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6335. thoughtful - 9/23/2004 3:38:08 PM I'm sure you know that to have a strong back, you need strong abs too. It's the abs that support the back. As with any muscle group, they need to be worked in pairs. Also, if you are trying to build muscle, be sure to get enough protein in your diet. Can't build muscle without it.
This latter is a challenge for hubby as his kidney stats aren't wonderful so they recommend low protein for anyone with kidney issues, yet I want to be sure he's getting enough to build muscle.
As with anything in life, it's all about balance. 6336. RickNelson - 9/23/2004 3:41:27 PM Judith, regarding 6217, You have my sympathy. I am very sorry for your loss. One of my favorite aunts has been a lung cancer sufferer for a few years. 6337. RickNelson - 9/23/2004 3:43:51 PM Thank you thoughtful I always find something good to read. 6338. thoughtful - 9/29/2004 5:27:42 PM Try as you might to do the right thing for your health, it seems controversy around what the 'right thing' is keeps getting in the way.
Latest, due to my graves' disease, I have early osteopenia. Just found out that the phosphorous in seltzer or any bubbly soda can replace calcium in your bones leading to weaker bones. And here I thought I was doing good by switching off artifically sweetened diet soda to flavored seltzers. Dang!
But then Dr. Weil says not to worry. Go figure. 6339. Bill Russell - 9/30/2004 9:29:39 AM Staph Strain Infects More Healthy People
Flesh-eating bacteria cases, fatal pneumonia and life-threatening heart infections suddenly are popping up around the country, striking healthy people and stunning their doctors.
The cause? Staph, a bacteria better known for causing skin boils easily treated with standard antibiotic pills.
No more, say infectious disease experts, who increasingly are seeing these "super bugs" - strains of Staphylococcus aureus unfazed by the entire penicillin family and other first-line drugs.
Until a few years ago, these drug-resistant infections were unheard of except in hospital patients, prison inmates and the chronically ill. Now, resistant strains are infecting healthy children, athletes and others with no connection to a hospital.
"This is a new bug," said Dr. John Bartlett, who chairs the committee on antibiotic resistance at the Infectious Diseases Society of America. "It's a different strain than in the hospital ... more dangerous than other staph.
6340. Magoseph - 9/30/2004 10:21:52 AM Doctors worry as drug-resistant staph infects more healthy people 6341. Bill Russell - 9/30/2004 11:51:31 AM A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study shows another new twist: The resistant staph strain caused pneumonia in 17 people, killing five, during last year's flu season. Only one had any risk factors for the infection.
"Nobody dreamt when we were in medical school that this would ever enter the community," said Dr. Rajendra Kapila of University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.
He has treated several patients with the infections at University Hospital there, including an itinerant golf caddie who kept getting abscesses on his neck until he landed in the hospital two years ago. Kapila linked the infections to abrasions from the man's golf bag strap.
In August, a man in his 40s with severe back pain turned out to have such a severe staph infection in his spinal cord he was paralyzed permanently, Kapila said.
Dr. John Segreti, an infectious disease specialist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, estimates about 1 in 10 patients, some with prior health problems, die from the infections.
Dr. Dan Jernigan, a CDC epidemiologist, said athletes, children and military recruits are at higher risk. They're more likely to have cuts and scrapes, and share close quarters, as well as towels and soap. Another factor is overuse of antibiotics, which tends to kill weak bacteria and help hardier ones develop resistance.
"Clinicians will have to think differently about skin infections," Jernigan said. "We treat most skin infections without ever testing them."
Testing will tell whether a strain is antibiotic-resistant, but the tests are expensive.
There are no national statistics on these infections, but health authorities are debating requiring doctors to report them.
6342. Bill Russell - 10/24/2004 10:30:04 AM
Pain Patient's Bill of Rights
You have a right to:
-Have your pain prevented or controlled adequately
-Have your pain and pain medication history taken
-Ask how much pain to expect and how long it might last
-Have your pain questions answered freely
-Develop a pain plan with your doctor
-Know what medication, treatment, or anesthesia will be given
-Know the risks, benefits, and side effects of treatment
-Know what alternative pain treatments may be available
-Sign a statement of informed consent before any treatment
-Be believed when you say you have pain
-Have your pain assessed on an individual basis
-Have your pain assessed using the 0=no pain/10=worst pain scale
-Ask for changes in treatments if your pain persists
-Compassionate and sympathetic care
-Receive pain medication on a timely basis
-Refuse treatment without prejudice from your doctor
-Seek a second opinion or request a pain care specialist
-Your records upon request
-Include family in decision making
Remind those who care for you that pain management is part of your diagnostic, medical, or surgical care.
