Infection
Can You Boost Your Resistance to COVID-19?
COVID-19 has infected more than 100 million people around the world and killed more than 2.2 million. In the US, those figures are currently 26 million infected with more than 442,000 deaths. You know…
Quality Problems Prompt FDA Recall of Tetracycli…
During these frightening times, we need to depend on the quality of the pharmaceuticals we take more than ever before. But a new announcement from the FDA won’t do anything to ease our concern. The …
How Our Obsession With Pills Made Us Poorly Prep…
During the dot-com bubble of the 1990s, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan famously used the term “irrational exuberance” in what was interpreted as a warning that the stock market was overva…
Hand-Washing as a Survival Skill
Really effective hand-washing has always been critical for helping us stay healthy, but it has never gotten more attention than it is now. People striving to avoid infection with COVID-19 must rely on…
Are People Delaying COVID-19 Care with Unproven …
A crisis can bring out the best…or the worst in people. During natural disasters, some people rush to help while others try to make money. When people are told to evacuate before a big hurricane hit…
How Will We Manage COVID-19 in the US?
CDC authorities have started warning the public that the coronavirus COVID-19 has already begun to spread in the US. (Check our update at the bottom of this article.) This virus first came to the atte…
Is Hand Sanitizer Better Than Soap and Water?
As people strive to avoid infection, whether from flu or COVID-19, they are paying more attention to cleaning their hands. As a result, they may be wondering whether using hand sanitizer is bett…
What Is the News on the Coronavirus from Wuhan?
News about the coronavirus from Wuhan continues to evolve. Twelve days ago there were less than 3,000 cases of infection in China and fewer than 100 deaths. Three days later Chinese health authorities…
Can a Mask Help Protect You from Flu?
During flu season, people want to know how they can keep from catching it. Public health experts are happy to give advice. Most of the time, however, it boils down to just two items: get a flu shot an…
FDA Cracks Down on Claims for Hand Sanitizers
When infections like colds or influenza are spreading rapidly, people may rely on hand sanitizers to try to stay healthy. Public health experts acknowledge that hand hygiene is crucial for disease pre…
New Virus Threatens Health Around the World
A new virus has captured the attention of public health officials around the world. The coronavirus has been dubbed 2019-nCoV. It causes a potentially deadly lung infection with symptoms of pneumonia …
Show 1192: How a Scary Fungus Is Threatening the…
You may have heard about antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They can greatly complicate the treatment of infections. But have you ever heard of antifungal-resistant fungus? Infectious disease experts knew…
What Is the Impact of Herbal Treatments for Coug…
Cold and cough season is well underway in most parts of the country by now. Are there natural approaches to help you stay healthy? And if you do come down with a cold or other respiratory infection, c…
A Completely New and Unexpected Statin Side Effe…
Statin drugs are widely used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. The last time we checked, atorvastatin was the most widely prescribed drug in the United States (114 million bot…
Show 1186: What Happens When Doctors Make Diagno…
When you get sick, you need a diagnosis. If the diagnosis is wrong, the treatment won’t be appropriate. What happens when doctors make diagnostic errors? We talk with a leader in the Society to Impr…
Doctors Resist Removing White Coats and Ties
Most physicians like to wear white coats. Many male doctors also find comfort in wearing ties. White coats project medical authority. There is even something called “The White Coat Ceremony.” Acco…
Show 1164: Will We Win the Race Against Emerging…
Dr. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, after observing horrific lethal infections on the battlefields of the first World War. It was the first antibiotic to defeat a wide range of terrif…
Drug-Resistant Infections Will Kill Millions
Experts for the United Nations have just issued an alarming analysis about drug-resistant infections. In 2019, 230,000 people will die from multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Almost half a million mor…
Do Drug-Resistant Germs Hide Out in Hospitals?
In the 19th century, nobody wanted to go to the hospital. Before antibiotics were discovered, people considered these institutions as the very last resort. The wards were unfriendly and frequently con…
How to Get Germs Off Your Hands
To keep infections from spreading in health care facilities, health care workers must get germs off their hands effectively. The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that hand sanitizer is better …
Will Probiotics Help You Recover from Antibiotic…
Antibiotics are crucial tools for overcoming serious infections. However, they can often kill beneficial bacteria that live in the digestive tract and elsewhere along with the harmful invaders. As lon…
How Can Viruses Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Bacte…
The CDC estimates that at least 23,000 Americans die each year from antibiotic-resistant infections. Researchers expect this problem will only get worse in coming years. Finding new antibiotics has be…
Should You Worry About Zombie Deer?
