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One in Three Antibiotic Prescriptions Is Unnecessary

May 4, 2016 By Deborah Nielsen Leave a Comment

We’ve grown too accustomed to antibiotics, and we now see them as the answer to everything

Most of us have heard since we were little that if you don’t take them only when needed, you can develop resistance to antibiotics. At least that’s what was going on in my household. In fact, things are little different. You don’t become resistant to the antibiotics, the germs you’re attempting to fight do.

This can also sometimes happen when the medicine is taken correctly, so if you take antibiotics without needing them you risk giving birth to antibiotic-resistant super bacteria. These types of germs can be fatal, and often are, even though creating them can be very easily prevented.

Unfortunately, even though most doctors know about this, they still recommend plenty of antibiotics to people who don’t really need them. And this only serves to empower more and more bacterial strains. In fact, the situation is so bad that one in three antibiotic prescriptions is unnecessary.

That means that about 47 million unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions are given to United States citizens every year. And according to the study, most of these are given for conditions that don’t even benefit from antibiotics – conditions like colds, the flu, bronchitis, sore throats, and other similarly mostly harmless diseases.

For the study, the team of researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pew Charitable Trust looked over data from previous CDC studies, and analyzed the antibiotic use for the years 2010 and 2011. They revealed some pretty concerning statistics related to negligent antibiotic prescriptions.

Around 154 million visits to the doctor each year (about 13 percent) end with an antibiotic prescription. Half of these are pointless, since they are prescribed for viral illnesses. About four out of ten (44 percent) of these prescriptions are given to patients with acute respiratory conditions like pneumonia, asthma, allergies, and sinus infections.

Medical experts are growing increasingly concerned with this habit, as it has started leading to a concerning number of deaths and untreatable infections. In fact, antibiotic-resistant bacteria already cause some two million illnesses every year and are responsible for some 23,000 death every year in the United States alone.

The White House has announced a plan last year to reduce these terrifying numbers to half by 2020. If they were to succeed, that would mean somewhere around 23 million fewer antibiotics prescribed every year. And that is a genuinely worrying number, particularly for physicians who should know that what they’re doing is dangerous.

According to the researchers, the reason as to why so many antibiotics are inappropriately prescribed is because doctors are concerned about patient satisfaction, so if the patients demand antibiotics, they usually get them. Plus, the study didn’t even consider the number of antibiotics prescribed by nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, or by any other profession other than doctors, so you know the numbers are, in fact, much worse.

Image source: Pixabay

Chantix and Zyban Smoking Cessation Drugs Don’t Urge Suicide

April 25, 2016 By Rebecca McGhee 1 Comment

Smoking is one of the most unhealthy habits in which someone can partake. It is responsible for millions of deaths every year, particularly in the form of lung cancer or many other forms of cancer of the respiratory system. It also led to the rise of cancers as the number one cause of death in twenty-one states.

While some don’t really care about the long-term effects of smoking, others most certainly do. And while they would want to quit, they just don’t have the conviction, motivation, or willpower to do so. But medicine has developed a lot of different treatments to help people finally kick the nasty habit.

So why aren’t more people using these treatments, you might ask? Well, the answer is that except for psychological treatments and some nicotine substitutes, most anti-smoking medicines were unrightfully banned or black-boxed because of the constant efforts of the tobacco industry to have their clients addicted.

But finally, seven years after they were slapped with the strictest warning in the country by FDA regulators, multiple studies prove that Chantix and Zyban smoking cessation drugs don’t urge suicide. The two drugs were said to cause conditions which turned to be the regular effects of giving up smoking.

Given a black box warning, the two drugs are now in totally different states of production. While Chantix is about to re-enter mass production, this time with a totally different box, Zyban has been available as generic bupropion for almost ten years, and so it hasn’t been actively marketed in quite some time.

The conditions with which the anti-smoking medications were associated include, but are not limited to hostility, aggression, depression, changes in behavior, generally low mood, and suicidal thoughts and actions. While these symptoms scared off many doctors and smokers, they are merely symptoms associated with quitting smoking, regardless of which, if any medication you may be on.

Results were finally published online on Friday evening, resonating with at least forty earlier studies claiming the same thing – that the two drugs were not at all dangerous, certainly incomparably so to the habit users are trying to quit in the first place. Finally, FDA has seen the black-boxing as what it was – a move by tobacco companies to keep promoting their poison.

