The bacteria in your gut may help you destress, says new research
By Sravanth Verma http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/health/the-bacteria-in-your-gut-may-help-you-destress-says-new-research/article/423731#tab=comments&sc=0
A recent study has found a link between the kind of bacteria you have in your gut and your mental anxiety levels. This throws up some interesting questions in the study of anxiety relief.
The study published in the journal Psychopharmacology feeding the "good" bacteria in the gut has a positive correlation with anxiety relief.
The researchers used prebiotics to test the hypothesis. Prebiotics are not to be confused with probiotics. Probiotics are the "good" bacteria in our guts that help in digestion and are the subject of many studies indicating that they play a huge role in our physiological health. Prebiotics on the other hand are the carbohydrates that serve as food for those bacteria.
For the study, 45 healthy people between 18 and 45 were placed on a prebiotic or placebo course every day for three weeks. At the end of this period, they completed tests for the researchers to assess their emotional states.
Those who received the prebiotic were seen to pay less attention to negative information, and more attention to positive information as compared to those who received the placebo. Prebiotic recipients were also found to have less cortisol in their saliva. Cortisol levels are higher in people under stress.
Dr. Kirsten Tillisch, the study's lead author, said in a statement, "Time and time again, we hear from patients that they never felt depressed or anxious until they started experiencing problems with their gut. Our study shows that the gut–brain connection is a two-way street."
But the research is still only a pilot test, and more work needs to be done to confirm this link. "It's becoming a very interesting question in the field," said Dr. Roger McIntyre, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Toronto. "The animal data looks really interesting, and looks very suggestive, but we're still waiting for that convincing human study," McIntyre said.
Current treatments for anxiety include pharmaceuticals, counselling and therapies such as yoga and meditation. "I think pre/probiotics will only be used as 'adjuncts' to conventional treatments, and never as mono-therapies," Burnet told HuffPost. "It is likely that these compounds will help to manage mental illness... they may also be used when there are metabolic and/or nutritional complications in mental illness, which may be caused by long-term use of current drugs."
Flu Vaccine Losing Effectiveness
Source: Time Warner Cable (http://rochester.twcnews.com/content/news/796328/flu-vaccine-losing-effectiveness/)
If you've been sniffling, coughing and getting an upset stomach, you're not alone. It turns out that the flu vaccine this year is 10% less effective for the average person.
Doctors said normally the flu vaccine is about 2/3 or 66% effective. This year, it's about 55%. Doctors said that's because the strains of flu used in this year's vaccine aren't necessarily the same strains we are seeing now. Despite those numbers, doctors still highly recommend getting a flu shot.
"55% effectiveness means that among people who didn't get a flu shot 100 might get the flu out of a certain group," infectious disease specialist, Dr. Paul Graman said.
According to the New York State Department of Health, the number of confirmed flu cases in the state rose 154% between December 13th to the 20th.
4 Summer Foods That Can Help Trim Your Waist
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-raphael-kellman/4-summer-foods-that-will-_1_b_5597364.html
If you haven't heard about the microbiome, which The Mayo Clinic calls "the most important discovery since germ theory and genetics," let me tell you a bit about it before revealing what fresh and delicious summer foods will help you shed those hard-to-lose pounds that may have accumulated around your midsection.
The microbiome is a rich hidden universe of trillions of bacteria that live within and all around us. It turns out that there are 10 times more bacteria in and on our bodies than there are human cells! Much of this bacteria is extremely beneficial, especially the bacteria in our gut, as it controls our metabolism, our appetite, and even regulates our mood by aiding in the production of serotonin and other brain chemicals.
For the past eight years there's been a lot of research on the microbiome that I've put into clinical practice with astounding results. I've learned that there are certain foods that produce and nourish "friendly" bacteria and others that help eliminate the unfriendly bacteria that might be making it difficult for you to lose weight. Many of my patients have seen dramatic changes in their bodies and in their overall health when they follow the microbiome diet, which includes these four summer foods.
TOMATOES are a prebiotic, which means they help nourish the good bacteria that's already in your gut, replenishing the crucial lining of the intestinal walls. They are rich in inulin, arabinogalactans, and fructooligosaccharides.
Filled with dietary fiber that nourishes your microbiome while supporting your digestion and leaving you feeling full, tomatoes bright red color indicates that they are full of lycopene, an outstanding anti-oxidant. The vitamin C in tomatoes adds to its antioxidant protection. They are also rich in vitamin A, which is an important gut-healing vitamin in addition to all its other benefits. Tomatoes lower cholesterol andtriglycerides, and they reduce platelet stickiness, giving them great cardioprotective benefits. Last but not least, tomatoes are also good for bone health, so they are a terrific addition to your diet if you are at risk for osteoporosis.
Tips for Buying and Preparing Tomatoes:
Summer is the only time to buy fresh, juicy tomatoes. It's important to smell them on the theory that if it doesn't smell like a tomato, it won't taste like one. Look for tomatoes that are bright red, firm but not mushy or woody.
BLUEBERRIES contain loads of antioxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper, selenium, zinc, and iron which boost your immune system and prevent infections. They also contain anthocyanin, a pigment that gives them their blue color. A recent University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests that blueberries may help reduce belly fat and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
Tips for Buying Blueberries:
Choose blueberries that are firm and have a uniform color with a whitish bloom.
