WHEN antibacterial soap was first introduced in the 1980s, the medical community was concerned that its worldwide use could someday lead to micro-organisms developing resistance to antibiotics, rendering future patients and their physicians helpless in fighting bacterial infections.
Fast forward to September 2016: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is banning most antibacterial soaps and body washes currently on store shelves, arguing that the products create potential health risks (bacterial resistance) but don’t perform any better than plain old soap and water,” reports HDN.
The ban includes those with triclosan, triclocarban, and 17 other active ingredients in soap and body washes labeled anti-microbial or antibacterial, which covers more 2,100 products in the market today, according to US FDA’s Center for drug Evaluation and Research.
“In the United States, at least two million people a year become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and at least 23,000 die from these infections,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Center also pointed out that “triclosan can effect the thyroid, estrogen and testosterone systems of mammals, which could have implications for human health … and that manufacturers failed to show that their antibacterial products are any better than ordinary soap and water at preventing the spread of germs.”
We still recommend regular frequent hand washing with soap and water if available, if not, use hand sanitizers (gel or wipes) with at least 60 percent alcohol.
Excess weight kills – literally!
Worldwide, there are more than one billion adults who are overweight and 600 million obese, according to the World Health organization. Of these, about 15 percent are women and 11 percent men who are obese.
This is not an exaggeration: our weight, when in excess, can kill us prematurely, one year earlier than expected for mild weight, up to three years earlier for those moderately obese, and up to eight years earlier for severely obese. This, largest study to date, involved data on about four million non-smoking adults in 32 countries compared the mortality risk to people’s body mass index (BMI) from 1970 to last year.
Dangers of laser beams
Laser pointers are very common these days, and not rarely, children play with them. When the beam hits the eyes, it can cause damage to the retina, blind spots, blurred or distorted vision, or permanent blindness. This injury happens more frequently than people realize.
Most of the red and green laser pointers are supposed to have between one to two milliwatts, claimed as safe to the eyes, but some have been found to have power output higher than five milliwatts, according to a report in the September 1, 2016 issue of Pediatrics (Health News Daily). The beam is harmful even when it hits the eyes indirectly through mirror reflection. But the severest damage is caused by a direct frontal hit to the central vision, which can lead to a dramatic blindness in some cases.
Laser pointers, like many other potentially dangerous items, are best kept out of the hands of children. And, obviously, the onus is on the parents or guardians.
Cesarean babies and obesity
There are about 1.3 million cesarean births (about 1/3 of all deliveries) annually in the United States alone. Babies delivered by cesarean, compared to those via natural vaginal delivery, may have a greater risk of becoming obese into adulthood, a new study shows. Besides the well known common risk of cesarean section, which are respiratory problems, it now appears obesity is another possible complication.
Asthma and Vitamin D
There are about 17.7 million adults and 66.3 million children in the United States have bronchial asthma. A new Cochrane Review suggests that including vitamin D to the current standard treatment for asthma may lessen the risk for the development of severe asthma attacks. Low vitamin D level is a known factor in asthma attacks. These research findings were presented by the Asthma UK Center for Applied Research at Queen Mary University of London in The United Kingdom at the 2016 European Respiratory Society International Congress. The subjects included 435 children and 658 adults in 7 studies. The addition of vitamin D also reduces the need for steroid in the treatment. More studies are needed with a larger clinical series to confirm this finding.
Smartphone app for a healthier you
A recent study shows that a smartphone application could help inspire the user to adopt a healthier lifestyle and ward of common major illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
Lead researcher Dr. Ashkan Afshin, acting assistant professor of global health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle, says “People are better able to stick to a heart-healthy lifestyle when guided and encouraged by smartphone apps and Internet sites that help set goals and track progress.”
The study was a review of 224 previous clinical investigation between 1990 and 2013, published in the August 31, 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Both the Internet-based and mobile-based intervention were found to be effective in improving lifestyle behaviors that cover diet, physical activity, and even use of alcohol and tobacco, and weight control.
“For example, programs that have components such as goal-setting and self-monitoring and use multiple modes of communication and tailored messages tended to be more effective. We also found these programs were more effective if they included some interactions with health care providers,” explained Dr. Afshin.
The various apps available, especially the interactive ones, also make it easier for every one to track their progress, hold themselves accountable in controlling their life and health, and even share the data with their physicians. This could be a cheaper alternative to driving to the gym and nutrition program sites.
Caution: Stay away from apps that claim to be able to measure your blood count or chemistries, and those trying to sell you something. The best ones are those which provides DIY guidelines and advises on how to eat better (diet without drugs, or herbals), how to exercise, how to maintain normal weight, and how to monitor and do healthier choices for your body.
The apps are free, but discipline is not. We pay for it with our will, determination and a lot of sacrifice. But the price is all worth it.
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