Showerheads May Be Spraying Out Bacteria

Livescience.com -
By Jeanna Bryner

1 in 5 tested harbored bugs tied to pulmonary disease, study finds.

Your showerhead may deliver more than a refreshing spray of water. New research suggests disease-causing bacteria hide out inside showerheads, hitching a ride to your face and body inside water droplets.

The grimy results come from genetic tests run on samples from 45 showerheads in homes, apartment buildings and public places from nine U.S. cities in five states: New York, Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee and North Dakota.

About 20 percent of the showerhead swabs harbored significant levels of Mycobacterium avium, bacteria linked to pulmonary disease that most often infects people with compromised immune systems, said lead researcher Norman Pace of the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Pace and colleagues found that M. avium and related pathogens were clumped together in slimy biofilms that coated the insides of the showerheads at more than 100 times the levels found in municipal waters that are the origins for the showers’ water.

Once the pathogen-laden water spurts from showerheads, the bugs can suspend in the air where showering individuals can easily inhale them into the deepest parts of the lungs, Pace said.

For those with immune-compromised systems, Pace recommends changing out your showerhead regularly. Sufficiently cleaning showerheads may prove difficult as they are full of hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. While chlorine-bleach products may remove some bacteria, mycobacteria are resistant to chlorine. He added that microbes attach more easily to plastics, so an all-metal showerhead might be a good investment for the immune-compromised.

At the end of the day, Pace doesn’t recommend steering clear of the shower. “It’s like anything else — there is a risk associated with it,” Pace said

The study, detailed in the Sept. 14 online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

Allergy Relief Really Is Possible

By Christopher Wanjek
Livescience.com –

We’re in the middle of one of the worse allergy seasons on record. But if you are one of the millions of Americans suffering from seasonal allergies, this isn’t exactly a newsflash.

What might be news, though, is the fact that you don’t have to suffer and you don’t necessarily have to get doped up with prescription drugs to get you through the misery.

The first step is to understand what precisely is causing the allergy. That is, to say it’s just pollen is analogous to saying germs cause disease. Knowing the type of pollen or whatever the trigger is will better enable you to minimize your exposure, avoid foods that might make the allergy worse, and find the best treatment. That treatment could be something as benign as saline drops.

Evil trees

Heavy early spring rains followed quickly by warm weather has resulted in unprecedented levels of tree pollen, a primary cause for seasonal allergies, resulting in itchy eyes, nasal stuffiness and runny noses. Some parts of the country have experienced record-breaking pollen counts.

You might be able to reduce exposure. This would entail avoidance strategies such as tuning into the reported daily pollen count; staying indoors during midday when the counts are the highest; washing your hair and changing your clothes more often; and wearing a mask.

But according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, two-thirds of spring allergy sufferers actually have year-round symptoms. Pollen might only be part of the problem. For this reason, you need to know your triggers. And this involves visiting an allergist.

Spring-blooming trees such as birch, maple, poplar, oak, sycamore and walnut are all notorious triggers, peeking at slightly different times in the spring. If you know your triggers, you might be able to avoid them all together.

Cheap relief: water

Clifford Bassett, a practicing allergist and a faculty member at New York University School of Medicine, recommends a three-tier approach to relief: the aforementioned avoidance; then medicine ranging from benign water or saline solution to prescription drugs; then (if all else fails) immunotherapy via injections.

Nasal irrigation, or washing out your nose once or twice daily with warm salt water, can be quite useful. You can use a cheap bulb syringe or a more expensive neti pot. Videos abound on YouTube demonstrating this, and there are plenty of rigorous science studies justifying the comical-looking practice of funneling water in one nostril and out the other. Just don’t do it with milk.

Oregano oil is a popular word-of-mouth remedy, but there are absolutely no scientific studies supporting its use, and you run the risk of smelling like a pizza shop for no good reason.

Potentially expensive relief: meds

Medication can be quite effective, Bassett said, and he’s surprised by how many people shun it (and shun seeing an allergist), opting instead to suffer through the season. Bassett said there’s sometimes a perception that treatments don’t work because of “nasal priming,” the phenomenon in which fewer and fewer allergen particles are needed to trigger symptoms. But this is a result of a hyperactive immune system, not the medication.

Common allergy medications such as antihistamines or corticosteroids only treat your symptoms. Immunotherapy, in contrast, entails gradually introducing the offending allergen to the body so that you can build a normal immune response to it.

Pollen allergies can be exacerbated by certain foods. Carrots and celery can make grass pollen allergies worse; many fruits and vegetables, particularly those not in season, can make the spring tree pollen allergies worse. This is called a cross reaction, and this is due to the fact that the immune system — already running amok with pollen — might confuse these food proteins with pollen proteins. An allergist, Bassett said, can help you strategize a course to relief.

