Tag Archives: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Challenges and Guidelines for Returning to School

Introduction

This Straight, No Chaser looks at challenges and guidelines for returning to school. First, here are two questions for your consideration. What would happen if all college students were asked to take a gap year during the 2020-21 academic year? Is that a better or worse scenario than accepting the risk of sending kids and young adults back to mass gatherings in the midst of a pandemic?

How Can We Come to the Right Decision?

Somewhere in between Notre Dame announcing a return to school schedule and Oxford University deciding that all of this academic year’s classes will be done online is where most schools will end up. However, what’s the right decision for you and your family? Colleges and universities are rather expensive. The college experience, inclusive of athletics, club activities, fraternities and sororities, is an important part of the equation. Most of that will be (should be) gone for the upcoming academic year. Even efforts to create a sense of normalcy are fraught with risk. Doesn’t the entire “go back to school thing” include a massive assumption that the pandemic environment will improve by the fall moving into the winter? Where is the evidence for that? Are you willing to accept that risk? At what financial cost? Aren’t schools about the easiest way you can imagine to rapidly extend and expand an infectious disease? Keep in mind that the presence of just one case will likely cause any given school to again shutter its doors. Remember, the issue isn’t that the students are at advanced risk for death. The issue is teachers, support staff and family members within proximity of commuter students may be.

CDC Guidelines for Returning to School

Even so, in acknowledging America’s ill-advised rush to return to normal, the CDC has put forth a list of 11 guidelines, all of which must be met before a school should even consider reopening.

Items to first consider

  • Will reopening be consistent with state and local orders?
  • Can the school protect children and employees at higher risk for severe illness?
  • Can students and employees be screened upon arrival for symptoms and history of exposure?

Are recommended health and safety actions in place?

  • Are capabilities for healthy hygiene practice in place?
  • Has the school intensified cleaning, disinfection and ventilation?
  • Are social distancing measures feasible and implemented?
  • Are employees trained on health and safety protocols?
  • Have measures for ongoing monitoring but put in place?
  • Are procedures to check signs and symptoms of students and employees on a daily basis in place?

Are procedures to have the sick stay at home in place?

  • Is there a regular communication strategy to engage students, employees, families and local authorities in place?
  • Are monitoring and student leave policies in place as needed?
  • Are coordination and communication strategies in place with local health authorities?

What to Do?

See, this is a high bar to reach, and it should be. Implementing these guidelines will be a Herculean task for any school, much less for all schools. It is foreseeable that the better course of action leans toward an emphasis on the educational component of school and less on the social component. Accordingly, the best reopening strategies will focus more on at a distance learning components than the more familiar in person scenarios. The very last thing any of us needs is a national panic based on a reemergence of the disease, based on seeding at schools and colleges. COVID-19 doesn’t care about your frustration or other priorities. Remember, the most likely of the optimistic scenarios is that a COVID-19 vaccine will be available during the summer of 2021. Until then, our actions will most likely worsen the situation, resulting in additional lives lost. Choices have consequences. Choose wisely.

Need Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

Are you a first responder? Does your job make you one of the first exposed? Courtesy of SI Medical Supply, you have an option to provide masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and no-touch thermometers for your family and loved ones. Importantly, getting these product does not deplete the supply needed by first responders and medical personnel. Orders are now being filled (without shipping delays!) for masks at www.jeffreysterlingmd.com or 844-724-7754. Other items are preorders with an expected delivery date of May 8th. Get yours now. Supplies are limited.

Follow us!

Feel free to #asksterlingmd any questions you may have on this topic. Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share! Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders! Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample what you can get from http://www.docadviceline.com. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
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CDC COVID-19 Update

Introduction

This Straight, No Chaser offers this week’s CDC COVID-19 Update.

Weekly Highlights

  • Nationally, the percentage of laboratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 was similar but slightly decreased, compared to last week.
  • Nationally, visits to outpatient providers and emergency departments (EDs) for illnesses with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 continued to decline. They are now below baseline nationally and in many regions of the country. They remain elevated in the northeast and northwest.
    • The decrease in the percentage of people presenting for care with influenza-like illness (ILI) and coronavirus-like illness (CLI) may be due to a decline in COVID-19 illness. Reported levels of activity may be decreasing because of widespread adoption of social distancing efforts and changes in healthcare seeking behavior.
    • Little influenza virus activity has been reported in recent weeks.
  • The overall cumulative COVID-19 associated hospitalization rate is 40.4 per 100,000, with the highest rates in people 65 years and older (131.6 per 100,000) and 50-64 years (63.7 per 100,000).
    • Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 in adults (18-64 years) are higher than hospitalization rates for influenza at comparable time points during the past 5 influenza seasons.
    • For people 65 years and older, current COVID-19 hospitalization rates are similar to those observed during comparable time points during recent high severity influenza seasons.
    • For children (0-17 years), COVID-19 hospitalization rates are much lower than influenza hospitalization rates during recent influenza seasons.

More Data

  • Based on death certificate data, the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia, influenza or COVID-19 (PIC) decreased from 23.6% during week 16 to 14.6% during week 17 which is still significantly above baseline. This is the second week of decline in this indicator, but the percentage remains high compared with any influenza season. The percentage may change as additional death certificates for deaths during recent weeks are processed.
  • Declines in some key indicators used to track COVID-19 from one week to the next could change as additional data are received but also may be a result of widespread social distancing measures.

All of this points out that things are still quite deadly but are slightly improving. Stay safe.

Need Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

Are you a first responder? Does your job make you one of the first exposed? Courtesy of SI Medical Supply, you have an option to provide masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and no-touch thermometers for your family and loved ones. Importantly, getting these product does not deplete the supply needed by first responders and medical personnel. Orders are now being filled (without shipping delays!) for masks at www.jeffreysterlingmd.com or 844-724-7754. Other items are preorders with an expected delivery date of May 8th. Get yours now. Supplies are limited.

Follow us!

Feel free to #asksterlingmd any questions you may have on this topic. Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share! Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders! Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample what you can get from http://www.docadviceline.com. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
 
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The Rationale for Not Using Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin to Treat COVID-19

Introduction

Before looking at the rationale against the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to treat COVID-19, think about what’s being asked here. There are two option. The first is you’re potentially asking for a patient requiring critical care to benefit from a miracle cure. The second is you’re asking for an antiparasitic medication with a dangerous side effect profile to work in preventing the spread of an especially virulent virus in patients who mostly recover on their own. It’s as if the cards were stacked at the beginning of the conversation. In case you haven’t done so, review the previous post on the rationale for using hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin.

