Bitten by the bug
Experts have been pounding the same message over and over again. for years-overuse of antibiotics has helped fuel the rise of drug¬resistant "super bugs".
Yet the abuse of antibiotics remains a cause for concern and could even be on the rise, scientists and doctors told a drugs meeting in San Francisco last week.
"The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms continues to be'a major problem 'and an increasing problem, " a researcher said. "It is hard to break old habits."
People still have not understood the message that antibiotics are useless against viruses, which cause the majority of colds, flu and related illnesses, experts said. .
In the US it is estimated that one-third of the 150m antibiotic prescriptions written for outpatients every year are unnecessary. Such misuse of drugs is a major factor in the 50 per cent jump in antibiotic-r;esistant infections over the past 23 years including the rise of bacteria resistant to all known drugs. When patients come in demanding something, a researcher said, doctors could recommend treating the symptoms with drugs such as acetaminophen, decongestants or antihistamines.
One piece of potentially good news is a series of studies showing new antiviral drugs are safe and can reduce the length of time that people suffer from flu or colds.
A drug zanamavir, can also help prevent the spread of flu, experts said.
Waiting Watch
The failure of a self-winding wristwatch to keep proper time signalled the early onset of Parkinson's disease for one elderly woman, according to researchers.
Such watches depend on motion to keep going¬and reduced movement may not only "freeze time," it may also be an early sign of Parkinson's disease.
A team of US researchers report the case of a 68¬year-old woman whose husband had given both her and their daughter self-winding wristwatches.
According to the researchers, "After the patient had worn the watch on her left wrist for a few days, it stopped working." The woman sent the watch to the manufacturer, who found nothing wrong with it. She then swapped wristwatches with her daughter-only to find that her 'broken' watch mysteriously resumed proper function when worn by her daughter. At the same time the daughter's watch stopped working when transferred to the patient's arm.
The malfunctioning watch also began working after the woman began to wear it on her right, rather than left wrist. However, in the end the woman decided to purchase a battery-operated model, which she wore on her left wrist. That watch functioned perfectly, and the authors say the woman "gave the matter no further thought."
So, what strange force made 'time stand still' for this woman? The researchers explain that self¬winding watches are powered by an internal ratchet mechanism that relies no normal motion of arm to wind an internal spring.
They add that, three years after abandoning her self-winding wristwatch, the woman was diagnosed with a "rigidity of the arm" characteristic of Parkinson's disease.
"In retrospect," say the researchers, "the watch probably stopped working when she wore it on
her left wrist because there was a lack of spontaneous activity in that arm./I This relative inactivity might have gone unnoticed by the patient herself, but was enough to cause a
breakdown in the function of the watch.
"This unusual 'freezing of time' was the first symptom of her Parkinson's disease," they conclude. The woman's condition has since improved following drug therapy.
Potato (green) has natural toxins
Potatoes can contain a natural toxin called solanine. Large doses have caused human poisoning.
Solanine develops as a result of the tubers being incorrectly stored in light. Even ultraviolet light or fluorescent light stimulates the manufacture of solanine. This toxin also increases as potatoes begin to sprout. Do not eat a potato that looks green or is sprouting, because it contains a high level of solanine, a natural fungicide and insecticide which provides protection for the potato but in large doses is a nervous system poison to humans. Cooking does not destroy solanine.
When you shop, look for symmetrical potatoes with shallow eyes. The skin colour should be normal, never green. At home, sto:r;g potatoes in a cool dark place.
. Before cooking, scrub the potato with a brush under running water. Any properly stored potato with normal - not green - skin is fine to cook and eat whole. Potato flesh as well as potato skin is a valuable source of fiber.
Indigestion results in Acnes
Adult acne is almost always associated with low stomach acid production. This prevents a person from completely digesting her food, especially the high protein, high fat foods. As a result, partially digested foods may get absorbed in the blood, eliciting an allergic/inflammatory reaction. In essence the food which is partially digested behaves as if it were an allergen that needs to be attacked by the immune system. Even "healthy" foods can turn into allergies when hydrochloric acid is inadequate. Rashes like acne and hives can result. Gas bloating and bowel toxemia occurs. Some of these toxins can reabsorb via a beleaguered liver into the bloodstream, eliciting an inflammatory response which ends in acne development.
Low stomach acidity can be caused by stress, heredity, antacids or insuspected food allergies. Isolating and eliminating the offending foods can do a lot to help reverse symptoms. Supplementing with stomach acidifiers (stomach bitters, betaine and pepsin hydorchloride, plant enzymes, apple cider vinegar, glutamic acid, B¬complex vitamins and vitamin C) would be the next step.
In some particularly stubborn cases a bowel cleansing program may be necessary with supplementation of freindly lactobacillus bacteria. In cases where hormonal imbalances may be at the root of the problem, supplementation with essential fatty acids, colostrum, vitamin E and vitamin B6 in large doses is beneficial.
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