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| 28 February 2012
UK Edition |
 Dear Reader,
Sure, you might FEEL like your bathroom scales are lying to you, and that's certainly not doing your self-esteem any favours.
However, a recent study revealed that the scales in your doctor's office or at the hospital very well COULD be lying — and the consequences are much more dire than a blow to your body confidence.
The consequences of inaccurate scales aren't just about the wrong number going down in your records. Dosages for certain drugs and for radiation are calculated according to body weight.
So you can see where this is going: Wrong body weight, wrong dose. It's a calculation that can have killer consequences.
In fact, a few years ago, a 4-year-old child in the UK almost got an excessive dose of radiation when hospital staff weighed him using faulty scales. Luckily, their error was caught in time. Not everyone is that lucky though.
Receiving treatment for illnesses like cancer is already scary, even when you assume that your doctors are giving you the right dosage. However, it's not only dosages that ride on body weight calculation — doctors also gauge fluid volume changes and nutritional issues, both of which could indicate major health problems, by weight changes.
I'm not talking about just a few faulty scales either...
The study, published in Nursing 2011, points out that sometimes nurses just don't weigh patients at all. Instead, they estimate... and errors in those estimations are reported to be as high as 42.2 per cent. It gets worse. In the study, 239 patients were weighed on four different types of scales. Among the different kinds of scales, researchers found up to a 3.54-pound difference between scales.
That might not sound like much, but consider a patient with heart failure. His or her weight will be monitored to catch early signs of deterioration. A 3-pound change could trigger the need for more tests. What if the patient is put onscales that unnecessarily indicate he needs those tests? Or worse — what if he or she ends up on ones that indicate they don't need tests when they actually do?
Only three studies on scale accuracy have been carried out since 1981. Which is pretty shocking when you consider how crucial they are to getting proper treatment. A 2-or 3- pound difference could push a person with renal failure or cancer into the next higher or lower dosage range. Do you really want to be getting more medication than your body needs?
Clearly, there needs to be more attention paid in hospitals and doctors' offices, but there are a few things you can do. Make sure doctors get a new baseline weight when you are transferred to different units within a hospital. And don't be afraid to ask if the scales have been properly zeroed, and what the maintenance practices are.
Those questions might just save your life.
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Cataract cause
Q: I heard diabetes raises the risk of cataracts. I'm concerned because diabetes runs in my family. What can I do?
Dr. Jonathan V. Wright: Researchers have found that part of the cause of cataracts is the lens of the eye trying to "help" the body lower high blood sugar by storing it away within the lens, which gradually obscures vision. So it's no surprise that people with type 2 diabetes have a much greater incidence of cataracts than people with normal blood sugar levels. You already know where I stand on sugar and refined carbohydrates — this is just one more reason to eliminate them from your diet!
Bear in mind we are not addressing anyone's personal situation and you should rely on this for informational purposes only. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.
Wishing you the best of health,
Andrew Miller
UK Editor
Nutrition and Healing
P.S. In the latest issue of Nutrition & Healing, Dr. Wright will tell you how treating the most overlooked factor in heart health can reduce your risk of heart attack by 88%... You'll also learn about the human genetic defect that makes supplementing with vitamin C vitally important...PLUS, if you're suffering from diabetes and high cholesterol, we'll tell you all about Nature's cheaper, more effective alternative to the mainstream's latest, side-effect ridden 'blockbuster' drug.
All new members who sign up will receive important updates like these in addition to receiving Dr. Wright's 7 Volume Library of Natural Healing.
Read here for full details.
Sources:
"Research Corner: Scale consistency study: How accurate are in patient hospital scales?" Lippincott's Nursing Center (nursingcenter.com)
"Fears over faulty hospital scales," BBC News (news.bbc.co.uk)
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