It’s all a matter of understanding the specifics of your misery. Knowledge, like much of the pollen coating your street, is golden.

10 Worst Plants for Your Allergies

When pollen is your worst enemy

Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, doesn’t have anything to do with a fever, or hay for that matter. Instead, the watery eyes and stuffy nose are most often due to pollen from the beautiful plants and trees gracing your yard or neighborhood. (The condition was so named because it was discovered during haying season, when its symptoms were most present.) Warren V. Filley, MD, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, gave us the lowdown on some of the most common allergy-causing plants and trees, and how to spot them.

Ragweed

Where you’ll see it: Fields, riverbanks, roadsides, rural areas
There’s a ton in: the Midwest, the Mississippi River basin
Peak time: Summer and fall
“The most allergenic plant we have is ragweed,” says Dr. Filley, “It is less common on the West Coast or in New England. Therefore there is less pollen in those areas.” About 75% of Americans who have plant allergies are sensitive to ragweed, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Mountain cedar

Where you’ll see it: Mountainous areas (hence the name)
There’s a ton in: Arkansas, Missouri, parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Peak time: Spring
“For the Texas hill country, it does not get any worse than the mountain cedar tree, which causes some of the most severe allergy symptoms I have ever seen,” says Dr. Filley.

Ryegrass

Where you’ll see it: Dry, cool lawns, meadows, pastures
There’s a ton in: Northern parts of the United States
Peak time: Spring and summer
Grasses as a whole are often problematic for allergy sufferers, says Dr. Filley. “There’s no allergy-free grass. And if you mow it, you pick up mold as well as pollen.” Other common allergens including timothy, blue, and orchard grasses.

Maple

Where you’ll see it: Along streams, woods
There’s a ton in: the Eastern United States and Canada
Peak time: Early spring
Ash-leaf maple produces potent allergens and is found throughout the United States. Other, more moderate maples that trigger allergies are the red, silver, and sugar varieties.

Elm

Where you’ll see it: Cultivated, wetland habitats
There’s a ton in: the Eastern and Midwestern United States
Peak time: Spring (American Dutch elm); fall (lace bark elm)
Dutch elm disease killed an estimated 100 million elm trees between 1930 and 1980. However, the trees made a comeback in the late 1990s. (Score one for the environment, zero for your allergies.)

Mulberry

Where you’ll see it: Woods, river valleys
There’s a ton in: the Eastern United States
Peak time: Winter to summer
Flowering plants don’t usually produce the most potent allergens. If it’s pretty—think cherry and crabapple trees in blossom—it’s probably “not” causing your misery. However, the mulberry has been known to contribute to hay fever.

Pecan

Where you’ll see it: Woods, orchards
There’s a ton in: the western fringe of the Southeastern United States, north Florida, Georgia, Indiana, and Ohio
Peak time: Spring
Pecans may taste great in pie, but in areas with lots of pecan trees, the pollen is second only to ragweed as a source of severe allergies.

Oak

Where you’ll see it: Woods
There’s a ton in: the Coastal Plain from Texas to Virginia, and Florida
Peak time: Spring
“Oak produces less potent pollen but very large quantities,” says Dr. Filley. Oak trees often produce the most pollen for the longest season.

Pigweed/tumbleweed

Where you’ll see it: Lawns, roadsides
There’s a ton in: The western and northern United States
Peak time: Spring to fall
Other weed allergens in the West include Russian thistle and green molly (aka kochia or burning bush).

Arizona cypress

Where you’ll see it: Well-drained soils
There’s a ton in: the Southwestern United States
Peak time: Spring
In warm climates, this tree can cause pollen problems for six to seven months out of every year.

Mold

OK, we know, it’s not a plant (it’s a fungus). But we would be remiss if we didn’t mention mold.
If your allergies act up in spring, it may not be due to pollen circulating in the air, but mold levels that rise with wetter, warmer air. “Not to be left out are the molds, of which there are hundreds, which produce significant symptoms throughout the U.S., depending on time of year and activity,” says Dr. Filley. Get accurate pollen and mold levels by using the National Allergy Bureau’s tool, which measures pollen and mold levels by area.

 - Health.com

Cockroach Infestations Increase Risk For Allergies & Asthma Attacks

Medicalnewstoday.com -

In recognition of National Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month, celebrated each May, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) is reminding families that cockroach allergens can trigger allergies and asthma attacks. The saliva, droppings and decomposing bodies of cockroaches contain allergen proteins known to trigger allergies and increase the severity of asthma symptoms, especially in children.

