How to avoid bringing home surprising souvenirs.
Getting away for a much needed vacation is the highlight of many people’s summer, but unwittingly being exposed to toxic invaders can leave you with a ruined trip and a problem that follows you home. You’re not a party pooper if you take precautions—you’re a smart traveler. Check out some of these ways to safeguard your long-term health by avoiding pathogens away from home.
Don’t share your phone. A microbiologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson found that 50 percent of the cell phones he examined… Continue reading Categories
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Toxic Travel
July 12th, 2011How to avoid bringing home surprising souvenirs.
Getting away for a much needed vacation is the highlight of many people’s summer, but unwittingly being exposed to toxic invaders can leave you with a ruined trip and a problem that follows you home. You’re not a party pooper if you take precautions—you’re a smart traveler. Check out some of these ways to safeguard your long-term health by avoiding pathogens away from home.
Don’t share your phone. A microbiologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson found that 50 percent of the cell phones he examined… Continue reading Heartburn Pills Raise Pneumonia Risk
October 12th, 2009
A Little Acid Actually Fights Harmful Bacteria.
On a daily basis, television bombards us with commercials about antacids and other pills that reduce acid. But those popular purple pills are overused today, research finds.
Proton pump inhibitors (or PPIs) are most commonly taken for ulcers, heartburn, and acid reflux. Trouble is we all need some stomach acid to fight bacteria.
People taking PPIs are more likely to develop pneumonia. And that's not all. Long-term use of these acid-suppressing pills increases the risk for diarrhea caused by the "superbug" Clostridum difficile.
Because sufficient stomach acid is needed… Continue reading
On a daily basis, television bombards us with commercials about antacids and other pills that reduce acid. But those popular purple pills are overused today, research finds.
Proton pump inhibitors (or PPIs) are most commonly taken for ulcers, heartburn, and acid reflux. Trouble is we all need some stomach acid to fight bacteria.
People taking PPIs are more likely to develop pneumonia. And that's not all. Long-term use of these acid-suppressing pills increases the risk for diarrhea caused by the "superbug" Clostridum difficile.
Because sufficient stomach acid is needed… Continue reading Bacteria and the Beach
August 14th, 2009
Just when you thought it was safe...
A new menacing hazard—MRSA bacteria—is lurking in the water. Although they are invisible to the naked eye, these bacteria can be vicious.
MRSA (short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria linked to deadly infections. It's one of several bacteria collectively known as “superbugs” that first gathered publicity in the 1990's with a rise in hospital deaths from infections.
Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports more than 50 deaths per day from MRSA infections. Like most staph bacteria on the skin, MRSA… Continue reading
A new menacing hazard—MRSA bacteria—is lurking in the water. Although they are invisible to the naked eye, these bacteria can be vicious.
MRSA (short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria linked to deadly infections. It's one of several bacteria collectively known as “superbugs” that first gathered publicity in the 1990's with a rise in hospital deaths from infections.
Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports more than 50 deaths per day from MRSA infections. Like most staph bacteria on the skin, MRSA… Continue reading It’s Flu Season – Good Habits Go A Long Way
April 27th, 2009
Well. Another "possible epidemic" has managed to make the news. This cross between an avian and swine flu bug has many ramifications, for sure, but from my perspective, forewarned is forearmed. Whether this flu, that has gene sequences never before seen, will become a full-blown public health scare is yet to be seen. Regardless, however, here is what I am doing. Perhaps, you should, too.
I am paying very strict attention to washing my hands every time I come into the house. I wash before I take off my coat. I wash again before dinner. I wash after I pet animals… Continue reading
Visionary, health guru, diet/detox expert, author, spokesperson, role model, and natural foods icon, Ann Louise Gittleman has always been a trendsetter. 
