WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020
Courtesy of: Michael Ellis D.C.
Health Alert: Too Many Unneeded Antibiotics Prescribed in Children’s Hospitals. An analysis of data concerning nearly 12,000 patients at 32 children's hospitals in the United States revealed that 25% of kids prescribed antibiotics received at least one antibiotic considered to be inappropriate (the wrong antibiotic for a particular infection, prolonged antibiotic use after surgery to prevent surgical-site infections, and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics when a drug that targets a specific type of bacteria could have been used, for example). Clinical Infectious Diseases, January 2020 Diet: High-Protein, High-Fat Diet May Promote C. Difficile Infections. According to a new study, mice fed a high-fat, high-protein diet were more likely to acquire a potentially deadly Clostridioides difficile (C.difficile) bacterial infection than rodents on a standard diet. Researcher Dr. Ernesto Abel-Santos writes, “We have to look at humans to see if it correlates… We know that people have been following these different extreme diets and we really don't have a good handle on what these changes are doing to our systems.” mSystems, February 2020 Exercise: Cross-Country Skiing May Slow Parkinson’s Onset. New research that monitored the long-term health data of nearly 200,000 competitive long-distance skiers revealed that Parkinson’s disease tends to start later and progress slower in such athletes. Senior investigator Dr. Tomas Deierborg writes, “We speculate that this would be consistent with the hypothesis that individuals who are physically well-trained have a greater motor reserve, which for every given level of Parkinson's brain damage would result in less motor symptoms thus delaying the diagnosis of PD.” Journal of Parkinson's Disease, February 2020 Chiropractic: Vitamin D Insufficiency Linked to Back Pain. A recent study involving 232 postmenopausal women with low back pain identified an association between lower vitamin D status and higher pain intensity, as well as an increased risk for lumbar disk degeneration. Menopause, February 2020 Mental Attitude: Social Media Use and Poor Mental Health in Teens. The current research suggests that the more time a teenager spends on social media, they more likely they are to have body image concerns, disordered eating behavior, and negative emotions such as envy and insecurity. Canadian Medical Association Journal, February 2020 Wellness/Prevention: Cleaner Air Could Save Thousands of Lives. Researchers analyzed data gathered between 1985 and 2015 from over 400 cities in 20 different countries and found that on average, a ten microgram per cubic meter increase in ozone during the current and previous day was linked to a 0.18% increased risk of death. The findings suggest that more than 6,260 deaths each year in the 406 cities could have been prevented if the countries had air quality standards in line with World Health Organization guidelines. BMJ, February 2020 Quote: “Persevere with a plan to reach your passion, and life will be good.” ~ Homer Hickam