Two main types of germs

Bacteria and viruses are the two main types of germs. They cause most illness. Antibiotics can kill bacteria, but they do not work against viruses.

 Viruses cause:

• Colds
• Coughs
• Sore throats
• Flu
• Bronchitis
• Sinus problems
• Ear infections

Bacteria live in drinking water, food, and soil. They live in plants, animals, and people. Most of them do not hurt people. Some even help us to digest food. But other bacteria cause bad diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and lyme disease.

 Does this affect me?

If you have a virus, taking antibiotics is not a good idea. Antibiotics don’t work against viruses. The medicine will not help you. It might even harm you. Each time you take one, you add to the chances that bacteria in your body will be able to resist them. Later that could make you very sick. Finding the right treatment could be a problem.

What common mistakes do patients make?

• Patients ask for antibiotics they don’t need. For example, they ask for antibiotics to treat a cold.
• They don’t take antibiotics the way the doctor says. For example, they stop taking the    drug before all the pills are used. That can leave the strongest germs to grow.
• They save antibiotics and take them on their own later.

Why do doctors give antibiotics when these drugs are not needed?

• Doctors are not sure what is causing an illness.
• They are pressed for time.
• They give in to what patients ask for.

What is the FDA doing about the problem?

The FDA wants doctors to be more careful about giving antibiotics when they are not needed.

• The FDA will require new labeling for doctors.
• One of the new labels must say that these drugs should be used only for infections caused by bacteria.
• Another label will ask doctors to explain the right way to use the drugs to their patients.

What should I do?

• Don’t demand an antibiotic when your doctor says you don’t need it.
• Don’t take an antibiotic for a virus (cold, cough, or flu).
• Take your medicine exactly the way the doctor says. Don’t skip doses.
• Don’t stop taking your medicine when you feel better. Take all the doses.
• Don’t take leftover medicine.
• Don’t take someone else’s medicine.
• Don’t rely on antibacterial products (soaps, detergents, and lotions). There is no proof that these products really help.
• Use therapeutic grade essential oils instead of antibiotics. Essential oils are very complex and bacteria have difficulty mutating against them.

While we were returning home from Hartford last Friday, my wife, Cathy, noticed a large hawk-like bird lying lifeless in the middle of the road. It was a busy area with a shopping center on one side of the street. Cathy thought we should get it off the road so that it wouldn’t be run over and over again.

She turned the car around and as we pulled alongside the bird one of its wings fluttered and its eyes were open. As we got out of the car it made a valiant effort to fly. It was able to get off the road, which was fortunate for its survival. At this point I felt that the bird was critically wounded and wouldn’t survive. We felt that we had to at least get the bird to a veterinarian so that it could be humanely euthanized. We couldn’t leave it in the shopping center driveway to die.

Looking at its size (18-24”) and sharp beak and talons justified my apprehension about how to handle and restrain it, should it decide not to remain calm. Despite my safety concerns, I firmly grabbed it behind the head and put it into a fabric grocery bag. The bird remained calm. A pair of heavy leather gloves would have been a blessing at this time.

I kept my grip on its head and neck and placed it on the car floor in front of me, still inside the bag. Its eyes were open the entire time, and I began to think that just maybe it might survive. Cathy called our own veterinarian and the office referred us to a clinic that specializes in birds. It was only 10 minutes away, so off we went.

The trip seemed much longer to me. I had concerns about the hawk deciding to make a go for it, inside the car. Not a good situation if it happened. But it stayed calm the entire trip. I really feel that it put its trust in us.

Upon arriving at the clinic, I carefully closed the cloth bag around the hawk and let go of my grip on its head. “Hawk” performed like a champion. Once inside the clinic, it was taken by a veterinarian, who examined it thoroughly. When she brought it out for us to see, she said that she couldn’t find any broken bones or injuries, other than a little blood in the mouth. The blood, she said, could have come from its last meal.

We were told that the hawk would be kept for a few days and if it survived would then be given to a wildlife rehab facility and eventually released back where we found it.

I called the clinic on Monday to check on “Hawk’s” status and I was told that he is doing well. They think he is male because of its size. The clinic is now looking for a rehab facility. I’d hate to think what might have happened had we not intervened with Mother Nature. All’s well that ends well.

Not getting enough sleep for a long time can cause health problems. For example, it can make problems like diabetes and high blood pressure worse.

Many things can disturb your sleep.
• stress
• a sick child
• working long hours
• light or noise from traffic or TV
• feeling too hot or cold.
• wine, beer, or liquor

What are the different types of sleep problems?

 • insomnia
• feeling sleepy during the day
• snoring
• sleep apnea

Insomnia

Insomnia includes:

• trouble falling asleep,
• having trouble getting back to sleep
• waking up too early.