- 1992 Jane Cowles, Ph.D.
6343. Bill Russell - 10/24/2004 11:35:56 AM ABCD is excited about certain provisions of the Conquering Pain Act, especially the creation of centers for excellence in pain management, examination of reimbursement barriers, and authorization of demonstration projects in end of life care.
To read details and full text for these bills, go to: www.thomas.loc.gov and type in the bill number.
From Thomas, it is very simple to find your own representatives' e-mail addresses, go to www.senate.gov (for Senators) and to clerkweb.house.gov (for Representatives).
Be sure to voice your support for including people with serious and complex conditions in all versions of the Patient Bill of Rights. And let your own representative know that you want support for the Conquering Pain Act of 2001.
This content is provided by Americans for Better Care of the Dying. For more information, visit www.abcd-caring.org.
6344. Bill Russell - 10/24/2004 2:15:56 PM How can you keep a lid on germs?
Make sure the toilet LID is down before you flush. The urban myth is true. Flushing does indeed send a cloud of nasty microbes into your bathroom.
By using gauze pads to catch fallout, microbiologists determined that a significant number of bacteria and viruses fly around your bathroom for up to two hours after a flush with the lid up.
Cleaning with bleach will help combat this airborne assault, but you may want to consider keeping your toothbrush in the medicine cabinet.
6345. Bill Russell - 10/24/2004 2:20:37 PM So .... why are most public toilets without lids ??
Even in many hospitals the toilets have no lids ... !!!
Is our society insane, and where are our government health departments when we need them to spread the word about toilet lids ??? 6346. Magoseph - 10/24/2004 3:39:48 PM Bill, I am assuming that you're taking care of an invalid in your home. Am I correct? 6347. Jenerator - 10/25/2004 7:33:30 PM Rick,
How's the health regiment going? 6348. wonkers2 - 10/25/2004 8:35:18 PM Anybody had experience with cellulitis? I've apparently got it in my left ankle. My prescription: Levaquin (antibiotic), Bactroban cream and twice daily baths in boric acid solution. So far, after 3 days, no noticeable improvement. I wonder how long the cure will take. 6349. thoughtful - 10/25/2004 8:40:20 PM wonks, from a web site, "Over 90% of all cellulitis cases are cured after 7-10 days of antibiotic treatment. " 6350. judithathome - 10/25/2004 8:41:03 PM Looks like you are doing waht you should:
Treatment
Cellulitis treatment may require hospitalization if it is severe enough to warrant intravenous antibiotics and close observation. At other times, oral antibiotics and close outpatient follow-up suffice. Treatment is focused on control of the infection and prevention of complications.
Antibiotics are given to control infection, and analgesics may be needed to control pain.
Elevate the infected area, usually higher than the heart, to minimize swelling. Apply warm, moist compresses to the site to aid the body in fighting infection by increasing blood supply to the tissues. Rest until symptoms improve.
Expectations (prognosis)
Cure is possible with 7 to 10 days of treatment. Cellulitis may be more severe in people with chronic diseases and people who are susceptible to infection (immunosuppressed). 6351. judithathome - 10/25/2004 8:41:44 PM x post, as usual. 6352. wonkers2 - 10/25/2004 9:11:24 PM Thanks, judith. I had a fairly severe case of shingles last year which I recall may be a sign of being immuno-suppressed. And I had bursitis of my right elbow which finally subsided while I was waiting two weeks for a doctor's appointment. My current cellulitis is more painful and, I gather, potentially more serious than bursitis. I lucked out and got a quick appointment with what I hope is a competent dermatologist. 6353. wonkers2 - 10/25/2004 9:12:21 PM I think I caught it from the water in San Francisco Bay! Jexter didn't warn me about that. 6354. thoughtful - 10/25/2004 9:43:45 PM absolutely...don't screw around with it. Do as you're told.
zinc helps enhance the immune system, so if you don't already take it, you might want to add it to your daily regimen, at least while you're battling the infection.
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