When you have an infection, a doctor prescribes antibiotics to make the bacteria that causes it disappear. Sounds like a good idea, but the disappearance of microorganisms that have inhabited humans for millennia could be driving rising numbers of serious illness and debilitating conditions.
Killing more than 29,000 people each year, infection with Clostridium difficile (C. diff or CDI) is the most common healthcare-associated infection in the US. In a disturbing development, new research reveals recurring cases of the infection are soaring.
A new study casts real suspicion on the possibility of life on Mars. Why? It seems the surface of the planet may be downright uninhabitable for microbial life as we know it.
It's not always easy to get to the root of an infection outbreak. Epidemiologists study infected people, contacts, and carefully examine where the infections happened and when. In the case of a 2012 outbreak of pertussis — whooping cough — in Oregon, scientists just published an analysis of how vaccination status affected when a child became infected during the outbreak.
Intense exercise can cause problems with our digestive tract. It even has a name — "Exercise-induced Gastrointestinal Syndrome." Simply put, strenuous exercise can damage the gut and let the bacteria that reside there potentially pass into the bloodstream.
We've worked hard to reduce the flow of toxic chemicals into our waterways, which means no more DDT and other bad actors to pollute or destroy wildlife and our health. But one observation has been plaguing scientists for decades: Why are large quantities of one toxic chemical still found in the world's oceans?
Cholera is rapidly spreading in Mozambique, with over 1,200 people infected. Since the outset of 2017, cholera has spread from the capital city of Maputo (pictured above) to three of its ten provinces. Health officials report other areas in the country are seeing case counts rise, and two deaths have been logged so far.
Marijuana is legal to use for medical purposes in 28 states and the District of Columbia, but the quick development of this new industry could have left some regulation issues in the lurch.
It won't come as a surprise to hear that your cell phone, tablet, and laptop are loaded with bacteria and other organic material. While most of these bacteria are harmless, there are good reasons to reduce the capability of your mobile devices to infect you—or other people.
It feels like someone reached into your chest and squeezed. Your head throbs in unison with your heartbeat. Clammy dread coats your body in sweat. Whether you call 911 or someone does it for you, the ER is your next stop.
As a lover of food, I'm often asked, “If you could only have one food the rest of your life, what would it be?” My answer is always the same: sourdough bread. (Okay, it's not always the same... I usually cheat and say sourdough, fancy cheese, and a good beer.) Admittedly, I'm biased by my own sentimentality. My mother is an expert bread baker, with a major in making sourdough. Her sourdough starter is older than I am, and in all honesty, she's made thousands of loaves, each better than the ne...
Only a handful of food products are impervious to spoilage—dried rice, salt, sugar—but even among those, honey is unique in that it remains edible without any preparation necessary. It's like this: if you came across honey in an Egyptian tomb, as archaeologists have, you could taste it and never guess it was thousands of years old.
Ever wanted to know how to smell good naturally with natural elements? You can save the earth without offending those around you when you go au natural.
When protecting your garden, you can stay green with some environmentally sound solutions. You Will Need
Your workspace should be a breeding ground for creativity and productivity, not bacteria and germs. You Will Need
It doesn't take a nutritionist to know that eating too much meat is not good for your body. From hormones added to the feed for cows and chickens to contamination from bacteria, it's a good idea to integrate lighter vegetable dishes into your diet on a regular basis.
This video shows how to wash a horse's sheath. The instructor notes that you do not want to wash the horse's sheath to often because certain good bacteria needs to exist in the horse's sheath. It is noted that you can use soap but his method of choice is to just use water to clean the sheath. This sort of sheath cleaning is only necessary with tame horses and must be done very carefully. The instructor notes that you can just let water run into the sheath and just let it remove any dirt. It i...
Staphylococcus aureus is a widespread bacteria — about a third of us have it on our body right now — usually in our nose or on our skin. And it probably isn't causing an infection. But, about 1% of people who have Staphylococcus aureus present have a type that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin.
Montezuma's revenge, the runs, the trots, or just diarrhea — everyone gets it sooner or later. What exactly is diarrhea good for, if anything?
Sepsis is not only a gross sounding word but also a deceptively dangerous and fatal infection. Which is why more than 40 hospitals nationwide are coming together to a new collaboration to help reduce sepsis mortality, named Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO).
For some, drinking raw milk is a way to get back to nature, improve family nutrition, and hedge against asthma and allergies. However, according to public health authorities, drinking raw or unpasteurized milk is a big mistake—even fatal. So what's the story?
When to throw meat away is a common question, and one I often ask when faced with meat sitting in the fridge after a few days. With vegetables, you can usually tell on sight (or with this guide) when they're past due, but meat is not as simple.
Early in the morning, there's almost nothing worse than discovering your razor is dull midway through your pre-work routine. No matter how hard you try to preserve those precious blades, it can seem like they're dull every time you reach for the razor. With one, seconds-long step after each use, you can save your razor blades and make them last longer.
