We are approaching flu season once again and it is time to make preparations to avoid the problems the little creature can cause. Flu potentially is serious in older folks. About 20 million on average get the flu each year and 50,000 to 80,000 will die! READ MORE
There currently is substantial contradictory info about the Coronavirus outbreak starting in China. Should we be worried and how best to prepare for the eventuality of an epidemic here? First, we have yearly outbreaks termed flu season which for the past decade has resulted in an average of 34,000 deaths a year in the US. WOW! This is an estimate by CDC because death certificates often are vague as to cause of death and the flu frequently results in pneumonia which may be listed and is not specific for flu.
Infectious disease experts opine that the coronavirus outbreak may…READ MORE
A close acquaintance that went to a Doc with clear symptoms of a common cold got treated with antibiotics recently which prompted this missive. They had taken the antibiotics for four days without any relief. SURPRISE! SURPRISE! In one huge recent study, of almost 200,000 patients with colds, about half were given unnecessary antibiotics.
The cost of the appointment and antibiotics were certainly a waste! Antibiotics can control bacteria and yeasts, not viruses. The reasons for not prescribing are much more important than money. The dreaded bacterial resistance to antibiotics results from overprescribing because bacteria in our bodies adapt by becoming resistant and when these outlaw bugs do cause infections they do not respond to the normal medicines. This can allow people with resistant strains to infect others in hospitals and even doctor’s offices with potentially fatal bugs.