ASPARAGUS is another prebiotic. It contains oligosaccharides, fibers which help beneficial bacteria in the gut flourish. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are one of your microbiome's most potent weapons for fighting fat, preserving health, and revving up your metabolism. SCFA's are produced when the bacteria in your microbiome feed on oligosaccharides making it all the way to your colon "undigested." When you eat asparagus it's as though you're sending dinner down to your microbiome, whose bacteria feast on these fibers by fermenting them. The byproducts of that fermentation--the SCFA's--include acetate (acetic acid) and butyrate (butyric acid), as well as B vitamins and vitamin K. One of your dietary goals is to eat enough oligosaccharides and other prebiotics to keep the "good" bacteria in your microbiome well-fed and happy.
Butyrate is a kind of metabolic wonder drug. It improves insulin sensitivity while increasing energy expenditure: the amount of your fat that is burned off as energy. It modulates your immune system to protect you against infection and disease while supporting the integrity of your epithelium, preventing leaky gut. High levels of butyrate also offer effective prevention against inflammation.
LEEKS are high in dietary fiber to nourish your microbiome, and also high in flavonoids, the antioxidants that support cellular function. They have a lot of manganese, which produces digestive enzymes, as well as high quantifies of vitamin A, which is key for healing your gut wall. They are also high in folate and B6, which supports brain function. Folate is the active version of folic acid. Some people have difficulty converting folate to methyl folate, the active form in the body, so by providing extra folate directy from leeks, they can better nudge their metabolism in the right direction.
Another amazing quality of leeks is their high quantity of kaempferol, which protects us against cancer and cardiovascular disease. It helps us to lower blood pressure in two ways: by supporting nitric oxide production, and by decreasing our body's production of a compound that blocks nitric oxide production. Leeks also containpolyphenols, which support blood vessel health. Last but not least, they help decreasehomocysteine, which can interfere both with your cardiovascular system and with your brain.
Tips for Buying and Preparing Leeks:
Leeks look sort of like giant scallions -- large green tubes of coiled green skin. They taste very similar to onions, but they have a stronger, greener taste. Look for fresh, green leeks -- they should not appear wilted or pale.
In addition to eating these four foods, I encourage my patients to eat foods or take supplements that contain probiotics, the microscopic organisms that replenish the microbiome. You can find probiotics in cultured and fermented foods that contain live bacteria: raw sauerkraut, kimchee, pickled vegetables, goat's or sheep's milk kefir and yogurt without sugar. Probiotics can help you lose both pounds and inches. Significantly the fat that is lost tends to be visceral fat -- the highly dangerous fat wrapped around your organs that makes your abdomen bulge.
Raphael Kellman, M.D. is the author of The Microbiome Diet and the founder of the Kellman Center for Functional and Integrative Medicine. For more information visit raphaelkellmanmd.com.
Documentary Aims to Educate Consumers on Probiotics’ Benefits
Source: Natural Products Insider (BLIS probiotics)
ST. CHARLES, Mo.—Stratum Nutrition sponsored the new documentary “MicroWarriors: Special Edition," along with its segment on probiotics and oral health, to educate consumers on the health benefits of probiotics.
As part of its sponsorship, Stratum is partnering with Health Point Productions to help raise awareness for the film. BLIS K12® is a probiotic that starts working in its natural habitat, the oral cavity, and has benefits for oral and immune health—something beyond the digestive health benefits with which consumers are more familiar. The new segment addresses the discovery and development of BLIS probiotics and advances in understanding their “oral health" benefits over the last 30 years.
“The oral health segment is one of the main highlights for the film, showcasing a new angle for probiotic education toward consumers and physicians alike," said David Knight, producer for Health Point Productions.
Professor John Tagg, the founding scientist of BLIS probiotics and microbiologist at University of Otago in New Zealand, explains many of the scientific findings and benefits of supplementing with such probiotics as teachings within the documentary.
Scheduled to launch by the end of 2014, “MicroWarriors: Special Edition" will present probiotics in an entertaining and interesting light, featuring Leonard Nimoy as the narrator to guide audients members through the microbiome.
China reports new human case of H7N9 bird flu
Source: Reuters, Dec 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/29/us-china-birdflu-idUSKCN0JD01T20141129
China confirmed a new human infection of the deadly H7N9 avian influenza virus, state news agency Xinhua said, the first case this winter in the southern province of Guangdong.
A 31-year-old woman surnamed Deng, from the provincial city of Dongguan, was confirmed on Friday to have been infected with the virus, Guangdong's health and family commission said in a statement on its website.
The patient, in critical condition, is being treated in the provincial capital of Guangzhou, it added.
The H7N9 bird flu first infected three people in China in March 2013. Since then, it has since infected more than 450 people, killing 175 of them.
In March, police in southwestern China detained three people for spreading rumors about the bird flu strain.
Warning as use soars of 'last resort' antibiotics
Independent (Nov 2014) http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/warning-as-use-soars-of-last-resort-antibiotics-30734703.html
The trend is "alarming" because there has been a worldwide rise in resistance to these drugs, with patients in intensive care in particular danger.
The failure rate can lead to illnesses becoming resistant to treatments that were formerly able to kill them.
The report calls for these antibiotics to be tightly controlled in hospitals, with more discussion on their use with infection control experts.
It warns: "An increase in infections due to carbapenem-resistant bacteria in Ireland would result in significant increases in morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs as has been seen in other countries."
