Contact Lenses and Eye Infections

Contact lenses are great, but they can also lead to infection.  If you are someone who uses contact lenses, understand that they are great for your eyes, but you've got to make sure you wash your hands before you put your contact lenses in.  In addition, you want to make sure you clean or purify the contact lens.  You don't want to be in a situation where you actually are putting an infectious agent in your eye, because when you get an infection in the eye it's very difficult to treat.  It can become a serious issue if it's not taken quite seriously. 

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Infections Occur More Commonly During Winter Due to Close Contact

The principal reason for the increase in the number of infections in winter weather is the fact that people tend to remain indoors in cold weather and, thus, are in very close contact with one another.  Proximity allows the spread of many viruses that cause respiratory infections.  In addition, influenza is even more common in winter because the virus first attacks the Far East in their summer and then spreads westward and reaches the U.S. by winter.  Although it is preferable that one should stay warm, there is little hard evidence to suggest that not wearing a hat or exposure of wet hair to inclement weather increases the risk of infection or, more specifically, pneumonia.  The truth is, the flu and the common cold are both caused by viruses.  People get sick more often in the winter because they're exposed to each other more.

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Do You Have Fever Phobia?

Do you have fever phobia?  The American Academy of Pediatrics says this is a problem in this country.  Fever is one of the most common clinical symptoms in children.  Certainly, if the temperature is elevated, it can be a warning sign there are other problems.  The fever is really the body's way to fight infection and sometimes a low-grade fever is not a bad thing.  However, due to advertising and the ready availability of many medications to control fever, there are patients who will turn to medicine every time a temperature is over 99.5 and that is a mistake.

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Bacterial vs. Viral Throat Infections

Throat infections occur quite a bit and they do occur commonly.  When we look at someone with a throat infection, we try to find out if there some underlying etiology to be concerned about; for instance, strep is a bacteria which can cause a throat infection.  If it's a virus as a cause, physicians don't get nearly quite concerned because we know that with gargling and with watching the temperature you can make a big difference.  It's when people actually are in a situation where they have serious throat infections with bacterial origins that can be a concern. 

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Preventing Food Poisoning

Outbreaks of E. coli and others with salmonella certainly have gotten a great deal of attention. According to officials at the FDA, more adults than normally expected are developing serious conditions as a result of these infections. Now, usually the problems are far more aggressive in children. Outbreaks usually affect them because their systems are not quite as ready to fight problems like that. The big thing, of course, if you’re going to worry about food is to protect yourself. You should scrub produce thoroughly, wash the exterior of all fruits and vegetables, and scrape the skin of carrots and cucumbers.

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