Lunchtime myth-busting with Women’s Wellness
Posted: May 20, 2010
Does going out into cold weather without a coat make you sick? Are you going to ruin your eyesight by reading in the dark? If you feed your kids too much sugar, will they run rampant?
The 125 attendees of the Women’s Wellness program’s annual community luncheon on Feb. 24 now know the answers to these questions – and those answers may surprise you.
According to luncheon presenters Aaron Carroll, M.D., M.S., and Rachel C. Vreeman, M.D., M.S., authors of the bestseller “Don’t Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health,” today we have more access to medical information than ever before, and yet the vast majority of us still believe things about our bodies and health that are, in their words, just plain wrong.
Using a blend of authoritative research and a sharp sense of humor, Drs. Carroll and Vreeman systematically dismantled several of the myths that most of us have believed for years, including those above.
“What a delightful and innovative luncheon,” said Donna Davis, CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and member of the Women’s Wellness program executive board. “The networking and energy level was awesome and impressive. I can’t wait for next year’s event.”
Women’s Wellness executive board member and President of Angles Public Relations Ania Kubicki agreed, saying that the luncheon and presentation were a great way to pull a group of like-minded individuals together in one place. “All of my guests were new to the Women’s Wellness program, and they each walked away inspired to become involved,” she said.
For both authors, myth-busting is only a part-time job. Both are associate professors of pediatrics in the Children’s Health Services Research Program at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and pediatricians at Riley Hospital for Children. Dr. Carroll is the director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research at the Indiana School of Medicine, and Dr. Vreeman is co-director of pediatric research for the Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/ AIDS (AMPATH).
Dr. Vreeman visited ATSU’s Arizona campus on Feb. 23 to speak to students, faculty, and staff about her work with AMPATH. Her presentation, “Global Health Through the Lens of Haiti, HIV, and Home Visits,” provided an intimate look at her frequent visits to Kenya and the research she is doing to help improve the health of its citizens. She and Dr. Carroll also met with ATSU representatives to learn more about the university.
“I was impressed with ATSU’s commitment to innovative medical education,” said Dr. Vreeman. “As medical educators who try to make medical research and health information accessible to anyone, we really appreciated the engagement of ATSU with the Phoenix community. I loved meeting the dynamic women involved in the Women’s Wellness program and talking about health with them.”