Is the Beach Making You Sick?

Posted on July 3, 2013 by admin

Before you hit the beach this Fourth of July, you should know that there’s something in the water—literally. Beaches across the U.S. had more than 20,000 closing and advisory days in 2012 due to water pollution or contamination threats, according to the 23rd annual beach water quality report just released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). As if that weren’t disturbing enough, more than 80 percent of the closings and advisories occurred because testing revealed unsafe bacteria levels in the water.

The NRDC also found that 7 percent of the water quality samples taken by beaches last year failed to meet the federal public health standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is consistent with the percentage of samples that contained too much pollution to meet these standards in the last few years, says NRDC senior water attorney Jon Devine, who helped supervise the production of the report.

What’s making beach water so gross
While most beach managers say they aren’t sure what’s going on when water samples come back with high levels of pollution, storm water is the biggest known source of contamination, says Devine. Here’s why: When there’s a big storm, not all of the rainfall seeps into the ground or evaporates back into the air—so the excess runs off until it ends up in storm water drainage pipes that empty into streams and rivers, which eventually feed into oceans. Since storm water usually isn’t treated before it ends up in the ocean and it can become contaminated by anything in its path—think cigarette butts, oil and grease, pet or wildlife waste, and other icky stuff—harmful bacteria are more likely to end up in the ocean in the day or two following storms. What’s more, since storm water pipes and sewage pipes are often really close to each other underground, storm water can become contaminated by sewage via leaks and carry human waste out to the ocean. Yuck!

How ocean water makes you sick
When beach water becomes contaminated with bacteria, it can enter your system via your mouth (if you swallow it accidentally) or an open wound (if it’s not covered and protected, which is pretty difficult underwater). This bacteria can cause a range of water-borne illnesses—anything from stomach flu and pink eye to dysentery or hepatitis. “It can range from the annoying to the very serious,” says Devine. What’s more, many of the people who get sick won’t even realize it was from being exposed to contaminated beach water a few days earlier.

Is your beach safe?
In many cases, if there’s been a violation of the EPA’s safe to swim standard, local public health officials will post notices on their website and at the beach. “If you see a sign, you should heed it,” says Devine. But here’s the scary thing: Paying attention to these notices and alerts won’t necessarily protect you from jumping into tainted water. “Sometimes states or local beach officials will not automatically post a warning if they’ve had a violation,” says Devine. “They instead will resample to confirm that the water is contaminated above the standard, and so in that circumstance, it might be that there’s not a warning even though they’ve monitored high levels.” You can stay on top of your beach water’s status by checking here.

So should you avoid the beach?
When water is right at the pollution level allowed by the EPA’s safe to swim standards, the risk of getting a gastrointestinal illness from swimming is 1 in 28. That means that when water is below the limit, your chances of getting a water-borne sickness are pretty low—and it’s probably safe to go for a swim. However, because children, elderly people, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to get water-borne illnesses—and will probably be hit harder by them if they do get sick—these people should be cautious about entering the water even when it meets the safe to swim standard. That said, everyone should avoid getting into the water at least 24 hours after it rains—and at least 72 hours after it rains heavily.

Swim safe
Whenever possible, go to beaches that are next to open waters or removed from urban areas since they’re usually less contaminated. You should also avoid swimming near pipes or in water that looks or smells weird in any way. And when you are in the ocean, keep your head above water to decrease your odds of swallowing anything gross by mistake.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Get This: Research Says You Should Call In Sick

Posted on June 14, 2013 by admin

Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:

A new study gives you added incentive to actually take those paid sick days when you’re feeling under the weather: It can help prevent flu outbreaks. [Salon]

Good news if you have exercise-induced asthma: Vitamin C could help alleviate your symptoms. [Deccan Chronicle]

Jennifer Aniston and the stylist behind her amazing Rachel cut are teaming up to create a new haircare line. Why did this take so long to happen? [Vanity Fair]

Most people think Father’s Day doesn’t get as much attention as Mother’s Day, according to a new survey. Show Dad some (last-minute) love by heading to the store for one of these awesome gifts. [USA Today]

In the latest scary health news, medical devices can (and do) become infected by malware. [Newser]

Fitness trackers may help motivate you to move, but they aren’t terribly accurate. [NYT]

TLC is hosting a “Watch ‘n Sniff” event with scent cards for the season premiere of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo on July 17. Because who doesn’t want to know exactly what sketti (noodles with ketchup and butter) and Glitzy (the family’s pet pig) smell like? [Jezebel]

A University California Davis researcher is claiming that there’s no truth to the notion of beer bellies. Sorry, but anecdotal evidence would suggest otherwise. [Medical Daily]

In another dubious study, evolutionary psychologists say men are the reason menopause exists (because they chased after younger women, so older women didn’t need to be fertile). Right… [io9]

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Stop Dwelling On It—It May Make You Sick!