The study concluded that the negative effects felt when quitting smoking with the help of either of the two drugs were no different than for those using a placebo, and that is in the worst case scenario. One of the developers of the two drugs also wanted to share his story, saying how he was a lifelong smoker until he quit cold turkey after his entire family died one member after another as a result of years of smoking.

Image source: Pixabay

‘Super Lice’ Outbreak Strikes 25 U.S. States

February 26, 2016 By Chen Lai Leave a Comment

Lice can be found the head, eyebrows, and eyelashes of people.

The so-called ‘super lice’ outbreak strikes 25 U.S. states, according to recent national media reports.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, lice are parasitic insects roughly 2–3 mm long. Lice can be found the head, eyebrows, and eyelashes of people. Head lice infest the head and neck and attach their eggs to the base of the hair shaft.

Head lice feed on human blood several times a day and live close to the human scalp. Lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly. Head lice infestation, or pediculosis, is spread most commonly by close person-to-person contact. Dogs, cats, and other pets do not play a role in the transmission of human lice.

Also, head lice are not known to spread disease.

In August 2015 a searcher at the Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville Kyong Yoon, Ph.D. proved that there are lice that are resistant to the chemical used in most common over-the-counter lice treatment.

Yoon studied a large number of samples from across the country and came to the conclusion that almost all lice populations tested have developed gene mutations that made them resistant to the chemical called pyrethroids.

According to phys.org, pyrethroids are a family of insecticides used to control mosquitoes and other insects. It includes permethrin, the active ingredient in some of the most common lice treatments sold at drug stores.

According to CDC, the head lice may become resistant to the treatment used. But CDC also mentions that the treatment may also be ineffective because it wasn’t used correctly or because it was a wrong diagnosis altogether.

In the case of the possible super lice, CDC suggests working closely with the pharmacist or the medical professional to make sure the treatment was used correctly and to pick out another treatment method if needed.

So, what’s the solution? Dr. Yoon says that lice can still be controlled by using different chemicals, some of which are available only by prescription, according to Phys.org.

On another note, the most common way to get lice infestation is the head-to-head contact which is common at schools, kindergartens, playgrounds, camp, slumber parties etc.

Less common ways include sharing clothing (hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms) or articles (hair ribbons, barrettes, combs, brushes, towels, stuffed animals) recently worn or used by an infested person; or lying on a bed, couch, pillow, or carpet that has recently been in contact with an infested person.

Back in 2000, pyrethroids worked 100 percent of the time, but dropped to just 25 percent in 2013. Scientists found that the current super lice are resistant to chemicals found in majority of OTC treatments. The Lice Clinics of America rolled out a new treatment called AirAllé that can effectively treat super lice cases.

The FDA-approved AirAllé has a tag price of $170 and is covered by most insurance. While combing, nit-picking and prescription drugs can also treat super lice, using these methods require multiple treatments that could take time.

Image Source: instyle.com.

It’s Official: Americans Are Not Getting Enough Sleep

February 20, 2016 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

Guess what? You are not the only one who didn’t get enough sleep last night.

According to the latest study, it’s official: Americans are not getting enough sleep at night. If all this time you felt like you were the only one who is sleep-deprived, you were completely wrong. Turns out, a full third of Americans aren’t able to get the amount of shut-eye they need.

How many times did you hit the snooze button this morning? We all crave sleep, but too many nights we fall short of the seven or eight hours we need to thrive.

An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder, according to the Institute of Medicine. Gayle Greene, author of Insomniac, explains how sleepless nights can have a devastating effect on daily routines. She affirms that chronic insomnia is often mistaken as ‘a bad night’ and that few people realize just how debilitating sleep deprivation can be.

Now, according to latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, 1 in 3 Americans are sleep deprived. This situation can prove extremely dangerous since insufficient sleep is linked to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, stroke, mental illness and eventually premature death.It also impairs cognitive performance, which can increase the likelihood of motor vehicle and other transportation accidents, industrial accidents, medical errors, and loss of work productivity that could affect the wider community.

The conclusion is quite simple.

As a nation, we are not getting enough sleep.

declared Wayne Giles, director of the CDC’s Division of Population Health.

For this particular study, the CDC reviewed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), in order to determine the prevalence of a healthy sleep duration (seven hours or less) among 444,306 adult respondents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

More than one-third of the adults reported sleeping less than 7 hours during the 24 hour period, meaning 83.6 million people aged 18 and over sleep less than required. Of all the respondents, around 11% were reported getting less than five hours of sleep while 23% were getting six hours of eye shut. Only 4.4% people reported getting nine hours of sleep.

