MRSA

We had a note to our comments site .. viewer asking if 'green' cleaning products are to blame for MRSA. The short answer is no.

The reason we have the MRSA problem is because we've used too many antibiotics - for stuff we really didn't need antibiotics .. and we didn't take them as prescribed. How many times have you or someone you known stopped taking their meds before the prescription had been used up? If you stop taking the drug when you feel good, you may not have killed the bug . .so when it comes back it's stronger - in that the bugs that survived the round of treatment were stronger to begin with. Wwhen only the tough bugs survive we begin creating a new generation of only tough bugs.

While that sounds simple, that's the basic science behind this problem. Why it happened to explode so fast in the community the research brains are puzzling that out.

MRSA has been in hospital settings for more than 5 years. It would hit he elderly or others whose immune system was diminished. When it gets into the bloodstream, it's tenacious and the potential to be deadly is great. While less likely to get into the bloodstream if you've got skin infected with MRSA (which is what most of the kids have presented with) it can happen.


A bleach solution left to air dry is a great way to kill germs on surfaces - and it's also a green solution... no complicated chemicals here.

As the infection control manager at St. Peter's Hospital told me: we've had a free ride for years - we had drugs that treated infections that in past eras would have been deadly - so we came to take it for granted that whatever came our we we could beat.

Well, it's back to the laboratory to find more of those drugs. In the meantime we have to be vigilant: wash those hands, cover cuts, protect abraded skin, don't share personal items and when it doubt - check with your doctor.

There are a couple of good websites loaded with MRSA info - we've got them posted on our homepage.

Bell's Palsy - the latest treatment

There's a new approach to treating Bell's Palsy - a face palsy that most of the time comes out of no where.
The latest research shows prednisolone significantly improves the odds of a full recovery. This was in comparison with acyclovir ( Zovirax) which, turns out, is no better than a placebo.
Most patients will recover without treatment but when treatment's called for .. prednisolone can "increase the probability of complete recovery at 9 months."
The article appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.

MRSA/COLDS/FLU - Staying Healthy

You've probably heard the reports - we aired one last night at 5 profiling a local family - about MRSA ..the super strain of STAPH that responds only to a handful of antibiotics. Part of the problem stems from the over prescribing of antibiotics and our not taking them as prescribed .. but that's only part of the problem and scientists are scrambling to figure out why we've seen such a rapid increase in cases - and why MRSA made the jump from hospitals to the general community.

What is clear - hand washing can spare you from diseases like this . .including, colds, flu and stomach bugs.

First off .. we've got to wash our hands - not just wave them under the faucet.
Rinse, lather and scrub 15-20 seconds - or the time it takes to sing 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' twice.

If you're using those antiseptic gels, don't be stingy .. use a half a teaspoon on the palm of your hand and then rub your hands together, covering all surfaces until they're dry.
For some good hand washing directions check out http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407

yeah, I know, you're laughing .. but honestly, it's no laughing matter.

City health

Just back from a neat conference on URBAN HEALTH. Didn't realize, but for the first time in history ( they tell me) more people live in cities than any other area ie: suburbs/rural.
This poses interesting health challenges.
How do you care for people in the event of pandemic flu when they're living so near each other ..
what about the aging population - how to keep communities safe and appearing safe as perception plays as big a role, the researchers find, as reality.

I'll be sharing stories on this in the coming weeks.