Pseudoscience can be found in every culture. Any claim that cannot be backed up by
scientific research, or replicated under controlled conditions, free of bias,
is considered pseudoscience. One common
belief which Lawson, (2007), points out as being a “pseudoscientific approach to
parenting”, is that sugar consumption causes hyperactivity in children. Many parents continue to agree with this myth,
despite scientific results having disproved it years ago. It has also been well documented that added
sugar in any diet, increases the incidence of dental cavities, obesity, and
diabetes (Huynh, 2010). Hyperactivity after sugar consumption by
children is a common belief which has been handed down by at least one
generation of parents, and many parents have their own accounts of this children’s
hyperactivity after a sugary treat. Where
did the myth originate? According to
Regalado, (1999), In 1973, an allergist named Benjamin Feingold, MD., published
the Feingold Diet. His findings
suggested that a diet that was additive free was helpful in treating children
with hyperactivity. Although sugar per
say, was not targeted as the causative factor of hyperactivity, it was
suggested that children’s diets should be free of added sugars. The fact that parents neglect to notice that
usually children are in large groups, such as birthday parties, and Halloween
trick-or-treating while they are eating all that sugar and those environments
are conducive to, “kids gone wild”.
This struck a chord with me because I was one of those pseudoscience
approach parents. How strong, the power
of suggestion is; that we only see what is in agreement with our preconceived
notions.
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