Moreover, people in Hawaii have the lowest percentage in terms of getting sufficient sleep and states with the highest reported amount of sleep were South Dakota, Colorado and Minnesota.

On the other hand, these sleep habits among Americans vary by geography, race, ethnicity, marital status and employment, the CDC found.

A person’s employment status played a role in sleep duration. The 51 to 60% of those unable to work or unemployed respectively reporting getting enough sleep, compared to 65% for those with jobs, prove the fact that sleep habits depend on many factors.

However, no theory as to why the under-educated or unemployed aren’t getting enough slumber was put forward, but the CDC did call on employers to initiate changes that will benefit the health of their employees. The advice for them was to consider adjusting work schedules to allow their workers time to get enough sleep.

On the other hand, being married also helped, according to the CDC study. The 67% of respondents saying they got enough sleep, compared to 62% for those never married and 56% for those divorced, widowed or separated, sustain that theory.

So, what can that sleepy third of Americans do? Although it is known that 9 million people take sleeping pills, none of them actually work.

Experts suggest that healthy sleep can be promoted by sleep health education and behavior changes. For instance, making sure that the bedroom environment is quiet, dark and relaxing and has modest temperatures and adults should avoid large meals, alcohol and caffeine before going to bed at night.

All in all, getting a good night sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health and well-being. That being said, next time you go to bed, just unplug yourself and take into consideration all of the advice the experts give us. After all, they must know better.

Image Source: neurogistics.com.

African Americans Are Less Likely To Receive HIV Medical Care

February 5, 2016 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

Black men with HIV are less likely than whites and Hispanics to receive consistent care.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recently reported that African Americans are less likely to receive HIV medical care. From 2011 to 2013, blacks living in the United States less frequently received ongoing HIV medical care than patients of other ethnicities, according to the same research.

African American males were less likely to receive consistent medical care than African American females (35 percent and 44 percent, respectively). Among African Americans, receiving consistent HIV care was highest among those whose HIV infections were attributable to heterosexual contact. Those who got consistent HIV medical care for three years were considered consistently retained in care.

From 2012 to 2014, the CDC funded HIV testing, linkage to care, partner services and behavioral risk reduction programs through 61 state and local health departments and 151 community-based organizations.

To gauge the impact of these interventions, researchers examined data collected from the National HIV Prevention Program Monitoring and Evaluation concerning testing events and related services collected during this time period.

The researchers then determined the rate of HIV test positivity and linkage to HIV care within 90 days among non-Hispanic black women with new infection.

The number of annual CDC-funded testing events during this time period ranged from 702,328 to 793,894, and women aged 20 to 29 years accounted for 44.7% of all tests among black women. New diagnoses decreased 17% from 2012 to 2014; however, HIV test positivity rates remained relatively similar year to year.

Among black women with newly diagnosed infection, linkage to care within 90 days of diagnoses increased from a rate of 33.8% in 2012 to 50.1% in 2014. The researchers wrote that while these increases are beneficial to black women with newly diagnosed HIV, more interventions within the group may be needed to reach the 85% linkage rate targeted by the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

The experts pointed out that, in order to continue to reduce HIV-related health disparities for black females in the United States, increasing HIV testing efforts among this group is needed to increase the percentage of black females living with HIV who are aware of their status.

Dr. Eugene McCray, the Director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention sustains that,

in order to stop the HIV epidemic among African Americans, we must tackle the social inequities influencing HIV health outcomes and the disparities that persist at every stage of the continuum of HIV care, including identifying approaches to promote early linkage to and retention in care.

To help, the CDC is crafting a high-impact prevention approach that is funding HIV prevention services that target gay, bisexual and transgender youth of color.

The efforts include PrEP and HIV treatment as prevention, along with nearly $277 million in grants over five years.

Image Sources: hivos.org; projectq.us.

New Blood Test to Predict Heart Attack got FDA’s Approval

December 17, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

US Food and Drug on Monday approved the new blood test that they believe can be helpful in detecting person’s risk of future heart condition and heart attack.

The test called PLAC Test for Lp-PLA2 is exclusive as it is designed for people with no history of heart disease and the studies have shown that the test is more accurate in predicting Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) risk in women specially Black women.

