It's hard to keep up with all of the recent health news, so here's a rundown on the latest.

Sleeping Pills Called 'as Risky as Cigarettes'
Study Links Sleeping Pills to 4.6-Fold Higher Death Risk

WebMD recently reported on research that showed a surprisingly high death rate related to taking sleeping pills. Researchers estimate that sleeping pills are linked to 320,000 to 507,000 U.S. deaths each year:

The top third of sleeping-pill users had a 5.3-fold higher death risk. They also had a 35% higher risk of cancer, the study found. "We are not certain. But it looks like sleeping pills could be as risky as smoking cigarettes. It looks much more dangerous to take these pills than to treat insomnia another way," study leader Daniel F. Kripke, MD, tells WebMD. The sleeping pills in question are known as hypnotics. They include newer drugs such as zolpidem (the best known brand name is Ambien) as well as older drugs such as temazepam (the best known brand name is Restoril).

In their latest study, Kripke's team analyzed 2002-2007 data from a large Pennsylvania health system. They obtained medical records for 10,529 people who were prescribed hypnotic sleeping pills and for 23,676 matched patients who were never prescribed sleeping pills. "We think these sleeping pills are very dangerous. We think they cause death. We think they cause cancers," Kripke says. "It is possible but not proven that reducing the use of these pills would lower the U.S. death rate."

You may want to consider alternatives when possible. Natural sleep aids like melatonin were not linked to these risks. Read the full story here on WebMD.

More Evidence Omega-3 Rich Diet May Protect Aging Brain

Medscape Medical News recently reported on research published in the Journal of Neurology that indicates increased omega-3 fat consumption is beneficial for brain health:

New data from the Framingham Offspring Study cohort suggest that higher dietary intake of the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may help protect the aging brain. Results showed that lower red blood cell (RBC) levels of DHA and EPA in late middle age were associated with smaller brain volumes and a "vascular" pattern of cognitive impairment, even in persons free of clinical dementia.

"People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about 2 years of structural brain aging," study author Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, from the Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, comments in a written statement.

This study, Dr. Tan told Medscape Medical News, "adds to the current body of evidence on the beneficial health effects of omega-3 fatty acids." However, he said, it is premature to make clinical recommendations solely based on this study. "It needs to be validated in other populations and extended to clinical trials, which may be able to provide more specific recommendations."

"With that said, people who are already consuming fish as part of a balanced diet can take stock in the promising findings of this study that omega-3 fatty acid may benefit not only their heart but their brain as well," Dr. Tan said.

The findings were published in the February 28 issue of Neurology. Read the Medscape article here.

If you're not including fish in your diet, add it or add a good quality fish oil to supply your omega-3 fats.

Statin Labels Will Come With New Safety Warnings

CNN reported on changes in labeling for cholesterol medications, which will warn of newly recognized risks:

An entire class of statin drugs will get new labels that alert the public to safety concerns, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday. Statins, which treat cholesterol, now will come with labels that include a warning that the drugs, taken by almost 32 million Americans, can cause memory loss and confusion. The FDA says reports in general have not been serious, and the symptoms subsided when patients stopped taking the medications.

The new labeling will also warn doctors and patients that statins can cause hyperglycemia, an increase in blood sugar levels and increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Amy Egan, deputy director for safety in the FDA's Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products, says the agency looked at the adverse events reported to determine the scope of the problem. They can't say what caused the memory loss and confusion, but it seems to be a class effect and a rare event.

While these medications may be helpful for some patients, most see dramatic improvement in a short time in their cholesterol when they eliminate processed food from their diet and eat more whole foods like fruit, vegetables, and good quality fat & protein. Some patients have come to our clinic for aches and pains, and we figured out their painful complaints were related to their cholesterol medication. Once they improved their cholesterol with better eating habits and their physician no longer recommended the medication, most of the muscle aches went away. Read the full CNN article here.

Pop Quiz: Who consumes the most antibiotics in this country?
A. Humans
B. Livestock (including the animals we eat)
C. Cousin Bob, he's always sick with something

It has been reported that more antibiotics are consumed by our farm animals than by humans in the US. Our last blog post discussed the efforts of the the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to help physicians reduce the use of antibiotics for children and adults. Unfortunately, the farm industry has been slower to respond.

