Careful! Scary Health News Can Be Harmful to your Health

Captivating narratives are inherently attention-grabbing, as our biological inclination responds to storytelling. However, it is crucial not to let the allure of a compelling story impede sound health decisions.

Consider three recent news accounts featuring individuals with commonplace symptoms, each ultimately revealing a severe medical condition:

1. A young mother, disregarding persistent headaches for months, confides in a friend—a nurse—who persuades her to consult a doctor. A subsequent CT scan unveils a brain tumor.

2. A baggage handler working extended hours at an airport notices escalating low back pain, attributing it to work strain. Employing a heating pad and ibuprofen initially, he eventually seeks medical help when the pain hinders work. An MRI discloses a spinal fracture.

3. A woman caring for her grandchildren experiences palpitations during their vacation. Initially attributing it to physical exertion, she consults a doctor after nearly fainting. The diagnosis reveals atrial fibrillation and a heart valve blood clot with stroke potential.

Each story’s essence is instantly relatable: previously healthy individuals develop symptoms so commonplace that many readers can identify with them. Initially downplaying the issue, attributing symptoms to plausible causes, they eventually seek medical attention after reaching a critical point. The overarching lesson is clear: seemingly ordinary symptoms should not be dismissed, emphasizing the importance of seeking timely medical care for potential serious conditions.

Medical stories are highly selected

Medical stories that make their way to screens or publications often lean towards the highly dramatic rather than being highly typical, informative, or practical. While cancer can cause headaches, and a spine fracture can lead to back pain, the reality is that the vast majority of individuals experiencing these symptoms won’t have such severe conditions. While it’s valuable to understand which headaches, backaches, or palpitations may signal a potentially dangerous problem, not everyone with these symptoms requires extensive testing for severe conditions.

Your symptoms may initially seem similar to those in the scenarios mentioned earlier, but these stories may omit crucial details: a headache accompanied by hearing loss, a backache in someone taking steroids that increase bone vulnerability, or palpitations coupled with shortness of breath. These specifics matter and can significantly differentiate one person’s experience from another. Such details would understandably heighten a doctor’s concern about a potential serious condition.

Moreover, individuals with common symptoms ultimately diagnosed with a common, benign condition are less likely to make it into the media spotlight. You’re unlikely to hear about the person with a stressful job and daily headaches who consults multiple doctors, undergoes numerous tests, and is eventually diagnosed with tension headaches, even though this diagnosis is far more common than a brain tumor.

Put it in context

Dramatic or unusual medical stories have the potential to bias individuals in unhelpful, and sometimes harmful, ways. Here are a few potential drawbacks:

1. Encouraging Unnecessary Worry: These stories may induce unnecessary worry, making it challenging for individuals not to catastrophize. For instance, if someone with headaches reads about another person with a brain tumor who experienced similar symptoms, it may not be reassuring for them.

2. Distraction from Common Health Issues: Focusing on extreme cases may distract individuals from addressing common and significant health issues. For example, a young person with palpitations due to panic attacks may miss out on appropriate care if attention is overly fixated on the remote possibility of a more severe health problem.

3. Misinformation Without the Big Picture: Some medical stories fail to convey how unusual a particular condition is or neglect to clarify that it’s rare for people with described symptoms to be diagnosed with something serious.

4. Setting the Stage for Unnecessary Tests: Individuals may request unnecessary medical tests based on dramatic news stories, even when those tests aren’t genuinely warranted. Extensive testing or imaging is more likely to uncover insignificant abnormalities than to diagnose an unexpected (and serious) condition. This can lead to increased uncertainty, additional testing, and unnecessary worry.

Know the red flags — and don’t ignore them

Many individuals tend to downplay, rationalize, or dismiss symptoms, often as a coping mechanism. While not every person experiencing a headache requires a CT scan, it is crucial to recognize red-flag symptoms that warrant immediate attention rather than overlooking them.

Consider the narrative involving an individual with a brain tumor. In this case, the presence of hearing loss served as a crucial indicator that the headaches were not typical migraines or tension headaches. Further investigation revealed the woman had an acoustic neuroma, an uncommon, noncancerous brain tumor known to impact hearing and balance.

To navigate such situations, it is advisable to engage in open communication with your healthcare provider. Understanding what symptoms are considered commonplace and identifying those that necessitate a prompt consultation, scheduled appointment, or even an emergency room visit can be pivotal in ensuring timely and appropriate medical attention.

The bottom line

Exercise caution when encountering sensational medical news stories. Frequently, these stories depict extraordinary situations that may not be directly applicable to your own health. Moreover, they could potentially divert your focus from what truly matters for your well-being. It is essential to approach such stories with a critical mindset, considering the uniqueness of each medical situation and consulting with healthcare professionals for personalized guidance tailored to your specific needs.