How do antibiotics work? Are there many kinds or a few that have mutiple purposes?… by *gYpS
For instance, when people have an infection and the doctor gives them antibiotics, do they prescribe different kinds based on what type of infection it is? Like a throat infection, lungs, skin, sexual organs (STD), eyes, lymph nodes, etc.?
When you take the antibiotics, do they just find the infection in your body and work on it? Or do different types have specific functions?
Thanks for any knowledge you can share 
Thanks everyone. I understand a lot better now. I've always wondered how they work when they enter your body. Now I see there are many kinds that work on certain groups like some for respiratory infections, some anti-fungal, etc. I've taken antibiotics before and I do remember that finishing the prescribed amount of pills was really stressed by the doc.
Thanks again!
Best Answer:
There are many antibiotics that do different things. For the most part, antibiotics target processes in infections that are different from our functions. Some of the more serious antibiotics work by killing the infection faster than it kills us, for example. Fortunately, this is rare.
Different antibiotics target different kinds of infection. For example, bacteria can be put into 3 basic groups (for the most part) and different antibiotics do better against a certain group. These groups are gram positive (penicillins usually work good against these), gram negative (Cipro-like do good against these,) and anaerobic bacteria (Flagyl works good against these.) Of course, these aren't firm rules. Penicillins can treat many gram negatives, and Cipro can treat many gram positives, etc. Some antibiotics, like Clindamycin work well against more than 1 group (gram positive and anaerobes).
Some antibiotics target different functions. Penicillins interfere with the cell walls of bacteria, many antibiotics interfere with the way microbes copy their genes, and some affect how microbes make folate (like bactrim.) Some antibiotics kill microbes outright, and others slow them down and just keep them from reproducing untill our immune system catches up or they die of old age.
Lastly, different antibiotics have a tendancy to go to different parts of the body. Bactrim likes to head for the urinary system, so it is good to treat UTIs. Penicillins sometimes have trouble getting through to the brain so another antibiotic might be used in meningitis. Other antibiotics might spend more time in the respiratory system, etc.
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What equipment is used to remove avocado skin & seed to make avocado oil?… by struth4
When making avocado oil the seed and most of the skin need to be removed prior to the oil being extracted for cold press as they contain toxins. What equipment is used? It must be food grade.
Best Answer:
go to Perry Videx website
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What are the proven health benefits of green tea?… by Tanya Pan
And are there any unpleasant side effects?
Best Answer:
Green tea has a number of antioxidants. It's known that antioxidants are good for you and people are encouraged to eat foods which provide antioxidants, like broccoli and beets. There are a lot of claims for green tea. It's difficult to know how many of them are true. In general, it's a good food but high in cafeine. One needs to be careful not to take in too much cafeine.
Here is some of what Wickipedia has to say about the proven and unproven benefits of green tea:
Unproven claims
Green tea has been credited with providing a wide variety of health benefits, many of which have not been validated by scientific evidence. These claims and any for which academic citations are currently missing are listed here:
Stopping certain neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's[citation needed]
Preventing/treating cancer [2]
Treating multiple sclerosis [3]
Preventing the degradation of cell membranes by neutralizing the spread of free radicals (which occurs during the process of oxidation). [4]
Reducing the negative effects of LDL cholesterol bad cholesterol by lowering levels of triglycerides and increasing the production of HDL cholesterol good cholesterol. [5]
Increasing fat oxidation (helps the body use fat as an energy source) and raising metabolism. [6]
Joy Bauer, a New York City nutritionist, says [the catechins in green tea] increase levels of the metabolism speeding brain chemical norepinephrine. [7]
Japanese researchers claim if you drink five cups of green tea a day, you'll burn 70 to 80 extra calories. Dr. Nicholas Perricone , an anti-aging specialist, appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show and told Oprah's viewers they can lose 10 lbs. in 6 weeks drinking green tea instead of coffee [8]. However, the maximum calorie density of stored fat is 3500 calories in a pound thus 75 extra burned calories per day requires 40 weeks to lose 6 lbs. [9] The weight lost might also been due to replacing a high caloric drink such as coffee with cream and sugar with a lower caloric drink such as green tea. The difference might be a few hundred calories per drink if the coffee contained other substances, such as sugar, milk, and dairy creamers.
