Not Watching Fox News A Medical Benefit To The Elderly

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My parents are in their mid 80's and live some 1,500 miles away. Fortunately my business travels allow me to pop in on them 12 to 15 times a year anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days per visit.

About a year ago during one of my visits, I noticed how easily they would become angry over the smallest things, not to mention some budding signs of biggotry. It was almost as if I had gone to the wrong house. Their doctor said that it wasn't uncommon behavior for folks my parents age and that medications my be partly responsible.

So to reduce any unnecessary stresses, I put phones next to their Lazy Boys and even one in the bathroom. I put no solicitor signs at the front door and it didn't seem to have any effect. It wasn't until my dad said that the news women these days look like a bunch of whores that a lightbulb went off. On my next visit, I removed channel 60 (Fox News) from both tee-vee's in the house and guess what? - Eureka!

There has not only been a behavior improvement, but a medical improvment as well. Bloodpressures are in check, no more Zoloft for depression, no more meds to increase appities, and my dad has gone from two doses of insulin a day to sometimes not even needing a dose for a day or two. The biggest overall impact is that they are in better health even with the discontinuation of 9 different perscriptions, a dosage reduction of 4 medications, and all of these meds being related to loss of appitite, stress, anxiety, and high blood pressure.

Fox News is not a legitimate news source. It's a network that is was set up to propagate a specific political view point. Fox is neither fair nor balanced, and oftentimes "facts" conveyed on the network are demonstrably false. Yet for the elderly, this type of fear mongering propaganda can have a terrible effect.

It's just a role reversal really. When I was young, my parents kept me from watching things on tee-vee that where potentially harmful for me to watch. Now it's my turn to look out for my parents best interest and keep them from watching things that are harmful to them. But now I can't seem to stop myself. I have removed channel 60 from the big screen tee-vee at their senior center as well as from the tee-vee's at two different nursing homes where some of my parents friends reside.

I know that it's wrong to do this for total strangers, but I just can't help it. There, I said it! - I promote sensorship for the benefit of the elderly and I make no apologies.

Chico Brisbane