Disease Proof

Keiji Fukuda, coordinator for the World Health Organization's Global Influenza Program, spoke to a meeting of around 150 health experts from governments, WHO and other agencies to update WHO's pandemic influenza preparedness plan.

Scientists fear that the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus — which began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003 — could mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic that kills millions. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds.

Fukuda said more than 150 countries had some kind of national preparedness plans but some of them were merely a piece of paper acknowledging the risk.

He said it was crucial that all levels of society were involved in the preparations and that everyone knows where to go for information.

"If somebody is sick in the family for example and it's difficult to get to hospital, they need to know what sort of advice might be available," Fukuda told The Associated Press.

Now, I’m not worried about the flu. I had the flu last year and my nutrient-dense diet kicked its butt in a few days. Me quoting me:

A couple hours later it was pretty obvious, I had the flu. Sure, I was mad that I was sick, but I was more upset that my year-plus streak of not getting ill had come to an end. Nevertheless, I battened down the hatches and prepared to fight this virus head on. After all, I’m an Eat to Liver. My body is equipped and ready to smack the stuffing out of an intruder like the flu, right?

Absolutely! Tuesday and Wednesday I got the brunt of the virus; fever, chills, cough, the sweats, headache, and that horrible malaise. What did I do? Not much. I planted my well-bundled butt on the couch, turned on The Price is Right, drank lots of water, and ate bunch of water-rich fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple. In fact, at times my symptoms were so mild that I actually made a trip to the supermarket to buy more fruit. Not to mention, I didn’t miss a beat on DiseaseProof—thank you very much. So what happened next?

Thursday morning I woke up feeling a lot better! The only symptom still hanging around is a slight a cough and few sniffles, but nothing serious.

In truth, the flu isn’t really that scary. According to Dr. Fuhrman if you’re body is fortified by a healthy diet, you’ll survive. From Dr. Fuhrman:

Unfortunately the majority of Americans eat a diet style that weakens their normal resistance to simple viral infections. In spite of advances in science that reveal the critical importance of thousands of protective micronutrients in the natural plant kingdom, much of the modern world consumes a diet rich in processed grains, oils, sweets and animal products. In the United States, for example, less than five percent of total calories consumed come from fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. These are the foods that are richest in micronutrients.

Those of us who eat the Standard American Diet (SAD) have a very low nutrient (per calorie) intake. This chronic malnourished condition is the true life-threatening epidemic in the modern world, resulting in a medical care crisis and untold tragedies. And this ubiquitous malnourishment may also eventually enable the Avian influenza viruses to spread more easily and develop into virulent forms. With the ubiquitous consumption of fake foods such as white bread, pasta, oil and sugar, nutritional incompetence is the norm.

The flu is a simple viral illness which a healthy body has scores of adequate defenses against. No flu, including the bird flu, is any match for a well-nourished immune system.

So, bird flu, monkey flu, elephant flu, beetle flu, kangaroo flu, dog flu, zebra flu, and hippopotamus flu—BRING IT ON!

• Apparently our healthcare system is not ready for the incoming surge of Baby Boomers. The Associated Press reports:

The Institute of Medicine report found there are only about 7,100 doctors certified in geriatrics in the United States, 1 for every 2,500 older Americans.

The report urged that all health care workers be trained in basic geriatric care and that schools increase training in the treatment of older patients.

And it said pay for geriatric specialists, doctors, nurses and care workers needs to be increased.

A doctor specializing in elderly care earned $163,000 on average in 2005 compared with $175,000 for a general internist, even though the geriatric specialist required more training.

• Japan is preparing to stick workers with bird flu vaccinations. More from Reuters:

If approved, vaccination will take place before the end of the fiscal year in March 2009, and mark the first case in the world in which the vaccines -- based on strains of the H5N1 virus from China and Indonesia -- have been given to such a large group of people prior to a possible pandemic.

Japan has stockpiled vaccines for 10 million people using strains of the H5N1 virus from China, Indonesia and Vietnam. So far the government's stance has been to use them only after a breakout.

• Sunlight is important for getting vitamin D, even on a cloudy day. The National Institutes of Health offer up some decent advice. From The New York Times:

Complete cloud cover halves the energy of ultraviolet rays, and shade reduces it by 60 percent, according to the National Institutes of Health…

…To strike a balance between useful exposure and protection, the N.I.H. recommends an initial exposure of 10 to 15 minutes, followed by application of a sunscreen with an S.P.F. of at least 15. The institutes say this much exposure, at least two times a week, is usually sufficient to provide adequate vitamin D, though some researchers suggest it may not be enough. At the earth’s northern latitudes for much of the year, and at the midlatitudes in winter, the sun does not stay far enough above the horizon (45 degrees) for the angle of the sun’s rays to guarantee an efficient ultraviolet-B bath. Northerners may have to rely on the vitamin D synthesized in the summer or on foods and supplements.

• Could going to the dentist be partly to blame for all this mercury pollution? More from Reuters:

Dental practices may be a source of a dangerous form of mercury contamination in the water supply, a small study suggests.

In tests of wastewater from two dental practices, researchers at the University of Illinois found high levels of methylated mercury -- a chemically altered form of the metal that is toxic to the brain and nervous system.

Mercury is part of the silver dental fillings that have long been used to treat cavities; in this form, mercury is believed to be safe.

• CookingLight has ranked the 20 fittest cities in America. Here’s the top five:

1. Seattle, Washington: An abundance of fresh local foods, walker-friendly streets, and inclusive attitudes helps make Seattle America's best city for healthy living.
2. Portland, Oregon: Life is good in our second-ranked city, thanks to its seemingly endless supply of outdoor activities, cutting-edge restaurants, and vibrant environmental consciousness.
3. Washington, D.C.: Our capital city sets an accommodating agenda with farm-fresh dining, diverse cultures, and ample opportunity for exploration on foot.
4. Minneapolis, Minnesota: In our fourth-ranked best city, lush parks and shimmering lakes provide a natural backdrop to a rich cultural landscape.
5. San Francisco, California: Our fifth-ranked city steps up with one of the world's most unforgettable settings–along with great cuisine and an energetic spirit.

• Poked and Prodded asks the question, Why Belly Fat Is Bad for Your Brain? Let’s find out:

So why is belly fat so bad for your brain? Although it makes up less than 5% of total body fat, belly or visceral fat is nestled around the heart, pancreas, and other organs, according to Tongjian You, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of exercise and nutrition sciences at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York.

And it's different from other types of fat because it produces all kinds of inflammatory compounds that can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and now, potentially, dementia.

"Visceral fat releases higher amounts of those cytokines, especially interleukin 6, that cause cardiovascular disease and diabetes," says Dr. You, who was not involved in the dementia study. But what's the brain connection? "Inflammation is a contributing factor to dementia, so that's a reasonable link," he says.

• Ali Hale of Diet Blog has some tips to avoid eating out of boredom. Here are a few good ones:

• Cravings can be beaten, just by sitting them out. Force yourself to wait 20 minutes before getting that snack, and nine times out of ten, you'll no longer want it.
• Find something to do - ideally, an activity that makes it hard to eat at the same time.
• Find a hobby or interest to occupy you, if you've got too much time on your hands

• We can all sleep soundly now. Big pharma promises to show drugs still sell. Reuters reports:

Roche Holding AG <ROG.VX> will aim to reassure that big-selling drugs can keep driving profit when it kicks off the European earnings season, as big pharma's blockbusters face growing threats.

Weakness in sales of top products will be a theme for European drugmakers, reflecting ageing portfolios, safety issues with certain products and tough conditions for promoting new drugs.

