Hot Coffee or Tea may reduce the Risk of MRSA

A new study has shown that drinking hot tea or coffee provides antimicrobial properties and reduces the risk of carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the nasal passages. The results of the study published in the Annals of Family Medicine says that people who have hot beverages like coffee or tea are  50% less likely to have MRSA in the nasal passages when compared to people who do not have hot tea. The risk does not reduce with soft drinks and iced tea.

Eric Matheson, MD, an assistant professor of family medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, reports that the more tea or coffee they drank, the lower the risk of MRSA. These bacteria are resistant to most antibiotics and can cause illness when they come in contact with an open skin. The risk of illness and infection increases in people who have a weak immune system. The most fatal infections are noted in people who have acquired MRSA from hospitals.

Although the study shows that drinking hot coffee or tea is associated with lower chances of having MRSA it does not show a cause and effect relationship. According to Matheson, the next study should focus on the effects of coffee or tea on people who have MRSA. Some of the compounds in the tea or coffee may have antimicrobial properties which may help to weaken or destabilize the bacteria, adds Matheson. When the beverage is iced the compound loses its property as they are more soluble in higher temperatures. “It is also possible that these antimicrobial compounds are inhaled through the vapors of hot coffee or tea”, says Matheson.

For people who are working in the healthcare setting and do not have the habit of drinking tea or coffee, it would be better if they started using it, suggest researchers. According to Bruce Hirsch, MD, an infectious disease expert at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, this is a very interesting finding and should be explored further. He says that one cannot change the habits or recommend a change with this one finding. Philip Tierno, PhD, director of clinical microbiology and immunology at the New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, is not very convinced with the effect of hot coffee and tea in reducing the number of MRSA. He agrees that tea and coffee has antimicrobial properties, but MRSA does not respond to antibiotics which has massive microbial properties. 

http://findatopdoc.com/article/hot-coffee-or-tea-may-reduce-the-risk-of-mrsa

A Good Look at Cataract Surgery and Eye Health with Dr. George Waring IV

Cataracts has become the leading cause of blindness in aging adults over 40 in the United States. Cataracts is a gradual opaque cloud that forms over the eye, causing vision to seem foggy. This mist is a result of proteins in the lens clumping together. Unfortunately there are no natural ways to fight cataracts, but a healthy diet and exercise can safeguard you against the disease. The best way to rid yourself of Cataracts is surgery, when a prescription doesn't help. In this episode, expert cataract surgeon Dr. George Waring IV shares his insight into cataracts and cataract surgery and how to avoid it all!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/findatopdocradio/2014/10/14/a-good-look-at-cataract-surgery-and-eye-health-with-dr-george-waring-iv

According to a new study published in the Archives of Surgery, family members of people who had weight loss surgery adopted healthier lifestyle and eating habits. All the members in the family were active for over a year after the surgery and moreover, overweight members in the family lost an average of 8 pounds during the same period.

In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, the stomach is reduced into a small pouch and connected to the middle of the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and the anterior parts of the intestine. Gavitt A. Woodard, MD, and colleagues from Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, says that bypass surgery for one person provides additional benefits to the family members by improving their weight, eating habits and activity levels. This may be very significant in containing childhood obesity, say researchers, as having an obese parent is one of the biggest risk factors for childhood obesity. The obesity rate in children whose mother had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery reduces by 52% when compared to children born to mothers before having the surgery.

In this study, 35 people who had gastric bypass surgery and their family members were observed for their lifestyle changes. They also recorded the lifestyle habits of 15 children below the age of 18 among the family members. The weight loss of the participants who underwent the surgery was typical of those who had a gastric bypass. Researchers noted that the weight loss among the obese adult family members were also significant – from 234 to 226 pounds. The waist circumference decreased considerably in the obese family members.

The results also show that the growth curve of the obese children in the family had a lower BMI than expected during the first year after the surgery. This was not very significant when compared to the adults. The lifestyle habits of the participants and their family members also improved considerably after the surgery. This includes:

• Uncontrolled and emotional eating was reduced considerably among the people who had the surgery.
• Emotional eating and overeating reduced among the adult family members also.
• Children of the people who had the surgery had more chances of being on diet.
• Physical activity of the children in the family of the people who had the surgery increased considerably.