This is a video about the topic "Yeast in Your Toilet". It is quick tipped video clip and the tip to add the yeast in toilet in order to increase the growth of micro-organisms in the toilet and your septic tank systems. To perform this quick tip process, flushing one or two tablespoon of Brewer's Yeast down the toilet for every months and do not stop the process and check the septic tank systems regularly. This method will extend the life of the septic tank systems because of the grown level ...
Check out this video to learn how to prevent your car from getting stolen or broken into. Part 1 of 2 - How to Prevent your car from getting stolen or broken into.
Water gardens are great but Mosquitoes like them too. To help control Mosquitoes a safe and effective remedy is Mosquito dunks. When placed in the water they are attractive to Mosquitoes, but they contain a bacteria. The Mosquitoes feed on it, it gets into their gut and kills them. The dunk is safe for pets, for fish that might be in the water, for wildlife and for humans. Just leave the dunks in the water, they will last about 30 days in a pond this size. Normally use 1 in 100 square feet or...
Look no further than Flint, Michigan, to discover the serious consequences of contaminated drinking water. Around the world, water polluted by pathogens and toxins sickens people or cuts them off from safe drinking water. Looking for a solution, researchers created tiny, swimming robots that pack a powerful punch against waterborne pathogens.
Most people are familiar with the decline of honeybee colonies around the world. Among other threats, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is eroding the capability of honeybees to maintain their hives and provide their services to human farmers.
Food is both a necessity and a joy. Many people enjoy exploring, cooking, eating, and learning about foods from around the world. But the picture isn't always rosy. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlights the ways and whereabouts of food that make us sick.
Move over whole wheat — white bread may be back in style after a new study shows that it may be your gut microbes that decide what kind of bread is best for you.
As headlines focus on melting glaciers and rising water levels caused by global warming, climate change is quietly taking its toll on the nearly invisible occupants of this planet, the microbes.
Hospitals are places we go to get well, and we don't expect to get sick or sicker there. But a study from researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Cleveland VA Medical Center in Ohio found that hospital floors in patient rooms were frequently contaminated with healthcare-associated pathogens—often dangerous multi-drug resistant bacteria.
Transmitted by ticks, Lyme disease is a serious infection that is probably headed your way. A recent study confirms the pathogen that causes Lyme disease is now established in nine national parks in the East, including Acadia and Shenandoah National Parks.
Most people give their fruits and veggies a cursory rinse under the faucet before eating or cooking them, but is that few seconds under running water really enough to remove any remaining dirt, pesticides, or wax clinging to the surface?
For me, the worst thing about makeup has always been taking it off. It's always that one last thing you have to do before you go to bed, and if you don't, you instantly regret it when you wake up. When you're tired, makeup removing wipes are a godsend because they're so quick.
In this tutorial, we learn how to cure bad breath using an Orabrush. You can scrape your tongue with the back of a spoon and smell it to see if your breath smells bad. Breath mints will just mask your breath smelling bad. You will need to drink a lot of water to get rid of the bad smell in your mouth and keep it hydrated. An Orabrush has small bristles on it and will rub against your tongue and get rid of the bacteria on it that smells bad. Was it off when you're finished and then you can use...
In this tutorial, we learn how to begin composting. When you compost, you have a lot of choices of where you want to compost. You can do it inside of a metal bin, in a small tumble type of container, or a wood cedar box. If you are doing a lot of composting, use a large composting bin that you will turn with a shovel. It's important to get oxygen into the pile to keep the bacteria growing. You can use compost accelerator to help get things going and make it more successful. You can compost co...
In this video, we learn how to remove blackheads with Lisa Rhodes. Blackheads are a common problem that occur when dirt and bacteria get trapped underneath the skin. The best way to remove these blackheads from your skin comedone extractors, which is a metal stick with a hole at the end. It applies even skin around the blackhead when you are extracting. This is safer than using your fingers, because your fingers tend to damage the hair follicle, which leads to acne bumps or a larger pore. thi...
In this video, we learn how to make sweet and hearty beef stew with Janice and Liz. You will need: peas, carrots, mushrooms, meat, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, maple syrup, and salt. Place these all into a slow cooker on low and let sit for around 6 hours. To finish the stew, add in a bit of flour and milk to thicken it. When you are finished, don't leave the meal out for more than 2 hours before placing the leftovers in the fridge. If you leave it out for too long, bacteria will start to gro...
Sore throats are terrible, aren't they? You can't talk, you can't swallow and even eating your favorite comfort foods is painful. If you are looking for an all natural way to clear up that scratchy throat fast, check out this tutorial. In it, you will learn a very simple home remedy than anyone can do. You will need to take this elixer once a day, around bedtime. Get well soon!