The CDC reported in 2005, "In the United States, data on the quantity of antibiotics given to food animals is not available to the public or to government agencies. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, about 25 million pounds of antibiotics and related drugs are used every year in livestock for nontherapeutic purposes. The Animal Health Institute estimates that 20.2 million pounds of antibiotics were produced for use in farm and companion animals in 2003."

Why are so many antibiotics being used on farm animals (and what are "nontherapeutic purposes")?

The CDC reports, "Antibiotics are used in food-producing animals for three major reasons:

1. Antibiotics are used to treat sick animals.
2. Antibiotics are used in the absence of disease to prevent diseases during times when animals may be susceptible to infections. This use affects a larger number of animals, because it usually involves treating a whole herd or flock, which increases the likelihood of selecting for organisms that are resistant to the antibiotic. In these two examples, high doses of antibiotics are used for short periods of time.
3. Antibiotics are commonly given in the feed at low doses for long periods to promote the growth of cattle, poultry, and swine. In the 1950s studies showed that animals given low doses of antibiotics gained more weight for a given amount of feed than untreated animals. Exactly how this occurs is unknown. This effect appears to be less effective or absent in animal production settings with good sanitation."

Do you notice anything odd here? While doctors recommend humans take antibiotics only when they are sick with a bacterial infection, our animals are given antibiotics to prevent infections and to cause them to gain weight (more pounds = more $$$). Often farmers are not therapeutically treating sick animals. They are using antibiotics to fatten up animals quicker, and as an easy way to keep them from becoming sick. The Union of Concerned Scientists notes, "This type of 'disease prevention' is a crutch that allows [factory farm] operators to avoid good husbandry practices that could avoid and manage disease outbreaks responsibly, and is the ideal breeding ground for antibiotic-resistance."

Based on the CDC's information above, we can assume the farms using antibiotics to fatten their animals must not provide "animal production settings with good sanitation", otherwise this wouldn't work. A sanitary environment seems like a reasonable "good husbandry practice" to expect from farms. Other issues involve crowding the animals in limited space and feeding them unnatural foods (primarily corn-based diets) that tend to bring on these diseases.

Because of increasing antibiotic use, the CDC is concerned about growing resistance to antibiotics and started "Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work On The Farm". The CDC notes, "Antibiotic resistance is a food safety problem for several reasons:

1. Antibiotic resistance is increasing to some antibiotics...commonly used to treat serious infections caused by bacterial pathogens frequently found in food, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. Each year, several million people in the United States are infected with [these bacteria]...
   
2. More people may become ill. Ordinarily, healthy persons who consume a few Salmonella may carry them for a few weeks without having any symptoms, because those few Salmonella are held in check by the normal bacteria in their intestines. However, even a few antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in food can cause illness if the person who consumes the contaminated food then takes an antibiotic for another reason. The antibiotic can kill normal bacteria in the gut, letting a few Salmonella that ordinarily would be unlikely to cause illness, take over and cause illness...
3. The food supply may be a source of antibiotic-resistant genes. Harmless bacteria present in food-producing animals could be resistant, and humans could acquire these bacteria when they eat meat products from these animals. Once ingested, resistant genes from these bacteria could be transferred to bacteria that cause disease. Quantifying the extent to which this contributes to a food safety problem is difficult."

How do resistant bacteria spread from animals to humans?

The CDC notes, "Resistant bacteria may be transferred to humans through the food supply or direct contact with animals. For example, Campylobacter lives in the intestines of chickens. People get Campylobacter diarrhea primarily from eating undercooked chicken. In 1989, none of the Campylobacter strains from ill persons that CDC tested were resistant to fluoroquinolone antibiotics. In 1995, the FDA approved the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry. Soon afterwards, doctors found Campylobacter strains from ill persons that were resistant to fluoroquinolone antibiotics."

What does the CDC say about this health risk?

"The use of antibiotics to promote growth is widespread in food animal production. Antibiotics used for growth promotion increase the pressure for bacteria to become resistant. To address this public health problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that antibiotics not be used for this purpose. It is determined that this practice is unsafe for the public's health (World Health Organization)."