It comes as members of the public are invited to a free lecture on the antibiotic crisis in UCC tomorrow night, where experts will reveal how resistance threatens to make routine operations impossible and "a scratched knee potentially fatal".
Professor Mary Horgan said: "New infections emerge for a variety of reasons; ecological, environmental and human factors that put people in contact with unfamiliar bugs. Bugs are smart and want to survive so they develop strategies to evade our immune systems or the treatments we have to kill them."
It recently emerged that one in 50 Irish people is taking antibiotics every day. But the drugs are not working in many cases because the cause of the illness is due to a virus and not bacteria.
GPs have been accused of handing out antibiotics too freely in the past.
They are under pressure to tell patients who are suffering from a cold and looking for an antibiotic this winter to seek over-the-counter symptom relief medication instead.
The advice is that paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen are also effective in reducing temperatures and relieving muscle pain which are associated with a cold virus.
The patient should take as much rest as possible and maintain their fluid intake.
The UCC lecture will be held at 8pm tomorrow night in the Western Gate Building.
Irish Independent
Exercise Wisdom Tooth Boosts Oral Health in Far North
Friday, 31 October 2014, 12:10 pm
Press Release: Northland DHB (Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1410/S00186/exercise-wisdom-tooth-boosts-oral-health-in-far-north.htm)
October 31, 2014
They came and, like knights in shining armour, boosted the oral health of almost 750 high-need Far North residents, before leaving again two weeks later.
In partnership with the Northland DHB oral health service, a team of New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) dental personnel and other associated health promotion personnel, provided a treatment and health promotion programme in October based at Kaitaia Hospital.
The free service, run as a NZDF training exercise, known as Exercise Wisdom Tooth, was aimed at those who hold a community service card. All community service card holders were referred by their GP, the Kaitaia Community Link and private dentists. Some of the patients came from as far away as Whangaroa, Pangaru , Okaihau, Te Kao and Te Hapua to take up the opportunity and during the two-week exercise, the team packed in 750 consultations and over 2000 treatments (including a clean and scale, fillings, x-rays and extractions).
An integral part of the exercise was a health promotion road show visiting eight schools in the Far North. Classroom learning about oral health and healthy lifestyles was combined with an army assault course team relay activity.
Child, Youth, Maternal Oral & Public Health general manager Jeanette Wedding describes the visit as a “humbling experience” and considers it one of the major successes for the Northland DHB this year.
“It is clear that, for this group of the population, this has been a life-changing moment for them. To see people free from pain, corrective work done on their teeth, restored teeth that enabled some not to be ashamed of smiling or talking, the commitment from them to look after their teeth and to ensure their children would too was, as I said, humbling. There will be many stories to tell but this population group is so grateful for this opportunity.
“This was an unforgettable experience for many of us and, I know, the Far North community.”
Ms Wedding points out that many other players were working alongside the NZDF and Northland DHB Oral Health team, including GP practices, Maori providers and the eight schools visited, to make the programme a success and an invitation was extended to the NZDF to return. “We saw how teamwork can happen if the passion is there to do something with positive outcomes for our people.”
Northland DHB was given a plaque by the NZDF to commemorate their visit and it will be placed at the front entrance of Kaitaia Hospital.
Exercise Wisdom Tooth is designed to increase NZDF service capabilities to provide dental treatment and health promotion activity while deployed on military exercises in the Pacific region.
Major Suzanne Halligan says the NZDF works with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide regular aid missions in the Western Pacific Region.
“Health-related services are provided, including dental services and, in recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on education, training and prevention.”
Oral health advisor Dr Neil Croucher says good dental health is important and contributes to better general health, raises self-esteem, and is associated with better educational outcomes and improved job prospects.
Service manager, oral health service Pip Zammit passes on a special thanks to all involved in this project, particularly Kelly Larkins and the oral health leadership team, the oral health promotion team, the oral health team in Kaitaia, Jacqui Westren and Neta Smith.
“It was a busy two weeks for all the team at Kaitaia hospital, thank you to you all for being there for us and our patients. You all embraced the project and the food and hospitality was fantastic.”
Aussie Ebola Case 'Sore Throat'
Source: Stuff.co.nz (http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/62367784/aussie-ebola-case-sore-throat)
A specialist Melbourne laboratory has confirmed Queensland nurse Sue-Ellen Kovack does not have Ebola.
Dr Julian Druce, Senior Scientist at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), said on Saturday that his team had confirmed the negative test carried out on Friday in Queensland. VIDRL, at Melbourne University's Peter Doherty Institute, is the national reference laboratory for viral haemorrhagic fevers like Ebola.
Kovack remains in isolation in Cairns Hospital.
There were fears Kovack could have been Australia's first case of Ebola, given she recently returned from volunteering at hospitals in Sierra Leone - one of the countries hardest hit by the virus that has claimed more than 4000 lives in West Africa.
Kovack isolated herself at home on her return, but reported to authorities she had a low-grade fever, as normal protocol dictates, and was admitted to hospital on Thursday.
A Queensland Health spokesman told AAP on Saturday most of Kovack's symptoms had subsided.
"She still has a bit of a sore throat and is tired, which you could expect given the circumstances," the spokesman said.
Queensland Health is expected to provide updates on Kovack's condition throughout Sunday.
The Red Cross worker returned from Sierra Leone, via Casablanca and Dubai, then made her way through Perth and Melbourne to Cairns.
