Resistant Bacteria Foul Farmers’ Plans
Farm animals, like humans, need antibiotics to fight off bacterial infections. Many farmers, however, attempt to prevent bacterial infection by administering routine antibiotics to all animals, and this practice contributes to the increase in antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.
Poultry farmers, for instance, use fluoroquinolone to stave off E coli in turkeys and chickens. But Campylobacter (which makes humans, not chickens, ill), easily develops resistance to fluoroquinolone and other antibiotics. Campylobacter is the leading cause of diarrhea in the United States and is often difficult to get rid of because of antibiotic resistance.
[SOURCE: Linda Bren, "Antibiotic Resistance from Down on the Chicken Farm," FDA Consumer, January, 2001]

Flu Vaccine Still Requires a Jab
The Food and Drug Administration in late July, 2001 rejected a new nasal spray that would have made preventing the flu as easy as taking a deep breath. The new vaccine, FluMist, disperses a weakened live virus through a nasal spray, with the goal of increasing vaccination levels among children.
The FDA Advisory Committee rejected the spray because they feared the live virus used in the vaccine might spread, mutate or cause other harm to those taking it. The flu shot is a vaccine made from killed viruses.
Aviron, Inc., the pharmaceutical company that developed the drug, plans to continue research to address FDA concerns and hopes it may be able to gain approval in the near future.
[SOURCE: Mike Magner, “Panel Rejects Nasal Spray Aimed at Preventing Flu,” Kalamazoo Gazette, July 28, 2001]

Flu Facts
Vaccination should start around mid-October.

• Incubation period for the flu is one to four days.
• You can pass on the flu from the day before to about five days after symptoms appear.
• The shots can’t cause the flu. They are made from inactivated virus.
• The vaccine protects against the three strains experts predict will circulate most widely that year. But other strains may also circulate.
• It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to mount an effective immune response.
  [SOURCE: Dorothy Borton, “Fighting the Flu,” Nursing, October, 2000]

Immunizing the World’s Children
Almost three million children worldwide die each year as a result of illness that could have been prevented by vaccination. In an effort to make vaccination available to children in poor countries, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) issued a “Children’s Challenge” in February, 2000.
GAVI’s goal of universal immunization seeks to reach the 30 million children born each year who are still not receiving the “basic 5" immunizations–polio, diphtheria, pertussis, measles and mumps. For $17, a child can be protected from these major killers.
[SOURCE: ‘Children’s Immunization Campaign Launched at World Economic Forum,” Hepatitis Weekly, February 14, 2000]

New Vaccines Urgently Needed
Immunization is a powerful weapon for public health. It is estimated that five million lives are saved each year by immunization programs.
Diseases for which no suitable vaccine is available continue to kill millions of children and adults each year. The three biggest killers worldwide among children under age 14 are diarrhea, acute respiratory disease and malaria. Among older children and adults, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS kill millions each year, with little hope in sight.
[SOURCE: Gustav Nossal, “The Biotechnology Revolution and World Health: A Five-Point Plan,” Public Health Reports, March-April, 1998]

Cryptosporidium Invading Our Water
Cryptosporidium, a one-celled microorganism so tiny that it slips through most water purification filters and so strong it can’t be killed readily with chlorine, has become a major threat to drinking water in the United States. Cryptosporidium causes diarrhea that is difficult to get rid of in both humans and animals, who in turn may spread the infection through lakes, rivers and streams. More than 65 percent of the country’s surface water is contaminated to some extent with cryptosporidium, according to the National Center for Infectious Diseases.
[SOURCE: Carol Keough, “Is Your Water Safe To Drink,” Prevention, February, 1999]

Drink Water To Prevent Kidney Stones
Data from women aged 40 to 65 participating in the Nurses’ Health Study found that those who drank at least 11 eight-ounce glasses of water or other fluids daily were less likely to develop kidney stones than those who consumed six glasses or less. Aside from water, wine seemed to be the most protective beverage. Grapefruit juice, on the other hand, increased the risk.
[SOURCE: E.B., “Water, Water Everywhere,” Medical Update, November, 1998 from Annals of Internal Medicine, April 1, 1998]

Navajo Get Their Calcium from Water
Navajo Indians consume very few dairy products; yet they have denser bones than most non-Indians and have a low rate of osteoporosis. A recent study by nutritionist Judith G. Hallfrisch found that the average Navajo gets more than 200 milligrams of calcium daily from drinking water that comes from wells and springs on the reservation. The water also contains significant levels of magnesium and zinc.
The Navajo frequently add juniper ash, also rich in minerals, to breads, corn and other traditional dishes.
[SOURCE: Tara Weaver-Missick, “Boning Up on Navajo Food Habits,” Agricultural Research, June, 2001]

Less Fluoride in Bottled Water?
A study comparing tap water to samples of bottled water purchased in Cleveland found that the tap water generally had more desirable levels of fluoride and less bacteria than the bottled water. Only five percent of the bottled water had the optimal level of fluoride recommended by the state–1.00 mg/L.
[SOURCE: James A. Lalumandier, “ Fluoride and Bacterial Content of Bottle Water vs Tap Water,” JAMA, June 28, 2000; Louis Kuritzky, “Fluoride and Bacterial Content of Bottled Water vs. Tap Water,” Neurology Alert, July, 2000]

Hard Water May Prevent Hypertension
Hard water may cause mineral buildup in your dishwasher, but it has advantages for your health. Several studies have found that persons drinking water with high calcium and magnesium levels have a lower rate of high blood pressure and death from hypertension than persons drinking soft water.
[SOURCE: Louis Kuritzky, “Calcium and Magnesium in Drinking Water and the Risk of Death from Hypertension,” Clinical Cardiology Alert, January, 2000]

Herbals During Pregnancy–Be Cautious
About 10 percent of pregnant women use herbal supplements or other alternative therapies, unaware of the potential dangers to themselves and their babies. The most commonly used supplements are echinacea, ginseng and valerian–all of which carry possible risks and side effects. Ephedra and goldenseal are associated with even more significant risks.
It’s important for pregnant women to let their doctors know all the herbs and alternative therapies they are taking.
[SOURCE: Kate Johnson, “Ask Pregnant Patients about Any Use of Herbals,” Family Practice News, October 15, 2000]

Too Many Good Things Can Be Bad
Many older Americans take the herbal supplement ginkgo biloba because of claims that it will improve memory. They may also take vitamin E because some studies have suggested that the antioxidant may help protect against Alzheimer’s. And they take aspirin daily because their doctor has recommended it to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. While any of these substances on its own may be beneficial, the additive effect of taking all three could be dangerous.
All three of the above–and many other popular herbal supplements and vitamins–are anticoagulants and, when combined without medical supervision, could cause spontaneous and unwanted bleeding.
[SOURCE: “Drug-Herb Interactions: How Vigilant Should You Be?” Patient Care, October 15, 2000]

Exercise Won’t Wear Out Your Joints
Using your joints regularly through exercise and other physical activity will not necessarily increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee, according to a study published in the August, 2001 issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The British researchers cautioned, however, that any injury to the knee increased sixfold the risk of osteoarthritis.
“The results support the hypothesis that exercise, at the levels undertaken in the general population, does not markedly increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis later in life,” the authors wrote. Activities which put high impact or stress on the knee, however, increase the risk of injury and later joint problems.
[SOURCE: A.J. Sutton, M.D., et al, “Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases,” August, 2001]