Most people will have trouble falling asleep from time to time. It is usually nothing to worry about. Stress, like the loss of a job or a death in the family could cause problems falling asleep. Certain medicines can make it hard to fall asleep. Drinking alcohol or eating too close to bedtime can keep you awake, too.

Insomnia is called chronic (long-term) when it lasts most nights for a few weeks or more. You should see your doctor if this happens.

Treatment:

Making some changes to your routine can help most people with insomnia (about 85 percent).

Tips for Better Sleep
• Go to bed and get up at the same times each day.
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, beer, wine and liquor four to six hours before bedtime.
• Don’t exercise within two hours of bedtime.
• Don’t eat large meals within two hours of bedtime.
• Don’t nap later than 3 p.m.
• Sleep in a dark, quiet room that isn’t too hot or cold for you.
• If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet.
• Wind down in the 30 minutes before bedtime by doing something relaxing.

Feeling Sleepy During the Day

Feeling tired every now and then is normal. It is not normal for sleepiness to interfere with your daily life. Watch for signs like:

• slowed thinking
• trouble paying attention
• heavy eyelids
• feeling cranky

Several sleep disorders can make you sleepy during the day. One of these is narcolepsy. People with narcolepsy feel very sleepy even after a full night’s sleep.

It is normal to take between 10 and 20 minutes to fall asleep. People who fall asleep in less than five minutes may have a serious sleep disorder.

Snoring

Snoring is noisy breathing during sleep. It is caused by vibrating in the throat. Some people can make changes that will stop snoring. These include:
• losing weight,
• cutting down on smoking and alcohol, and
• sleeping on your side instead of on your back

Treatment:

You can buy over-the-counter nasal strips to help prevent snoring. You place one over your nose before going to bed to make breathing easier.

 Sleep Apnea

Snoring loud and often, together with too much daytime sleepiness, may be signs of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder. It is also very dangerous. The most common type of sleep apnea happens when your breathing stops during sleep. It can stop for about 10 seconds to as long as a minute. You wake up trying to breathe. This stop-and-start cycle of waking to breathe can repeat hundreds of times a night. The danger is that some time you may not wake up to breathe. If this happens, you can die.

You are likely to feel sleepy during the day if you have this problem. People with sleep apnea tend to be overweight. It is more common among men than women.

Treatment:

• The most common treatment is a device that pushes air through the airway. This device is called a CPAP.
• Avoid beer, wine, liquor, tobacco, and sleeping pills.
• If you are overweight, work on reducing your  weight.
• In some cases, you may need surgery to make the airway bigger.

Unless a man exercises regularly, he loses muscle mass to fat as he ages, and his testosterone is being converted to estrogen.  This occurs because of an enzyme called aromatase.  The more fat there is, the more aromatase is produced, which in turn converts more testosterone to estrogen.  This can become a viscious cycle.

What can be done about this?  Testosterone is critical for maintaining muscle mass. Another important hormone is DHEA(Dehydroepiandrosterone).   DHEA levels begin to decline after age 30. DHEA is a hormone that can make testosterone and estrogen. By inscreasing DHEA levels, more testosterone can be produced by the body. 

DHEA can be taken orally, and is an over-the-counter supplement.  Adequate intake of Zinc can help also. Zinc inhibits the enzyme aromatase.  Exercise is critical too. Fat needs to be converted to muscle. We all must maintain adequate muscle mass throughout our lifetime in order to remain healthy and vibrant.

1. Park a comfortable distance from the store or mall and walk.

2. Push your shopping cart back to the store.

3. Use the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator.

4. Walk your dog if you have one.

5. Rake your leaves instead of using a leaf blower.

6. Use a walk-behind mower instead of a riding tractor.

7. Put your TV remote away and get up to change the channels.

8. Ride a bicycle when running errands close to home.

9. Walk when golfing instead of using a golf cart.

10. If you live in a two story house, set it up so that you use the stairs regularly.

Our healthcare system is focused on disease “treatment” rather than disease “prevention”. Doctors don’t take the necessary time to discuss our health issues in any depth. Prescription medications are handed out like candy. Unfortunately, drugs only “manage” the disease and do little or nothing about the underlying cause; not to mention the long list of undesireable side effects associated with using prescription medications. Even medical research is geared toward treatment and not prevention. The big pharmaceutical companies have their influence in that arena. Just watch the relentless pharmaceutical commercials on television. Is it in our best interest to allow “Big Pharma” to tell us what medications we should be taking? Do you know how many people die each year as a result of correctly administered doses of legal prescription drugs!

Our population is overweight, out-of-shape, chronically tired, and over-stressed. It’s no wonder we are unhappy. If you are concerned about your health and longevity, you must make it happen on your own. You can’t rely on our current healthcare system. Your focus needs to be on pro-active preventative health care. If you stay healthy, you won’t need treatment. It can be that simple. It’s your life. Don’t settle for anything less!