But authorities have moved to allay fears Kovack could have spread the virus, which can only be contracted by coming into contact with secretions of an infected person.
New Zealand is "not immune" to the arrival of the deadly Ebola disease and may send military or humanitarian assistance overseas to help combat its spread, Prime Minister John Key says.
Soure: New Zealand Herald, 10 Oct 2014 (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11340602)
Mr Key this afternoon said the likelihood of the virus reaching New Zealand remained low but "you have seen a situation where at least potential cases have gone to Australia so you can see that we're not completely immune from that".
Appropriate checks were currently in place at airports "but if we start getting to the point where we feel as though there's not enough being done then again we'll consider that matter".
EBOLA CRISIS - READ MORE: Australian cleared as more contacts of Spanish nurse hospitalised
"The threat really for us is greater if we start seeing a case in our nearest neighbour Australia or locations where New Zealanders travel a lot to, like the United States."
The Government was taking a number of precautions to prepare for any suspected cases developing in New Zealand.
"There's a unit established at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, we've changed the designations around Ebola and we continue to work with our offshore partners.
"We're taking it very seriously."
Mr Key said New Zealand may offer humanitarian or military assistance overseas to help fight the disease.
"Internationally you can see that people are going to work pretty hard to try and contain it in the event that the disease was to mutate which is obviously a much more serious potential risk and so that's something we will consider but we haven't taken any advice on that yet."
- NZ Herald
Increased probiotic amount may counter oral pathogens
Source: Drbicuspid.com http://www.drbicuspid.com/index.aspx?sec=ser&sub=def&pag=dis&ItemID=316508
October 1, 2014 -- Canadian and New Zealand researchers have found that the amount, or persistence, of a probiotic in a patient's mouth is dose-dependent, and the probiotic's ability to linger in a patient's oral cavity may allow more effective countering of pathogens.
While probiotics are advertised as small factories producing biologically active substances that benefit the host, most probiotics rapidly pass through the oral and digestive tracts following their ingestion, which means that the likelihood of "persistence" at their principal target site, the patient's mouth, is low, the study authors wrote in their 2013 study published by PLOS One. In fact, probiotic bacteria do not generally persist for more than a few hours or days in the oral cavity, according to previous studies.
The long-term effects of this study include the recognition of the persistence of probiotic strains and that it might be possible to engineer specific strains of probiotics, according to lead author Jeremy P. Burton, PhD.
"The study had a couple of key points," Burton wrote DrBicuspid.com in an email. "First, some probiotic strains can actually persist and maybe colonize their site of action. This previously was not thought possible, but we are also starting to see evidence that other probiotic strains used in the gut need their adhesive molecules on their surfaces intact to be able to interact with the host and may explain individuals who are responders or nonresponders to treatment."
"Second, it may be possible to naturally engineer an ideally tailored strain of Streptococcus salivarius for a certain health condition," he stated.
“The ability of a probiotic to persist at the target site likely allows the organism to have a greater impact on the host.”
— Jeremy P. Burton, PhD, and colleagues
Burton is the Miriam Burnett Research Chair in Urological Sciences; an assistant professor in the division of urology in the departments of surgery and also microbiology and immunology at Western University in London, Ontario; and a scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute and Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics Office, also in London.
The researchers' goal was to investigate the effect of different dosage levels of S. salivarius M18 on the persistence of bacteriocin-producing cells. For the study, 75 participants with an average age of 19 years were recruited from a university class. They were randomized and blinded to one of four identical-looking dosage groups taking probiotic lozenges containing 1 x 106 (n = 19), 1 x 107 (n = 20), 1 x 108 (n = 17), or 1 x 109 (n = 19) colony-forming units of S. salivarius M18 per dose.
The subjects used one lozenge per day for 28 days after toothbrushing. Samples of about 1 mL of unstimulated saliva were obtained from each subject at the start of the study and then each week at least 12 hours after a lozenge was taken.
Bacterial pathogens tend to have specific virulence traits that facilitate their attachment and subsequent invasion of oral and intestinal tissue, the study authors wrote. They noted that the location of the oral cavity provides comparatively uncomplicated access for probiotics and sampling to assess their impact. Studies have shown that the microbial composition of saliva is derived from various oral ecosystems, such as the dorsum of the tongue. S. salivarius has an innate capability of binding to and persisting on the tongue dorsum, and some strains release copious quantities of bacteriocins into saliva that could provide a targeted way of removing deleterious bacteria.
During the collection and analysis of the subjects' saliva, persistent low-level dosing "did not appear to lead to cumulative increases in the proportion of the probiotic within the indigenous salivary population," the authors noted. However, they did find that the higher the dosage involved, the higher the level of persistence.
This finding in particular, according to the authors, has implications for the clinical applications of probiotics, which are often recommended to be given daily. The "ability of a probiotic to persist at the target site likely allows the organism to have a greater impact on the host," because most do not colonize the host, they noted.
An important aspect of the study was determining if the probiotic caused any disruption of the indigenous microbiota of healthy subjects, which regulatory agencies view as a negative consequence. While some subjects clearly had a high level of persistence of the probiotic strain, gene-sequence analysis did not show a notable change in the predominant microbial composition, the researchers reported. This finding backed up previous studies and supports the safety of this strain of probiotic.
One of the ongoing frustrations for Burton is that the word probiotic itself isn't used specifically enough.
