Dirt Is Good For You.

Do you always try your best to keep your house clean by using antibacterial wipes, soaps & dish detergents? Are you especially careful with your children's areas, their dishes, bottles, rooms etc.? Did you ever think that maybe you might be doing more harm than good by over-sterilizing your living space?

According to two recent German studies (involving over 15000 study subjects), children who grow up on farms have less incidences of asthma and allergies compared to children raised in urban environments. This is attributed to the fact that children living on farms are exposed to a much wider variety of microbes compared to those living in urban areas.

More exposure to microorganism early in life stimulates the immune system such that it is less likely to result in hypersensitivity (allergic reactions).

In addition to the above, another reason not to over sterilize your home environment is that the antibacterial cleaners don't kill 100% of the bacteria. The small percent (<1%) of bacteria that are not killed will multiply and create a new strain of bacteria, all of which resistant to these cleaning agents. In other words, by cleaning vigorously with antibacterial products will turn your home into breeding ground for tougher, stronger bacteria, which if infects your body, may not respond to antibiotics!!

For more detailed review of the two studies, you can go to http://dermatology.jwatch.org

Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Found To Increase Diabetes Risk

In 2010, The Lancet published a meta-analysis stating that after all stain drug use, there is a small increase of new-onset diabetes (diabetes that wasn't found prior to drug use). Following this finding, the Journal of American College of Cardiology published three more studies which all indicated the same result. Further analysis showed that this risk did not decrease significantly between small doses(10mg/day)vs. higher doses(80mg/day).

Authors of both studies concluded that the benefit of statin drugs far outweight the risks. The trials along with the analysis were sponsored by the manufacturer of atorvastatin.

Neither set of studies took into consideration the option of using the first-line of defense against high cholesterol- lifestyle changes. The group of patients given statin drugs were compared to those given a placebo. The questions come to mind are:

1. What if both groups were told to make lifestyle changes such as health diet and regular exercise, would this help prevent the increased risk of diabetes?

2. Better yet, what if patients who were given the drugs (without lifestyle changes)were compared to those who were NOT given any drugs but do make improvements on dietary habits and daily activity levels?

Take home message (from Lei): don't take drugs unless it's absolutely necessary, because they do pose side effects, some you may not even yet know about.