There’s a difference between hope and false hope. To quote Dr. Fauci’s comments on physicians and persons endorsing this combination without evidence, “We don’t operate on how you feel. We operate on what evidence is, and data is…we’ve got to be careful that we don’t make that majestic leap to assume that this is a knockout drug.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, in his self-described capacity as a cheerleader, has notably encouraged using these drugs, saying “What do you have to lose?” Well, physician don’t operate that cavalierly with your lives. We operate under the mantra “Do No Harm.” Let use these opposing premises as the starting point for a review of the arguments against the proposed uses of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19.

The Research

There really are four topics that constitute the arguments (“evidence” if you will) for use of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19. Let’s review them.

Small studies performed on laboratory cell cultures

A Chinese study demonstrated that hydroxychloroquine prevented proliferation of the COVID-19 in a lab setting. Anyone who has ever taken a high school science course should recall the difference between in vitro and in vivo. What happens in a petri dish is a long way away from having the same effect on and having benefits in living beings. Furthermore, efforts specifically meant to replicate the lab (in vitro) success have not been successful. Per the academic journal Antiviral Research: “Chloroquine has been proposed several times for the treatment of acute viral diseases in humans without success.” Simply put, the drug has shown no benefit when tested on any animal in clinical studies.

Comments of Chinese Health Officials

Chinese health officials assert “chloroquine might improve the success rate of treatment, shorten hospital stay and improve patient outcome.” That sounds good, but this Chinese consensus statement provided no data to support the assertion. For example, one such paper was titled “Breakthrough: Chloroquine phosphate has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of COVID-19 associated pneumonia in clinical studies.” It cites as its primary source an audio recording of a news briefing from the State Council of China. That’s propaganda, not science.

The French Study

A single French study that suggested the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was effective against COVID-19. (This is the study Trump references in his tweets.) The study’s conclusion states “hydroxychloroquine is efficient in clearing viral nasopharyngeal carriage of [the novel coronavirus] in COVID-19 patients in only three to six days, in most patients.”

This paper has been criticized widely. Here are some of the cited concerns.

The study contained 20 people, thus lacking the statistic power to make extrapolations of the data that supporters have made. Also, this study was published without underground the peer review process that subjects these things to medical scrutiny.

This was not a double-blinded study. The doctors and the patients were aware of patients’ group status within the study. This is a failure by itself. Also, only a quarter of the placebo patients actually had their viral load measured! So how was the conclusion of reducing nasopharyngeal COVID-19 quantified? By the way, even if “clearing of the virus” occurred, that doesn’t necessary equate to “better clinical outcomes.” There is no suggestion one set of individuals fared better than the other.

Furthermore, six (a pretty substantial proportion) of the patients from the group who had been receiving the drug quit the trial. Three of them ended up in intensive care. One died. These likely were failures of the drug to work against the virus, but this data wasn’t considered or reported as such in the results.

Dr. Vladamir Zelenko’s 699 Patients

Many are enamored with Dr. Vladamir Zelenko’s claims that he has treated 699 patients successfully with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin (with zinc). Here’s all you need to know to analyze his efforts. Zelenko’s claims are exactly that: claims. He has published no data. He has described no study design. There has been no analysis reported. His anecdotes are not close to being scientific proof.

Pushback

In fact, there has been an actual controlled clinical trial from China that showed no statistical differences in health outcomes between a control group and patients who received hydroxychloroquine after seven days. However, because of its small size, it also can not be deemed conclusive.

Still, and in case you didn’t know, the preponderance of evidence (or lack thereof) has compelled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to pull back its guidance for hydroxychloroquine usage for COVID-19. It no longer offers recommendations for its dosage. Also, the CDC has also deleted all information on those aforementioned early studies of the drug from its website. Its “off-label” use for emergencies is left to the discretion of individual physicians. It is of note that multiple prominent institutions, such as Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, have declined to offer it.

Summary

What this all means is, at best, “the absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence.” It is indisputable that the research thus far is below the medical and scientific standard. However, because of some of the theoretically plausible benefits and the actual absence of any meaningful data, the drugs are worthy of undergoing the scrutiny of the scientific method of research. And thus, legitimate clinical studies have begun.

It is unfortunate that the attention paid to hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin (and their unfounded positioning as miracle drugs) could be distracting from other possible solutions. It certainly is a distraction from the need to focus on wider testing and preventive strategies. What has also been lost in the fervor is the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin could be dangerous for individuals, particularly those with some heart conditions. However, you will note that looking at side effects wasn’t even necessary to demonstrate the use of these medicines is premature at best. In the spirit of “do no harm,” let’s finish back with Dr. Fauci, who was asked if he would take the drug if he were stricken with the virus. His response? “Only if it were part of a clinical trial.”

Need Masks?

The CDC now recommends everyone wear masks. Courtesy of SI Medical Supply, you have an option to provide 3-layer facial masks for your family and loved ones. You can now obtain a pack of 15 for $35, including shipping and handling. These are the recommended masks. Importantly, getting this product does not deplete the supply needed by first responders and medical personnel. Order are now at www.jeffreysterlingmd.com or 844-724-7754. Get yours now. Supplies are limited.

Follow us!

Feel free to #asksterlingmd any questions you may have on this topic. Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample what you can get from http://www.docadviceline.com. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

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Actual Criteria for Coronavirus Testing

Introduction

Do you have any idea about the actual criteria for coronavirus testing? Even if you don’t want to know, if you’re talking or visiting a physician, you should be aware of what’s being used to determine (under current recommendations) your eligibility. This Straight, No Chaser presents an active set of criteria for your review.

Meanwhile, the need to expand coronavirus testing criteria and to expand the availability of tests continues. Let your voices be heard. #WhereAreTheTests

Whom Should Physicians Test for COVID-19?

Physicians may test any patient with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Examples of these typically include fever, cough and shortness of breath. As commercial testing becomes even more increasingly accessible, expect criteria to expand.