"The word probiotic is often broadly used out of definition," he said. "By definition (the World Health Organization), a probiotic confers a health benefit to the host when conferred in adequate numbers; otherwise it is just a bacteria. We often hear 'probiotics do or don't work,' and [it] is very frustrating because we must only compare a particular strain, at a specific dose and format to the health outcome, not just one against another or the whole class of treatment as succeeding or failing."
More investigation into specific products is needed, he said.
"There are various products on the market, and it requires some investigation to find out those that have some scientific credibility behind them," Burton said. "For this they must look at the basics of the products touted for oral use (species, strain, dose, and format) to see if it was the same as used in clinical trials where there has been an efficacious outcome."
A number of strains that have oral benefits and are available commercially have been studied and have had research published about them, he noted.
"I believe that in the shift away from potentially microbiome-damaging antimicrobial agents that may be linked to other diseases that we will see a greater emphasis on these oral cavity treatment adjuncts," Burton stated.
When asked if there are certain patients who should not take probiotics, he responded that there are few such patients.
"Very few," Burton said. "There is always a risk given that we are using a live organism, though it is low."
Most probiotics are derived from food-grade sources or, if they are not, should have a significant safety dossier with them, he noted.
"Combining with dental procedures may be an exception to that in some cases, given that we may be introducing bacteria to easily accessible wound sites in untested formats," Burton said. "However, the countering argument is that saliva has relatively high bacterial numbers in it anyway, so if it is consumed in a normal way, e.g., by ingestion, it shouldn't result in increased risk."
While cases have been reported of probiotic strains or bacterial species used as probiotics causing infection, the reality is that quite often there has been some other medical intervention or trauma that has led to the problem, he noted.
"The human microbiota contains huge numbers of bacteria, and billions of doses of probiotics are consumed daily with little side effects," Burton said.
State of our kids' teeth
Source: New Zealand Herald (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11321636)
Sugary drinks blamed for higher number of hospital admissions for dental disease
Ngapera Ronaki, 5, has her teeth checked at the mobile dental clinic at her school. Picture / Christine Cornege
More pre-schoolers are being hospitalised with dental disease including severe tooth decay than any other age group, and the rate of admissions in New Zealand for all age groups have grown significantly in the past 20 years.
Children aged 8 or under had the highest rate of admission to hospital for dental care with 3- and 4-year-olds requiring significantly more treatment than anyone else, according to a report published by the Ministry of Health reviewing admission to hospitals for dental care between 1990 and 2009.
Between 2005 and 2009, 20.7 in every thousand children aged 3 to 4 years old were hospitalised for dental treatment, up from 17.8 in every thousand between 2000 and 2004. The number of 5- to 8-year-olds also rose to 12.7 in every thousand from 8.9 in every thousand during the same period.
The figures have alarmed health experts who say better access to dental care, greater access to fluoridated water, better diets and cleaning regimes would all contribute to improve dental health in early childhood.
In New Zealand basic dental care is provided free to children under the age of 18.
Hawkes Bay District Health Board clinical director oral health services, Dr Robin Whyman, one of the report's authors, said children were admitted to hospitals because often it was easier and safer for younger children to be put under general anaesthesia to treat severe decay.
Dr Whyman said children needed to be seen by a community dental service earlier than the traditional practice where they were not seen before 2 years old.
Waikato District Health Board community oral health manager Diane Pevreal said lower decile schools generally had a higher rate of decay and poor dental health was often shown in family patterns. Maori and Pacific children tended to have poorer oral health and the report showed these groups had a higher rate of hospitalisation.
Hamilton dental therapist Jo McCaffrey, who has been in the industry for 35 years, said she felt the problem of tooth decay among pre-schoolers had got worse and said sugary drinks were a major culprit.
Ministry of Health chief dental officer Robyn Haisman-Welsh said reinvestment by the government in oral health since 2008 to fund fixed and mobile dental clinics had the potential to slow or reverse the trend of more children having severe dental issues. The aim of the $116 million capital investment was to promote earlier enrolment.
Sugar gets the blame
When Toni Ronaki's sixth child was born, she thought she knew the answer to tooth decay.
The teacher aide at Insoll Avenue Primary School in Hamilton had learned about dental care the hard way when her 14-year-old son needed his front teeth removed after drinking juice so was determined not to go through it again with her younger children.
But she was shocked last year to learn 5-year-old Ngapera required fillings and a stainless steel crown.
A check-up at the mobile community dental clinic at Insoll School this week found she needed another two crowns.
Ms Ronaki said she had taken Ngapera to the clinics for check-ups from 2.
She said Ngapera tried and "did her best to clean her teeth in the morning and at night".
Ms Ronaki the only way she could have improved Ngapera's dental health was by removing sugary foods and drinks from her diet altogether.
Keeping them clean
• Brush teeth for two minutes twice a day (after breakfast and dinner) with a fluoride toothpaste
• Enrol with the dental service at nine months of age and have regular check-ups
• Parents and health professionals "lift the lip" monthly and check children's teeth for any signs of decay
• Children eat teeth-friendly, healthy foods low in sugar
• Children drink water and milk rather than sugary acidic drinks
Source: Plunket
Dental treatment in children, 2005-2009
Age/ Hospital admissions per thousand children
0-2/ 2.2
3-4/ 20.7
5-8/ 12.7
9-12/ 2.3
Source: Admissions to New Zealand Public Hospitals for Dental Care: A 20-year review
- NZ Herald
Antibiotics wrongly prescribed by many GPs, survey finds
Doctors giving out antibacterial medication, even when unnecessary, to satisfy patients or cover uncertain diagnosis
Source: The Guardian
Almost half of British GPs have admitted prescribing antibiotics even though they know they will not treat the patient’s condition, a survey shows.