Researchers feel that when one member in the family takes up a healthy lifestyle others follow automatically which helps to improve the overall health in the family.

http://findatopdoc.com/article/healthier-lifestyle-in-family-after-weight-loss-surgery

What is Endometriosis? With Dr. Ken Sinervo

Did you know that most women with endometriosis experience symptoms up to 10 years before being diagnosed? According to the Endometriosis Foundation of America, almost 176 million suffer from endometriosis across the globe and 8.5 million in North America.

In this week's episode Dr. Ken Sinervo talks about endometriosis warning signs and available treatment options. 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/findatopdocradio/2014/03/03/what-is-endometriosis-with-dr-ken-sinervo

Dr. Ken Sinervo, M.D., MSc, ACGE, FRCSC

Dr. Sinervo is the Medical Director of the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, Georgia. The recipient of such awards as the Dr. Fred Douglas Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Medicine and the University of Western Ontario Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Research Day Award, Dr. Sinervo is a pioneer in laparoscopic excision (LAPEX), which he has developed alongside Dr. Albee.

Dr. Sinervo is recognized by patients and colleagues for improving the lives of his patients and making waves by offering and developing the latest in cutting-edge care when it comes to treating endometriosis.

The Cavemen Had it Wrong: Red Meat Increases the Risk of Death

According to a new study, people who eat less amount of red meat have lower risk of death when compared to people who have more of processed foods like bacon, hot dogs and sausage. In this study, the researchers from Harvard analyzed the diet of more than 120,000 people who are participating in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study. The results of the study are published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Once in four years the participants answered a questionnaire about their eating and other habits like smoking, drinking, and exercise, and also about their body weight. The average age of the participating men were 50 years and that of women were 45 years. The researchers found that people who ate more of red meat as in beef, pork or lamb, were more likely to die of diseases like cancer and heart problems when compared to people who had very less intake of red meat.

The analysis show that daily serving of 3-ounce red meat increases the risk of death due to heart diseases by 18% and that due to cancer by 10%. Processed meats are even more dangerous. Having two slices of processed meat daily increased the risk of death due to heart disease by 21% and that due to cancer by 16%. Researcher An Pan, PhD, a research fellow in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, says that processed meat is more harmful than unprocessed, fresh meat.

The risk of death by these conditions can be reduced by replacing red meat with lean proteins like fish, chicken, nuts, low-fat dairy, whole grains, or beans. Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, says that substituting red meat with any other food materials will reduce the risk of death considerably. “The study has very clearly showed that red meat should be substituted with a variety of other foods including nuts”, claims Nestle.

Dean Ornish, MD, founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, and clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, also agrees to the fact that such lifestyle changes really make a difference. According to him, it would be better if one could change into a total plant-based diet. Small changes like replacing chicken for beef, of fish for chicken may also help to reduce the risk.

Some people strongly disagree with the results saying that such observational studies cannot prove the cause and effect. According to Shalene McNeill, PhD, RD, executive director of Human Nutrition Research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a responsible dietary advice should be derived from the complete body of evidenced including standard randomized control trials when they are available.

http://findatopdoc.com/article/the-cavemen-had-it-wrong-red-meat-increases-the-risk-of-death

What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine with Dr. Ofri

On this week’s FindaTopDoc Radio, we are discussing What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine, featuring Bellevue Hospital’s Dr. Danielle Ofri! Dr. Ofri not only treats patients, but she is also an avid writer on Doctor-Patient relationships. Her work has been featured in magazines such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, and on CNN.com and National Public Radio.

Other works of hers include:

• What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine
• Medicine in Translation: Journeys with my Patient
• Incidental Findings: Lessons from my Patients in the Art of Medicine
• Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at Bellevue

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/findatopdocradio/2014/11/18/what-doctors-feel-how-emotions-affect-the-practice-of-medicine-with-dr-ofri