Don't Believe the Television

As the FDA has said the arsenic found in apple juice is organic arsenic, which is quite different from inorganic arsenic and harmless.

Well, let's all wipe our brows, crisis averted. Close call, right?

No.

Now, don't get me wrong, it is great that people are at least attempting to stay up to date with the FDA or any federal organization in place. It's important for us as parents to understand as best we can why our food is safe, how that food is tested and to keep a check and balance system going so that we always know everything is on the up and up. You should never just assume believe things, just because someone says so, be it a huge organization with hundreds of scientists and accredited personnel working for it, or a television doctor.

But when these sorts of things come up, remember who is fighting whom. We all love a David-and-Goliath story, the little man taking down the careless corporations, the whistle-blowers--and, no doubt, these are important pieces in our society. But to blindly follow an inaccurate test where not all factors were taken into consideration. To freak out and test your kids and go to the doctor and write angry things on false conclusions...well, someone looks like an idiot here. It's not the FDA which has been doing its job well and efficiently and has handled this situation with grace and sensitivity. It's not the parents who understandably did pour their apple juice down the sink and did place angry phone calls to the agency and did freak out over their children's safety.

It's Doctor Oz.

Would a phone call to the FDA have been too much hassle before televising a test that was falsely grounded? Is Dr. Oz above doing thorough research? Apparently so.

Be careful about what you believe off the television. Not everyone is telling the whole story. It takes too much time to verify findings when you have a show to get on the air. I hope Dr. Oz does apologize for this. It wouldn't be the first time he's had to take something back, after all.

For a much better and more comprehensive blog on this topic: Here's Trevor Butterworth with Forbes.


____

If you like this blog, please vote on Babble.com. Tales of an Unlikely Mother is number 18, just scroll down and click on the thumbs up! Thank you so, so much.