesophagus is 'the food tube to the stomach', the liver and kidneys are 'the internal workings', the urinary system is 'the plumbing'.However, one of the joys of my job is being able to use precise and graphic anatomical terms for genitalia to shockable prim old ladies. And you can really anuncuate both 'prepuce' and 'vulva' such that they echo through to the waiting room nicely.
Posted 2 years ago # -
riesler
offlineMemberI love the bit that said "Of the cancers known to be linked to alcohol, the researchers suggest that 40 to 98% occur in people who drink more than the recommended maximum".
Not much leeway there then.
I must admit I was already sceptical after "...one-in-10 of all cancers in men and one-in-33 of all cancers in women are caused by past or current alcohol intake". No chance it could be anything else then?
Posted 2 years ago # -
beau-jolly
offlineMemberWhat happened to all the recent reports saying that drinking was good for you? I'll take my chance.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The All New Jeni B
offlineMemberPersonally, I'm so confused by all the conflicting medical advice it's driven me to drink.
(But within the recommended daily allowance for a woman aged 35-44 of good health)Posted 2 years ago # -
nealdoran
offlineMemberI always thought the best guidance could be found in this report from that sheldonprice fellow, who probably could have been a doctor:
Drinks industry to re-position weekly alcohol unit limits as ‘Your 3-a-day’Building on the success of government-backed campaigns to ensure the public eat five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, the Portman Group, a body representing the alcoholic drinks industry, is to emulate the scheme by converting Department of Health recommendations on maximum weekly alcohol consumption of 21 units into a promotion for “your healthful 3-a-day”.
“We’re just trying to look out for the British public,” said Dr Simon Greene, a Portman spokesman, “weekly limits sound so boring and ‘nanny state’ but our new campaign reflects modern hectic lifestyles. It can even be combined with the fruit and veg targets. Why not try a strawberry daiquiri, or ‘get up and go!’ with a breakfast Bloody Mary?”
While the 3-a-day target has been enthusiastically embraced by supermarkets and many consumers, there has been some criticism that the campaign is wilfully misinterpreting government recommendations. “We recognise that the 3-a-day message is simplistic,” said Greene, “but in all our ads there is a clear footnote addressing concerns. It is important that the three units a day are from different sources, so three cans of Stella wouldn’t cover you – you need to think about throwing in a spirit, or maybe even a liquer, just to ensure the variety in your diet is there.”
There are also sections of society that need to be wary of taking the Portman campaign at face value, according to Greene.
“We’re a responsible organisation, and I’d like to stress that the guidelines as they stand are not intended for pregnant women. Expectant mothers really need to take into account the delicate growing human life they’re carrying when making decisions about alcohol intake. And remember that they’re now drinking for two.”
http://beta.newsbiscuit.com/board/20/63/2//Drinks-industry-to-re-position-weekly-al.html
Posted 2 years ago #
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