Intern’s Syndrome is a condition reported by medical students who perceive themselves to be experiencing the symptoms of a disease that they are studying. Thanks to the extensiveness of the internet, we all seem to suffer from Intern Syndrome. Consequently, we start questioning our sense of wellness when the headlines state that “Dairy Causes Inflammation”, “Aspartame Causes Stroke-like Symptoms” and “Red Meat Causes Heart Palpitations”.
They Should Say ‘Some’, Not ‘All’ People
While it’s true that good research helps us understand why some people may suffer from symptoms that compromise their health, we need to remember that it’s ‘some people’ and not ‘all people’ that the research is referring to. These findings are generally associations and NOT proven ‘cause and effect’ results. Research that makes blanket statements like “caffeine leads to higher blood sugar levels” misleads the rest of us in believing we have ailments that we don’t actually suffer from.
For this reason, a recent headline such as “No Level of Alcohol is Good for You” should have read “For Some, No Level of Alcohol is Good.” According to this article, alcohol use led to 2.8 million deaths worldwide in 2016. 1 Those who are susceptible to addiction, drinking and driving, or liver disease should perhaps, through self-determination, avoid alcohol. It doesn’t mean the entire population needs to “dry out”. In 2010, there were 1.25 million deaths worldwide caused by motor vehicle accidents. Should there be a headline that touts “No level of driving is safe”?
When you read an article that is preaching one end of the spectrum, try putting in the first two words, “For some…” and see how the article then reads. It will help you differentiate which articles are worth spending your time on and which articles are going to leave you with a severe case of Intern Syndrome.
Our Vince’s Power Up Program Mission is simply to educate our customers on the importance of using food as fuel. For all your Power Up news make sure you check out Vince’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Also make sure to follow @VincesMarket and #powerupwithvinces, sign up for our Power Up Newsletter and keep an eye out for nutrition tips and tricks from me, our in-house nutrition expert!
To our health & wellbeing,
Shannon, Guest Blogger