The major concern with drinking too much green tea is the caffeine it contains. Too much caffeine can cause nausea, insomnia or frequent urination. [10]
Encouraging the formation of scabs if applied directly to a wound
[edit] United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The article Tea: A Story of Serendipity[11] appeared in the March 1996 issue of FDA Consumer Magazine and looked at the potential benefits of green tea. At that time they had not done any reviews of the potential benefits of green tea and were waiting to do it until health claims were filed. They have since denied two petitions to make qualified health claims as to the health benefits of green tea. [12]
On June 30, 2005, in response to “Green Tea and Reduced Risk of Cancer Health Claim”, they stated: “FDA concludes that there is no credible evidence to support qualified health claims for green tea consumption and a reduced risk of gastric, lung, colon/rectal, esophageal, pancreatic, ovarian, and combined cancers. Thus, FDA is denying these claims. However, FDA concludes that there is very limited credible evidence for qualified health claims specifically for green tea and breast cancer and for green tea and prostate cancer, provided that the qualified claims are appropriately worded so as to not mislead consumers.” [13]
On May 9, 2006, in response to “Green Tea and Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Disease”, they concluded “there is no credible evidence to support qualified health claims for green tea or green tea extract and a reduction of a number of risk factors associated with CVD.” [14]
However in October 2006, the FDA approved an ointment based on green tea. New Drug Application (NDA) number N021902, for kunecatechins ointment 15% (proprietary name Veregen) was approved on October 31, 2006 [15], and added to the “Prescription Drug Product List” in October 2006. [16] Kunecatechins ointment is indicated for the topical treatment of external genital and perianal warts. [17]
[edit] Scientific studies
A 2006 study published in the September 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded “Green tea consumption is associated with reduced mortality due to all causes and due to cardiovascular disease but not with reduced mortality due to cancer.” The study, conducted by the Tohoku University School of Public Policy in Japan, followed 40,530 Japanese adults, ages 40-79, with no history of stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer at baseline beginning in 1994. The study followed all participants for up to 11 years for death from all causes and for up to 7 years for death from a specific cause. Participants who consumed 5 or more cups of tea per day had a 16 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 26 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease than participants who consumed less than one cup of tea per day. The study also states, “If green tea does protect humans against CVD or cancer, it is expected that consumption of this beverage would substantially contribute to the prolonging of life expectancy, given that CVD and cancer are the two leading causes of death worldwide.”[18] [19]
A study published in the February 2006 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded “A higher consumption of green tea is associated with a lower prevalence of cognitive impairment in humans.”[20] [21]
In May 2006, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine weighed in on the issue with a review article that looked at more than 100 studies on the health benefits of green tea. They pointed to what they called an “Asian paradox,” which refers to lower rates of heart disease and cancer in Asia despite high rates of cigarette smoking. They theorized that the 1.2 liters of green tea that is consumed by many Asians each day provides high levels of polyphenols and other antioxidants. These compounds may work in several ways to improve cardiovascular health, including preventing blood platelets from sticking together and improving cholesterol levels, said the researchers, whose study appeared in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Specifically, green tea may prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (the “bad” type), which, in turn, can reduce the buildup of plaque in arteries, the researchers wrote.[22]
A study published in the August 22, 2006 edition of Biological Psychology looked at the modification of the stress response via L-Theanine, a chemical found in green tea. It “suggested that the oral intake of L-Theanine could cause anti-stress effects via the inhibition of cortical neuron excitation.”[23]
In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial done by Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 240 adults were given either theaflavin-enriched green tea extract in form of 375mg capsule daily or a placebo. After 12 weeks, patients in the tea extract group had significantly less low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (16.4% and 11.3% lower than baseline, p<0.01) than the placebo group. The author concluded that theaflavin-enriched green tea extract can be used together with other dietary approaches to reduce LDL-C. [24]
A study published in the January, 2005 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded “Daily consumption of tea containing 690 mg catechins for 12 wk reduced body fat, which suggests that the ingestion of catechins might be useful in the prevention and improvement of lifestyle-related diseases, mainly obesity.” [25]
Antioxidants in green tea may prevent and reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis, according to a CWRU's School of Medicine study published in the April 13 2005 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study examined the effects of green tea polyphenols on collagen-induced arthritis in mice, which is similar to rheumatoid arthritis in humans. In each of three different study groups, the mice given the green tea polyphenols were significantly less likely to develop arthritis. Of the 18 mice that received the green tea, only eight (44 percent) developed arthritis. Among the 18 mice that did not receive the green tea, all but one (94 percent) developed arthritis. In addition, researchers noted that the eight arthritic mice that received the green tea polyphenols developed less severe forms of arthritis. [26]
A German study found that an extract of green tea and hot water (filtered), applied externally to the skin for 10 minutes, three times a day could help people with skin damaged from radiation therapy (after 16-22 days). [27]
A study published in the December 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that “Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se. The green tea extract may play a role in the control of body composition via sympathetic activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.”[28]
In lab tests, EGCG, found in green tea, was found to prevent HIV from attacking T-Cells. However, it is not known if this has any effect on humans yet. [29]
A study in the August, 2003 issue of a new potential application of Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences found that “a new potential application of (
What is the best way to prevent Plantar Fasciitis?… by Handsome
When ever I run more than 10 miles my feet kill me the next day. I strecth them, warm up, wear newer running shoes but nothing seems to work. Am I doomed with this forever?