Roche's local rival Novartis AG <NOVN.VX> -- digesting a $39-billion move for eye care company Alcon <ACL.N> to broaden its business as it faces loss of exclusivity on top-seller Diovan for blood pressure -- will likely highlight some of those problems when it reports next week.

• Here you go, another reporting claiming retired football players have serious heart troubles. Robert Preidt of HealthDay News reports:

The Mayo team examined the cardiovascular health of 233 retired NFL players, aged 35 to 65. They did this by measuring the internal diameter of the carotid (neck) artery and by assessing levels of plaque deposits that can block blood flow.

The researchers found that 82 percent of the retired players under age 50 had abnormal narrowing and blockages in their arteries greater than the 75th percentile of the general population. That means these retired players may be at increased risk for high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke.

• Jody P. Weis, Chicago’s police superintendent, wants to institute a mandatory fitness test. More from Susan Saulny of The New York Times:

The superintendent, Jody P. Weis, a former F.B.I. agent, came in last month as a reformer vowing to clean up the nation’s second-largest police force, and has already diversified the ranks and bolstered community relations. Now Mr. Weis, an exercise enthusiast, has shocked more than a few people with talk of mandatory fitness tests and maximum body-fat allowances (only after a year’s physical education and with exceptions, of course)…

“…I hope it’s not his opinion that this force is in bad shape as compared to others,” said Mark P. Donahue, president of the Chicago local of the Fraternal Order of Police. (Police departments across the country have long struggled with the problem of overweight officers; a chief in Florida lost his job in 2006 after sending a memo to his officers titled “Are You a Jelly Belly?”)

• NYC fast food restaurants can rejoice. The mandate to post calorie-content on menus has been postponed. The Associated Press reports:

The requirement was supposed to take effect Monday, but a restaurant trade group has challenged it in court. The city Health Department said Thursday it was postponing the regulation's start date until April 15 because the court ruling is expected soon.

Health officials say the measure will combat obesity by forcing diners to face the caloric consequences of their orders. But the New York State Restaurant Association says the rule violates the First Amendment by forcing businesses to put what amounts to a message on their menus.

• Sorry T.V. dinner lovers. Salmonella cases have been linked to frozen chicken entrees. EMaxHealth is on it:

State health and agriculture officials said today that two recent cases of salmonellosis in Minnesota have been linked to raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken entrees. The implicated product is Milford Valley Farms Chicken Cordon Bleu with a stamped code of C8021. This product is sold at many different grocery store chains.

This the fifth outbreak of salmonellosis in Minnesota linked to these types of products since 1998. The findings prompted the officials to urge consumers to make sure that all raw poultry products are handled carefully and cooked thoroughly, and to avoid cooking raw chicken products in the microwave because of the risk of undercooking.

• Don’t smoke. Because apparently smoking after you’ve had a heart attack increases your risk of having another. Reuters reports:

People who are 35 or younger who keep smoking are far more prone to die from a heart-related event, have a repeat heart attack or need future treatments to clear blocked arteries compared to those who stopped smoking.

The study makes clear that smoking not only promotes a first heart attack, but poses heart risks in younger patients who have survived one, researchers said. The report was presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Chicago.

• A new study claims flu shots leave heart failure patients at risk. Julie Steenhuysen of Reuters is on it:

Patients with heart failure are especially vulnerable to influenza and most doctors recommend they get flu shots, but a study suggests these annual jabs may not offer them full protection, U.S. researchers said on Saturday.

They found heart failure patients in a study had lower immune responses to the vaccine compared with healthy people of similar ages, leaving them more vulnerable to infection.

• China recalls a bunch of milk after kids get sick. Reuters reports:

Officials in southern China sealed more than 4,000 boxes of possibly contaminated milk and the manufacturer recalled another 2,700 boxes after children became sick on drinking the product, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

A total of 119 children, some in day care centers, fell ill on drinking the milk and 75 of them were hospitalized for two days, China's official news agency said.

• My Yoga Online offers up some green eating tips. Take a look:

Buy Local Groceries
It takes less fuel to transport locally grown or produced fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, and dairy products than it does to transport foods over long distances. As such, less pollution is produced and less fuel is used to transport local food products.

Make Smart Fish Choices
Fish populations and the health of aquatic ecosystems are at risk from overfishing, bycatch (organisms that are inadvertently killed as a result of fishing practices), and the wastes produced by fish farms. Programs such as Vancouver B.C.’s Ocean Wise Program helps locals choose sustainable fish options. This Program was launched in 2005 by the Vancouver Aquarium to work with restaurants and markets to help them buy ocean-friendly fish. The program is also intended to help consumers purchase sustainably-harvested fish and to avoid fish on the endangered list.

“Almost every year flu season seems to bring with it extraordinary anxiety and fear,” laments Dr. Fuhrman. And Allegheny County, Pennsylvania is REALLY freaking out. They’ve had “a record flu season.” David Templeton of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports:

"I think we've peaked, although we're still at a fairly significant level in the number of cases over the last two weeks," he said. "It's still hanging on."

In the past two weeks, Type B Yamagata has become the predominant strain of influenza. Like Type A Brisbane, which predominated for most of the season, Type B Yamagata is not included in this year's flu vaccine.

"It's different than what's in the vaccine, so we're still seeing a significant number of cases, and it opens up the possibility of people getting the flu twice," Mr. Cole said.

For that reason, he said, the flu's persistence could repeat what occurred in 2004-05, when the season continued into mid-May.

The number of confirmed cases in the past two weeks was 141, which is only a slight decline over the previous two-week total of 149 cases. That brings this season's total number of confirmed cases, as determined by positive laboratory cultures, to 478. That tops the 2004-05 record of 395 confirmed cases.

Not to sound all high and might, but, if residents of Allegheny ratcheted up their diets, maybe things wouldn’t have been so bad. Here are a couple flu-proofing tips from Dr. Fuhrman. Take a look:

Eat Nutritious Food: Unfortunately the majority of Americans eat a diet style that weakens their normal resistance to simple viral infections. In spite of advances in science that reveal the critical importance of thousands of protective micronutrients in the natural plant kingdom, much of the modern world consumes a diet rich in processed grains, oils, sweets and animal products. In the United States, for example, less than five percent of total calories consumed come from fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. These are the foods that are richest in micronutrients. A healthy diet should include:

• At least four fresh fruits a day.
• Four servings of vegetables a day, of which at least two are green vegetables.
• Some raw nuts and seeds.

Practice Good Hygiene: Viruses are primarily spread via hand-to-face contact. They can also be spread when a sick person coughs or sneezes, aerosolizing the viruses so others can inhale it. A person can be contagious the day before they develop symptoms and for seven to ten days after symptoms first develop. Here are some steps to take to minimize the likelihood of catching the flu:

• Wash your hands after you touch something that other people have touched like a doorknob or gas pump.
• Keep you hands away from your face, especially in public.
• When you get home after being in public, wash your hands.
• If you use a public bathroom, use a paper towel to turn off the water knobs and then to open the door to leave the bathroom, to keep your hands clean.
• Keep young children at home, away from child care settings with large numbers of other children with runny noses. The last place you want to be with a sick child is an emergency room or a doctor's office because if you don't have the flu already, these places will certainly increase your chances of getting it or some other infectious disease.

Yeah, as for the public bathroom stuff, I’m like a cat in water when using a restroom—EEK!

ParentDish is all over the news that miracle cold remedy “Airborne” doesn’t work. More from Angie Felton:

If you've ever purchased Airborne in hopes that the effervescent bubbles would knock out your cold as promised on the packaging, they owe you some money.