However, the following patients should be prioritized for testing:

  • Critically ill patients receiving ICU-level care with unexplained viral pneumonia or respiratory failure. This is regardless of travel history or close contact with suspected or confirmed COVD-19 patients. This is meant to inform decisions about infection control and investigational therapeutics.
  • Any persons with fever (subjective or confirmed) and/or symptoms of a lower respiratory tract illness and a history of close contact with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patient within 14 days of symptom onset. This includes all residents of a long-term care facility that have had a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case.
    1. “Close contact” is defined as being within approximately six feet of a COVID-19 case for a prolonged period. A prolonged period equals more than about 10 minutes per current public health contact-tracing practice. It also includes those having direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 case (e.g., being coughed on).
    2. Here’s when physicians and other health care personnel (e.g., nurses and administrative staff) should be tested. Testing may be considered if there has been exposure to a person with suspected COVID-19 even without laboratory confirmation. Even mild signs and symptoms (e.g., sore throat) of COVID-19 should be evaluated among potentially exposed health care personnel. This is warranted given their extensive and close contact with vulnerable patients in health care settings.
  • Any symptomatic individuals with a history of travel within 14 days of symptom onset to geographic regions where sustained community transmission has been identified.
  • Any symptomatic individuals who may be at higher risk of poor outcomes. These include those who are ≥ 65 years of age, immunosuppressed, or have high-risk chronic medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease, chronic kidney disease).
  • Individuals with fever and/or symptoms of a lower respiratory tract illness who are critical to pandemic response. These include health care personnel, public health officials, and other essential leaders.

Whom should physicians NOT test for COVID-19?

  • Asymptomatic individuals are not recommended to be tested for COVID-19, regardless of exposure history.
  • If an alternative diagnosis can be determined (e.g., rapid strep, rapid flu, BioFire viral panel), a clinical determination can be made that a COVID-19 test is not necessary. This is especially true if there is not yet community transmission of the disease in your area.
  • CDC recommends that mildly ill patients should be encouraged to stay home. You should contact your physician by phone for guidance about clinical management. If telemedicine is available and determines that symptoms are mild, patient’s should be referred to a mobile testing site if available. Otherwise, your doctor may elect to test you at the end of the day in the office away from other patients. This can protect staff and other patients and preserves the use of personal protective equipment.  

You would do well to print this out. Use it as a guide to determine if your symptoms meet criteria for coronavirus testing under current guidelines. Use it to insist on testing if you meet criteria. #KnowledgeIsPower #KnowledgeIsHealth

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Feel free to #asksterlingmd any questions you may have on this topic. Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample what you can get from http://www.docadviceline.com. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

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Avoiding Accidents

Introduction

Do you ever think about avoiding accidents? We don’t like to believe it, but so many of our ills are self-inflicted. Part of being self-empowered as relates to health is understanding where the dangers are. After all, common things happen commonly! Of course, having this knowledge helps prevent injuries.

According to 2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidents (meaning unintentional injuries) are the third leading cause of deaths in the US. However, it is the number one cause of death in every age group from 1 to 44 years old.

This next post in the Straight, No Chaser empowerment series gives you some basics. If you focus on these in the midst of everything you do, you will be pleased with the outcome – or should we say the lack of negative outcomes!

Straight, No Chaser Resources on Avoiding Accidents

Here are some posts to help empower you. They’re simple, effective and to the point. They cover a wide variety of the most common types of accidents that cause death and disability.

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Feel free to #asksterlingmd any questions you may have on this topic. Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample what you can get from http://www.docadviceline.com. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

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A Challenge to Prevent Alhzeimer’s Disease

Introduction

Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Who wouldn’t want to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease? We’ve done a few challenges in this space. However, remember that we’re never as interested in the activity as we are the accomplishment. In other words, the best challenges aren’t as concerned with the exercise as the underlying health benefit. We’re not doing a formal challenge today, but I do want to give you five simple tips. If you accept the challenge of implementing them into your habits, they will dramatically reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.

This is an overly simplistic presentation with the goal of giving you achievable tasks toward holding off Alzheimer’s Disease.

Let’s Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

To be clear: there is presently no cure for Alzheimer’s. Therefore, the effort to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease is as good as it gets. We’ve discussed it at length in this space, and we offer links to better understand it. What we want you to know today is incorporation of a series of healthy lifestyle habits can offer a 60% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease than those practicing one or none of these habits. Simply put, according to multiple medical studies, the more healthy habits you adopt, the lower your risk will be of cognition decline.

Here’s the list:

  • Regular exercise (moderate to vigorous for at least 150 minutes a week)
  • Cognitive stimulation (engaging in later-in-life “brain exercise” activities)
  • Eating a brain-healthy diet
  • Not smoking
  • Light to moderate alcohol consumption

Regarding diet, the brain healthy diet is made of leafy green vegetables, nuts, poultry, beans and olive oil. It avoids red meat, sweet and fried foods (similar to the MIND diet).

Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). It is the most common form of dementia. These interventions lower your risk regardless of any generic risk.

Wait, There’s More!

Click on the below links for any and all of these Straight, No Chaser posts on Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

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Prostate Cancer Awareness for 2019

Introduction

This post is for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. We offer answers to a few questions and additional resources. The first is this video from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about whether you should get tested for prostate cancer.

Basic Facts

Men (and those who care for men – meaning everyone) should be knowledgeable about prostate cancer. I don’t mean physician-level knowledgeable, but there are just a few facts that you should know that are meaningful. We’ll cover those in this Straight, No Chaser.
Aside from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S. It is also one of the leading causes of cancer death among men of all races. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2018, there will be over 164,6900 new cases and well over 29, 430 deaths (13% increase from 2017) from prostate cancer. Approximately 11.2% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lifetime. Here are some prostate cancer basics.
Prostate NormalCancer

Who’s at risk for prostate cancer?

  • Age: This is simple. The older you are, the greater your risk of developing prostate cancer.
  • Race: Prostate cancer is more common in certain racial and ethnic groups.
  • Genetics: This risk is twice to three times more likely if you have a father, brother or son who has had prostate cancer. This is not the same as saying you’ll develop prostate cancer if a family member did.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

prostate cancer symptoms

It is of interest that a wide variety of presentations exists in those later diagnosed with prostate cancer. Some men don’t have symptoms. In these cases, prostate cancer is discovered on screening examinations. Other men present with several symptoms, often including the following.

