Omega-3 in fish: How eating fish helps your heart

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish are good for your heart. Find out how much fish to eat and what kinds are best.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mayoclinic.com%2Fdiseases-conditions%2Fheart-disease%2Fin-depth%2Fomega-3%2Fart-20045614&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Omega-3 in fish: How eating fish helps your heart

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish are good for your heart. Find out how much fish to eat and what kinds are best.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mayoclinic.org%2Fdiseases-conditions%2Fheart-disease%2Fin-depth%2Fomega-3%2Fart-20045614&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

How to choose the fitness tracker that's right for you

A look at what you really need in a wearable fitness tracker - and which ones do it best

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Ffitbit-apple-watch-fitness-tracker-how-to-choose%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Opioids by Injection May Drive HIV Outbreaks

Indiana case offers a lesson for other rural communities

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fhiv-aids%2Fnews%2F20160720%2Fopioids-by-injection-may-drive-hiv-outbreaks%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the Signing of the Global Food Security Act

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2016 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the following statement on S.1252, the Global Food Security Act of 2016, signed by President Obama today:

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usda.gov%2Fwps%2Fportal%2Fusda%2Fusdahome%3Fcontentid%3D2016%2F07%2F0170.xml%26contentidonly%3Dtrue&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Mayo Clinic Minute: Do Pets Help You Live Longer?

From: Mayo Clinic http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAMnA_1lPh10&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Wellness Coaching Improves Health Behaviors for Life

From: Mayo Clinic http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D85oxWlGIVVE&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

WHO encourages countries to act now to reduce deaths from viral hepatitis

Ahead of World Hepatitis Day, 28 July, WHO urges countries to take rapid action to improve knowledge about the disease, and to increase access to testing and treatment services. Today, only 1 in 20 people with viral hepatitis know they have it. And just 1 in 100 with the disease is being treated.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.who.int%2Fentity%2Fmediacentre%2Fnews%2Freleases%2F2016%2Fworld-hepatitis-day%2Fen%2Findex.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

ADA, others thank Congress for efforts in curbing opioid addiction

The ADA, the American Osteopathic Association and 81 other health groups commended the House and Senate for passing legislation to help reduce prescription opioid abuse.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ada.org%2Fen%2Fpublications%2Fada-news%2F2016-archive%2Fjuly%2Fada-others-thank-congress-for-efforts-in-curbing-opioid-addiction&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Webinar to discuss signs of opioid abuse

Learn about opioid abuse, how to recognize it and how to safely provide pain management for dental patients in an upcoming webinar.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ada.org%2Fen%2Fpublications%2Fada-news%2F2016-archive%2Fjuly%2Fwebinar-to-discuss-signs-of-opioid-abuse&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Here's how long you can work before your brain shuts down

Research shows working killer hours can make some people stupider, especially as we age. Science searches for the magic number

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fhit-40-heres-how-long-you-can-work-before-your-brain-shuts-down%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Kris Kristofferson's Lyme disease misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's

The actor/songwriter struggled with memory issues thought to be dementia, but it turned out to be caused by tick-borne illness

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fkris-kristofferson-misdiagnosed-alzheimers-has-lyme-disease%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Bar-S Foods Hot Dog, Corn Dog Products Recalled

Bar-S Foods Hot Dog, Corn Dog Products Recalled

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Ffood-recipes%2Ffood-poisoning%2F20160720%2Fhot-dog-corn-dog-recall%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Obamacare: What's working and what's not?

With Republican nominee Donald Trump vowing to throw out the Affordable Care Act, the Cleveland Clinic CEO weighs in on steps to improve health care

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fcleveland-clinic-ceo-toby-cosgrove-obamacare-health-care-donald-trump%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

The murky role of mental illness in extremism, terror

After the attack in Nice, questions have been raised again about the links between mental illness, extreme ideology and mass violence

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fthe-murky-role-of-mental-illness-in-extremism-terror%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Opioid Abusers Missing Out on Anti-Addiction Drug

Painkillers are easier to prescribe than the drug that battles dependence on them, addiction specialist says

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fmental-health%2Faddiction%2Fnews%2F20160720%2Fopioid-abusers-missing-out-on-addiction-fighting-drug%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Tennessee Dental Association announces new executive director

The Tennessee Dental Association hired Mike Dvorak as its new executive director earlier this year and his first day on the job was July 1.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ada.org%2Fen%2Fpublications%2Fada-news%2F2016-archive%2Fjuly%2Ftennessee-dental-association-announces-new-executive-director&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Norovirus strikes the RNC

Delegates are being advised to wash their hands frequently, avoid shaking hands and not to share food

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fnorovirus-strikes-the-rnc%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Would a surgeon tell you if something went wrong?

New survey of surgeons reveals the truth about disclosure and medical errors

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fwould-a-surgeon-tell-you-if-something-went-wrong-during-an-operation%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Covered CA Health Plan Rates To Jump 13% In 2017

A double-digit increase, which follows two years of moderate rate hikes, is likely to resonate across the country in debate over Obamacare.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fhealth-insurance%2Fca%2F20160719%2Fcovered-california-health-plan-rates-to-jump-132-percent-in-2017%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Florida Zika case may be first from mosquito inside U.S.

Health officials are investigating what may be the first transmission of the Zika virus from a mosquito in this country

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fflorida-zika-case-may-be-first-from-mosquito-inside-u-s%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

The trouble with antibiotics

Most people are aware of the potential downsides of taking an antibiotic. These side effects can range from allergic reactions to stomach upset, diarrhea, mental confusion, and in some cases, Clostridium difficile colitis – painful colon inflammation caused by a disruption in the normal balance of bacteria in the large intestine.

However, more recently, concerns regarding the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are increasingly in the news.