Good Morning America's investigation found that the "double-blind placebo-controlled clinical study" touted by the CEO of the company was actually a two-man operation started up just for the Airborne study. Company literature referred to Airborne as a "miracle cold buster," and a company press release boasted it would "get rid of most colds in 1 hour."

Well, if you got duped, check out www.AirborneHealthSettlement.com.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want all children to get a flu shot. Thomas H. Maugh II of The Los Angeles Times reports:

The recommendation, which is expected to be adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would call for an estimated 30 million more children to be vaccinated -- although current vaccination rates suggest that less than a quarter of them, about 7 million, would actually receive the shots.

The shots would not be mandatory, but the federal imprimatur would make physicians more likely to offer the vaccine to children.

"This new recommendation will help parents understand that all children can benefit from vaccination," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

In addition, CDC approval would make insurance coverage more likely and the flu vaccine would also be distributed through the government's Vaccines for Children program, which covers about 45% of the nation's youth.

Current recommendations call for vaccination of children between 6 months and 5 years old. The new recommendation raises the age range to 18.

Blah-blah-blah flu shot. I’m tired of hearing about this wonder drug, but in case you’re not, check out these recent flu-oriented posts:

• Got the Flu Shot, Still the Got Flu
• Our Outmatched Flu Shots
• Flu Shots: New Jersey Goes Un-American!
• Mandatory Flu Shots: NJ Goes Insane!

According to new research stroke risk in the United States is higher than that of Europe. Julie Steenhuysen of Reuters reports:

U.S. women are twice as likely to have a stroke as European women, and American men have a 61 percent higher chance compared with European men.

"What we find is, especially in the very poor, Americans have a much higher prevalence of stroke than Europeans," said Mauricio Avendano of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, who presented his findings at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.

He said Americans have more preventable risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

And, it seems Americans are having a really bad flu season this year. This time Maggie Fox of Reuters reports:

Influenza is widespread in 49 states, and this year's epidemic has killed at least 22 children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.

On Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed to completely change next year's flu vaccine mix because all three strains included in the flu shot cocktail have mutated. But companies have a head start on working with two of the three, the CDC's Dr. Nancy Cox said.

FDA advisers agreed with the World Health Organization recommendations made last week on changing the vaccine to match the drifting flu viruses.

These would probably be non-stories if we all ate and lived healthier—I know, I’m quite the daydreamer.

Wait! You mean the vaunted flu shot is not the miracle fix it’s marketed to be—nope. Apparently even people vaccinated with the flu-shot are getting the flu. William Wan and David Brown of The Washington Post report:

The stubborn virus has spread across the country, gripping several areas in the Washington region.

But the estimate doesn't mean people should not get inoculated this season, experts said. A flu shot provides some measure of protection, because even the strains not in the current vaccine are descended from ones that are.

"This season, we are seeing more disease out there, and probably higher rates of hospitalization and death than we have seen in the last couple of years," said Joseph S. Bresee, an epidemiologist in the CDC's influenza division. But compared with rates in the past two decades, he said, "it is not an atypical season."

Still, there are signs that the flu's reach may be extending.

Health officials in 44 states, including Maryland and Virginia, are reporting "widespread" flu activity, the CDC said, up from 31 states reported last week. Cases have also been reported in the District, but not at widespread levels.

Not all that surprising. Last week we learned that our flu-shots are pretty much outmatched. David Brown of The Washington Post was on that too. Here’s a bit:

"Most years, the prediction is very good," said Joseph S. Bresee, an influenza epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "In 16 of the last 19 years, we have had a well-matched vaccine."

But probably not this time…

…The viruses in the vaccine are either dead or, in the case of the nasal-spray flu vaccine developed four years ago, crippled so they cannot cause illness. What they can do is stimulate the body's immune system to mount a defense, sometimes a lifesaving one, should the virus be encountered.

We need to stop blindly beating the flu shot drum. Dr. Fuhrman will tell you. Eat healthfully. Bolster your body’s natural defenses. Besides the flu shot does not come without a price—mercury. More from Dr. Fuhrman:

Flu vaccines have benefits and risks too. If you read about the flu vaccine in the information supplied by the manufacturer you will learn it contains formaldehyde and 25 micrograms of thimersol (mercury) per dose, used as a preservative. The injection of even this small amount of mercury repeatedly year after year from multiple vaccines can cause neurotoxicity (brain damage). The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Public Health Service have issued a joint statement calling for the removal of mercury from vaccines. Chronic low dose mercury exposures may cause subtle neurological abnormalities that rear their head later in life.

Now, the “flu issue” is indeed a big one, and, I’m just a dingy blogger. So, if you want the lowdown on the flu and the flu shot, check out this post by Dr. Fuhrman: Flu and Nutrition. Actually the whole cold and flu category is worth a look.

The Washington Post reports that many flu strains are not covered by this year’s vaccine. More from David Brown:

This winter is likely to be one of the few times that public health experts lose the bet they make each year when they devise the formula for the flu vaccine -- eight months before the virus starts circulating in the fall. Experts must decide on the formulation then because of the time it takes to produce mass quantities of the vaccine.

"Most years, the prediction is very good," said Joseph S. Bresee, an influenza epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "In 16 of the last 19 years, we have had a well-matched vaccine."

But probably not this time…

…The viruses in the vaccine are either dead or, in the case of the nasal-spray flu vaccine developed four years ago, crippled so they cannot cause illness. What they can do is stimulate the body's immune system to mount a defense, sometimes a lifesaving one, should the virus be encountered.

The viruses in each of these lineages are constantly changing through mutation. Inevitably, one appears that is different enough from its ancestors that a person protected against them, through either previous infection or vaccination, is not protected against the new variant.

Well, if you ask me. All this frenzy over flu shots is overkill. Perhaps Colin Hay and the cast of Scrubs would agree. Enjoy:

Is cold medicine effective at treating children with coughs and colds? Yes. According to Dr. Fuhrman they’re just as effective as placebos. He explains:

A head-to-head comparison between placebo and cough remedies showed that the placebo worked just as well. All children improved significantly by day three, and there was no difference among the three treatment groups in any symptom parameter.1

Maybe this is why back in October the FDA wanted to ban over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for young kids. HealthDay News was on it:

Such a ban already has the support of safety experts at the FDA, who published a 365-page review last month that showed decongestants and antihistamines have been linked with 123 pediatric deaths since 1969.

And now the FDA has issued a public health advisory stating that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines shouldn’t be given to infants and small children. This time, Amanda Gardner of HealthDay News is on it:

Although concern about the safety of these medications when used in the very young has been widely aired in recent months, FDA officials said they were concerned the public wasn't getting the message.

"We strongly recommend that over-the-counter cough and cold products should not be used in young children under 2, because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur from use of these products," Dr. Charles Ganley, director of the FDA's Office of Nonprescription Products, said during a morning news conference. "We have not come to a final decision on the use of cough and cold products in children aged 2 to 11 and continue to work within [the] FDA to arrive at a decision."

"We were concerned that parents would continue to use these products in children under 2, even with all the publicity," Ganley added.

No doubt, this will certainly be the end of the world for some parents who simply can’t deal with a sniffling child because it interferes with their shopping at the mall

“Hey doc! I got an ear infection and my sinuses hurt. Give me some antibiotics,” said Joe public. Now, the sadly reality is that this isn’t too far from the truth. Dr. Fuhrman explains:

Many patients don't think a doctor is doing his job if he doesn't prescribe antibiotics or other medication. If he doesn't prescribe the medication they want, some patients actually will look for another doctor who will.

