“What do you think of this?” the patient asked.

“This” was another newspaper report on the risks of a standard medication that the patient was using.

It reminded me of the time the potential risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) came out in the media. A family member called me in a panic asking what she should do. She had been on HRT for more than four years, but she could not see her doctor for a week and was terrified because the media’s report of an increased risk of heart attacks in users of the medication was interpreted by her and many thousand others as a medical emergency – a heart attack waiting to happen.

The actual results of the study revealed that the incidence of disease per 10,000 women on combined HRT in one year was this: seven more cases of coronary heart disease, 37 in those on combined HRT versus 30 in those on placebo, plus some other negative and some positive outcomes. For many people, the actual difference of 37 compared to 30 cases in 10,000 women per year may have seemed like a lot. But for any individual taking HRT, the increased risk from the medication was very low – much lower than many other risks that individuals routinely take when they drive, for example.

Still, the impact was monumental in terms of general usage, and HRT was discontinued by most physicians for most individuals. Some gradual return of use for short periods for defined symptoms is occurring, but not the large-scale use that was common before the news report.

The question is not whether that report was interpreted fairly by the media. It is whether the almost daily research outcomes for many drugs and foodstuffs should be taken at face value and lead to dramatic or urgent changes in usage. During the past few years, medications such as anti-depressants, major tranquilizers, anti-inflammatory drugs and over the counter cold medications have been reported as potentially dangerous.

Recently the issues of whether coffee and red wine are good for you or bad for you, or both good and bad depending on how much and what kind you consume, have been in the news. These kinds of reports can make the medical profession and the consumer dizzy and often lead to uncertainty and skepticism about medical science and medical recommendations.

What is sometimes forgotten is that medical knowledge is an ever-evolving entity. Throughout human history, medical knowledge developed, often slowly because of the nature of medical science, which has exploded over the last hundred years.

Medical research worldwide constantly addresses questions and challenges today’s knowledge to either fortify or refute it. Eventually, what is initially learned gets translated into solid knowledge that ultimately ends up as medical wisdom, as physicians learn how to use the knowledge they have in individual clinical situations . That is part of the art of medicine that is required to balance its scientific base – which is always evolving and changing.

The key for the consumer is to take each media story with a bit of skepticism, and if you or a family member are computer-savvy, to explore in greater depth just what was actually reported and the basis of it, and look for commentaries from reliable sources on what was reported.

You should discuss these findings with your doctor before any drastic changes in treatment are made, because most of the reports, as in the example of HRT, are not urgent in long-term decision-making, but must be considered looking at all the risks and benefits, and then geared to your special situation as an individual.

Dr. Michael Gordon is medical program director of palliative care at Baycrest and co-author with Bart Mindszenthy of Parenting Your Parents (Dundurn Press).