There is growing agreement that farmers should at least stop using antibiotics as a cheap way to fatten their livestock, and we may see legislation to stop this. It will be harder to convince factory farms to give up using antibiotics as a preventive health measure. They would have to provide a more sanitary environment with more space for the animals and provide healthier feed to keep them from becoming sick. That costs money.

The best way to encourage positive change is by avoiding meat grown with antibiotics. We recommend looking for meat that is grown without antibiotics (or hormones) to avoid any potential harm to your health. Organic foods are grown without the chemicals or medication. Pasture-raised or grass fed animals are even better. Farms will only produce what sells, so buy the good stuff.

Find more information about this topic on the CDC's website.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) started a program called "Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work" to educate Americans about the overuse of antibiotics and the growing danger of antibiotic resistance. With coughs, sneezes and sore throats (oh my!) going around, we want to help share this important information. The following is from the CDC website:

Facts About Antibiotic Resistance

• Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world’s most pressing public health problems.
• The number of bacteria resistant to antibiotics has increased in the last decade. 
• Decreasing inappropriate antibiotic use is the best way to control resistance.
• Children are of particular concern because they have the highest rates of antibiotic use.

Colds or Runny Nose
Since the common cold is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not help it get better.  A runny nose or cold almost always gets better on its own, so it is better to wait and take antibiotics only when they are needed. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed can be harmful.

Sore Throat
When a sore throat is caused by a virus or irritation from the air, antibiotic treatment will not help it get better.  Most sore throats will improve on their own within 1-2 weeks. Antibiotics are needed if a healthcare provider diagnoses you or your child with strep throat, which is caused by bacteria. Strep throat cannot be diagnosed by looking in the throat – a lab test must also be done.

Ear Infections
When an ear infection is caused by a virus, antibiotic treatment will not help it get better.  Ear infections will often get better on their own without antibiotic treatment.  Your healthcare provider will determine what treatment is best for you or your child. Your healthcare provider will consider several factors when determining if antibiotics are needed for you or your child: age, severity of illness, diagnostic certainty, and follow-up options.

Bronchitis (chest cold)
Antibiotics will rarely be needed since acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis are almost always caused by a virus and chronic bronchitis requires other therapies. If your healthcare provider diagnoses you or your child with another type of respiratory infection such as pneumonia or whooping cough, antibiotics will most likely be prescribed.

Sinusitis (sinus infection)
When sinusitis is caused by a virus or irritation in the air (like cigarette smoke), antibiotics will not help it get better. Acute sinusitis will almost always get better on its own. It is better to wait and take antibiotics only when they are needed.

What You Can Do to Feel Better

• Get plenty of rest
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Use a clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer
• Avoid smoking, second-hand smoke, and other pollutants (airborne chemicals or irritants)

The CDC notes OTC meds may provide some relief. However, the CDC also notes, "Cough and cold medicines do not cure the common cold. Although cough and cold medicines may be used to treat the symptoms of the common cold in older children, they should not be used in children less than 4 years old. Too much cough and cold medicine can cause serious harm or even deaths in children."

We would also recommend eating as well as possible (mom's homemade chicken soup) and don't forget your vitamins. Find more information on appropriate antibiotic use on the CDC website.

A future post will explore the CDC's report and recommendations on the use of antibiotics fed to our farm animals, which may also be contributing to antibiotic resistance: "According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, about 25 million pounds of antibiotics and related drugs are used every year in livestock for nontherapeutic purposes. The Animal Health Institute estimates that 20.2 million pounds of antibiotics were produced for use in farm and companion animals in 2003." Stay tuned...

A study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine compared the treatment of 272 adults with neck pain lasting at least 2 weeks. They were treated with chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), home exercises, or medications (anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, pain killers). Improvement was periodically evaluated over 52 weeks.

The researchers found that chiropractic and exercise were significantly more beneficial than medications for patients suffering neck pain. This significant improvement was noted within 8 weeks for chiropractic treatment and within 26 weeks for home exercises. The improved benefit lasted at least 52 weeks (the length of the study).

Read the neck pain study here.