If I was a doctor, this little scenario would—quite frankly—piss me off, but, since big pharma has made most Americas pill-starved hypochondriacs, what can you except? More from Dr. Fuhrman:

Drug companies are a big part of this problem. They promote the use of their products through widespread advertising and the practice of giving free samples of the more potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics to doctors.

Most doctors perpetuate this problem because they give in to the pressure to prescribe antibiotics. They like to appear that they are offering an important and necessary service by writing prescriptions.

The scary part is, any self-respecting doctor will tell you antibiotics are useful, but, our overuse of antibiotics is making them less and less effective. Here Dr. Fuhrman talks about when antibiotics should be used:

Antibiotics are the appropriate treatment for severe bacterial infections. These infections include cellulitis, Lyme disease, pneumonia, joint infections, cat bites, meningitis, and bronchitis in a long-term smoker. Bronchitis in a non-smoker is just a bad cold. Almost every viral syndrome involves the bronchial tree and sinuses. The presence of yellow, brown, or green mucus does not indicate the need for an antibiotic.

So, with all this being said. What about sinus infections? Should physicians treat sinus infections with antibiotics? This blurb from Dr. Fuhrman will clear things up—no pun intended—take a look:

Sinusitis is not an appropriate diagnosis for the routine use of an antibiotic. Antibiotics should be reserved for the more serious sinus infections that show evidence of persistent symptoms lasting more than a week, such as continual fever and headache that accompanies facial pain and facial tenderness.

And let’s not forget, recent research already has determined that prescribing antibiotics is not always a good idea when treating sinus infections. The Associated Press reported:

The researchers say the findings are troubling because overuse of antibiotics is leading to more virulent and even drug-resistent bacteria. Their concerns echo those of doctors who've studied the effectiveness of antibiotics on ear infections.

"We don't want to be using up our antibiotics on these people," said Dr. Don Leopold, chair of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Department of Otolaryngology who worked on the sinus study.

The study, which appears in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology, looked at two national surveys of patient data from 1999 to 2002. They showed 14.28 million doctor visits were for diagnosed chronic rhinosinusitis and another 3.12 million for acute rhinosinusitis.

Let’s explore this more deeply. Remember this report from HealthDay News? Apparently many pneumonia patients receive antibiotics when they don’t really need them. Take a look:

The study, conducted in 2005, followed a group of 152 emergency room patients who met eligibility criteria for receiving antibiotics. Of this group, 65.1 percent received antibiotics within four hours of arriving at the hospital. The remaining 34.9 percent were identified as "outliers," and more than half (58.5 percent) of the outliers did not have a final diagnosis of pneumonia. And 43 percent of the outliers had an abnormal chest X-ray, compared with 95 percent of those who received antibiotics…

…"It was not possible in many of the cases to actually have given them antibiotics because a lot of them didn't actually have pneumonia or got a diagnosis later," said Dr. Jesse Pines, author of an accompany editorial in the journal, and an attending physician in the department of emergency medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He supports the study findings.

Okay, but back to sinus infections. Anahad O’Connor of The New York Times conducts a brief and blunt mini-investigation of the claim that antibiotics will beat a sinus infection. Here’s a bit:

For years, doctors have prescribed what seemed like simple cures: a prescription for an antibiotic like amoxicillin or a steroid nasal spray. They may be the standard medications, but perhaps they are not as effective as once thought. Several studies have examined their effects and found that they are no better at shortening a sinus infection than no medication at all.

The latest study, published in December in The Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at 240 cases. The subjects were assigned to four groups for different treatments: a full amoxicillin course for a week along with 400 units of steroid spray for 10 days, just the spray, just the amoxicillin or just a placebo. The treatments were no better than placebo, a finding shown in studies of children. The reason is not entirely clear, but researchers suspect that antibiotics may not be very good at reaching the sinuses. Experts recommend other approaches like taking ibuprofen, inhaling steam or using salt water to flush the nasal cavity.

Makes sense to me, but in our quick-fix culture, I doubt it’ll catch on. Maybe if people were more in tune with the consequences of taking unnecessary antibiotics, they’d be more cautious. Dr. Fuhrman talks about it in Disease-Proof Your Child:

In every single person who takes an antibiotic, the drug kills a broad assortment of helpful bacteria that live in the digestive tract and aid digestion. It kills the “bad” bacteria, such as those that can complicate and infection, but it also kills these helpful “good” bacteria lining your digestive tract that have properties that protect from future illness.

This topic comes up a lot and people always seem concerned, but, like anything else, we probably won’t do anything about it until pandemonium is at our doorstep.

Let’s see. We fought communism, we willingly help the world defeat dictatorships, and currently, we’re embroiled in a war against terrorism, but, who will save us from ourselves? Abraham Lincoln once said this about our fine nation:

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

And here is a profound example of America’s unexplainable desire to do away with our own civil liberties and freedoms. New Jersey has become the first state to require mandatory flu shots for all preschoolers. The Associated Press reports:

New Jersey on Friday became the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers, saying their developing immune systems and likelihood of spreading germs make them as vulnerable to complications as the elderly.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Fred M. Jacobs approved the requirement and three other vaccines over the objections of some parent groups.

Starting in September, all children attending preschool or licensed day care centers will have to get an annual flu shot, Jacobs said…

…Some parents support proposed legislation that would give families a right to skip required immunizations by lodging a "philosophical objection," as some other states allow. The bill has been sitting in a committee without action for several years.

New Jersey does grant an automatic exemption on religious grounds and allows exemptions for medical reasons.

Do not be mislead! This is not a victory for our children. It is solely a victory—another victory—for big pharma, and, a blow to freedom. When we allow legislation like this, how can we then differentiate ourselves from our enemies? Here again, is my favorite quote from Dr. Fuhrman:

This is not about arguing about the effectiveness or value of vaccines, just whether we should mandate medical care and take another freedom away from Americans. We no longer have the freedom to take or not take medications. Sounds like the Taliban to me.

Personally, I am tired of our country’s love affair with magic pills, and, I am doubly sickened by the twisting influence of pharmaceutical companies in politics, but, until voter turnout exceeds that of American Idol viewership, I doubt we’ll do anything about it. Another quote from Dr. Fuhrman:

The drug companies hold the politicians in their financial pockets. People are led to believe in drugs and the exaggerated benefits of medical care and they do; the new religion in America—In Drugs We Trust.

So, I guess pretty soon all us who DON’T want mandatory injections will have to wear armbands and congregate in secret.

I can’t say that I’m proud to be a Jersey guy right now. Evidently my home state has lost its freaking mind. The Public Health Council wants to make flu shots mandatory for all children attending preschool. Before your head explodes, Linda A. Johnson of the Associated Press reports:

Parents concerned about possible vaccine dangers and government intrusion are trying to block New Jersey from becoming the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers.

The Public Health Council on Monday is set to consider whether New Jersey should require flu shots as well as three additional vaccines. If approved, New Jersey would become the first state to require annual flu shots for children attending licensed preschool or day care centers.

State health department officials also want to require a pneumococcal vaccine for preschoolers, a booster shot to fight whooping cough for sixth-graders, and meningitis shots for school children as young as 11.

This is unreal in my opinion, un-American and outlandish. What right does the government have to intrude on this parental decision? The answer is, ZERO RIGHT! Dr. Fuhrman once said this about mandatory HPV vaccines and it certainly applies here, look:

This is not about arguing about the effectiveness or value of vaccines, just whether we should mandate medical care and take another freedom away from Americans. We no longer have the freedom to take or not take medications. Sounds like the Taliban to me.