“When most people think of allergy and asthma triggers, they probably do not think of cockroaches,” says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the NPMA. “But homes, schools and other buildings that have cockroach infestations can pose a serious health threat to those that suffer from allergies and asthma. Cockroach allergens tend to accumulate in areas that are not easily seen, like under appliances and sinks, so keeping these areas clean is key.”

In addition to triggering allergies and asthma, cockroaches are known to spread 33 different kinds of bacteria, six parasitic worms and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. As cockroaches crawl through decaying matter or sewage, they turn into disease-carrying pests by picking up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies. These germs can then be transferred to humans on hard surfaces and through food contamination.

The NPMA recommends these tips to help prevent cockroach infestations:

- Seal cracks around the outside of the home to prevent pest entryways.
- Vacuum frequently and dispose of garbage regularly.
- Keep counters and floors clean and free of crumbs that attract pests. Pay extra attention to kitchens and bathrooms – especially under appliances and sinks – as these areas are particularly vulnerable to cockroach infestations due to the presence of food products and moisture in plumbing fixtures.
- If you suspect you have an infestation, contact a licensed pest professional to identify the species and recommend a course of treatment.

Preventing the Flu: Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs

Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits.
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

A Quick Dip in a Dirty Pool

Time.com -
BY IAN K. SMITH, M.D.

As temperatures soar, the cool blue waters of a swimming pool can seem pretty inviting. But perhaps you should look twice before you take that dip. Thousands of Americans may get sick this summer from the unsanitary condition of their pool water, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The last thing you want to think about when you’re swimming is what tiny creatures might be swimming beside you. But the fact is that any pool can be contaminated with parasites and bacteria. If you’re not careful, you could find yourself in the emergency room with a badly upset stomach or a scary-looking rash.

The biggest culprit seems to be a parasite called Cryptosporidium. It multiplies in the gastrointestinal tract and can escape through a leaky diaper or other poolside accident and, if swallowed, can cause a distressing bout of diarrhea. Cryptosporidium is highly chlorine resistant and can survive in pool water for days. E. coli, another escapee from the gut known to cause outbreaks of stomach malaise, is more sensitive to chlorine and can usually be kept in check with careful pool maintenance.

As a first precaution, take a close look at the water before you jump in. Its color and texture are good indicators of its cleanliness. It should be clear enough for you to see through at least 10 ft. of water and distinguish objects such as a metal grating on the bottom of the pool. Foamy or bubbling water along the pool’s edge is a sign of potential trouble; it typically represents excessive organic matter, such as pollen or bacteria. If the water looks clear enough to enter, the next line of defense is to keep your mouth shut. As we swim, many of us unknowingly swallow water–along with any microbes that might be in it.

The best defense is a good offense, fighting the contaminants at their source. Be wary of babies wearing diapers. Parents should be changing them frequently and cleaning up thoroughly, even if the little ones are wearing so-called waterproof diapers. Parents should be careful where they change a diaper, doing it as far away from the pool as possible. And whether you’ve changed a baby or gone to the bathroom yourself, you should always wash your hands with soap and water before re-entering a pool.

Chlorine is still the most popular weapon against contaminated pool water. Home pools should be tested at least once a day; many public pools are checked every one to three hours, depending on the number of swimmers. Because bugs love warmth, heated pools and Jacuzzis require more rigorous testing and higher levels of chlorine. If you are feeling particularly vigilant, you might pick up one of those $10 home-pool testing kits that measure the water’s pH level to make sure it’s in a safe range. And then enjoy your swim!

Photo Credits:
Microbewiki.kenyon.edu
Monash.vic.gov.au

Don’t Blame Coffee for Your Morning Breath

 Extract from coffee actually battles the germs that cause stinky mouths

An extract from coffee can inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad breath, scientists have discovered.

The extract prevents malodorous bacteria from making their presence felt — or smelt.

“Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath,” said Tel Aviv University breath specialist Mel Rosenberg, “and it’s often true, because coffee, which has a dehydrating effect in the mouth, becomes potent when mixed with milk, and can ferment into smelly substances.”

But not always. Rosenberg and colleagues monitored the bacterial odor production of coffee in saliva.

“Contrary to our expectations, we found some components in coffee that actually inhibit bad breath,” Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg would like to isolate the bacteria-inhibiting molecule in order to reap the biggest anti-bacterial benefits from coffee. “It’s not the raw extract we will use,” he says, “but an active material within it.”

The discovery could be the foundation for an entirely new class of mouthwash, breath mints and gum, he said.

