Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Old advice can be harmful

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, June 12, 2003 | 8:13 a.m.

The truth today might be a falsehood tomorrow.

How often in our lifetime have we been warned about impending dangers to our health and welfare?

Take the sun as an example. When I was a youngster it was the consensus that the sun's rays were beneficial, and a good tan (without burning) would ensure a supply of vitamin D.

As a result, we spent hours in the sun without sunscreen. A healthy tan was a fashion statement.

All this was long before the connection between skin cancer and bright sunlight was made. Today dermatologists warn against direct exposure, and a huge industry has grown around the sale of sunblock.

The most recent medical red flag concerns blood pressure. Critical changes have been made in federal guidelines proclaiming readings of 120 over 80 to 139 over 90 are no longer considered normal to borderline.

Individuals who have been under the impression, for many years, that such readings are safe today face the possibility of a stroke, heart failure or kidney disease.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends changes to include exercise, a healthy diet and weight control to reduce blood pressure. The old, accepted norm of 120 over 80 now calls for such changes in lifestyle. Anything higher than 140 over 90 calls for a doctor.

The best advice for anyone living in today's hectic environment is, of course, moderation in all things.

A Sun reader complained about the increasing numbers of commercials on TV shows. I chose the popular game show, "Jeopardy!", as a test. In one segment, six ads and two promos followed each other in rapid succession. The average seems to be five or more ads per commercial segment.

Often one follows the other so rapidly it is difficult to identify the sponsor.

Obviously too many.

Newly elected Las Vegas Councilwoman Janet Moncrief comes to the job with little or no background in government and politics.

Maybe that is a good thing.

We urge her peers to give her breathing space and assistance in learning the complexities of government. At the same time we would urge Moncrief to choose her cohorts with care.

If ever the arts in Nevada owed a debt of gratitude to one individual, that would be Vassili Sulich, founder and longtime director of Nevada Dance Theatre. His credits are too numerous to mention, but a reading of his delightful book, "Vision in the Desert," tells the life story of this talented man, who is moving out of Las Vegas to a new home in the eastern United States.

Sulich will be missed, but he leaves a legacy of unwavering promotion to the arts in Nevada.

A common comment years back went something like this: "Run for the hills, the legislature is in session."

In 1955 Sun Publisher Hank Greenspun wrote about the then-sitting legislature: "If the present session of the legislature is remembered in history, it will be for its ignominious conduct and the shame it has brought on the state."

So, what else is new?

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