I know, I use that quote a lot, but come on, Dr. Fuhrman’s on the money! This is essentially the opposite of freedom and it’s doubly stupid when you realize that flu shots aren’t the wonder drugs that pharmaceutical companies market them to be. More from Dr. Fuhrman:

Three antiviral drugs, amantadine (Symmetrel), rimantadine (Flumadine), and oseltamivir (Tamiflu) are available in the US for influenza. These medications are only partially effective and not effective at all unless they are started within the first two days of symptoms. All are prescription drugs and have serious potential risks. Besides the more common side effects of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and insomnia, rare but serious adverse reactions have been reported including depression, suicide, and a potentially fatal reaction called Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, which involves a high fever muscle rigidity and mental status changes. I cannot recommend the general use of these medications given their poor benefit-to-risk ratio. However these medications would be appropriate in the event of an outbreak in a nursing home or hospital where immunologically weakened, high risk people are in close contact with one another.

Another drawback to Tamiflu and the others is that it takes time to diagnose the flu and by the time one gets to a doctor for an accurate diagnosis, you have passed the window in which the medications are effective. Hundreds of thousands of doses of Tamiflu will be prescribed and in more than 90 percent of instances, it will be used after the period when it has any potential to help. People will be increasing their risk of medication-caused side effect, without any potential benefit.

All medical interventions have a benefit-to-risk ratio. One has to weigh the potential risks with the supposed benefits. Often the long-term risks of medications are not clearly delineated and the supposed benefits are exaggerated by doctors and pharmaceutical companies (because after all, medicine is still a business to make money).

Flu vaccines have benefits and risks too. If you read about the flu vaccine in the information supplied by the manufacturer you will learn it contains formaldehyde and 25 micrograms of thimersol (mercury) per dose, used as a preservative. The injection of even this small amount of mercury repeatedly year after year from multiple vaccines can cause neurotoxicity (brain damage). The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Public Health Service have issued a joint statement calling for the removal of mercury from vaccines. Chronic low dose mercury exposures may cause subtle neurological abnormalities that rear their head later in life.

Considering all the vaccines that children get already, adding the flu to the mix and giving it each year, is something I am not ready to recommend in healthy children, fed a nutritionally sound diet. That does not mean I would not recommend it to an elderly person or one with a reason for compromised immune function.

The flu vaccine itself has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential and animal reproductive studies have not been performed. Adverse reactions to the vaccine including arthralgias (muscle aches) lymphadenopathy (swelling of lymph nodes) itching, angiopathy, vasculitis, and other events reflective of toxicity. Allergic reaction, hives, anaphylaxis, neurological disorders such as neuritis, encephalitis, optic neuritis, and demylenating disorders (such as MS) have also been temporally associated with influenza vaccine.

These New Jersey officials should get a clue! Hopefully commonsense prevails, but I doubt it, after all, we are talking about government. Now, here’s a great NEW quote from Dr. Fuhrman on all this insanity. Enjoy:

It seems that lawmakers do not understand that freedom should include freedom from forced medications for ourselves and our children. The fact that we grant religions the right to do anything, but if not under a religious umbrella, those with strong science-based, philosophical-based or strong-personal belief get no such rights, I think this is unconscionable.

Especially when we are talking about vaccines with their known dangerous side-effects and potential unknown negative effects down the road. Here in New Jersey, home of the drug industry, we have no rights for personal medical savings accounts, no rights to purchase catastrophic health insurance, and no rights to refuse mandatory vaccinations. The drug companies hold the politicians in their financial pockets. People are led to believe in drugs and the exaggerated benefits of medical care and they do; the new religion in America—In Drugs We Trust.

Oh no he didn’t!

Do you wash your hands? Aside from after doing my business, I admit, I don’t wash my hands as often as I should—dumb! A couple years ago Laura Landro of The Wall Street Journal wrote that hand washing is an important part of disease-prevention. Have a look:

The most important way to prevent the spread of colds is frequent hand washing. But experts say that following the most basic tenets of good nutrition -- consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats, and eliminating highly processed and junk foods -- can actually help ward off illness.

Okay, a reporter is one thing. What are Dr. Fuhrman’s thoughts on hand washing? In short, he thinks it’s a good idea, especially when it comes to warding off colds and the flu. He talks about it in this post about Avian Flu. Here’re some relevant pieces:

If this virulent form of the flu does appear in our region we are not without protection. We have control over the size of the exposure, because we can avoid hand to mouth and hand to nasal contact and we can wash our hands after touching people and birds…

…Wash your hands after you touch something that other people have touched like a doorknob or gas pump…

…If you use a public bathroom, use a paper towel to turn off the water knobs and then to open the door to leave the bathroom, to keep your hands clean.

I agree. I don’t DARE grab anything in a public bathroom with my bare hands. In fact, there should be decontamination showers setup outside most of them—EEK! Now, new research contends hand washing is more useful than drugs for virus control. Reuters reports:

Physical barriers, such as regular handwashing and wearing masks, gloves and gowns, may be more effective than drugs to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza and SARS, a study has found.

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, came as Britain announced it was doubling its stockpile of antiviral medicines in preparation for any future flu pandemic.

Trawling through 51 studies, the researchers found that simple, low-cost physical measures should be given higher priority in national pandemic contingency plans.

"Mounting evidence suggests that the use of vaccines and antiviral drugs will be insufficient to interrupt the spread of influenza," they wrote in the report.

I don’t know how practical a mask and gown would be, but, if you’ve ever peed on a NJ Transit train, you’d think about it.

The flu freaks people out. I worked at a hospital for almost two years and every fall, flu pandemonium descended upon us; the young and old all desperately seeking inoculation. Something that comes with a price according to Dr. Fuhrman, here’s a quote:

Three antiviral drugs, amantadine (Symmetrel), rimantadine (Flumadine), and oseltamivir (Tamiflu) are available in the US for influenza. These medications are only partially effective and not effective at all unless they are started within the first two days of symptoms. All are prescription drugs and have serious potential risks. Besides the more common side effects of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and insomnia, rare but serious adverse reactions have been reported including depression, suicide, and a potentially fatal reaction called Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, which involves a high fever muscle rigidity and mental status changes. I cannot recommend the general use of these medications given their poor benefit-to-risk ratio.

At this point Tamiflu is a household name. Everyone knows someone who ran kicking and screaming to their doctor for a fix. Now, if you didn’t, be glad you didn’t. This CNN video report claims children who took Tamiflu are exhibiting abnormal behavior. Take a look:

Another drawback to Tamiflu and the others is that it takes time to diagnose the flu and by the time one gets to a doctor for an accurate diagnosis, you have passed the window in which the medications are effective. Hundreds of thousands of doses of Tamiflu will be prescribed and in more than 90 percent of instances, it will be used after the period when it has any potential to help. People will be increasing their risk of medication-caused side effect, without any potential benefit.

Even in my pre-Eat to Live days I never got flu shots. And now that I eat a disease-preventing high-nutrient diet, my body can kick the flu’s butt. Exhibit A: Flu, Shot!

Anahad O’Connor of The New York Times investigates the claim that taking zinc can help you beat the common cold. Have a look:

One of the most extensive studies appeared in the journal Clinical and Infectious Diseases in 2000. In it, scientists randomly assigned more than 500 people — about half with natural colds, and the other half deliberately infected — to receive placebo or zinc lozenges in various doses. After secluding the subjects in hotel rooms and examining them for five days, the researchers concluded that zinc gluconate lozenges produced “modest” benefit, while zinc acetate lozenges did nothing.