The findings were presented last month to members of the International Society for Breath Odor Research in Germany.

© 2009 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.
Photo Credit: Engagingconflicts.com

XMICROBE Assisted Mr. Gaard In Protecting His Largest Asset

Mr. Gaard of The Villages offered:

My home is new and I wanted to keep my asset as good as possible.

I searched the web and saw the Healthier Environment Living Program. I called to see if they had a service to offer a way to manage the mold or mildew that can be destructive to my home as I leave the windows open often and I know there is high humidity in my home. They offered a free visit to meet and discuss their Healthier Verifications and services. Good thing because they found the beginning of mold during their sampling and my home was not even two years old.

The report they brought back from the lab was very interesting and easy to understand. There initial solution was to offer an anti microbial treatment so they took about an hour and misted their XMICROBE Technology anti microbial through the house. It was amazing the difference in the air within hours and even days later it was getting better. Since then the sampling has come back better each time from days after the treatment and now six months later.

They offered a small misting in the vents and around the main part of the house on the six month visit and it is nice to know about the quality of the environment you live in. Just like a doctor’s visit for me, this is a doctor’s visit for my home and it is really important to know how healthy it is. With tight funds being retired, it was very affordable and in the long run will save me a bunch from the troubles I could have coming!

Nashville Tennessee Martial Arts Studio Protecting Air and Surfaces for Their Students

As the owner of a Martial Arts Studio, safety is naturally a great concern of ours.  We take great caution to make sure our Dojo is as clean as possible from the mats, to the seats, to the bathrooms.  Our mats are of utmost concern due to all the students rolling on them and all the various germs and bacteria that can infect the mats during a lesson.  We clean the mats multiple times a day, but we can’t do anything during the lessons. 

A long time student of mine introduced me to the Healthier Environment Living Program and told me about the benefits it would have for my Dojo.  As soon as I heard how H.E.L.P. is a non-toxic, long term solution to prevent germs and bacteria from living on my surfaces, I had them treat my facility.  I am very happy with how thorough every item and surface in my dojo was treated.  Not only were all my wall, mats, bathrooms and seating areas treated, every individual striking target and practice weapon was treated.  It is comforting to know that now whenever my students and staff are practicing on the mats, they are on a protected surface.  It is also nice to know that after one student puts down a weapon or target, the next student will not be picking up any germs from the previous student.  On top of all the protection for our dojo, we are recommending that all our students use the laundry additive for their Gis for further protection.

In a time when H1N1 is all we hear about, and Staph infections are on the rise, we are very excited to be implementing the Healthier Environment Living Program into our facility.  H.E.L.P. is the solution we have been seeking in our daily fight against bacteria.  I highly recommend this program to any gym or workout facility. 

Gary Bush
Chief Instructor/Owner
US Ju-Jistu Center, Nashville, Tn

10 Ways to Green Your Home!

Livescience.com -
by Jasmin Malik Chua

Just because you’re concerned about climate change doesn’t mean you have to live in a yurt in outer Mongolia. You can be passionate about the environment, without strapping yourself to a whaling ship or using yourself as a human shield against bulldozers that mow down old-growth trees. All it takes are a few smart, fuss-free choices to make the change you wish to see in the world, while rejuvenating your body, home, and planet at the same time. Choosing green might even save you some green in the process. Our list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a righteous start.

1. One Bright Idea

If you’re going to do just one thing for the planet, make it the switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Although they cost several times more upfront than regular incandescent light bulbs, they also last about 10 times longer, which means that for every CFL you screw in, you’ll be saving eight incandescent light bulbs from landfill purgatory. Plus, you’ll save some serious cash in the long run. Because CFLs use 75 percent less energy, swapping one incandescent bulb for a CFL reduces carbon dioxide by 500 pounds a year; replacing 17 has the equivalent effect of taking one car off the road for a year. Just remember to recycle spent bulbs responsibly – CFLs contain trace amounts of mercury, which although isn’t enough to be hazardous to you, could pose a problem in landfills when mercury from multiple bulbs leaches into the ground.

2. Seeing Stars

The average home can pump out twice as much greenhouse-gas emissions as the average car. Purchasing energy-saving Energy Star-rated appliances, electronics, and lighting can help mitigate that, while slashing a third of your electric bill. (A power guzzler is nobody’s friend.) Improving the energy efficiency of your home could even earn you tax credits from Uncle Sam.

