Monday, April 18, 2011

The antibiotics your doctor is prescribing you today may not work tomorrow.

The over-prescribing of antibiotics is the cause of an alarming rise in the incidence of “Super-Bug” infections. A Super-Bug infection is a term given to infection from bacteria that have become resistant to common antibiotics. The most common reason for the resistance is from the over use and abuse of antibiotics. This happens when you go to the doctor and he or she is unable for a variety of reasons to arrive at a proper diagnosis given a set of signs and symptoms that are common to colds and viruses. What seemed harmless and even considered a good idea 2 or 3 decades ago of prescribing patients antibiotics without confirming the root cause of the illness is now exploding into these super-bug infections. It seems that the wisdom behind what most of us learned early on in our medical education about prescribing antibiotics, that is: one bug, one drug, has been lost over the years. Perhaps it could be blamed on our health care system and the costs associated with expensive lab work or the desire to not let a patient leave empty handed from their visit, or it may be because patients have been more persistent about getting something, anything for their illness or sadly even just that physicians have become ignorant to the real dangers of this practice. Regardless, the problem is here and it is growing: very good antibiotics are no longer killing the bugs! WHO, the World Health Organization has reported that we are now progressing to the point where “Super Super-Bugs” are developing resistance to our strongest antibiotics. These bugs include such diseases as tuberculosis and malaria. It is vitally important to realize and demand from your doctor that an accurate diagnosis be made and only the most appropriate and efficacious drugs be used. I have included a recent article reporting on this very real threat to our health.


WHO: Antibiotic overuse gives rise to 'super superbugs'

Tuberculosis, malaria among diseases becoming resistant to various drugs By Manuel Mogato and Esha Dey MANILA/WASHINGTON— Misuse of 
antibiotics has undermined the global fight 
against infectious diseases like tuberculosis 
and malaria and could make the drugs 
ineffective, the World Health Organization 
warned Thursday.



An estimated 440,000 new cases of 
tuberculosis resistant to several types of 
drugs were reported last year in nearly 60 
countries across the globe, according to the 
agency.



"At the same time, other age-old diseases are 
on the rise with the possibility of no cure," 
said Shin Young-soo, WHO regional director 
for Western Pacific area. Shin called on WHO's 
193 member-states to commit resources and 
adopt policies to fight the growing problem of 
drug resistance.



"Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern 
not only because it kills, but because it 
increases health costs and threatens patient 
care.

"

A gene that makes bugs highly resistant to 
almost all known antibiotics, or "super superbugs," has been found in bacteria in the 
water supplies in New Delhi. The gene, called 
NDM 1, first emerged in India three years ago 
and has spread across the world.



MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus 
aureus, is a superbug that alone is estimated 
to kill 19,000 people each year in the United 
States -- far more than HIV and AIDS.



The WHO used World Health Day on Thursday 
to launch its "Combat Drug Resistance! No 
action today, no cure tomorrow" policy.



Separately, the U.S. health regulator said it 
would expedite certain drug approval 
processes to tackle the growing problem of 
antibiotic-resistant diseases.


Confused about muscle confusion?

A term that may seem new to many and that is getting a lot of use these days is the term: muscle confusion. This term refers to the training technique that utilizes an exercise routine that is varies and prevents your muscles from becoming habituated or use to the same routine. Research has shows that doing the same exercises using the same routine allows the muscle groups to become habituated or used to the stress and thereby reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. That means the muscles or muscle groups won’t burn as many calories as they did when you first began using that particular routine or in other words: your muscles get bored. Research shows that by changing up muscle groups and the exercises used to target them prevents this from happening and allows you to burn more calories and build better muscle health.

Here are some ways to do it:
Vary Your Tempo


Using resistance training spend 3 to 4 seconds on the down movement whether you’re lowering your body or a weight. (You canuse dumbbells or a barbell.)

Reps: 10 to 15

Sets: 2 or 3
Dumbbell shoulder press

Pullup

Dumbbell bench press

Barbell row

Dumbbell squat

Barbell lunge
Get a spring break body no matter the season.

Switch Sides

Performing a workout that challenges your body, and your mind will help keep boredom at bay. Single-arm and single-leg exercises force you to concentrate on keeping one side (and your torso) stable while the other one moves. Exercises that target alternating sides “can lead to increased calorie burn, strength, and core stability.”

Reps: 6 to 10 per side

Sets: 2 or 3
Alternating dumbbell bench press

Alternating dumbbell row

Single-arm cable row

Single-leg dumbbell straight-leg deadlift

Single-leg squat
Muscle Burn Circuit


Do as many reps of each exercise as you can in 1 minute, maintaining good form. Move to the next exercise without resting. Complete the circuit four times for a total of 28 minutes.

Bench jump straddle


Straddle a bench. Bend your knees and lower your butt until it just touches the bench. Use the momentum of your arms and explosively jump, landing both feet on the bench. Step down with your left foot, then your right. Squat slowly, tap your butt on the bench and jump up again.

Push up’s to fail

With your arms shoulder width apart place your hands on the floor and your feet stretched out behind you and do as many pushups as you can. Try to keep your back straight and go until your arms burn.

Medicine ball figure-eight


Maintain a wide squat, your feet about twice shoulder-width apart. Hold a medicine ball or basketball with both hands straight in front of you, and move the ball in a figure-eight motion, swiveling your hips back and forth. Don’t arch your back.

Straight-leg situp


Lie on your back with your legs straight and arms extended above the top of your head. Lift your torso as if you’re trying to touch your toes, keeping your legs on the ground. Lower your body back to the start position.

Bench hop


Stand next to the side of a bench, both feet together. Reach down and grab the short end of the bench. Jump over it, and as soon as your feet hit the floor, jump back to the other side. Your hands should never leave the bench.


Upgrade Your Cardio

Take something ordinary, such as a high school football stadium, and turn it into a fitness playground. Look at what you’re doing in your normal routine and apply it outdoors.

Start at the end zone and jog the length of the field to the opposite end zone. Run diagonally across the field until you reach the corner. Jog up the steps to the top of the stadium. Turn around and run down the path you just took. Run laterally down the field to the opposite end zone. Jog up the steps to the top. Turn around and run down the path you just took. Run across the opposite diagonal of the field. Continue the bow-tie pattern until you have made it to the top of all four corners of the stadium. (This routine can also be adapted for walking.)

Research shows that drinking water can increase metabolic rate x 30 % and that it will last for nearly 90 minutes, sip Dr. Tim’s ISO-5 powered by coconut water and get all this and the added benefits of water plus essential electrolytes.

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