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H1N1 Influenza Update
Now that the global south has experienced the flu season, there is more to report about what might happen here in the
Bay Area. Countries with excellent public health reporting systems have documented
that their influenza outbreaks reached near epidemic levels. It is also quite
clear that although widespread the violence of the flu illness has not been severe.
As the summer ends in the northern hemisphere there have already been H1N1 influenza outbreaks at schools, particularly
colleges as students return to campus. I think we can expect a robust flu season,
but not one that is especially lethal. Studies of deaths of children from H1N1
illness that occurred in the US last spring showed
that those who died most commonly had preexisting conditions that made them susceptible to the dire consequences of influenza.
It is very important
to get early treatment for any illness that has fever above 101 particularly for youth and those with chronic illness, emphysema
or immune dysfunction. Of course homeopathic treatment is the preferred medicinal
approach.
Flu prevention can never be perfect as it is passed by droplet from coughing and sneezing as well as close contact
like hand shakes and hugs/kisses. The usual measures should be followed:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough
or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap
and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread
this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends
that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your
fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
- While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible
to keep from infecting them.
- Follow public health advice regarding school closures,
avoiding crowds and other measures to keep our distance from each other to lessen the spread of flu.
DHEA
Not the Fountain of Youth
The hormone DHEA is produced
in generous amounts in women and men until the third decade of life, when production begins to markedly and progressively
decline with age. The decrease of DHEA production as we age has led to the marketing
of various supplements that claim to do everything from increasing the ability to exercise and express sexual power to reversing
the aging process itself. To test these claims studies were done in 2006 and
2008. Postmenopausal women were prescribed exercise with and without DHEA. Both studies revealed that the administration of DHEA to postmenopausal women did
indeed increase blood levels of DHEA and also total testosterone, estradiol, estrone and insulin-like growth factor-1. But exercise alone resulted in similar changes both with and without DHEA. It was clear from these studies that exercise improves physical performance and hormone function in women,
and that DHEA does not result in further improvement. The bottom line is clear:
EXERCISE, not drugs is the way to go. Other research suggests that the decline
of hormones as we age actually has an anti-cancer effect. So adding hormones
artificially might cause cancer.
Cell
Phones and Male Fertility
There is great
controversy over whether the use of mobile phones is harmful to humans. The subject
is muddled by the incredible amount of money made through sales of phones and products related to them. Also confusing the issue is the popularity of these phones in our daily lives. I have been very concerned over potential health effects because of how close to the head the phone’s
small but powerful transmitter is held. For safety I advise my patients
who use these devices routinely to ONLY use them with an ear piece, and never hold the phone up to the head. Some studies have shown that the phones increase users’ blood pressure because
the transmitter causes the arteries in the brain to contract. A study reported
in 2008 was conducted at a fertility clinic. They looked at mobile phone use
by men undergoing infertility evaluations. It was found that sperm quality decreased
as the usage of the phones increased in the men studied. Another reason to be
wary of the safety claims of the telephone industry.
Antibiotics
Don’t Work for Sinusitis
A
recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (12/5/2007, p298) showed that neither antibiotics
nor nasal steroid sprays were any better than placebo in treating Acute Bacterial Sinusitis that was diagnosed clinically
in a primary care setting. Clear evidence of infection was required to be included
in the study. This study adds to a growing body of clinical data that proves
that in isolated acute sinus infection the usual treatment given is useless. The
same is shown by studies of acute ear infections in children. Homeopathy is an
excellent first line treatment for these conditions as it encourages a natural healing effort without toxicity.
Hard Plastic Causes Disease
Studies done by everyone except the
plastics industry show hard plastics that contain a chemical called BPA cause a variety of illnesses. These polycarbonates are tough and lightweight and used for baby bottles, sippy cups, water bottles, food
storage containers, plastic eating utensils and liners for food and soda cans. Polycarbonates
are one of the plastics that have the number 7 symbol on them. BPA mimics estrogen
so disrupts our hormone balance. It is linked increased rates of breast and prostate
cancer, early puberty in girls, diabetes, ADHD and urogenital problems in male babies.
AVOID BPA by using baby bottles of glass or BPA free plastic; storing food in glass, porcelain or stainless steel;
never microwaving food in plastic containers and replacing canned foods with fresh, frozen or new boxed or non-BPA lined canned
foods.
Selective
Publication of Positive Drug Trials
Researchers looked at 12 anti-depressants approved
by the FDA in the last 20 years. Of 38 clinical trials with positive results
37 were published. But of 36 with negative results only 14 were published and
in 11 of those the authors drew positive conclusions that conflicted with the FDA’s analysis. As a result doctors can overestimate the benefit of the drugs studied.
DO ANTIDEPRESSANTS WORK?
When
researchers looked at many studies on anti-depressants they concluded that the medications showed only modest benefit over
placebo. If unpublished but well done studies were included in the analysis the
benefit fell below criteria for clinical significance. It had been thought that
while not useful for mild or moderate depression that these drugs still helped those with severe depression. But this analysis showed that it was not that the severely depressed were helped more, but that the severely
depressed were less responsive to placebo, so falsely appeared to be helped more.
FOOD
ADDITIVES AND HYPERACTIVITY
A recent study in the
United Kingdom exposed 153 children to placebo and to two
mixtures of fruit drinks with different amounts of various common food colorings and additives. Parents and teachers were asked to rate the behavior of each child while on each of the three drinks. One drink had additives equivalent to that from about 4 ounces of candy and the other
from 8 ounces. The smaller amount was given to younger children and had significant
negative effect on their behavior and the larger amount given to older kids had a significant negative effect on them.
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
AND H. PYLORI
H. pylori is a bacteria that lives in our stomachs. It is present in more
that 50% of the people over the age of 60. Most have no symptoms, but just carry
the bacteria as a normal part of their digestive tract. About 15% of the people
who carry H. pylori develop ulcers. In standard medicine the treatment for ulcers
and even for the carrier state once discovered is antibiotics, believing that H. pylori is the cause of the ulcer. Of course, homeopathy can be used as an alternative. And natural
medical theory says that the bacteria is not the cause but once an ulcer develops enjoys living in the diseased area more
easily than its usual niche.
In 2007 a large study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (167:821-827) which uncovered that this common
bacteria has important influences on human health in a positive way. It clearly
showed that those who harbor H. pylori (especially cagA+ strains) were significantly less likely to have asthma and allergic
rhinitis (hay fever). This was most true for children.
It is quite possible that the rise in asthma rates have to do with the wholesale antibiotic eradication of H. pylori
as well as the rise in air pollution.
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