Ninety per cent of doctors who responded to a recent questionnaire said they felt pressure from patients to hand out the antibacterial medication.
The Longitude Prize survey compiled responses from 1,004 GPs across the UK and found 28% have prescribed antibiotics several times a week even when they were not sure if it is medically necessary, and 45% had done so knowing it would not help.
The findings come after experts at Public Health England and University College London revealed that the number of patients given antibiotics for minor ailments has soared in recent years.
While 36% of patients were given antibiotics for coughs and colds in 1999, by 2011 this figure had soared to 51%, the study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy found.
Last month David Cameron said that resistance to antibiotics was a “very real and worrying threat”. The prime minister pledged to put Britain at the forefront of the fight against drug-immune bacteria threatening to send medicine “back to the dark ages”.
The latest research comes ahead of the £10m Longitude Prize which will open later this year for entries to find an easy and cost-effective test for bacterial infections that doctors can use to determine if and when to give out antibiotics.
Seventy per cent of GPs surveyed said they prescribed because they were not sure whether the patient had a viral or bacterial infection, and 24% said it was because of a lack of easy-to-use diagnostic tools.
Dr Rosemary Leonard said she understood the pressures GPs were faced with to prescribe antibiotics when they were not actually necessary. “The more antibiotics taken, the more resistant bacteria come to them,” said Dr Leonard. “Antibiotic resistance is a real issue and more needs to be done to conserve antibiotics for the future.
“Diagnostics play a valuable role in making this happen. Not only can diagnostics help determine the type of infection someone has, they could gather valuable data and aid the global surveillance efforts.”
Tamar Ghosh, who leads the Longitude Prize, said accurate diagnostic tools could help curb the unnecessary use of antibiotics across the globe. “In the next five years the Longitude Prize aims to find a cheap and effective diagnostic tool that can be used anywhere in the world,” she said. “We recognise that stemming the misuse and overuse of antibiotics is just one piece of the jigsaw to slow bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
“Nevertheless it’s an important step when we could be waiting many years for other solutions, including novel alternatives to antibiotics coming to the market.”
Just 6% of 1,074 patients surveyed by Populus earlier this month said they would push their GPs to give them antibiotics, despite the high number of doctors saying they feel under pressure to do so.
Flu cases in Australia more than double last year’s number
At least 20,000 cases have been confirmed, but experts say this is only the ‘tip of the iceberg’
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/11/flu-cases-in-australia-more-than-double-last-years-number
There have been at least 20,000 cases of flu in Australia this season, more than double last year’s number, with the traditional September spike still to come.
Young mothers have been identified as the group most at risk of catching influenza, with experts saying the official numbers are “only the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to how many cases of the flu there have actually been this year.
There have been 20,979 lab-confirmed cases this year, according to the Influenza Specialist Group (ISG), but influenza expert Dr Alan Hampson said doctors only sent influenza swabs to the labs for very serious cases so a big chunk of flu cases – people who did not see the doctor when they had the flu or people who went to the doctor but did not have an extreme case – were missing from the data. Read more on flu
Six people have been admitted to Taranaki Base Hospital's ICU with serious flu-like symptoms and needing help to breathe.
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/10401009/Flu-levels-up-on-last-year-six-in-hospital
Medical officer of health Dr Jonathan Jarman said flu levels were slightly higher than last year, but considerably less than in 2012.
"Overall, it had been a quiet year so far for influenza and national surveillance data shows that we are tracking just slightly over the seasonal threshold for the flu season."
Influenza shouldn't be confused with common colds or other respiratory viruses often seen at this time of year, he said.
"Influenza can be a serious disease, especially for people with underlying medical conditions. It can make their condition much worse and lead to hospitalisation and even death. Influenza usually has symptoms such as a sudden onset of illness, high fever, headache, a dry cough and illness usually lasts seven to 10 days."
Dr Jarman said it was important that people at risk of complications stay away from people with coughs.
"At risk people are young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions," he said.
To avoid influenza people are advised to wash hands frequently and follow good respiratory hygiene. Sick people should stay home until they are better.
Free influenza vaccinations finish at the end of August and the H1N1 strain, or swine flu, is covered by the vaccine.
Vaccination is the best way of reducing chances of catching influenza.
Most people with influenza do not need to see a doctor. They should stay at home and rest in a separate, well ventilated room away from other people, he said.
It is important to drink small amounts of fluids often.
People should phone Healthline (0800 611 116) or their doctor if they are concerned or if they: Feel a lot worse, are not getting better after a few days, have an existing health condition or are in a high risk group, are pregnant, are taking any medication that affects the immune system, are looking after someone with influenza and are in a high risk group.
Flu rates rising
Monday, 4 August 2014
Cases of winter flu have spiked up to twice the national rate in Auckland, with hospitals reporting a surge in admissions.
As reported in the NZ Herald this morning:
Cases of winter flu have spiked up to twice the national rate in Auckland, with hospitals reporting a surge in admissions.
