Health Tips from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
October 29, 1997
Contact: Sarah Ellis (303) 315-5571
* Avoiding Antibiotic Overuse
* Treating the Common Cold
* The Mystery of Endometriosis
* Exercise is Key Ingredient in Recipe for Healthy Aging
The Risky Business of Antibiotic Overuse
"Antibiotics kill bacteria, but they do nothing to cure a viral infection," said Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. "Still, antibiotics are prescribed in 50 percent to 80 percent of cases where patients seek relief from a viral respiratory illness."
Dr. Gonzales said this overuse of antibiotics is dangerous for all of us. "When used too frequently, antibiotics can cause bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotic drugs, rendering the drugs useless against any future bacterial infections such as pneumonia or meningitis," he said.
If you get an upper respiratory infection, over-the-counter medications can help to relieve uncomfortable symptoms. "If the illness is more severe or different from the colds and bronchitis you've had in the past, check with your doctor," Dr. Gonzales said. "He or she will tell you if an antibiotic is necessary."
Chicken Soup is a Valid Remedy
While there may not be an actual "cure" for the common cold, there are treatments. You really can even treat a cold with chicken soup, according to Steven Lowenstein, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
"Some of the oldest remedies known have acquired some scientific support," Dr. Lowenstein said. "Chicken soup has been found to speed the flow of nasal mucous and help eliminate the rhinovirus in the nose.
Dr. Lowenstein recommended identifying the main cold symptom and treating it, rather than trying to treat several symptoms at once. And he said simple hand washing goes a long way in helping to avoid colds, since they are frequently passed from hand to nose.
The Mystery of Endometriosis
Doctors don't really know how many women have endometriosis, a disorder caused when pieces of the uterine lining back up into the abdominal cavity and form scar tissue around the organs there. Normally this lining is shed each month during menstruation.
Endometriosis can cause debilitating pain and infertility. "The severity of symptoms don't always correlate with the severity of the disease," said William Schlaff, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
The only way to definitively diagnose endometriosis is through surgical evaluation. "See your doctor if you have pelvic pain, particularly if you plan to have children," Dr. Schlaff said. "Endometriosis lesions that go unchecked can cause irreparable scarring of the reproductive organs. However, 60-70 percent of women who are diagnosed and treated for endometriosis-related infertility become pregnant, usually within 18 months after surgery."
Exercise is Key Ingredient in Recipe for Healthy Aging
Becoming more fit, no matter how old you are, can help to slow weakening of the body we all experience as we age. Three components of fitness that are especially important to the elderly are cardio-respiratory fitness, flexibility, and muscular strength and endurance.
Muscular fitness is probably the most ignored fitness component in the elderly. "That's a mistake," said Rob Loeffler, MD, orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the University of Colorado Sports Medicine Clinic. "We know that there is a gradual decrease in muscle mass with age, but a great deal of strength loss can be attributed to simple lack of use."
Studies of aged nursing home residents have demonstrated that working out with machines or free weights can increase strength and mobility for people in their seventies, eighties, and even nineties.
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