The decade now drawing to a close has featured more than a few health-related news stories that have seemed just a tad overblown. As a public service, DrRich has carefully selected the Top 10 Most Overblown Health Stories of the Past Decade, and now presents them for your consideration.

The countdown continues with:

#8: An Epidemic of Epidemics

If you proposed to label the past decade "The Decade of Epidemics," you would get no argument from DrRich. Over the past 10 years we've seen a heart attack epidemic, an obesity epidemic, an autism epidemic, a hypertension epidemic, and a metabolic syndrome epidemic - to name but a few. DrRich explores the mysterious origins of our current epidemic of epidemics, and concludes (as always): Follow the money.

The decade now drawing to a close has featured more than a few health-related news stories that have seemed just a tad overblown. As a public service, DrRich has carefully selected the Top 10 Most Overblown Health Stories of the Past Decade, and now presents them for your consideration.

The countdown continues with:

#9: Health Insurance Companies Are Against Healthcare Reform

Political leaders who are advancing healthcare reform like to admonish us periodically that the health insurance companies (one of the modern embodiments of evil) are doing everything they can to stifle those reforms. Here's why the opposite is true.

The decade now drawing to a close has featured more than a few health-related news stories that have seemed just a tad overblown. As a public service, DrRich has carefully selected the Top 10 Most Overblown Health Stories of the Past Decade, and now presents them for your consideration.

The countdown begins:

#10: Mad Cow Disease

For a while there, mad cow disease was going to kill us all (all of us beef-eaters, anyway), and McDonald's corporate net worth had plummeted by over $1 billion - and then the story just went away. What the heck happened? Read the sad story here.

Ok, your doctor went and measured your CRP level - and it's high. Your doctor says that's not good - but when you ask what he/she is going to do about it, instead of an answer you get that deer-in-the-headlights stare, followed by a few muttered platitudes, and you realize: your doctor doesn't KNOW what to do about it. It turns out there are some good options. Read What To Do When Your CRP Is High.

Elevated blood levels of C reactive protein - CRP - is now a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. But how much does it add to risk assessment? Can it be treated? Does it produce more confusion than enlightenment? And how do you know if YOU should have your CRP measured? Read Should You Have Your CRP Measured?

Unstable angina - angina that occurs at rest and apparently for no reason - is a strong warning that one of the coronary arteries has become critically unstable, and that without rapid treatment a full-blown heart attack may ensue. Read about what causes unstable angina, how to recognize it, and how to make sure you are getting the appropriate care, here.

A recent report suggests that regular napping may reduce the risk of heart disease. But before you begin lobbying your congressperson for mandated nap time, read this.

In recent years, people have been encouraged to estimate their body mass indexes (BMI) to help assess cardiac risk. BMI is meant to be an estimate of whether you are of normal weight (for your height), underweight, overweight or obese. However, recent evidence suggests that, at least for people in the "overweight" category, the overall level of cardiac fitness and the amount of abdominal fat may be more important than BMI. Read more about it here.

People who adopt five simple lifestyle choices can reduce their risk of cardiac disease by an astounding degree. Furthermore, at least one of these lifestyle choices is counted by many as a forbidden pleasure, and large and powerful organizations exist to keep you from doing it. You need read about this. You can do it here.

Studied now confirm what many cardiologists have long suspected - patients admitted to the hospital with heart attacks during the month of December have a significantly higher chance of dying than during other months. There's a good reason for this, it turns out - and here's a case where patients really do have control over their own destiny. Read about it here.