By Jeff Stier, Esq.
Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009

EDITORIAL
Publication Date: June 19, 2009

This piece appeared in its entirety on June 19, 2009 on Forbes.com:


When it comes to health policy, the government is trying to turn "risk" into a four-letter word. Yes, risk may be daunting, but it is an inevitable reality. The current financial turmoil only proves stock economic theory: Reward doesn't come without risk. Just as investing money wisely requires evaluating potential costs, public health challenges also demand that we learn to embrace and properly manage risk rather than engage in an unrealistic effort to eliminate it altogether.

Unfortunately, our federal and local governments think it's their job not to help us manage risk but to get rid of it for us. Their nanny-state strategies have gone too far. Consider the New Jersey Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling's proposal to ban Brazilian waxing after just two cases where women who underwent the procedure suffered infections because of unsanitary practices. The proposal was thwarted only after women (and men?) cried out against what they saw as the product of state overreaction.

In a similar vein, the Wall Street Journal reported that 14 states have outlawed the unusual practice of fish pedicures, in which you dip your feet in a specially designed tank so that tiny fish can munch the dead skin off of them. Even if such a practice constitutes a health risk (which I doubt), it is trivial enough to leave under the personal purview of individuals.

The fact of the matter is that you can never escape risk. For example, all medications carry risks--even trusted, over-the-counter drugs like aspirin...