3. Paper Nor Plastic

Eschew plastic bags by bringing your own reusable canvas totes the next time you’re at the supermarket or store. Because petroleum-based plastic isn’t biodegradable, it’s certain to outlive you-by about a millennium or so. Each year, thousands of marine animals, including the endangered leatherback turtle, choke to death on plastic trash they mistake for snackable morsels. Our unholy love for plastic disposables has also bred a swirling vortex of plastic trash the size of Texas in the North Pacific Ocean-not surprising when you consider that Americans run through about 100 billion plastic bags annually, using up an estimated 12 million barrels of oil. 

4. No Soliciting

Deforestation is responsible for 25 percent of all carbon emissions released into the atmosphere, through the burning and cutting of 34 million acres of trees annually. Save some virgin and old-growth forests by opting out of paper catalogs and browsing online, instead. Why did you think Al Gore invented the Internet? Shed those extra 41 pounds of junk mail the average American packs on each year by removing yourself from direct-mail mailing lists; if you need a tad more help, companies such as GreenDimes and 41pounds.org have got your back.

5. Get Better Mileage

Who knew cauliflower were such globe-trotters? Or that jet-setting tomatoes racked up frequent-flier miles? But it’s true: North American produce typically travels a minimum of 1,500 miles. Grapes can clock 2,143 miles cruising from vineyards in Napa Valley to supermarket aisles in Chicago, gobbling up barrels of crude oil and spewing pollutants and greenhouse-gas emissions in their wake. By buying your produce locally, whether it’s through the farmers’ market or a community-assisted agriculture program, you can reduce your “food miles,” otherwise known as the distance your food has to travel to get from the farm to your plate. Now that’s fresh.

6. The 3 Rs

Start rolling those Rs: Reduce, reuse, and recycle-and in that order. Let’s face it, we’re mired deep in ecological debt because we’re consuming more resources than nature can replenish. By gorging on more than our fair share of the world’s resources, we’re also diverting essentials such as food, clothing, and water from communities in greater need. So let’s recap: It’s better to reduce your personal consumption than it is to reuse something, and it’s less environmentally taxing to reuse a product than to have it recycled. Separating recyclables from your regular trash, which barely takes any effort, is a no-brainer, of course; recycling aluminum, for instance, takes as little as 5 percent of the energy we’d need to manufacture virgin aluminum.

7. Get Off the Grid

Opt for clean, renewable energy if it’s offered in your area. Low-impact sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power reduce our dependence on coal-burning power plants, a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions. And because harnessing the power of renewable “fuels” such as sun and wind are free, your electric bill is likely to scale down because of the reduced price of wholesale electricity.

8. Slay Energy Vampires

You may not know it, but households across the globe are infested with vampires. Energy vampires, that is. Cleverly disguised as innocuous household appliances (psst, your television is one of them), their nasty pointed teeth plunge deep into your wall socket, draining power all hours of the day and night, even after you’ve switched them off. (Americans pay $1 billion a year to power our televisions and VCRs while they’re turned off.) Other sleeper agents of the electric undead that consume 1,000 kilowatt hours a year per household, while in standby mode: your toaster, coffeemaker, hair dryer, PC, printer, cable box, and cell phone charger. You don’t have to live in a constant state of fear, however, forever checking behind your back for that one appliance you forgot to pull the plug of. Just plug adjacent equipment into power strips with surge protectors, and before you crawl under the safety of your covers-or head out to work-simply flip the switch.

9. Go Au Naturale

Our chemical arsenal may be able to exterminate creepy crawlies and polish our countertops, but they’re slowly killing us, too. The man-made chemicals we favor are like the obnoxious houseguest who overstays his welcome-an average of 200 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals, for instance, were recently discovered in the umbilical-cord blood of newborns. (These included seven dangerous pesticides, some of which were banned in the U.S. more than 30 years ago.) We’re serving our kids potent chemical cocktails even before they’re born-not quite the head start they may have been hoping to get. Pesticides have also been implicated in Parkinson’s disease, infertility, brain damage, and cancer. So ditch the poisons and choose natural, non-toxic, and equally effective methods of cleaning and corralling pests. You probably already have what you need in your kitchen to get started. Chowing down on organically grown food will cut out pesticides from your diet, as well.

10. Build it Green

Trees, in a word, rock. They absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide, hold soil together to prevent landslides, and provide a rich habitat for diverse plants and animals. Choose furniture made from eco-friendly sources such as sustainably managed forests, bamboo, and reclaimed wood. Buying vintage wherever possible, rather than adding something new into the waste stream, is always in style. Also, look for furniture that is durable and likely long-lived-you’ll save money on replacements in the future and prevent more wasted materials from winding up in the landfill. And, if for some reason, that dresser or dining table no longer suits your needs, something in fine shape will always have takers via Craig’s List, eBay, or Freecycle.

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