  • Blood in the urine or semen
  • Difficulty completely emptying the bladder
  • Difficulty starting urination
  • Frequent urination (especially at night)
  • Pain in the back, hips, or pelvis that doesn’t go away
  • Pain or burning during urination
  • Painful ejaculation
  • Weak or interrupted flow of urine

What Is Prostate Cancer Screening?

Cancer screening means looking for cancer before it causes symptoms. The goal of screening for prostate cancer is to find cancer early that may spread if not treated.

There is no standard test to screen for prostate cancer. Here are two tests that are commonly used to screen for prostate cancer.

  • A blood test called a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. PSA is a substance your prostate makes. This test measures the level of PSA in your blood. Your PSA level may be high if you have prostate cancer and for many other reasons, such as having an enlarged prostate, a prostate infection, or taking certain medicines.
  • Digital rectal examination, when a health care provider inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into a man’s rectum to feel the prostate for anything abnormal, such as cancer.

How Is Prostate Cancer Treated?

Prostate-Cancer-Treatment

See the above chart for more detailed information. Optimally, treatment for prostate cancer should take into account

  • Your age and expected life span with and without treatment
  • Other health conditions you have
  • The severity (i.e. stage and grade) of your cancer
  • Your feelings (and your physician’s medical opinion) about the need to treat the cancer
  • The likelihood that treatment will cure your cancer or provide some other measure of benefit
  • Possible side effects from treatment

Different types of established treatments are available for prostate cancer, including the following:

  • Closely monitoring the prostate cancer by performing prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal exam (DRE) tests regularly, and treating the cancer only if it grows or causes symptoms. This is called active surveillance.
  • Surgery to remove the prostate and or surrounding tissue. This surgery is called a prostatectomy.
  • Radiation therapy with high-energy rays to kill the cancer..
  • Hormone therapy perhaps could be named “hormone blocking therapy.” These medicines blocks cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow.

There’s More!

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Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Another free benefit to our readers is introductory pricing with multiple orders and bundles!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK. Likewise, please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Also like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

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National Child Abuse Awareness Month

Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness

Introduction

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month (and Neglect Prevention Month). Therefore, Straight, No Chaser, with the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is offering up information and resources. Let’s increase you knowledge and offer better protection for the children you love. Children and families thrive when they have access to safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Make a point of learning how to prevent child abuse and neglect before it begins!

Child Abuse Prevention

Father hugging child and smiling

Facts about Child Abuse and Neglect

Child abuse and neglect are significant public health problems in the United States:

  • In 2017, an estimated 1,720 children died from abuse and neglect.
  • Also, about 674,000 children were identified as victims of child abuse or neglect by child protective service agencies in 2017.
  • Furthermore, an estimated one in four children have experienced abuse or neglect at some point in their lives.

Child Abuse and Neglect Are Preventable

child abuse prevention and awareness

Children’s lives are shaped by their experiences, including what happens in their environment and the types of relationships they have with parents, teachers, and other caregivers. Children who experience abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are also at increased risk for negative health consequences and certain chronic diseases as adults. Safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments are essential to preventing child abuse and neglect. Additionally, policies and programs that are supportive of children and families can help prevent such abuse and neglect.

Resources for Prevention

national child abuse prevention month

CDC works to prevent child abuse and neglect before it begins.

Visit CDC’s VetoViolence website for free violence prevention trainings, tools, and resources.

There’s More!

Visit these Straight, No Chaser posts for more information on Child Abuse

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Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

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Cervical Health Awareness Month

Introduction

cervical health awareness month

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. To that end, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) boldly proclaims “No woman should die of cervical cancer.” Yes, that is actually possible!

This post has a rather simple message. Cervical cancer is entirely preventable. Furthermore, it can be cured when discovered and treated early.

Quick Tips

Here are some quick tips to help you check this off of your list of concerns.

  • Every child should get vaccinated at age 11 or 12. Even if you’ve reached age 26 and haven’t been vaccinated, you should discuss options with your physician.
  • Get screened, starting at age 21. This is the most important thing you can do to help prevent cervical cancer.

pap smear

  • The Pap test (or smear) should be performed regularly at age 21. It looks for precancerous changes to the cervix that identify the need for early treatment. In many cases a normal test will eliminate the need for another test for the next three years, but your physician will discuss your individual circumstances in this regard.
  • The HPV test looks for the virus that is now known to be the cause of cervical cancer. Furthermore, human papillomavirus (HPV) is sexually transmitted. The HPV test can be done at the same time as the Pap test from the same examination.

Hopefully knowing these simple tools will convince you to focus on preventing and managing your cervical health. This is a public health success story in that cervical cancer could be eliminated if everyone followed the above steps. The rest is up to you.

Read these!

  • This additional Straight, No Chaser post discusses the prevention strategy that could eliminate in total cervical cancer. Read it for details.
  • This Straight, No Chaser post shares news regarding the success of the vaccine in reducing the rates of HPV infection and cervical cancer. Read it for details.

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Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Another free benefit to our readers is introductory pricing with multiple orders and bundles!

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Understanding Food Poisoning

Introduction

FoodPoisoning

We make a decision with everything we place into our mouths. We also exhibit a large amount of trust that the food we eat is safe. Most of the time that’s true, but unfortunately sometimes it’s not. Here are some questions and answers to understanding the scope of food poisoning.

How frequent is food poisoning?

According to 2011 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year in the U.S. approximately 1 in 6 Americans (almost 50 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.

food poisoning

What causes food poisoning?

Over 250 different foodborne diseases have been described, most of which are infections. The most common foodborne illnesses are caused by norovirus and by the bacteria SalmonellaClostridium perfringens, and CampylobacterStaph Aureus (yes, that Staph) is another prominent but less common cause of food poisoning. Poisonous chemicals or other harmful substances can cause foodborne diseases if present in food.

What are the most common symptoms of food poisoning?

Even though there are many different foodborne diseases, they share a commonality of entering your system through your gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the first symptoms are caused and expressed from there. They typically include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

foodpoisoning traceback_900px

 

Why do foodborne diseases seem to occur in outbreaks?

Actually, the overwhelming majority of cases of food poisoning don’t occur in outbreaks, but of course you wouldn’t know that because having diarrhea is not something people typically will tell you… When outbreaks occur, it’s because a group of people happened to eat the same contaminated item. This would explain how instances of groups of friends or strangers could have been involved. Contamination that occur closest to the food supply’s distribution result in the widest outbreaks. Look at the above picture. If contaminated food from the producer makes it all the way through the distribution chain, individuals in multiple states could end up with the same infection.

   foodpoisoningfoodsimage

What foods are most associated with foodborne illness?

