Why India’s indiscriminate
antibiotic use is dangerous
How many times have you gone to your
local chemist, described your symptoms and got a strip of antibiotics in
return? Well, while the antibiotics might make you feel better, the indiscriminate
use of this miracle drug can have severe ill-effects on both you and the
society at large.
A recent study called ‘Global Trends
in Antibiotic Consumption, 2000-2010,’ by scientists from Princeton University
has found that Indians are at the top of the list when it comes to popping
antibiotic pills indiscriminately. The study found that there is a staggering
62% (8 billion units in 2001 to 12.9 billion units in 2010) increase in the
amount of antibiotics popped amongst Indians with an average person taking
upwards of 11 pills in a year.
While almost all antibiotics are
indiscriminately used, cephalosporins, broad-spectrum penicillins and
fluoroquinolones accounted for more than half of the increase.
What makes this trend so alarming?
Antibiotics were discovered as a
cure for common bacterial infections that were capable of killing humans.
While, this invention has saved many lives, the arbitrary use of this drug has
led to the formation of antibiotic resistant bacteria. These bacteria are now
capable of causing diseases that are quickly becoming incurable. In the current
study, the growing fears of antibiotic resistance were confirmed by the finding
that there was an increasing resistance to carbapenems and polymixins, two
classes of drugs, long considered the last resort antibiotics for illnesses
without any other known treatment.
In an earlier
report by WHO, the organisation expressed concern about how
antibiotic resistance had become a serious threat around the world and had the
potential to affect anyone irrespective of region or age. Antibiotic resistance
is now a major threat to public health. This trend is quickly putting us on the
path of destruction, by sending us back to the dark ages – a time when there
were no antibiotics and people died of common bacterial infections.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
15.07.2014
Now check your eyes, sense of smell
to spot Alzheimer’s early
New
research has revealed that Alzheimer’s key biomarker could be identified in the
retina and lens of the eye, moreover, the ability to identify odors might
indicate the development of cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease in its
early ages. The study found that the decreased ability to identify odors was
significantly associated with loss of brain cell function and progression to
Alzheimer’s disease. In two other studies, the level of beta-amyloid detected
in the eye was significantly correlated with the burden of beta-amyloid in the
brain and allowed researchers to accurately identify the people with
Alzheimer’s in the studies.
Beta-amyloid
protein is the primary material found in the sticky brain “plaques”
characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. It was known to build up in the brain
many years before typical Alzheimer’s symptoms of memory loss and other
cognitive problems. Heather Snyder, Ph.D., said that advanced researches were
needed in the very promising area of Alzheimer’s biomarkers because early
detection was essential for early intervention and prevention, when new
treatments become available.
Clinically, at this time it was only
possible to detect Alzheimer’s late in its development, when significant brain
damage has already occurred, however, biological markers of Alzheimer’s
disease might be able to detect it at an earlier stage.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
15.07.2014
Argument may win the situation but lose the person, but
patience may lose the situation but win the person
No comments:
Post a Comment