Another study, published this year by researchers at Stanford Medical School, collected and analyzed data from 14 previous placebo-controlled studies of zinc. Over all, the scientists determined, the effectiveness of zinc lozenges “has yet to be established,” while there was some slight evidence for zinc nasal gels.

For advice on how to prevent the sniffles, check out DiseaseProof’s Cold and Flu category.

We actually might be headed down that road. The FDA is considering banning the sale of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for young children. Steven Reinberg of HealthDay News explains why:

Such a ban already has the support of safety experts at the FDA, who published a 365-page review last month that showed decongestants and antihistamines have been linked with 123 pediatric deaths since 1969.

Many outside experts are also in favor of restricting children's access to cold remedies…

…"If these medicines are allegedly not effective or materially unsafe, how is the purchase of hundreds of millions of doses by parents to be explained?" asked Dr. George Goldstein, a pharmaceutical industry consultant who is a nonvoting member of the panel. "I don't believe the American caregiver or parent is, in a word, stupid."

Panel chairwoman Dr. Mary E. Tinetti, who is a professor at Yale University, said that many parents must think the drugs work and "are voting with their feet, so to speak."

She added that the number of children who are reported to have died after taking these medicines seemed relatively small compared to the millions given the drugs.

Yeah, why ban the sale of something dangerous when there is money to be made? Geez! Now, Dr. Fuhrman is no fan of these drugs, in fact, he contends they do more harm than good. Check this out from his book Disease-Proof Your Child:

Suppressing the fever and cough with medication can lead to a prolonged illness. In fact, cough suppressants and over-the-counter cold medicines expose children and adults to further side effects without significant effectiveness. We were taught in medical that cough suppressants do not work well, which is good, because if the cough was really suppressed, the mucous would settle deep into the lung and cause pneumonia. The most common cough suppressants contain dextromethorphan and codeine. A head-to-head comparison between placebo and these cough remedies showed that the placebo worked just as well. All children improved significantly by day three, and there was no difference among the three treatment groups in any symptom parameter.1

For more on this, check out these previous posts:

• Cold Medicine...Yanked!
• Report: Cold Medicine and Babies Don't Mix

The Associated Press passes on a list of children’s cold medicines recently taken off store shelves. Check it out:

Drug makers today voluntarily pulled kids' cold medicines off the market less than two weeks after the government warned of potential health risks to infants.

Products aimed at children under the age of two are being removed from store shelves due to "rare instantances of misuse" that could lead to accidental overdose, a trade group that represents over-the-counter drug makers said.

Cold medicines being withdrawn include: Johnson & Johnson Pediacare Infant Drops and Tylenol Concentrated Infants Drops, Wyeth's Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops, Novartis' Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips and Prestige Brands Holdings' Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough.

Maybe that title should read, A Profitable Flu Season. Because according to The Pittsburgh Post Gazette the flu vaccine is expected to be plentiful this season—oh joy! Joe Fahy reports:

A record amount of vaccine is expected this flu season, and local providers are hoping enough is distributed to meet demand early on, when people are most interested in shots.

Noting "alarmingly low" vaccination rates among adults and children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged yesterday that Americans get flu shots well into the flu season.

"We need to rethink the influenza immunization season and encourage vaccination throughout the fall and winter," Dr. Julie Gerberding, the CDC's director, said in a statement.

"Every year, we miss the opportunity to get more Americans vaccinated," said Dr. Ardis Hoven, an infectious disease specialist and board member for the American Medical Association, at a news conference with Dr. Gerberding and other health officials in Washington.

"After Thanksgiving, patient demand for vaccine dramatically decreases," often leaving many doses unused and people unprotected, Dr. Hoven said.

Before you line up for your dose of feel-good juice, check out Dr. Fuhrman’s thoughts on the flu shot. Here’s an excerpt from Six Steps to Protect Your Family from Avian Flu:

All medical interventions have a benefit-to-risk ratio. One has to weigh the potential risks with the supposed benefits. Often the long-term risks of medications are not clearly delineated and the supposed benefits are exaggerated by doctors and pharmaceutical companies (because after all, medicine is still a business to make money).

Flu vaccines have benefits and risks too. If you read about the flu vaccine in the information supplied by the manufacturer you will learn it contains formaldehyde and 25 micrograms of thimersol (mercury) per dose, used as a preservative. The injection of even this small amount of mercury repeatedly year after year from multiple vaccines can cause neurotoxicity (brain damage). The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Public Health Service have issued a joint statement calling for the removal of mercury from vaccines. Chronic low dose mercury exposures may cause subtle neurological abnormalities that rear their head later in life.

If you’re interested, check out my own run in with the flu: Flu, Shot!

Monday night I’m talking with a friend of mine and extolling all the virtues of Dr. Fuhrman’s approach to nutrition. To be honest, I was bragging about it. I told her how it helped me lose unwanted pounds, made my gastritis a none-factor, and, that I hadn’t even had the sniffles in well over a year. But irony is a funny thing. Remember, “It's a black fly in your Chardonnay.”

Tuesday morning I woke up with an unfamiliar groggy feeling, but being the ox-minded kind of guy that I am, I ignored it and headed off to the gym—yes, this was a very STUPID idea. Okay, I made it through my warm up with no problems, but when I hit the treadmill, that’s when everything went wrong. I couldn’t breathe deeply and it felt like I was dragging a rickshaw full of all my ex-girl friends behind me—so you can imagine how uncomfortable that must have been!

Depressed and defeated, I headed home. And a couple hours later it was pretty obvious, I had the flu. Sure, I was mad that I was sick, but I was more upset that my year-plus streak of not getting ill had come to an end. Nevertheless, I battened down the hatches and prepared to fight this virus head on. After all, I’m an Eat to Liver. My body is equipped and ready to smack the stuffing out of an intruder like the flu, right?

Absolutely! Tuesday and Wednesday I got the brunt of the virus; fever, chills, cough, the sweats, headache, and that horrible malaise. What did I do? Not much. I planted my well-bundled butt on the couch, turned on The Price is Right, drank lots of water, and ate bunch of water-rich fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple. In fact, at times my symptoms were so mild that I actually made a trip to the supermarket to buy more fruit. Not to mention, I didn’t miss a beat on DiseaseProof—thank you very much. So what happened next?

Thursday morning I woke up feeling a lot better! The only symptom still hanging around is a slight a cough and few sniffles, but nothing serious. Now, in our flu-phobic culture kicking the flu in two days is unheard off. For example, many online flu information sources say you expect to be out to commission for as long as a week. Here are a couple of the websites I stumbled upon:

PPSInc.org
HOW LONG DOES FLU LAST? You may feel ill and have a temperature for up to a week. You could feel weak and in low spirits for several weeks longer.

Solvay-Influenza.com
How long does a bout of Influenza last?
If you are healthy and suffer from an uncomplicated influenza attack, influenza illness starts to resolve after a limited number of days for the majority of persons, although cough and malaise can persist for more than 2 weeks.

What do I say to sites like these? “Ha-ha-ha, ha-ha, ha!” Prior to Tuesday, the last time I had the flu was back in high school—way before I started Eating to Live—and I remember it being a real nightmare. I was sick for a lot longer than two days and my symptoms were much-much worse. So what do you think was the difference-maker this time around? Maybe my diet had something to do with it? Dr. Fuhrman would think so. In fact, in a previous post about Bird Flu, Dr. Fuhrman insists diet is an important factor towards keeping the flu at bay. From Six Steps to Protect Your Family from Avian Flu:

Unfortunately the majority of Americans eat a diet style that weakens their normal resistance to simple viral infections. In spite of advances in science that reveal the critical importance of thousands of protective micronutrients in the natural plant kingdom, much of the modern world consumes a diet rich in processed grains, oils, sweets and animal products. In the United States, for example, less than five percent of total calories consumed come from fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. These are the foods that are richest in micronutrients.

