Vaccines mentioned in article: Don’t take health tips from celebs

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from www.timesonline.co.uk

From The TimesDecember 27, 2008

Don't take health tips from celebs if you know what's good for you

Kate Moss, left, and Stella McCartney are among those criticised by a

charity

Rose

From Madonna's quest to " neutralise radiation " to Tom Cruise's

dismissals of psychiatry, celebrities are seldom shy about expressing

their views on health and science – even when they appear not to know

what they are talking about.

A roll call of public figures such as Cruise and Delia have

offered bogus advice or " quackery " this year, according to scientists

and doctors. The charity Sense About Science is concerned that

celebrities mislead the public when they endorse theories, diets or

health products while misrepresenting the science involved.

Some – such as Oprah Winfrey and Kate Moss – espouse " detox " regimes,

while others, such as Sharon and Osbourne, believe (mistakenly)

that the Pill can cause cancer.

Nor are politicians exempt from lending credence to health myths. The

US President-elect is among several American public figures who

continue to suggest that the MMR vaccination is a potential cause of

autism, despite an overwhelming weight of scientific evidence to the

contrary.