The medical wards at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland were 13 per cent over capacity yesterday and were only able to avoid overcrowding by relying on surgical wards which were 11 per cent under capacity. On Thursday, the hospital's emergency care centre managed 335 patients.
The Unexpected Way Running Affects Your Teeth
Source: Yahoo Health (https://www.yahoo.com/health/the-unexpected-way-running-affects-your-teeth-92637973678.html)
A solid workout can do wonders for your health. From keeping you at a healthy weight to improving your mental health, physical activity is a key component to a healthy lifestyle.
But according to a July 2014 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, physically active people might need to pay extra attention to their oral health. The study, done by the School of Dental Medicine at the University Hospital Heidelberg in Germany, found an increased risk of dental erosion in athletes.
Related: Decide Which Whitening Option Fits Your Needs (and Budget!)
The study of 35 triathletes and 35 non-exercisers included oral exams and assessments, saliva testing, a questionnaire about eating, drinking and oral hygiene habits, plus training habits, beverage consumption and sports nutrition. They found two important things: As the participants’ total weekly training time increased, so did the prevalence of dental erosions; and, according to a subsample of athletes participating in an incremental running field test, saliva flow rates decreased when intensity increased and saliva pH slightly increased.
When you add into the mix the carbs and sugar in sports drinks and protein bars that you’re likely consuming before and after working out, your mouth now has the perfect environment for cavities, explains Dr. Jessica Emery, cosmetic dentist and owner of Sugar Fix Dental Loft Chicago. “Sugar feeds the decay-causing bacteria. Our defenses against this bad bacteria live in our saliva,” Dr. Emery says, so lower saliva rates makes it harder for your mouth to keep itself clean. The way you breathe plus becoming dehydrated as you sweat both contribute to this dry “runner’s mouth.”
So what does this mean for you? “Any athlete will experience dry mouth from time to time,” says Emery, “but the effects seem to be more prevalent in runners since they don’t always have access to water, and distance runners can be outside for hours on end in the elements which can also exacerbate the symptoms.”
Related: 7 Essential Tips for Running Your First Marathon
This doesn’t mean you should stop lacing up and hitting the pavement to maintain your pearly whites. There are a few things you can do to eliminate a workout’s effects on your teeth:
Stay hydrated. This is your best defense against runner’s mouth, since your body needs a water supply to produce saliva. Drink water before, during and after workouts. “If you are a distance runner, consider increasing your salt intake, which allows your body to retain water,” Emery suggests.
Pop a sugar-free mint or gum post-workout. “This will get rid of the dry mouth and allow your saliva glands to start working again.” But sugar-free is key. Sugar will just encourage bad bacteria to grow and make matters worse.
Brush and floss regularly. Twice a day like you’ve been taught. And if your mouth is feeling especially rank after a run, brush and floss then, too. If you notice any sensitivity or pain, go see your dentist.
“Oral hygiene is something every one needs to take seriously when considering their overall health,” notes Emery. Runners and athletes may just need to pay a little extra attention to theirs.
Flu Hits Hard in New Zealand
Source: The New Zealand Herald (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11302902)
Cases of winter flu have spiked up to twice the national rate in Auckland, with hospitals reporting a surge in admissions.
The medical wards at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland were 13 per cent over capacity yesterday and were only able to avoid overcrowding by relying on surgical wards which were 11 per cent under capacity. On Thursday, the hospital's emergency care centre managed 335 patients.
"We've had high volumes all week," said Dot McKeen, a Middlemore manager. "After quite a warm June, we got cold weather then we got a lot of the respiratory illnesses, the usual winter ills and chills, plus there's been an increasing number of flu patients around.
"We've had large numbers ... most of this week we've had over 300 a day coming through emergency care. We are fortunate that the majority of our elective surgery is done off site [at a separate public hospital] so we haven't had to cancel any.
"Generally we would have 270 to 295 patients a day through emergency care. Once you get over 300 you know you're getting into winter. Once you get to 320, 330, 340, that's high."
Mrs McKeen said the hospital had been getting the message out through churches, radio and other local media on how to manage respiratory illnesses and to "go early to your own doctor".
The latest weekly reports from influenza surveillance programmes, up to last Sunday, estimate the number of people going to GPs with flu-like illness at 40 per 100,000 patients, averaged across most areas nationally. But it was 83 in the Auckland and Counties Manukau health districts, and more than 100 in Waitemata.
A spokeswoman for the Waitemata District Health Board, which runs the North Shore and Waitakere hospitals, said they were busy, but not so busy as last week, when a number of elective surgeries had to be postponed.
"We still want to encourage people to go to their GPs in non-emergency situations," she said.
An Auckland City Hospital spokesperson said it had had a busy week. Occupancy yesterday was 86 to 88 per cent.
New guidelines call for limiting antibiotics for ear infections
TAKING A PEEK: Dr. Ramzi Younis of the University of Miami/Holtz Children’s Hospital examines the ears of Mia Rodriguez, 3.
BY JULIE KAY
SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD
When they were toddlers, Sallie James’ twins suffered such painful ear infections they would wake up in the middle of the night screaming.
The pain was caused by fluid build-up behind the eardrum that caused the eardrum to swell. It seemed every time her twins, Cameron and Gabby, caught a cold, it would lead to one of the killer ear infections.