As I have explained previously on DiseaseProof, the key to health is nutrition per calorie. Those of us who eat the Standard American Diet (SAD) have a very low nutrient (per calorie) intake. This chronic malnourished condition is the true life-threatening epidemic in the modern world, resulting in a medical care crisis and untold tragedies. And this ubiquitous malnourishment may also eventually enable the Avian influenza viruses to spread more easily and develop into virulent forms. With the ubiquitous consumption of fake foods such as white bread, pasta, oil and sugar, nutritional incompetence is the norm.

The flu is a simple viral illness which a healthy body has scores of adequate defenses against. No flu, including the bird flu, is any match for a well-nourished immune system.

They say the proof is in the pudding. Well, getting over the flu in two days is some pretty sweet—or should I say nutrient-rich—pudding if you ask me.

Oh no, those poor pharmaceutical companies. Since we had a “mild flu season” millions of expiring flu shots are set to be destroyed. The good news is they don’t expire until June 30th. That means there’s plenty of time for the media to over-hype a new Bird Flu scare. More from Marilynn Marchione and Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press:

Millions of doses of flu vaccine will expire at midnight June 30, unsold during this year's mild flu season and written off as trash. Still perfectly good, and possibly useful for a few more years, the vaccine will wind up being destroyed. This annual ritual is supposed to ensure that Americans get the most up-to-date vaccine, but the leftovers -- more than 10 million of a record 110 million doses produced -- will be destroyed before a new supply is guaranteed.

An Associated Press examination of this long-standing practice raises questions about its consequences. For years, policymakers have talked about letting doctors keep unused vaccine until new doses are in hand, donating leftover supplies to poor countries, or pushing back the expiration date. Wasted vaccine means lost money for drug companies and one stopped making flu shots because of it -- setting the stage for a flu shot shortage in 2004.

Recently The New York Times examined the old “starve a cold, feed a fever” claim, every heard of it? Personally my family didn’t have these little adages. My old man believed in, “You’re not sick. Now get up and get ready for school!” Anyhow, here’s what reporter Anahad O’Connor turned up:

The only study suggesting that either claim had any validity was published in the journal Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology in 2002 by a team of Dutch scientists. They found that eating a meal increases a type of immune response that fights off the viruses responsible for colds, while fasting seemed to stimulate an immune response that could help fight off the infections associated with most fevers.

But other scientists have said those findings have little merit because the study involved a small number of subjects and has not been replicated. Most doctors, and years of research on cold and flu sufferers, say there is only one tried-and-true treatment: plenty of rest and fluids. It helps to know that once a person has contracted a cold or the flu, it will run its course in 5 to 10 days.

I don’t worry about memorizing little slogans like that. Why? Well, not to brag, but I never get sick. That’s right, no colds, no fevers, no sore-throats, no nothing. How come? Maybe it has something to do with all the fruits and veggies I devour each day. What do you think?

Here’s a question for you, how many times in your life have you been prescribed antibiotics? Now, I’m not a betting man, but I’d put the farm on “a lot.” Personally, when I was a kid I remember getting antibiotics for everything, especially recurrent ear infections, which according to Dr. Fuhrman isn’t exactly the wisest course of action. From Disease-Proof Your Child:

Studies also point to the fact that most ear infections early in life are viral, not bacterial.1 The vast majority of ear infections resolve nicely on their own, whether bacterial or viral, without an antibiotic. It is a common practice in this country to treat all ear infections with an antibiotic. Whether bacterial or not, our children get a routine prescription for an antibiotic at every minor illness. This cycle often is repeated many times, which may beget other medical problems in adulthood.

“The vast majority of ear infections resolve nicely on their own.” Sounds a little weird, right? I mean, try telling a member of our heavily medicated society that an EAR INFECTION can go away by itself—they’d probably have to pop a Prozac before they could even consider it! But hold on a minute, there’s proof in the pudding. Check out this study in The Journal of the American Medical Association, it seems something know as the "wait-and-see prescription" does a good job treating Acute Otitis Media, otherwise known as middle ear infections:

Results: Overall, 283 patients were randomized either to the WASP [wait-and-see prescription] group (n = 138) or the SP group (n = 145). Substantially more parents in the WASP group did not fill the antibiotic prescription (62% vs 13%; P<.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the frequency of subsequent fever, otalgia, or unscheduled visits for medical care. Within the WASP group, both fever (relative risk [RR], 2.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75 - 4.99; P<.001) and otalgia (RR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.26 - 2.03; P<.001) were associated with filling the prescription.

Conclusion: The WASP approach substantially reduced unnecessary use of antibiotics in children with AOM [Acute Otitis Media] seen in an emergency department and may be an alternative to routine use of antimicrobials for treatment of such children.

So then, if we don’t need antibiotics for every ailment that ails us, why are we getting them? Well that’s a tough one to answer. I know I can’t, but if I had to guess, I’m sure there’s a whole stewpot full of reasons why. Dr. Fuhrman talks about this in January 2004 edition of Healthy Times:

Drug companies are a big part of this problem. They promote the use of their products through widespread advertising and the practice of giving free samples of the more potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics to doctors. The more widely these newer (and often ten times more expensive) antibiotics are used, the greater the chances that the bacteria will develop resistance…

…Many patients don't think a doctor is doing his job if he doesn't prescribe antibiotics or other medication. If he doesn't prescribe the medication they want, some patients actually will look for another doctor who will…

…Most doctors perpetuate this problem because they give in to the pressure to prescribe antibiotics. They like to appear that they are offering an important and necessary service by writing prescriptions.

Okay, so it’s very clear that our love affair with antibiotics is far and wide, but how dangerous is it? What are the repercussions of having a society so saturated in antibiotics? For starters, according to Dr. Fuhrman our “good bacteria” is at stake. More from Disease-Proof Your Child:

Antibiotics can cause diarrhea, digestive disturbances, yeast overgrowth, bone marrow suppression, seizures, kidney damage, colitis, and life-threatening allergic reactions. The unnecessary over prescription of antibiotics during past decades has been blamed for the recent emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of deadly bacteria. Besides these potential risks, in every single person who takes an antibiotic, the drug kills a broad assortment of helpful bacteria that live in the digestive tract and aid digestion. It kills the “bad” bacteria, such as those that can complicate and infection, but it also kills these helpful “good” bacteria lining your digestive tract that have properties that protect from future illness.

And in Antibiotics for Colds, Bronchitis, and Sinusitis Dr. Fuhrman explains excessive antibiotics also put us at risk for certain health problems later in life:

Whether bacterial or not, our children get a routine prescription for an antibiotic at every minor illness. This cycle often is repeated many times, which may beget other medical problems in adulthood. This use of antibiotics early in life is likely a contributor to the increasing incidence of allergies and asthma and other problems later in life. Medical studies have linked a significant increased incidence of asthma, hay fever, and eczema to those who received multiple antibiotic prescriptions early in childhood, especially in the first year of life.2

Is that it? I’m afraid not. Take a look at this video report from ABC News. It seems that the habit of prescribing all these antibiotics is leading to more and more antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Here's a quote from the report:

A new study offers the most conclusive proof yet that overuse of antibiotics is contributing to the resistance problem. Researchers took healthy volunteers and gave them one of two different kinds of antibiotics. After just one course of treatment, the volunteers showed increase in bacteria in their mouth that were resistant to the specific drugs they’d been treated with. In some cases drug resistant bacteria stayed in the mouth for more than half a year. This means that every time we take antibiotics we are potentially adding to the resistance problem and weakening the drug’s overall effectiveness.