Posted on March 20, 2013 by admin

So you completely botched a job interview or stumbled your way through a toast at your friend’s wedding. This may sound harsh, but you should really just get over it—your health may depend on it. Dwelling on a stressful event may increase inflammation levels in the body, according to new research out of Ohio University. The study is the first to directly measure the physiological link between inflammation and rumination on negative incidents.

For the study, researchers had 34 women ages 18 to 28 give an impromptu speech about their strengths and weaknesses to a panel. During the event, the panel remained stony-faced. Afterward, participants were instructed to either replay the speech in their mind for several minutes—or to imagine something else, like walking up and down the aisles of a grocery store. By collecting blood samples from the participants throughout the study, researchers discovered that the concentration of C-reactive proteins in the blood (a sign of inflammation) was higher for both groups following the stressful speech. But, while C-reactive protein levels continued to rise for the group that stayed focused on how poorly the speech went, they returned to normal for the group that thought about something else afterward.

“What we think this suggests is that ruminating or dwelling on these stressful events after they’re over may make the inflammatory response last longer—but distraction may reduce or lessen that,” says Peggy Zoccola, PhD, one of the co-authors of the study and an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio University.

Chronic inflammation has been linked to a number of diseases and disorders, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, and depression.

Women are more likely to report daily or weekly worrying, anxiety, or nervousness, according to a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even if you normally let things roll off your back, certain situations tend to bring out the worrier in all of us. “Things that are particularly upsetting or traumatic can lead an individual to engage in this kind of repetitive or ruminative thought,” says Zoccola. “You’re trying to think, ‘What happened? Why did it happen to me? What are the consequences?’”

When your mind is stuck on repeat and you can’t get a negative event out of your head, follow these tips:

Let yourself think about it
While this may seem counterintuitive, research shows that making a conscious effort to not think about something almost guarantees you’ll fixate on it. “Simply telling someone to suppress their thoughts and just not think about it may make them think about it even more,” says Zoccola. Instead, acknowledge your thoughts about the negative event, resist the urge to respond to them emotionally—just accept that you have them—and then imagine taking those thoughts and setting them aside. Some researchers think this mindfulness technique could help you move toward closure—and move on, says Zoccola.

Make sure your mind is elsewhere
In the study, researchers used about 20 different prompts such as “Think about what a rose looks like,” “Picture a ship sailing on the ocean,” and “Imagine yourself walking down the aisles at the grocery store” to keep participants from thinking about the stressful speech they’d given. This exemplifies how distractions—even fairly mundane ones—may help keep your mind off of negative incidents. The key, says Zoccola, is to find something that will keep you fully absorbed, whether it’s a hands-on hobby you enjoy (like painting) or something that will keep your brain engaged (like a game of Sudoku).

Grab a pen
Since people often get hung up on stressful events because they’re trying to make sense of them, taking to pen and paper (or a keyboard) can help. “Expressive writing and getting your emotions out there can help you construct a story, especially for something very disruptive,” says Zoccola, who points to research that shows writing or journaling after a stressful incident can lead to a more positive outcome and greater wellbeing. “It may help facilitate that closure process,” she says.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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The Healthy Food That Might Be Making You Sick

Posted on February 8, 2013 by admin

An apple a day will keep the doctor away…but only if you clean it first. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 percent of all food-borne illnesses are caused by contaminated vegetables–that’s 2.2 million out of 9.6 million reported cases. And produce foods–which include vegetables, fruits, and nuts–sicken 4.4 million people a year.

“We eat vegetables raw, so if harmful bacteria is present, there’s no intervention consumers have to ensure they’re safe,” says Michael Doyle, Ph.D., director at the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.

Scary stuff, right? What’s worse is that there’s no way to be 100 percent sure that your food, especially produce, is totally safe to eat, Doyle says. Your best bet is to take the precautions to lower the number of harmful microbes that could be present. Here are 5 tips to keep your healthy foods safe.

Check for blemishes
Fruits and vegetables with bruises, cuts, and nicks have a greater risk of being contaminated with a food-borne illness, Doyle says. Make sure you inspect every surface of whatever item of produce you intend to buy beforehand so that you don’t contaminate other foods in your shopping cart.