The Tamarac single mother was growing frustrated with the never-ending cycle of taking her kids to the doctor, getting a diagnosis of ear infection and being prescribed antibiotics. After awhile, the medications didn’t work, so they turned to increasingly stronger antibiotics. Ultimately, even those didn’t work.
Eventually, when her kids were about 3, doctors recommended the surgical implantation of ear tubes, which drain the fluid, eliminate the pain and, eventually, the infection. Thankfully, that alleviated the problem.
“I didn’t want to do it because I wasn’t a fan of surgery,” saId James, a marketing specialist. “But it made a huge difference. Before the surgery, the situation was horrendous.”
James’ experience is anything but unusual. The most common reason parents take their toddlers to the pediatrician is for ear infections, also called otitis media or middle ear infection. The most common age for the painful affliction to strike is between 1 and 3 years old; by 5, the child usually outgrows the condition.
New guidelines issued last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics question whether doctors are treating ear infections too aggressively, and call for more limited and conservative use of antibiotics.
The guidelines encourage observation with close follow-up instead of antibiotic treatment for many children, including some under the age of 2. They also encourage children suffering three ear infections within six months or four within a year be referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist for the implantation of ear tubes.
The guidelines also state that amoxicillin should be the antibiotic of choice unless the child is allergic to penicillin or has been treated with amoxicillin during the past month.
Additionally, the guidelines make recommendations for proper pain management with analgesics, noting that it takes 24 to 48 hours before symptoms improve from antibiotics. They also take note that breastfeeding can reduce the incidences of ear infections and that secondhand smoke can be a contributing factor.
The new guidelines are prompted by concerns in the medical community that pediatricians are overprescribing antibiotics in the child and adult population and that the overuse is leading to a resistance to antibiotics.
“We are running out of antibiotics,” noted Dr. Adriana Cadilla, a pediatrician at Miami Children’s Hospital. “We do need to be more cautious. We don’t want to abuse the antibiotics.”
The hardest part of the new guidelines is educating parents, said Cadilla,, adding that “it takes more time to educate a parent than to just hand them a prescription.”
Dr. Sandeep Dave, an otolaryngologist and ENT surgeon at Miami Children's Hospital, agrees that doctors have been overprescribing antibiotics. But, he added, parents are starting to move away from wanting prescriptions every time their children develop ear infections.
“I think there’s a movement, a trend of parents not wanting to give their kids so many antibiotics,” he noted.
Proper diagnosis is critical in determining whether children have ear infections or simply fluid in the ear, or swimmer’s ear. Just because children have fluid in their ears doesn’t mean infection is present. However, if the fluid is accompanied by pus behind the eardrum, a bulging eardrum, pain and possibly fever, then ear infection is the probable diagnosis. The child may also have muffled hearing and the speech may be slightly affected in serious cases.
If the doctor does not diagnose ear infection, he or she will advocate taking a watch-and-wait attitude to see if the fluid clears up on its own, particularly under the new guidelines. Although fluid can be removed from adults’ ears through a procedure that involves piercing the eardrum to drain the fluid, there is really no way to remove the fluid from the ear of a squirmy child, notes Dave.
While it’s not as serious as inner ear infection and requires no antibiotics, Dr. Ramzi Younis, University of Miami/Holtz Children’s Hospital pediatric otolaryngologist, by no means takes swimmer’s ear, or outer ear infection, lightly. “You would not wish this on anyone,” he says, referring to the accompanying pain.
He says the condition is common in the summer months, when children are swimming frequently, and in Florida in general. He often prescribes strong painkillers to treat the pain and advocates using a hair dryer to dry the ears after swimming. Parents can also put a small amount of alcohol and vinegar in a child’s ear to disinfect it and dry up any fluid.
“Everyone has some bacteria in their ears, but when kids are swimming frequently … it can wash the wax or protective lawyer out of the ears, leading to the infection,” notes Younis.
For chronic ear infections, ear tubes — which came into use in the 1960s — have been a godsend, say doctors. Dave, the Miami Children’s Hospital doctor, places 400 to 600 ear tubes a year, in children as young as 1 year old, up to 18. The plastic tubes wind up falling out on their own and do not require removal.
Do the tubes always work?
“I don’t say always,” says Dave. “But almost always. They buy time for the body to outgrow the condition.”
Sometimes, parents are resistant to the tubes, Younis says.
“It’s hard for parents to hear the word surgery,” he says. “But it’s a very simple thing to do, done under general anesthesia. It’s magnificent. It will improve their hearing and their speech.”
Dave has another recommendation for parents of children with chronic ear infections, but it’s not necessarily a practical one. He recommends they take a “day care vacation,” removing their children from day care for several weeks to allow any infections to clear up.
“I joke that day care keep me in business,” he says. “A lot of kids are passing germs back and forth. It all starts with an upper respiratory infection and then moves into the ears.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/07/26/4257200/new-guidelines-call-for-limiting.html#storylink=cpy
Toddlers now get benefits of probiotics
Source: Voxy (http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/toddlers-now-get-benefits-probiotics/5/197090)
Dunedin-based BLIS Technologies has launched a new probiotic powder suitable for children as young as six months old. The powder, part of the BLIS K12 product range, is aimed at introducing healthy bacteria into the mouth and throats of young children to support ear, nose and throat health.
CEO Barry Richarson says every parent dreads the onset of middle ear infection in their child.
"Some children are lucky and seldom get middle ear infections. Others, though, are pron