E-Borne Newsletter : Fall, 2007
Roger P. Freeman, D.D.S., Editor Roger@iAwareables.com
Dear friends and colleagues,
Dog Days are done, Labor Day
BBQs a thing of the past, kids are back
behind bars...er, in school...can Fall be far
behind? You sure wouldn't know it by the
local So. California clim @ 116 degrees! Not
even a microbe would be caught colonizing on
days like these. Check that -they're probably
working overtime! Probably best to just
stay indoors, surf 'n browse, and get ready
to strip the gears into holiday season mode.
FALLING BACK. . .
1. PSEUDO WHAT? WATERBORNE AND DANGEROUS
2. BOTTOM LINE ON GERMOPHOBIA
3. MALARIA: BITING BACK AGAINST THE POLITICS
4. PETTING ZOOS AND YOOSE
5. FLOSS FLUSHERS BEWARE
6. HOPE FOR THE SLEEP DISORDERLY
7. GIANT MICROBES® ON BOARD
8. UPCOMING PERSONAL APPEARANCES
LOTS OF EXCITING NEW DESIGNS TO FALL-BACK ON...
1. PSEUDO WHAT? WATERBORNE AND DANGEROUS While not having the microlebity of resistent Staph aureus (MRSA) or Vancomycin-resistent enterococcus (VRE), Pseudomonas aeruginosa looms as a significant pathogen when introduced into our usually neighborly bodies. Tranmitted via body contact, fluids or water, P.a. causes about 10% of reported nosocomial(hospital-acquired) infections, and can be especially harmful for those with compromised immune systems. Premature infants, for example, are among the very susceptible. Pseudomonas has also been found in a suspiciously high number of cystic fibrosis patients or those who have undergone bronchoscopy, and has shown a curious linkage to contaminated liquids used in commercial ear piercing. (It's the water!)
Check out Pseudomonas along with some of its WATERBORNE pals (Legionella, Hep A, Cryptosporidium, E. coli and Norovirus) you will want to avoid - unless they're on our new silk WATERBORNE SIX tie and scarf designs!
Waterborne Six Tie and Scarf
2. BOTTOM LINE ON GERMOPHOBIA
GET A LIFE, BUT KEEP IN MIND...
- Wash hands thoroughly (20 secs) and frequently.
- Plain soap and water is fine.
- Anti-bacterials are no better than soap, under normal conditions.
- Ditto for standard sponges and cleansers in the kitchen.
- Keep kitchen surfaces clean, don't cross contaminate raw meats and veggies.
- Alcohol hand sanitizers are great, especially when access to soap and water is limited.
- Standard face masks are not very helpful - skinny microbes laugh at them.
- Anti-germ devices in airplanes work mostly in your head - human proximity is the culprit. (Consider dumping the passenger next to you.)
- Don't wrap yourself in plastic - just use common sense. (Extra precautions for young children, pregnant women and the immunocompromised.)
(Reference: Berkeley Wellness Letter, November 2006)
3. MALARIA: BITING BACK AGAINST THE POLITICS
In 1946, with the express purpose of eliminating Malaria in the U.S., Congress established the agency that was to become the Centers for Disease Control. Unbelievably, in 2007 Ghana, malaria claims an estimated four people an hour, two of whom are children! Each year, some 500 million cases of malaria occur world-wide, with up to one million deaths. The vast majority are pregnant women and children under five living in sub-Sahara Africa. Caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the pathogen invades red blood cells, after a malarial mosquito has a bite for lunch, causing the cells to burst. The infuriating part: malaria can be controlled by judicious use of effective insecticides, preventive strategies and economic and political will - little of which are characteristic of the countries most heavily impacted, nor many of the politically correct cultures that should know better!
While at U.C.L.A., malariologist Dr. Rick Fairhurst helped us accurately depict the dynamics of RBCs under seige by the Plasmodium parasites. Now, after a complete sellout, IA Malaria ties and scarves have reemerged to remind us of a serious global threat.
Malaria Tie and Scarf
4. PETTING ZOOS AND YOOSE
AND YUR KIDZ!
In spite of hand washing alerts, visitors to petting zoos apparently ignore the obvious. E. coli 0157 (the nasty one) and other potential pathogens of the digestive system can easily be transmitted by a pat here, and a stroke there, yet studies show that only about 30% of visitors routinely wash or disinfect their hands after leaving the zoo. Feeding a cow or a goat was reported to be among the most dangerous risk factors, while bringing home contagious critters on shoes (more poetically, ..stepping in it) couldn't help! Bringing food, beverages, pacifiers or sippy cups into the facilities also makes for perfect set of tummy-transmitters.
We personally have not fed a goat for some time - but staying alert for those kids and grandies is becoming a full-time job!
5. FLOSS FLUSHERS BEWARE
Great Balls of Floss! No, not the remastering of an old Jerry Lee Lewis classic - just another (who-knew) bad habit with unintended consequences. While dentists are thrilled that flossing is kool, wastewater treatment workers are complaining that machinery is often jamming due to softball sized clumps of shred-resistent floss. If you think about this long enough, you will surely pass on lunch.
6. HOPE FOR THE SLEEP DISORDERLY
Sleep disorders have become an increasingly serious public health issue, with often-debilitating consequences for those affected. A widening network of treatment centers, including newly developed departments within hospitals, is attempting to address some of these challenges. Always seeking to help the world chill out, IA has created a sartorially somnolent design called "ZZZs & Dreams," featuring actual REM (rapid eye movement) and Deep Wave EEGs, and accented by just the right touch of neurohormonal melatonin. We are talking mellow, here!
ZZZs & Dreams Tie and Scarf
7. GIANT MICROBES® ON BOARD
The polyester plushies are now part of the IA collection of microbial mayhem. As we've mentioned before, the GMs are topical educational and awareness tools for the family, school and workplace. The clever tags provide timely and informative descriptions, helping make these items a perfect complement to their silken namesakes already on the IA roster.
8. UPCOMING PERSONAL APPEARANCES
Thank you, thank you. . .
ICAAC: Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Chicago, September 17-19, 2007.
APHA: American Public Health Association; Washington, D.C.; November 5-8, 2007.
BACK AT YOU WHEN THE TURKEY CROWD STARTS LOOKING FOR COVER...
Awareabley yours,
RPF
Roger P. Freeman, D.D.S., and THE IA TEAM