Now, all this brings up a very good question, when is it okay to use antibiotics? Okay, back to Antibiotics for Colds, Bronchitis, and Sinusitis:

Antibiotics are the appropriate treatment for severe bacterial infections. These infections include cellulitis, Lyme disease, pneumonia, joint infections, cat bites, meningitis, and bronchitis in a long-term smoker. Bronchitis in a non-smoker is just a bad cold. Almost every viral syndrome involves the bronchial tree and sinuses. The presence of yellow, brown, or green mucus does not indicate the need for an antibiotic. Likewise, sinusitis is not an appropriate diagnosis for the routine use of an antibiotic. Antibiotics should be reserved for the more serious sinus infections that show evidence of persistent symptoms lasting more than a week, such as continual fever and headache that accompanies facial pain and facial tenderness.

The important thing to remember is if you’re following Dr. Fuhrman’s recommendation of a nutrient-dense biologically-diverse vegetable-based diet, you’re already doing an exceptional job of helping your body ward off many of the common maladies that pack doctor’s offices every day, and apparently, help fuel our antibiotic addiction. For more on this, check out Six Steps to Protect Your Family from Avian Flu:

If you are deficient in virtually any known vitamin and mineral, research has shown these host defense functions can be negatively affected.

It has also been demonstrated that when diets are low in consumption of green and yellow vegetables, (rich in carotenoids) viral illnesses take a more serious form.

Multiple micronutrients including lutein, lycopene, folic acid, bioflavoinoids, riboflavin, zinc, selenium, and many others have immunomodulating functions. That means they influence the susceptibility of a host to infectious diseases and the course and outcome of such diseases. These micronutrients also possess antioxidant functions that not only up-regulate immune function of the host, but also alter the genome of the microbes that can result in more prolonged and serious infection, particularly in viruses. Viruses are able to assume a more virulent form and new more severe infections are more likely to emerge when nutritional deficiencies are present in the host. A healthy immune system adequately armed with a symphonic assortment of plant-derived phytochemicals inhibits DNA variation in the virus that could allow it to better evade host defenses.

Works for me, I haven't had a cold in well over a year, and I used to get them all the time. How's it working for you?

From the January 2004 edition of Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times:

Antibiotic use has skyrocketed in recent years, but the misuse of antibiotics isn't a new problem. Since the 1970s, medical studies have concluded that as much as 80 percent of all outpatient prescriptions are prescribed inappropriately.

Antibiotic sales are soaring, but—in direct response—so are drug-resistant infections. As more and more antibiotics are used inappropriately, more and more strains of bacteria are mutating and becoming resistant to antibiotics. As a result, many patients who have infections that in the past could have been appropriately and effectively treated with antibiotics will die because the antibiotics will no longer work.

Drug companies are a big part of this problem. They promote the use of their products through widespread advertising and the practice of giving free samples of the more potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics to doctors. The more widely these newer (and often ten times more expensive) antibiotics are used, the greater the chances that the bacteria will develop resistance.

Demanding patients
Many patients don't think a doctor is doing his job if he doesn't prescribe antibiotics or other medication. If he doesn't prescribe the medication they want, some patients actually will look for another doctor who will. For example, Robert Dristan is an emergency room physician well aware of the dangerous and inappropriate overuse of antibiotics. He told me that he sees a steady stream of patients with colds, bronchitis, or the flu. He always patiently describes the viral nature of these ailments, explains that no antibiotic can kill a virus, and informs patients that inappropriate use of antibiotics for these conditions could only harm them. He said that on more than one occasion, patients for whom he did not prescribe antibiotics returned, waving bottles of pills in his face, triumphantly stating, "My doctor said I almost had pneumonia." Patients can easily find a doctor willing to fabricate a diagnosis to justify coming to the rescue with a treatment.

Once a patient called me screaming on the telephone that her husband came to me for an antibiotic for his terrible cold, and all he got was a lecture. She wanted her money back and said she and her husband would never be coming again. Numerous patients have made similar demands. Most doctors perpetuate this problem because they give in to the pressure to prescribe antibiotics. They like to appear that they are offering an important and necessary service by writing prescriptions.

Powerful medicine
Antibiotics are not harmless. Their use should not be undertaken without a convincing prognosis that serious harm will result if the antibiotic is not used. Antibiotics kill the normal bacteria that inhabit the intestines. These healthy bacteria serve an important function in digestion and production of fatty acids and nutrients. The use of antibiotics, and the change in flora that results, reduces vitamin absorption (for example, of vitamin K) and can lead to nutritional deficiency.

Furthermore, the use of antibiotics results in yeast overgrowth. It can cause severe allergic reaction, as well as food and environmental allergies to develop more readily.
Overuse of antibiotics also can result in future infections with more serious (and resistant) bacterial organisms. Side effects can range from mild diarrhea and stomach upset to severe bone marrow suppression and serum sickness.

When to use antibiotics
Antibiotics are the appropriate treatment for severe bacterial infections. These infections include cellulitis, Lyme disease, pneumonia, joint infections, cat bites, meningitis, and bronchitis in a long-term smoker. Bronchitis in a non-smoker is just a bad cold. Almost every viral syndrome involves the bronchial tree and sinuses. The presence of yellow, brown, or green mucus does not indicate the need for an antibiotic. Likewise, sinusitis is not an appropriate diagnosis for the routine use of an antibiotic. Antibiotics should be reserved for the more serious sinus infections that show evidence of persistent symptoms lasting more than a week, such as continual fever and headache that accompanies facial pain and facial tenderness.

Childhood ear infections, a multi-billion dollar industry
Ear infections (otitis media) are the most common medical problem in children under seven years of age in the United States. Not only do nine out of ten children develop at least one ear infection each year, almost one-third of them develop chronic congestion with fluid in the middle ear that can lead to hearing loss and make the child a candidate for myringotomy or tube placement. Children who are breast fed for over a year have been shown to have many fewer infections than those weaned earlier.1 Studies also point to the fact that most ear infections early in life are viral, not bacterial.2 The vast majority of ear infections resolve nicely on their own, whether bacterial or viral, without an antibiotic. An international study following 3,660 children treated by general practitioners in nine countries showed that antibiotics did not improve the rate of recovery from ear infections.

It is common practice in this country to treat all ear infections with an antibiotic. Whether bacterial or not, our children get a routine prescription for an antibiotic at every minor illness. This cycle often is repeated many times, which may beget other medical problems in adulthood. This use of antibiotics early in life is likely a contributor to the increasing incidence of allergies and asthma and other problems later in life. Medical studies have linked a significant increased incidence of asthma, hay fever, and eczema to those who received multiple antibiotic prescriptions early in childhood, especially in the first year of life.3

Conservative treatment
In Europe, antibiotics are used for ear infections only when there is persistent drainage or persistent pain because these infections resolve on their own, without treatment, over 85 percent of the time.4 Studies show that the majority of ear infections are of viral etiology. For example, a microbiologic survey found that 75 percent of pediatric ear infections were caused by common respiratory viruses.5 Generally speaking, the use of antibiotics should be reserved for serious infections, not conditions the body is well equipped to resolve on its own. More and more physicians and authorities are recommending only treating ear infections with antibiotics when symptoms are not improving after three days and they are accompanied by drainage, fever, or persistent pain. Instead, ear drops for pain relief and other pain relievers can be used if the child is too uncomfortable to sleep.