Wash before you eat
It’s tempting to sneak a few grapes between shopping aisles, but hold off until you’re home. Doyle says most of the harmful bacteria are located on the outer skins of produce. For fruits like bananas and oranges, peeling the outer layers will leave you with safe food on the inside–just make sure your hands are clean. For other foods, a minute of thorough rinsing will reduce potentially dangerous bacteria.

Cook at a high temperature
You may prefer your veggies raw, but washing them is only half the battle. Doyle recommends cooking vegetables at 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill most of the harmful microbes. Boiling and steaming will get the job done, but if you’re grilling, heat the outer surfaces well.

Practice safe storage
Don’t let your food sit in your fridge uncovered. Place them in closed plastic containers or Saran wrap and cool them in a temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Doyle says the life expectancy of vegetables ranges from three to four days, so be sure to eat them in that time frame. Keep these closed foods away from raw meat on a separate shelf or compartment so that juices won’t drip on them.

Use your best judgment
When you eat out, you have less control over how your food is picked, cooked, and stored. You don’t see what happens behind closed doors, so unless the menu tells you how your food is prepared, assume the food is handled properly. If you’re at a buffet-style joint, you’re the food inspector. Sometimes food is left out for hours, so avoid things that look brown or wilted.

photo: Baloncici/Shutterstock

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Is Restaurant Silverware Making You Sick?

Posted on December 18, 2012 by admin

In new stomach-turning news, a gastroenteritis-causing virus could be lurking on restaurant silverware and dishes—even if they’ve been washed, according to a new study published online on PLOS ONE.

To “simulate a worst-case scenario,” researchers at the Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science infused cream cheese and reduced fat milk—both of which are difficult to properly clean off of tableware—with disease-causing murine norovirus (MNV-1), Escherichia coli (E. coli K-12), and Listeria innocua (L. innocua). They then coated ceramic plates, forks, and drinking glasses with the infectious mixture and put them all through either a mechanical wash or a hand wash.

The good news? Both washing methods reduced bacterial cells E. coli and L. innocua enough to meet safety standards, though using a dishwasher was slightly more effective than hand washing. But before you head to your nearest restaurant to celebrate, take note: Norovirus particles survived both washing techniques and were not significantly reduced by either wash method.

“Norovirus is the leading cause of about 90% of epidemic gastroenteritis,” says Donna Duberg, assistant professor of Clinical Laboratory Science at Saint Louis University. The danger: “Gastroenteritis is a pretty uncomfortable disorder—it causes nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea that lasts for days.” Plus, it’s not easy to get over and is very easily spread, she says.

That said, it isn’t necessarily a restaurant’s fault if norovirus particles remain on tableware. Food itself can act as a barrier, protecting the bacteria and viruses from cleaning products and heat, says Duberg. Also, milk products—like the ones used in the study—can neutralize cleaning products, making them less effective, she says.

But don’t stress: This doesn’t mean you should swear off restaurants altogether. “The idea that we’re going to ‘kill’ things [bacteria and/or viruses] is probably a little far-fetched,” says Duberg. “What we’re doing is trying to reduce the number of germs to a level that our bodies can handle—one we can clear with our defense system.”

While we have little control over what a restaurant does behind closed doors, there are a handful of things to consider before you place your order. Here, Duberg’s tips on how to stay as germ-free as possible while dining out.

Follow your nose
A restaurant should smell good. “It shouldn’t smell dirty or contaminated,” she says. “The bathrooms should smell fresh and clean and not have a heavy odor of air fresheners that are covering up dirty odors,” Duberg says. So if you smell anything other than the delicious food that’s cooking, it might be time to try a new spot.

Take a look around
Any clean establishment will look clean and will have good cleaning habits. “There shouldn’t be sticky tables,” says Duberg. “That’s where bacteria is going to breed, and where bacteria breed, viruses are right behind them.” And take note of the color of the cloths employees use to wipe down the tables. They should be white and clean, and buckets of water should be clear, says Duberg. Also, be aware of whether or not your server or maître d’ is sniffling or has a runny nose, she suggests.

Inspect the utensils
Your silverware and tableware shouldn’t have remnants of a past meal. Silverware should also come wrapped in clean napkins. Plus, serving utensils shouldn’t be transferred from one dish—and one person—to another, says Duberg.

