http://health101.org/art_belief.htm


The sun revolves around the earth. If I said that to you, and I was serious, you'd think I was nuts. But if I said it at an earlier point in human history, you'd have replied, "So tell me something I don't know!" Yes, there was a time when everyone believed the earth was the center of the universe. But I'm willing to bet that when most people thought the sun spun around the earth, it didn't, even though everyone believed it did.

So what does this mean today? It means that what you know to be true, may not be so. It means that one's beliefs may not have anything to do with reality. How does this affect your life? If someone mentions to you that something you're doing is harmful to your health, but you believe otherwise, you may be basing your belief on misinformation, or worse, on disinformation (knowingly false information that is purposely made public). And when it comes to health information, there's plenty of both.