BETWEEN THE LINES: FAST-PACED CHANGES IN HEALTH NEWS CAN MAKE YOU SICK

I'm trying to maintain my health by eating properly and exercising, but it's a difficult task when every new magazine article or news story contains contradictory information.

I don't think there would be enough hours in the day for me to read about the latest health studies, if I weren't already in the news business and did so as part of my job.

A sampling of health stories printed in the newspaper just this month (when my diet began) includes everything from a study refuting that garlic actually lowers cholesterol levels to warnings of rising health care costs.

Which set of facts do you believe and when does the story change? Is `real' butter still worse than margarine? Can oatmeal reduce the risk of heart attack?

Will we ever really know the answers to these questions?

Health issues change with the invention of new drugs and technology.

For weeks now, there have been dozens of stories about the wonders of Viagra and how it will correct impotence problems and change the sex lives of men everywhere.

With the thousands of new prescriptions being issued -- Pfizer reported at least 1.7 million since March -- there also are several deaths being reported. It seems that despite warnings from the Federal Drug Administration, nearly 20 people have died from the combination of Viagra and nitroglycerin pills, commonly used to treat heart disease.

Just Monday, a drug manufacturer recalled its painkiller Duract because it killed four people who were taking it and eight others required liver transplants.

Aren't there any safety precautions that health care professionals can warn the public about? And shouldn't these people be listening? We are talking about life and death situations here.

Of course, you can get a little crazy with warnings also.

There have been warnings on cigarette labels for years, but only now are people coming forward to say the warnings weren't enough. And if that isn't enough, they're asking tobacco companies to pay for any expenses incurred by their tobacco-induced illnesses.

Common sense tells me that if a drug or food has a label warning of its ill effects, it just might not be good for me. I understand that every drug has some side effects or will affect my body differently than it might affect another person's.

Speaking of the differences in bodies, the National Institutes of Health has issued new body mass index standards to determine weight and obesity. The index is a simple formula that measures weight in relation to a person's height.

When the report first came out, I used the formula to determine which category I fell into.

I knew I was somewhat overweight -- that's why I had joined the gym in hopes of getting in shape -- what I learned was that by these new standards I was worse than I originally had thought.

So now I have two choices -- either work harder to lose the extra weight or wait for the next government study to be released.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.