  • Foods that mingle the products of many individual animals: Raw milk, pooled raw eggs and ground beef have increased risk because contamination in any one of the multiple animals involved can contaminate the entire mixture.
  • Raw foods of animal origin: Foods such as meat, poultry, shellfish, eggs and unpasteurized milk are the most likely foods to be contaminated.
  • Raw fruits and vegetables: Washing reduces but doesn’t eliminate pre-existing contamination, such as that occurring from the fresh manure that fertilizes vegetables. Furthermore, water itself may be contaminated.
  • Shellfish: Because “filter-feeding” shellfish strain microorganisms from the sea over many months, they are particularly likely to be contaminated if there are any in the seawater.

An additional Straight, No Chaser will discuss treatment options. Refer to this post for preventative tips.

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Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Another free benefit to our readers is introductory pricing with multiple orders and bundles!

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Flu Prevention without Receiving the Vaccine

Introduction

This post discussion flu prevention options.

influenza-virus flu preventionfluchildsneeze_in_arm

Many people choose not to get the influenza vaccine (the “flu shot”). There are various reasons for this decision. One of those reasons is due to an allergy to eggs. If you have an egg allergy, your options to combat influenza are different and don’t contain vaccination.

Flu Prevention Tips

Avoiding exposure is the best method of flu prevention! Adopt these healthy habits before you ever get exposed.

  • Wash your hands frequently with warm soapy water. You know when they’re dirty. Most certainly wash your hands before you use them to eat or put anything else in your mouth.
  • If you can’t wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • If your hands are dirty and neither soap nor sanitizer is available, still rinse and dry your hands with warm water if you can.
  • Use disinfectant to clean surfaces.
  • Avoid unnecessarily touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Politely limit close contact with people who are ill, coughing and sneezing.
  • When coughing or sneezing use the bend of your elbow or a facial tissue to help cover your nose and mouth. Learn to avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands.
  • When you become sick, stay home. It’s the proper thing to do to avoid spreading your infection to others.

Do Supplements and Herbals Work?

Claims have long existed that Vitamin C, echinacea and zinc are effective for cold and flu prevention. There are no studies confirming or refuting this claim. Despite assurances that these and other herbal medicines are safe alternatives because they’re “natural”, the active ingredients in them are the same as found in certain prescription medicines. Thus they too may interact with other medications and worsen certain medical conditions. Given this, you should discuss your use of supplements with your physician or pharmacist prior to use.

Antiviral Medications

Another level of defense for you involves use of certain antiviral prescription medications. If you are exposed to someone (e.g. a family member) with influenza, and especially if you begin having flu-like symptoms, immediately contact your physician to discuss taking medicines to prevent catching the flu. Such medications include Tamiflu® (generic name: oseltamivir), Relenza® (generic name: zanamivir), Flumadine® (generic name: rimantadine) and Symmetrel® (generic name: amantadine). If you make the request more than 24-48 hours after the onset of symptoms, you likely won’t be given the medication, since it isn’t likely to be effective outside of this timeframe.

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Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Another free benefit to our readers is introductory pricing with multiple orders and bundles!

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Your Questions About E-Cigarettes (Vaping)

Let’s talk about using E-cigarettes, aka vaping. Here are five questions you commonly ask.

What is vaping, and how is it different from smoking cigarettes?

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that typically resemble a pen or cigarette. They enable smokers to get their “nicotine fix” without being exposed to all the other chemicals contained within regular cigarettes. E-cigarettes have chambers in which you place liquid nicotine with additional ingredients and flavorings. Heating the liquid turns the liquid into vapor. This is why the name “vaping” is applied when one uses an e-cigarette.

Is vaping safe?

On an absolute scale, the answer is no. On a relative scale, the answer is likely “safer than regular cigarettes.” Simply put, nicotine is addictive, and it produces withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Nicotine causes several other problems of note. It exacerbates problems for those with heart disease and causes damage to blood vessels. Also, nicotine harms the developing brains of kids and could affect memory and attention. Pregnant women or those attempting to become pregnant must avoid nicotine exposure, because nicotine clearly causes damage to unborn babies. E-cigarettes do not remove all the chemicals found in cigarettes; formaldehyde and other cancer-inducing products are still present.

Is vaping safer than smoking cigarettes?

The basis for e-cigarettes being safer than regular cigarettes is the production of toxins with burning that occurs when smoking cigarettes. Vaping doesn’t reach the threshold of burning, so the thousands of chemicals found in cigarettes don’t produce the same effect. A safe estimate of the relative safety of e-cigarettes compared to regular cigarettes would be that vaping is about 75% safer than smoking cigarettes, but it bears repeating: neither is safe. Fortunately, the risks of second-hand vaping are very low, according to currently research.

Is vaping effective at getting people to stop smoking cigarettes?

The American Heart Association recommends that e-cigarettes should only be used as a last-ditch effort toward quitting cigarette smoking. Unfortunately, most of the e-cigarette use in the US occurs in addition to cigarette use, as opposed to replacing cigarette use.

How is vaping affecting childhood smoking? Does it lead kids to smoke?

One commonly expressed concern is that kids who start vaping may continue as smokers throughout life. The concern arises due to the many kid-friendly flavors in e-cigarettes.

The journal Pediatrics published a study in 2016 showing a six-fold increase in cigarette use in those who used e-cigarettes compared to those who did not. A 2015 study produced in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed a similar finding. Yet, the overall trend of childhood smoking remains encouraging. Data from the CDC show that while use of e-cigarettes went up to 24% in 2015, cigarette smoking dropped to a historic low — to just under 11%.

Click here for information about hookahs!

Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

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Concussion, Part II

concussionboxing_facial__4_

Your son is a star in Friday Night Lights (actually football, not the TV show) and has been concussed.  Amazingly, the most common question I get asked is not “Will he be ok?”, but “When will he be able to get back on the field?” My answer, coming out the ER, is never going to be less than two weeks, and I won’t be the one who provides medical clearance.  It’ll either be your family doctor or preferably, a neurologist.  Don’t just take my word for it.  Consider the following Quick Tips from the Center for Disease Control and Preventions.
CDC’s Discharge Instructions

  • You may experience a range of symptoms over the next few days, such as difficulty concentrating, dizziness or trouble falling asleep.  These symptoms can be part of the normal healing process, and most go away over time without any treatment.
  • Return immediately to the ED if you have worsening or severe headache, lose consciousness, increased vomiting, increasing confusion, seizures, numbness or any symptom that concerns you, your family, or friends.
  • Tell a family member or friend about your head injury and ask them to help monitor you for more serious symptoms.  Get plenty of rest and sleep, and return gradually and slowly to your usually routines.  Don’t drink alcohol.  Avoid activities that are physically demanding or require a lot of concentration.
  • If you don’t feel better after a week, see a doctor who has experience treating brain injuries.
  • Don’t return to sports before talking to your doctor.  A repeat blow to your head-before your brain has time to heal-can be very dangerous and may slow recovery or increase the chance for long-term problems.

Finally, there are two particularly impactful consequences about which you should be aware.

Impact-Syndrome616x314new

  • The ‘second impact syndrome’ is irreversible brain injury triggered by a fairly routine second head impact after a prior concussion.  You must take the time off needed for the brain to heal.  I care more about your child’s mental future than the upcoming playoff game.
  • The ‘post-concussive syndrome’ represents long-term neurologic and psychologic consequences of the head injury.  It includes such symptoms as inability to sleep, irritability, inability to concentrate, headache, dizziness and anxiety.

Post Concussion Syndrome 3D cube Word Cloud Concept with great terms such as brain, injury, trauma and more.
There are no definitive treatments for concussions other than prevention of an additional injury, and that fact should be chilling to you.  Be mindful of the risks involved in choosing to engage in activities putting the brain at risk.

Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber,  we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!

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Treatment of Fire Related Injuries

Introduction

This post addresses your questions on fire related injuries.fire related injury victim
Questions, you’ve got questions (Why are you so shy about posting them?).  Here we go.  Today, your focus is on the aftermath and treatment of fire related injury.

What does carbon monoxide poisoning look like?

  • Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning is very dangerous because the gas is colorless and odorless.  You should suspect that you’re feeling its effect when you’re feeling like you have the flu after perhaps being in a contained area with a motor running or after a fire.  Headache is the most common symptom, and you may also feel nauseated, with malaise (feeling ‘blah’) and fatigue also being common symptoms.

How are burns from fire related injuries treated?

  • Burns cause serious illness.  The thermal component can cause direct damage to your airway.  The toxins contained within (carbon monoxide and cyanide) can kill you independent of any other consideration.  Burns are especially prone to infection, so you don’t want significant skin burns exposed to everything outside of a burnt house while you’re waiting for the ambulance.
  • The burns will be treated according to the severity.  A lot of intravenous fluid, pain management, clear blister removal and infection control will be in order.  Especially serious burns may require a burn unit and skin grafting.

What can I do to treat while waiting for the ambulance?

  • Keep calm, and keep them calm.
  • Be prepared to start CPR if necessary.
  • If any injuries have occurred to the head and neck, lay the person down and don’t move them.
  • Cover any bleeding areas, and apply enough pressure to stop external bleeding.
  • If you have a clean sheet, wrap the person in it.

4)   I know someone who says she was intubated (i.e. had a ‘breathing tube’ placed), and they were feeling fine after a fire.  Why would this have been done?

  • It’s hard to comment on the management of individual cases sight unseen, but most likely soot or burning was noted somewhere inside the airway (e.g. the mouth, nose or oral cavity).  Intubation would have been done to protect and secure the airway before in collapses.  If you wait until the last possible moment, it could be too late.

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Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Another free benefit to our readers is introductory pricing with multiple orders and bundles!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK. Likewise, please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Also like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

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Straight, No Chaser: Bacterial Vaginosis – No, That’s Not a STD

BV1

I try to give you straight talk but never crudely. As I’ve discussed conditions involving the genitalia, I’ve been mindful of the reality that large numbers of you have been affected by sexual transmitted diseases/infections (aka STDs/STIs), and I will always be respectful of that consideration. That doesn’t mean I’m sugar-coating your information, it just means I am aware that you’re suffering and concerned by different scenarios.

bv anyone

One of those is bacterial vaginosis. There is an age after which women invariably start discovering that various things they do can disrupt the appearance, smell and content of their vaginal fluid. It’s certainly human nature to wonder if something has gone terribly wrong. Let’s pick up our Doctor-Couple conversation from earlier
Patient: Yep! I have this grayish/whitish discharge that only happens after sex. And sometimes it itches around there. And it burns when I pee! No rashes or that other stuff, though.
Doctor: Ok. Let’s examine you…

bv thrush

All humans have various microorganisms that normally reside inside us at relatively low levels; different microorganisms inhabit different parts of the body. They’ve set up a delicate balance (like an ecosystem, if you will) that, once settled doesn’t disturb us (their hosts) at all. If external or internal circumstances disturb that balance such that one set of organisms is disproportionately affected, overgrowth of the other organisms may occur. Many of you will recognize this as happening when you get a ‘yeast’ infection. It’s also what occurs when you develop bacterial vaginosis (BV). BV is the most common vaginal infection in the U.S. It’s more likely to be seen when you start having unprotected sex with a new partner, have multiple sex partners, are pregnant or douche (therefore, women who are not sexually active can have BV also). By the way, you don’t get BV from toilet seats or swimming pools.