Alberto Gutierrez, the director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radio-logical Health at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radio-logical Health explained “A cardiac test that helps better predict future coronary heart disease risk in women, and especially black women, may help health care professionals identify these patients before they experience a serious [heart disease] event, like a heart attack,”

The test measures the exercise of Lp-PLA2 (lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2) – an enzyme that indicate vascular inflammation. Vascular inflammation is a harbinger of plaque accumulation in the arteries which can clog them resulting CDH.

The FDA elucidated “Patients with test results that show Lp-PLA2 activity greater than the level of 225 nano-moles per minute per milliliter are at increased risk for a [heart disease] event.”

The FDA’s approval is a result of a previous study made by U.S. National Institutes of Health in which NIH tracked 4,600 people of age between 45 and 92 for five years.

According to CDC, heart disease is amid the highest mortality rates in North America. ”Almost half of men and two-third of women die suffering from CHD with no previous symptoms.”

Ohio Health Officials Say “There’s A Significant Increase In Flu-related Hospitalization”s

December 8, 2014 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

As per the recent reports revealed, flu season is on the ascent in Ohio, and the number of flu-related hospitalizations are essentially higher with 202 through 29^th November compared to 89 last year.

There has been one affirmed flu-related pediatric death, an adolescent from southern Ohio. The 2014-15 influenza season began in October and likely will proceed into next spring.

Dr. Mary DiOrio, medical director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) said, “Flu vaccine is the most secure, and best approach to battle this season’s flu virus, so I persuade all Ohioans who have not already done so to get vaccinated today, except newborns younger than 6 months old. With influenza activity rising and family and companions gathering for the occasions, now is the best time to get inoculated to ensure defend and your friends and family.”

Influenza symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and exhaustion. The CDC prescribes that everybody 6 months and more get an influenza vaccine every year. Influenza vaccination is accessible at health care providers’ offices, local health departments and retail drug stores.

Influenza season can vary yet normally commences in December, sometimes as late as January and February, and stays 6 to 8 weeks. From 15 million to 60 million Americans may be contaminated via seasonal influenza, contingent upon the seriousness of the flare-up. More than 200,000 individuals are hospitalized every year for influenza related intricacies. Around 36,000 of them die yearly.

“The best defense against the influenza virus is vaccination,” Gunn said. “Getting immunized isn’t pretty much securing yourself. It’s likewise about securing others. If you don’t get influenza, then you can’t spread this virus.”

As per the health advisory issued this week by the CDC, there are three sorts of influenza infections — A, B and C. So far this season, the H3n2 strain of sort A has been reported frequently across the nation. Past seasons prevailed by H3n2 saw higher hospitalization and death rates.

Type A is always showing signs of change and is usually the cause behind influenza pandemics. Early every year, researchers attempt to foresee which strains are prone to circulate the next influenza season, and they incorporate three or four in the vaccination.

CDC is suggesting that clinicians prescribe one of two antiviral medications as a second line of defense immediately to patients with affirmed or suspected flu who are hospitalized, have serious ailment, or may be at higher risk for influenza intricacies. These antiviral medications are oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).

Dr. DiOrio said, “These antiviral medications can reduce the severity of the flu and prevent serious flu complications. They work best when started within two days of getting sick.”

Victom Of Flu Season? The Treatment Is Not Enough! Go For Vaccine

December 5, 2014 By Germaine Hicks Leave a Comment

Flu is set for an early and strong start in the St. Louis territory.

Across the country reports demonstrate most cases are caused by a toxic strain of the Type A influenza virus — about 50% of which are not secured well by the vaccination.

“The uplifting news is that 50% match what’s in the vaccination, and the awful news is that 50% don’t,” said Dr. Donald Kennedy, infectious disease professor at the St. Louis University.

Despite the fact that the vaccination does not exactly match a strain that is found in a large portion of cases learned at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccine can in any case give some security by diminishing the probability of serious results, for example, hospitalization and death.

As a result of a late bounce in the number of cases, regional health authorities are urging anyone age 6 months and more to get vaccinated at the earliest opportunity.

“Flu is around the town,” Kennedy said. “We’ve seen a staged increase in the number of cases recognized.”

While the number of cases across the nation stays low, zone hospitals and the St. Louis County and city health divisions have reported the number of cases have tripled over the two weeks ending Nov. 30.

Dr. Dolores Gunn, director of the regional health division, said, “We have seen considerably more cases — with 50% of the cases among kids and youngsters — and this concerns us as this is a vaccine-preventable ailment.”

