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Look Into My Eyes... And I'll Know How Sick You Are
from the who-needs-medical-monitoring-equipment? dept
Having recently had an unexpected trip to the hospital (nothing major happened) it's an interesting experience to see how the nurses and doctors quickly swarm around to do various tests to make sure you're not about to die on them (at least, I hope that's what they were doing). Now, one company is trying to simplify that process with a special scanner that can scan your eyes, and give a reading on a variety of health issues. Apparently, your eyes provide a lot of information concerning your health, including "injuries, illnesses and physical abnormalities." Of course, the next thing we'll be hearing are scare stories about advertisers getting their hands on these things (though, probably not at their current cost) and pitching ads to you based on your physical problems.
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No Subject Given
The last time I was in hospital the attention I got was minimal. It took 3 hours before they decided how to treat a dislocated elbow and after that they kept asking the same standatd questions over and over again.
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Scam Alert
The notion of iridology, of being able to diagnose medical conditions based on eye examination, has cropped up now and then. The medical literature has shown that self-proclaimed iridologists were not able to tell apart any diseases; in fact, their guesses were worse than random chance.
It looks like USA Today got suckered, and the ignorant masses will be asking their doctors for sham treatments.
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Why not
Looking at ones fingernails shows overall health also.
Ridges in nail - a lack of zinc
The white part of the nail - calicum levels
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Re: Why not
Again, this is a common urban legend, which has unfortunately even been taught in schools. Nail deformations are caused by injuries to the eponychium at the base of the nail. It has no bearing on a person's health.
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Re: Why not
Some finger and toe nail abnormalities are an indication of health problems. A girl who was being slowly poisoned by her mother with arsenic, was finally diagnosed after an ER doctor noticed the ridges in her finger nails. He had just read about this indicator a few days earlier. Lucky thing for the girl, unlucky for the mother.
Doctors used to be able to asses, and fairly accurately, a patient's health by watching them walk into the room, look at the eyes and perhaps touch the patient's hand. That seems to be a lost art.
Irridology however is bunk. Next there will be a machine to prod the soles of the feet or read the bumps on the head. If it has enough flashing LEDs, noise makers, and prints out a few page of gibberish in Latin, it'll probably be a success too.
Old tripe served with a modern garnish.
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Re: Why not
>Doctors used to be able to asses, and fairly accurately, a patient's health by watching them walk into the room, look at the eyes and perhaps touch the patient's hand. That seems to be a lost art.< br>
Physicians still do that bullshit in countries with lower standards of health care. Plenty of serious medical problems show no symptoms at all. In primitive countries that do not/cannot treat such problems, doctors play more of a magician act where the emphasis is on making the patient believe they are God.
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Re: Why not
Nails often ARE significant indicators of serious disease. Check the following medical (not quack) site. I am often surprised at the number of people on these bulletin boards who pontificate on medical subjects without appropriate background... http://www.aafp.org/afp/20040315/1417.html
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No Subject Given
Or how about ensurance firms? ;)
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