bv causes

The question everyone always has is “What’s the role of sex, especially sperm, in it?”. That’s asked because BV is often noticed after unprotected sex that includes ejaculation. Here’s where you learn the difference between ‘sexually transmitted’ and ‘sexually associated’. It is unclear what role sex has in the development of BV, but common thoughts include alterations in the pH of the vaginal fluid based on interactions with sperm/semen. It is known that the pH of women become more alkaline (less acidic) after exposure to semen, and that environment produces compounds causing the ‘fishy smell’. Yes, that’s real.  We even have a real thing call a ‘whiff test’ as part of making the diagnosis.
The good news is BV is easily treated. The bad news is it needs to be treated, and it can recur even if it’s treated. Remember, it’s just an overgrowth syndrome.  There are complications to not getting BV treated, especially if you’re pregnant. This makes it especially important that medication be taken to completion, even though you may feel better prior to that. Male partners do not need to be treated.
So this couple gets ‘off the hook’, even though they may decide to start using condoms.  Next we will focus on the risks of various sexual activities. Stay tuned.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
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Straight, No Chaser: Public Health Has Saved More Lives Than Medical Care

healthweek

When I tell most people I have a degree in public health, the typical response involves an assumption that public health involves caring exclusively for the indigent. I guess if you watched the news you could get that impression as well. Public health is the discipline dedicated to optimizing care for populations. Over the course of my career, I’ve cared for a lot of patients as a physician, and I’ve actually saved a few lives. However, the work I’ve done as a public health professional has affected millions. The opportunity to work in public health is extremely gratifying.
public health
In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the field of public health has been responsible for adding 25 years to the life expectancy of U.S. citizens over the 20th century. In this post I’d like to review the “Ten Great Public Health Achievements in the 20th Century.” Hopefully, this will cause you to reflect on how these discoveries, innovations and habit promotion affect your life and provide you opportunities to live a healthier life. These are being presented in no particular order.

Top10AchievementsPH

  1. Control of infectious diseases: The combination of hand washing, improved sanitation and appropriate use of antibiotics has saved untold millions. Examples of once prominent diseases being much better controlled include cholera, tuberculosis and even sexually transmitted infections.
  2. Decrease in deaths from heart disease and stroke: The combination of risk modification, symptoms recognition and early treatment has contributed to a reduction in death rates by over 50% in the last four decades.
  3. Family planning and contraceptive services: Innovations include barrier contraception to prevent pregnancy and transmission of HIV and other STDs, pre-pregnancy screening and counseling, promotion of smaller family size, longer intervals between children and the development of prenatal assessment.
  4. Food safety and healthier food production: Food safety has involved reduction in contaminated food sources, better portion control, improvement of nutrition and appropriate components of meals. Fortification of foods has nearly eliminated once prominent diseases such as rickets, goiters and pellagra.
  5. Fluoridation of drinking water: Multiple benefits exists including better infectious control and prevention of tooth decay. It’s estimated to have reduced tooth decay and loss by 40-70% since its inception in the 1940s.
  6. Healthy mothers and babies: It is astounding that infant mortality rates dropped 90% and maternal mortality rates dropped 99% during the last century. The combination of better prenatal care, technological advances and better hygiene and nutrition all have played an important role.
  7. Motor vehicle safety: Seat belts, child safety seats, motorcycle helmets, speed limits, air bags, safer highways and reduction in drinking and driving have all led to substantial reductions in deaths from motor vehicle crashes.
  8. Recognition of tobacco as a health hazard: Today there are more former smokers than current smokers and untold million of lives have been saved since the 1964 Surgeon General’s report on the health risks of smoking.
  9. Vaccinations: It wasn’t long ago in history when epidemics of measles, polio and influenza were killing tens of thousands of people annually. Rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, Hemophilus and other diseases have been brought under control. Smallpox has been eradicated as a disease due to immunizations.
  10. Workplace safety: Elimination of workplace health hazards such as black lung (coal workers’ pneumoconiosis), silicosis, asbestos poisoning and reductions in injuries related to occupational hazards have reduced fatal occupational injuries by approximately 40% in the last 30 years.

Public_Health_Ounce

These efforts don’t occur by accident and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Public health is a clear example of important, appropriate and effective societal collaboration for the betterment of us all. Next time you see a public health professional, give her or him a pat on the back. More importantly, take the time to review the above listing and be sure you’ve incorporated the items into your life.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
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Alcoholism and Alcohol-Related Deaths Are on the Rise

Introduction

This Straight, No Chaser post reviews the rate of rise of alcohol-related deaths.

alcoholaddictionchains

Does it seem that alcoholism isn’t discussed much anymore, or is it that the public health community has focused more on overdose deaths from heroin and prescription painkillers of late? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcoholism and the deaths related to it are on the rise.

Alcohol-related deaths

Consider the sum total of the following statistics:

alcohol_risk

  • Alcohol is killing Americans at a rate higher than at any time in the last 35 years. In 2015, there were 10.3 thousand deaths from alcohol-induced causes per 100,000 people, representing an increase of 47% since 2002.
  • During 2014, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 9,967 deaths (31 percent of overall driving fatalities).
  • In 2014, more people died from alcohol-induced causes (30,722) than from overdoses of prescription painkillers and heroin combined (28,647).

alcohol-related deaths

In reality, the annual number of deaths directly or indirectly caused by alcohol is closer to 90,000, as the official count of alcohol-induced fatalities excludes deaths from drunk driving, other accidents, and homicides committed under the influence of alcohol. This makes alcohol related deaths the 3rd leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States.

Where do you fit in this equation? Here’s the deal: 30% of American adults don’t drink at all. Another 30% consume less than one drink per week (on average). On the other hand, the top 10% of American adults (approximately 24 million people) consume an average of 74 drinks per week, or a little more than 10 drinks per day. The heaviest drinkers are at the greatest risk for the alcohol-induced causes of death.

alcohol abuse

An easy way to minimize your risk, assuming you’re going to drink, is to restrict your alcohol intake at any one time to 2 drinks per day. The especially good news is that level – defined as moderate alcohol consumption – is actually associated with a decreased risk of mortality.

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Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Another free benefit to our readers is introductory pricing with multiple orders and bundles!

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Straight, No Chaser: Cervical Health Awareness

cervical_health_awareness_month

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, and to that end, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) boldly proclaims “No woman should die of cervical cancer.”
It’s cervical health month in the United States, and this point has a rather simple message: Cervical cancer is highly preventable and can be cured when discovered and treatment early. Here are some quick tips to help you check this off of your list of concerns.

  • Every child should get vaccinated at age 11 or 12. Even if you’ve reached age 26 and haven’t been vaccinated, you should discuss options with your physician.
  • The most important thing you can do to help prevent cervical cancer is to get screened regularly starting at age 21.

pap smear

  • The Pap test (or smear) should be performed regularly at age 21. It looks for precancerous changes to the cervix that identify the need for early treatment. In many cases a normal test will eliminate the need for another test for the next three years, but your physician will discuss your individual circumstances in this regard.
  • The HPV test looks for the virus that is now known to be the cause of cervical cancer. Furthermore, human papillomavirus (HPV) is sexually transmitted. The HPV test can be done at the same time as the Pap test from the same examination.