Flu is an infectious respiratory disease portrayed by muscle pains, headache and fever. Kids, youngsters, pregnant women and those with certain medical conditions are at higher risk of intricacies.

So far this year, the vaccination does not seem to be a good match.

The CDC advisory reported that 48% of the H3n2 viruses gathered this season match the strain in the vaccination, while 52% are diverse. Researchers refer to the mismatch as a drifted strain.

“The closer the vaccination is to the strain the better the defense is,” Kennedy said. “The further away it is, the less defensive it is.”

Dr. Bo Kennedy said symptoms of patients he sees in the St. Louis Children’s Hospital hold up the information that a floated strain is bringing on mayhem. He sees vomiting and diarrhea more frequently, he said. Few patients were sick regardless of having been immunized yet had low virus tallies, recommending the vaccine offered some safety.

The government bulletin also focused on the vitality of beginning antiviral medication as early as possible when a patient is hospitalized or at higher risk of complications.

While seasonal influenza resembles an alarming adversary this season, Kennedy at SLU said that the viewpoint can change as more virus samples are gathered or other types of virus start to spread.

“If the Cardinals win all the competition in the initial two weeks of the season, does that imply that they are going to win the World Series?” he said. “It’s simply too soon to know whether this will be maintained the whole influenza season.”

Californian State Implemented Sturdy Ebola-Protection Rules for Health Workers

November 15, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

According to the recent reports revealed, California has implemented some of the nation’s strapping rules to guard doctors, nurses along with other health workers dealing with patients with Ebola.

The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the rules on Friday, require approximately state’s 300 acute-care hospitals to supply hazardous material suits, respirators, isolation rooms and extensive training to individuals dealing with patients suspected of getting the Ebola virus.

The novel rules elucidate and expand upon general recommendation released in Oct.

Nurses praised the rules as a model for the rest of the nation.

Chuck Idelson, a spokesperson for National Nurses United said, “The governor and OSHA have really inspired nurses using their persistence to this. They’ve proven a complete dedication to look after patients and nurses.”

The rules tend to be more comprehensive than those put forth by the CDC, that the state’s hospitals have been following so far.

Jan Emerson-Shea, speaker for the California Hospital Association, said, “Hospitals will work carefully with Cal/OSHA authorities as hands-on training periods go on for individuals employees who are likely to provide care to patients with Ebola.”

Until now, no Ebola cases happen to be reported in California, even though the virus is constantly devastating West Africa, where about 5,100 individuals have died. Within the United States, one person has died of Ebola yet.

The new rules pursue a global nurses’ protest Thursday demanding more powerful protections for individuals dealing with Ebola patients.

Undiagnosed Sleep Disorders in Firefighters

November 14, 2014 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

A recent study reveals that the sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, change work disorder and restless leg syndrome are widespread among firefighters. In addition, the research carried out by the scientists at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) described that due to the truth that firefighters are at higher risk of sleep problems, this might lead to illness and elevated chance of motor accidents.

The CDC signifies that about a quarter of People in America complain of the periodic sleeping disorder, while about 10 % of the U.S. population is affected by chronic insomnia. The scientists observed the existence of sleep problems as well as their related adverse safety and health final results in roughly 7,000 firefighters from 66 different fire departments over the U.S. The firefighters were examined for common sleep problems along with other health problems too. The participants were also requested regarding their probability of dropping off to sleep at the wheel, their participation in vehicle accidents, in addition to any injuries or close calls they’d while driving. Out of all of the firefighters participated in the study, 37% were identified as having a sleep disorder.

Laura K. Barger, Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders associate physiologist said, “The findings of the study demonstrate the impact of common sleep problems on firemen safety and health, as well as their link with the 2 main reasons for dying among firefighters. Regrettably, greater than 80 % of firefighters who tested positive for any common sleep problem were undiagnosed and untreated.”

The research is published in the Clinical Sleep Medicine journal on 13^th November. The study finds a connection between sleep disorders and certain health issues in firefighters, however, it botched to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Czeisler, chief BWH Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders said, “Firefighters with sleep disorders also had a higher prevalence of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and anxiety. Occupational sleep disorder screening programs can identify individuals who are vulnerable to adverse safety and health consequences, including those that are leading causes of death in firefighters. This study provides the rationale for further research evaluating the effectiveness of occupational sleep disorders management programs on disease risk, mental health and safety outcomes.”

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