to wish they would stop telling my DD nonsense

[macdoodle]

DD1 is 13, she has a friend whose mother seems to believe all sorts of rubbish. And they keep scaremongering. Ridiculous stuff.
The latest....if you keep your phone in your bra you get breast cancer . DD1 keeps all sorts in her bra
Before that it was if you tweak your nipples you get breast cancer. They seem deadly serious.
I am a GP and very scientific/evidence based, always very straight up an honest with my children.
This seems to throw DD1 and she rings to check! She is away on a school trip and has just texted to ask if its ok to keep her phone in her bra. I've told her she can keep the bloody thing wherever she likes and it wont give her cancer.

I put my phone in my bra sometimes when wearing stupid work clothes with no pockets. Plenty of room (ample bosom, well fitting bra). It does get sweaty, though.

Maid

The 'making up of any old bollocks' is in fact the first stage of the Scientific Method. You observe, hypothesise, predict, test, analyse then others (attempt to) replicate your results.

The issue here is that the 'phone in bra causes cancer' hypothesis hasn't progressed to the testing stage yet.

We are on shakey ground if we dismiss hypotheses that are in the middle of this process as being 'bollocks' merely because they haven't had the time to come out of the other end yet.

Well I would argue with anyone who said something definitely causes cancer. I prefer "increases the risk".

I took my bra off the other night and £80 fell out!

My DF who is a breast cancer survivor gets really upset if you stuff your phone in your bra, so I don't, anymore.

Was privy to a conversation once where an oncologist was saying that testicular cancer has vastly increased since men starting putting their phones in their trouser pockets...although, this could just be an awareness thing?

but there are some hypotheses that don't merit testing
we call these bollocks (technical term)

You could howl with laughter and profer DD something utterly ludicrous to offer them back and see if they fall for it?
eg: using too much moisturizer has been linked with the development of facial twitches

Excellent loving this has turned into a what is evidence base. It's the fact that they spout whatever the daily mail they are worried about this week as fact! DD1 is smart and understands evidence but it's the fact that's it's said with such utter determination that it's true that throws her. Probably because I won't say somethingnis absolutely true unless it is. I am probably too black and white. There have been many more such stories usually relating to fannies and boobs.

OP you should get her Richard Dawkins's The Devil's Chaplain, which is a series of essays written in part for his own DC about the scientific method and how to evaluate claims.

But also, yes along with everyone else, htf does she fit her phone in her bra without it being really obvious and also uncomfy?

Forget the book, buy her a sodding handbag!

Buzzard does the oncologist have anything to back this up? Because he is seeing a skewed population which could just as easily be due to increased/awareness of testicular lumps. So equally possibly to be bollocks.

Obfus - there is a difference between 'definitely increases/decreases the risk' and 'definitely causes/doesn't cause' though.

The bra thing. Thank you all for concern for her bra
She has lovely pert boobs with an amazing cleavage which is where she keeps her phone and money!
She usually wears leggings or shorts so no pockets. And she has a handbag which won't use.
I don't get it but she seems happy.

....this also reminded me of my sister at 13 having a polite argument with our neighbour after she (sister) sprained her ankle and neighbour claimed to be able to cure it by putting cabbage leaves on it as the chlorophyll in them would heal the tears overnight

Same neighbour also tried to give "the light" - laying on of hands to my sister, who sort of patiently suffered it, and to another neighbour's dog - which bit her.

"Because he is seeing a skewed population which could just as easily be due to increased/awareness of testicular lumps. So equally possibly to be bollocks."

I'd say with 100% certainty that bollocks are involved...

The things I've learnt from MN - that people keep stuff in their bras! Wow!

Woop thumbwitch. I knew someone would get it

It could well be that developing greater awareness of testiclar cancer just so happens to coincide with the time period in which mobile phones have grown ubiquitous (and men just so happen to keep their phones near their bollocks).

Maybe the mum saw that us article.

Two young women (teenagers) who had both kept phones in their bra both developed breast cancer in the place the phones had been.. The doctor was very interested as women this age do not normally get breast cancer.

I don't keep my phone in my bra so makes no difference to me.

That claim has been debunked and plenty of young women get breast cancer sadly through no fault of their own.

Obfus, we were discussing people who say that something definitely causes cancer as in, if you are exposed to it you will get cancer. I don't think we mentioned anyone saying that something is solely responsible for causing cancer.

In your car analogy, you agree that you wouldn't say crossing the road without looking definitely results in you being hit and killed by a car but you could say that it increases the risk of that happening.

Where was it debunked macdoodle? Do you have a link to the study?