Know when to stay in
“If your immune system is low—if you’re stressed, or had a cold, for example—you can handle less bacteria and viruses effectively,” according to Duberg. In this case, you might not want to expose your weakened system to germs that might make you get sick all over again. Plus, you don’t want to be the person responsible for contaminating anyone else, do you?

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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5 Times You Should Call in Sick to Work

Posted on November 21, 2012 by admin

When you wake up feeling under the weather, the last thing you’re capable of doing is thinking clearly. But if it’s a weekday, the decision you have to make—call out or head in—is as stressful and confusing as the time you had to figure out what to do with your boss’s Facebook friend request.

Turns out, according to the Flu Season Survey from Staples, nearly 80 percent of office workers head to the office when they’re feeling sick, even if they know they’re contagious. And this, experts warn, is a bad move—not just for you, but for your coworkers, too.

“We’ve all heard about absenteeism, but presenteeism, or heading to work when you know you’re not well, is even more of an epidemic,” says Louis Papa, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. “Not only does pushing yourself through the day stress your body and cause a cold or flu to linger, but it also rapidly spreads germs to people in close proximity.”

That said, even experts concede that it’s unrealistic to call in for every single sniffle. Here, how to suss out whether you should crawl under the covers or click on the coffee pot and suck it up.

STAY HOME IF:

Your nose is like a leaky faucet, or you hack up fluid when you cough. “The more liquid your body is producing, the more of a chance there is for germs to spread,” warns Papa. Many people assume that the color of their mucus holds a key to whether or not they are contagious, but Papa warns that isn’t true. “While it’s true that yellow or green mucus is a sign your body is actively fighting a bug, since the color is caused by enzymes found in infection fighting white blood cells, you’re most contagious in the day or two before full-blown symptoms appear, when the mucus may still be clear.”

You’re running to the bathroom every hour. Not only is it miserable to spend your day sprinting across the office to deal with gut issues, but since diarrhea and vomiting both dehydrate you, the mere act of heading to work and trying to keep up with your everyday routine could leave you feeling even sicker than when you started. Stay home until your stomach calms down.

Your eyes are red and crusty. If you wake up and your eye is swollen shut, or it oozes any sort of substance, you may have pinkeye—a highly contagious infection that won’t go away without antibiotics. Stay home and make a doctor’s appointment.

Your joints are achy. “When a person gets the flu, white blood cells release proteins called cytokines to fight the infection,” explains Papa. Turns out, it’s these proteins—not the virus—that are responsible for the all-over body pain you feel during the flu. Rest up so your body can do its work.

You don’t have an appetite. Even if you don’t feel like you’re going to throw up, appetite loss—you can’t finish your breakfast, going to the DMV sounds more appealing than going to lunch—is a clear sign your body is battling a bug. “When your immune system launches a response, it causes hormonal changes that affect appetite,” explains Papa. Going through a full workday on an empty stomach under these conditions further stress your body and could hinder your recovery.

HEAD TO WORK IF:

Your coughing and sneezing don’t make strangers stare. Take the stranger test: Does your hacking cough make the guy at the coffee counter cringe? If not, then head to work if you have to. Just make sure to wash your hands often and wipe down the surfaces of your desk and your phone with an antibacterial wipe at the end of the day to minimize the chances of germs spreading, suggests Papa.

You had tummy troubles during the night, but are fine at breakfast. “An isolated incident of an upset stomach or bout of diarrhea can be caused by mild food poisoning, stress, or even medication,” says Papa. If you’re feeling fine in the AM, it’s all right to head to work—just make sure to drink plenty of fluids to make up for what you lost.

You don’t interact with a ton of people on the job. Sounds obvious, but the more people you interact with, the easier it is for germs to spread, even if you’re being careful where you cough. On the other hand, if you have your own office and use your own supplies, you can use your judgment if your symptoms are mild.

You have an all-over headache. Mild tightness, pain, or pressure throughout your entire head, without any other symptoms, is most likely a tension headache, which can be caused by stress, spending a length of time in an unusual position (like sleeping on a plane) or too much screen time on your laptop. If the headache is severe, accompanied by other symptoms, or concentrated in one place, talk to your doc. Otherwise, head to work.

photo: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Thinkstock

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Tag Archives: Sick

Is the Beach Making You Sick?

Get This: Research Says You Should Call In Sick

Stop Dwelling On It—It May Make You Sick!

The Healthy Food That Might Be Making You Sick

Is Restaurant Silverware Making You Sick?

5 Times You Should Call in Sick to Work