There is growing concern about a mysterious infectious disease that has been spreading among the wild deer population for decades. Scientists call it CWD or chronic wasting disease. Hunters refer to t…
What Is the Link Between Infection and Celiac Di…
Celiac disease is an intolerance to the protein gluten found in wheat, barley and rye. It triggers the immune system to attack and damage the lining of the digestive tract. Doctors have long known tha…
Do Antibiotics Interact with Oral Contraceptives…
Here's a riddle for you: When does 1+1= 0 and 3 simultaneously? The answer: When a woman takes antibiotics together with birth control pills. That's because the antibiotics can reduce the effectivenes…
How Serious Is the Problem of Inappropriate Anti…
Infectious disease experts worry a lot about the problem of bacterial resistance related to inappropriate antibiotics. A study of patient records suggests that doctors in the US may be prescribing ant…
Could Herbal Tea Overcome Your Nasty Cough?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common pathogen that usually causes mild symptoms such as runny nose, fever or sneezing and wheezing. It can also cause a nasty cough in some people, especially …
Is There Flu Near You?
The CDC reports that flu season is here (FluView from the CDC for the week ending Dec. 29, 2018). The number of states reporting high flu activity has more than doubled, from 9 to 19. Consequently, th…
FDA Warns About Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics and …
There are side effects and then there are SIDE EFFECTS! A drug that causes headaches or heartburn can be annoying, but such symptoms are tolerable if the medicine is doing great good. Side effects th…
Did the Maker Recall Ibuprofen for Your Baby?
Parents across the country have been alarmed today to hear that some brands of ibuprofen sold as fever medicine for infants have been recalled. What led the manufacturer, Tris Pharma Inc., to recall i…
Why Are Children Suffering Acute Flaccid Myeliti…
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed 90 cases of acute flaccid myelitis in 27 states so far this year. Most of the patients afflicted with this polio-like condit…
Should You Be Worried About Polio-Like Illness?
A strange polio-like illness is spreading around the country. At last count more than 120 suspected cases have been reported in at least 22 states. This condition, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), first …
Security Line Is the Germiest Spot in the Airpor…
Traveling can expose you lots of germs. People often worry about airplane air, but in reality, it is well filtered. A little recognized source of contamination is lurking in the security line. What's …
Can You Fight Bacteria with Viruses?
Antibiotic resistance has become a global concern. But Mother Nature has come up with a fascinating option for overcoming bacterial infection: viruses that fight bacteria. Using Viruses to Fight Bacte…
What Are the Best Drugs for a Desert Island Adve…
Remember Robinson Crusoe? He was the protagonist in a novel written by Daniel Defoe that was published in 1719. Crusoe was stranded on a desert island for 28 years before being rescued. A modern versi…
How Clean Is the Endoscope Your Doctor Will Use?
An endoscope is a device used for diagnosis and minimally invasive procedures. Any endoscope is supposed to be carefully cleaned before each use to avoid infections or cross-contamination from one pat…
How Common Are Antibiotic-Resistant “Night…
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DC) have found bacteria resistant to virtually every known antibiotic in samples from hospitals around the country (MMWR, April 3, 2018). …
Can Kefir Help You Recover from an Infection?
Have you been looking for a way to boost your immune system? Especially during the season when colds and flu are rampant, many people would like to know how to recover from an infection more readily. …
What Is Lurking in Hospital’s Plumbing?
Scary antibiotic-resistant bacteria appear to be thriving in hospital plumbing, according to a new report (Weingarten et al, mBio, Feb. 6, 2018). The research was conducted in a hospital run by the N…
Should Your Doctor Know You Are Not Sleeping?
Are you sleeping enough, or are you missing out? Sleep scientist Matthew Walker says that skimping on sleep can shorten your life. The Effects of Sleeping Less Than Six Hours Nightly: Dr. Matthew base…