“Antimicrobial stewardship” promotes the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents, including antibiotics, in order to improve patient outcomes, reduce drug resistance, and limit the spread of infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria. This concept is not new. Calls for optimizing the use of antibiotics, particularly in outpatient settings, have existed for decades. As of 2013, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 18 antibiotic resistant microbes. In 2016, the CDC reported that antibiotic-resistant infections affect 2 million people. There are a number of reasons for the increase in bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, making some of those antibiotics less effective, but inappropriate prescribing and misuse are big contributors. In 2015, the White House National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria set a goal of reducing inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use by 50% by 2020.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported on the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions written during US ambulatory care visits between 2010-2011. The researchers used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys to collect information on outpatient and emergency department patient visits to estimate when, how, and why providers prescribe antibiotics. Of more than 184,000 patient visits, 12.6% were associated with an antibiotic prescription.

The authors noted that variations in prescribing patterns could be related to regional location and the patient’s age, but based on recommended expert guidelines; they estimated that 30% of outpatient oral antibiotic prescriptions may have been inappropriate.

Because antibiotic use is the primary driver of antibiotic resistance, it is important to know when an antibiotic is truly necessary. For example, pneumonia and urinary tract infections almost always require antibiotic therapy. In contrast, sinus infections and sore throats may not. While antibiotics are not necessary for most upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, and the flu, as many as 34 million antibiotic prescriptions in the 2010-2011 study were written for these very illnesses. While there were some limitations to the study, the results should still give us all pause.

So, where does antibiotic resistance come from? It is important to note that resistance is not a characteristic of an infected person. It is a characteristic of bacteria that have evolved through genetic changes and mutations that elude the bacteria-killing methods of antibiotics. These genetic changes can persist throughout bacterial strains when the genetic code for these mutations is spread between them.

What causes this spread? When antibiotics are used in farm animals as growth enhancers or when antibiotics are prescribed too often or incorrectly for humans, bacteria develop mutations to protect themselves. Inappropriate medical prescribing can occur when an incorrect diagnosis results in an antibiotic prescription or when antibiotics are used for conditions that do not require them, such as upper respiratory infections. In addition, when patients don’t complete a full course of a necessary antibiotic – usually because they are feeling better – any remaining bacteria in the body will be left to grow and change in ways that encourage their own resistance. The use of broad-spectrum, second line antibiotics in the outpatient setting also contributes to the rise of resistance.

Prescribers and patients can help fend off antibiotic resistance

Limiting the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria will be everyone’s responsibility.

Health care providers who prescribe antibiotics should:

• Use available point-of-care testing to quickly and accurately determine if a bacterial infection is the cause of a patient’s symptoms.
• Follow expert guidelines on the use of antibiotics for specific illnesses and explain these guidelines to patients when discussing treatment options.

Patients can take a more active role in their care:

• Be aware that not all infections need or benefit from antibiotics. Often you will get better in a reasonable amount of time simply by treating symptoms. Of course, do go back to your doctor should you not improve or get worse.
• When getting an antibiotic prescription, ask if that antibiotic is the best choice for the infection you have.
• Take the medication exactly as prescribed.

Related Post:

• “Superbugs” and the very real threat of untreatable…
• Drug-resistant bacteria a growing health problem
• Don’t judge your mucus by its color
• “Not Again!” — When UTIs won’t quit at midlife
• Home score for strep throat in adults could avoid…

The post The trouble with antibiotics appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Susan Farrell, MD http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.health.harvard.edu%2Fblog%2Fthe-trouble-with-antibiotics-201607209986&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Lab-Grown Cartilage May One Day Cut Need for This

Made of patients' stem cells and synthetic 'scaffolding,' it may cut need for hip replacement, scientists say

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fosteoarthritis%2Fnews%2F20160719%2Fcartilage-grown-in-lab-might-one-day-help-younger-arthritis-sufferers%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Healthy Fats Can Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

A diet rich in nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils could lower blood sugar levels, researchers say

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fdiabetes%2Fnews%2F20160719%2Fhealthy-fats-can-help-prevent-type-2-diabetes-study%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Hormone Therapy Won't Help Memory After Menopause

5-year study found no difference in thinking skills, with or without estrogen treatment

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fmenopause%2Fnews%2F20160719%2Fhormone-therapy-wont-help-memory-after-menopause%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Clues to Zika's Threat to Fetus, and Stopping It

Scientists say the virus uses 2 routes to reach the fetus, but an antibiotic may halt that transmission

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fnews%2F20160719%2Fnew-clues-to-zikas-threat-to-fetus-and-how-to-stop-it%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Cutting Down on Sweets Can Help Kids' Hearts

Risk factors improved after just 10 days of sugar restriction, study finds

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fchildren%2Fnews%2F20160719%2Fcutting-down-on-sweets-can-help-kids-hearts%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Cleveland Clinic CEO on Obamacare, reducing healthcare costs

With more than 43,000 people, the world-famous Cleveland Clinic is the city's largest employer. It has been ranked America's No. 1 heart hospital for 21 straight years, and overall, it is among the nation's five best hospitals. Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove, a cardiac surgeon and decorated war veteran who joined the hospital 41 years ago, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss Obamacare and how to bring the cost of healthcare down.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fvideos%2Fcleveland-clinic-ceo-on-obamacare-reducing-healthcare-costs%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Florida Zika case my be first from mosquito inside U.S.

Florida health officials are investigating what may be the first transmission of the Zika virus from a mosquito in the U.S. The patient does not appear to have traveled to a region with an outbreak of the virus. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the Miami case.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fvideos%2Fflorida-zika-case-my-be-first-from-mosquito-inside-u-s%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8