When it comes to understanding what all the medical research is telling us, sometimes it can feel akin to finding your way through a maze of medical contradictions, as touched upon in an article in the New York Times. At one point we’re told that one thing is good for our health, only to be told later that it simply wasn’t the case.

The example used in the article is that of beta carotene, but one need look only so far as the health headlines over the years to find countless examples which include coffee, margarine, oat bran, omega-3 fatty acids, and of course, red wine. So why the world of discrepancy, and what’s the general public supposed to believe?

Well, the answer, unfortunately, is not always so simple, and the issue of who to blame is equally unclear.

Medical science seeks to answer the questions of an exceptionally complex system, the human body, but it cannot test their theories directly in people (heaven forbid), and must instead rely on models to answer their questions.

Medical models can be incredibly informative and can yield enormous amounts of useful information, but they are limited by the fact that they can only look at one issue at a time in order to be truly valid. In other words, to understand why diets rich in fruits and vegetables are healthy, they cannot possibly study all the different vegetables in unison, there would be too many things to consider, and the conclusions would be useless.

Instead, they must decide what the one common factor is that all fruits and vegetables might share, and then look at that one component while keeping all other issues (or variables) constant.

In studying the effects of beta carotene between two people, you could compare different levels of its consumption, but you would have to try your best to keep all other things equal, including lifestyle, culture, demographics, and consumption of all other foods. After all, if one person drank alcohol, smoked, and led a stressful life while the other did not, you can see how different the results might be. Then again, you can also see where this might fall short in terms of understanding something as complex as the human body. Medical models ultimately suffer because they oversimplify what goes on inside of us and make assumptions that aren’t necessarily true in real life.

This, of course, was the case with beta carotene, whereby the clinical trials refuted and even contradicted the conclusions drawn from the models.

Unfortunately, medical science is filled with examples of this. In fact, it might even be said that it is more common than not, and it is the public who ultimately suffers from the inundation of contradictory information designed to help us be healthier, when it actually muddles the issues, leaving us scratching our heads in confusion.

The situation is aggravated by the media, who have a profound influence on our perceptions and, by extension, our decisions. While it may be said that they are simply reporting the information that is presented to them, they can also be guilty at times of taking things out of context, as well as selectively sensationalizing certain topics and catering to certain interests.

So what are we supposed to do?

It is important to always remember that medical science yields a great deal of relevant and pertinent information that we as a society have benefited immensely from. In fact, medical science has changed the course of human existence and allowed us to live the quality of life that we enjoy today.

But like all information, it is important to embrace it with a grain of salt and rather than jump on every bandwagon that comes your way, stop and consider where the information came from and what it means to you, especially when it sends you conflicting messages.

It is instructive to bear in mind that in the past, good health had a lot to do with time tested traditions that our parents, and their parents and so on, passed along for generations, and can be traced to a few simple concepts of eating a variety of healthy foods, having strong communities, and surrounding yourself with friends and family while avoiding too much stress; concepts that are just as valid today and can be found in practice in many parts of the world.

In the end, our goal should be to live long, healthy, and happy lives, and medical science’s goal is to help us achieve that end. It’s just that in many instances, it simply boils down to a little common sense.

Then again, steaming might be a healthier option. At least that’s what I’ve read.