Hopefully knowing these simple tools will convince you to be attentive to preventing and managing your cervical health. This is a public health success story in that cervical cancer could be eliminated if everyone followed the above steps. The rest is up to you.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
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Straight, No Chaser: Understanding Food Poisoning (Foodborne Illness)

FoodPoisoning

We make a decision with everything we place into our mouths. We also exhibit a large amount of trust that the food we eat is safe. Most of the time that’s true, but unfortunately sometimes it’s not. Here are some questions and answers to understanding the scope of food poisoning.
How frequent is food poisoning?
According to 2011 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year in the U.S. approximately 1 in 6 Americans (almost 50 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.

food poisoning

What causes food poisoning?
Over 250 different foodborne diseases have been described, most of which are infections. The most common foodborne illnesses are caused by norovirus and by the bacteria SalmonellaClostridium perfringens, and CampylobacterStaph Aureus (yes, that Staph) is another prominent but less common cause of food poisoning. Poisonous chemicals or other harmful substances can cause foodborne diseases if present in food.
What are the most common symptoms of food poisoning?
Even though there are many different foodborne diseases, they share a commonality of entering your system through your gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the first symptoms are caused and expressed from there and typically include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

foodpoisoning traceback_900px

Why do foodborne diseases seem to occur in outbreaks?
Actually, the overwhelming majority of cases of food poisoning don’t occur in outbreaks, but of course you wouldn’t know that because having diarrhea is not something people typically will tell you… When outbreaks occur, it’s because a group of people happened to eat the same contaminated item. This would explain how instances of groups of friends or strangers could have been involved. Contamination that occur closest to the food supply’s distribution result in the widest outbreaks. Look at the above picture. If contaminated food from the producer makes it all the way through the distribution chain, individuals in multiple states could end up with the same infection.

   foodpoisoningfoodsimage

What foods are most associated with foodborne illness?

  • Foods that mingle the products of many individual animals: Raw milk, pooled raw eggs and ground beef have increased risk because contamination in any one of the multiple animals involved can contaminate the entire mixture.
  • Raw foods of animal origin: Foods such as meat, poultry, shellfish, eggs and unpasteurized milk are the most likely foods to be contaminated.
  • Raw fruits and vegetables: Washing reduces but doesn’t eliminate pre-existing contamination, such as that occurring from the fresh manure that fertilizes vegetables. Furthermore, water itself may be contaminated.
  • Shellfish: Because “filter-feeding” shellfish strain microorganisms from the sea over many months, they are particularly likely to be contaminated if there are any in the seawater.

An additional Straight, No Chaser will discuss treatment options. Refer to this post for preventative tips.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
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Straight, No Chaser: Flu Myths and Questions

Flu season ahead
Every year 36,000 people die and over 200,000 are hospitalized each year due to the flu—in the U.S. alone. If you’re not getting a vaccine every year, you are subjecting yourself to a significantly higher risk and allowing fears and myths to get the better of you. Knowledge is power. Learn the facts.
Does the flu shot give you the flu?
No, no, no. The influenza vaccine cannot cause flu illness. There are vaccines that involve the delivery of live virus, including mumps, measles, rubella, chicken pox and polio. Influenza is not in that category. Flu shots are made either with ‘inactivated’ vaccine viruses that are not infectious or they contain no flu vaccine viruses at all (and instead have recombinant particles that serve to stimulate your immune system).
The most common side effects from the influenza shot are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur. These symptoms are among the same symptoms you see with influenza, so it’s easy to confuse them as flu symptoms. They are not.
Controlled medical studies have been performed on humans in which some people received flu shots and others received shots containing salt water. There were no differences in symptoms other than increased redness and soreness at the injection site for those receiving influenza vaccine. The flu shot does not give you the flu.
flu-shot-myth
I swear I’ve gotten the flu right after getting the flu shot! How is that possible if I can’t get the flu from the flu shot?
I always remind people that the flu vaccine does an even better job of preventing you from dying from the flu than it does in preventing you from catching the flu (and it does that at a 70–90% rate).  It primes your immune system to better fight off the influenza virus when you’re exposed to it.
There are several reasons why someone still might get a flu-like illness after being vaccinated against the flu:

  • Influenza is just one group of respiratory viruses. There are many other viruses that cause similar symptoms including the common cold, which is also most commonly seen during “flu season.” The flu vaccine only protects against influenza, so any other infection timed correctly can give you similar symptoms.
  • When you get immunized against influenza, it takes the body up to two weeks to obtain the desired level of protection. There is nothing preventing you from having been infected before or during the period immediately before immunity sets in. Such an occurrence will result in your obtaining the flu despite being vaccinated.
  • An additional reason why some people may experience flu-like symptoms despite getting vaccinated is that they may have been exposed to a strain of influenza that is different from the viruses against which the vaccine is designed to protect. The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends largely on the match between the viruses selected to make the vaccine and those causing illness among the population that same year.
  • It is also the case that the flu vaccine doesn’t always provide adequate protection against the flu. This is more likely to occur among people who have weakened immune systems or people age 65 and older. Even if the vaccine is 90% effect, some individuals will contact the flu despite having been vaccinated.

Please don’t get the wrong message from this section. These explanations are the exceptions, not the rule. In the overwhelming number of cases, the influenza vaccine does an excellent job of protecting against and prevent disease from the influenza virus.
Is it better to get the flu than the flu vaccine?
No. Influenza causes tens of thousands of deaths every year. If you have asthma, diabetes, heart disease or are especially young or old, you are placing yourself at significant risk by not getting vaccinated. Even if you aren’t in one of the above categories and are otherwise healthy, a flu infection can cause serious complications, including hospitalization or death.

flu-vaccine-facts-myths

Why do I need a flu vaccine every year?
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccine for just about everyone six months and older. Once vaccinated, your immune protection decreases over time. These boosters are scheduled and dosed to help you maintain the best level of protection against influenza. Additionally, the virus mutates (changes) every year, so what you were covered for this year may not apply next year.
You can make a decision not to get vaccinated, but frankly, that’s accepts a risk that you flies in the face of a reasonable risk/benefit analysis, and you would be doing so in the face of the solid consensus of medical evidence and research. You should seriously question the motives or knowledge of someone who suggests that you should not get vaccinate for influenza, particularly if they profess to be involved in healthcare. Get vaccinated.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress
 

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