Best Answer:
Man I feel your pain. I cannot even walk or stand in the shop for more than a few minutes. Besides your streatches, my podiatrist recomended anti-inflamatory drugs like Ibuprophen or you can ask them for a prescription for Meloxicam which is a newer replacemment for drugs like Viaoxx that were pulled from the market. Also do ice packs for 20 minutes several times a day to keep swelling down. I also purchased Orthotics (Special shoe inserts) from my podiatrist. You can get ones like Dr Scholls from the drug stores but they are soft. The ones my podiatrist sold me were $35 and are like a very hard plastic that when I have my shoes on they press into and streatch the arch to keep that tendon flexible. My problem is that the bone spur resulting from having Plantar Fasciitis is probably too large as it gets inflamed way too fast. Looks like surgery is possible in the future for me.
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My mother has Parkinson disease, please let me know the best treatment or medicine for her?… by Yas
Can you tell me if dopamine works?
What are the the side effects and how can she minimize them?
Best Answer:
Treatments
Unlike for many other neurodegenerative diseases, there is effective treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. For most patients, these treatments can provide several years of satisfactory treatment. Unfortunately, no therapy has yet been conclusively shown to slow or reverse the disease. Several candidates have been tested in this regard, and have shown intriguing results. However, these studies will need to be repeated and expanded before these agents can be widely recommended.
Several important factors influence decision-making in treatment of PD. These include:
* Levodopa continues to be the most effective treatment for motor symptoms, and all patients eventually require it.
* Long-term complications of levodopa therapy are a concern, and may influence whether therapy begins with levodopa or a dopamine agonist.
* Non-motor symptoms, especially depression, are increasingly being seen as important targets of therapy.
* Surgical treatment has become a mainstay of late-stage management, although not all patients can afford it or are appropriate candidates.
* Cell transplant therapies are still experimental, and their usefulness is currently lessened by the possibility of unacceptable complications. Additional studies are needed to understand and avoid these complications.
* Non-pharmacological treatments remain an important part of the whole treatment program.
Long-term Complications of Treatment
As PD progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult to adequately control symptoms with medications. The most common problems that arise are motor complications, which include motor fluctuations and dyskinesias.
Motor fluctuations refer to unanticipated loss of effect of a given dose of levodopa
Do you think there exists a cure for Cancer?… by Mr.OldG
I have heard it said that we have a cure for cancer, but the powers keep it hidden for the simple reason of massive overpopulation. Why is there no cancer in the royal family?
Best Answer:
Asking a question like this is to invite all the alternative treatment and religous miracle people out to peddle their “cure”. The trolls are out in force for this one. With the wide variety of “treatments” with no proven efficacy, do you honest believe any of these work?
You would not be asking such a question if you understood a little bit about cancer biology.
Cancer is not a curable disease. It's not one disease. It is a collection of diseases each defined by a specific set of genetic mutations and the cell type. So, each cancer would require a different treatment.
The common cold has no cure either. There are thousands maybe more different viruses that cause the cold. There is no medicine to cure the common cold. There is just medicine to alleviate/mask the symptoms. The immune system does the rest to get rid of the foreign invader (cold virus).
In cancer, the problem is much more complex. There is no foreign invader. The problem is our own cells have had their genes mutated. Some of those mutations involve controlling growth (cell division).
We have developed some treatments against certain viruses. Those drugs specifically target the virus by their surface signature (antigens). Cancer cells are derived from normal cells. Their surface signature is the almost the same as normal cells. There are some therapies that take advantage of the subtle differences for certain cancers (MABs for lymphomas, cancer vaccines for melanoma, brain tumors, pancreatic cancer, etc.) However, even those therapies lose their effectiveness because cancer cells mutate. Every cell division is an opportunity to introduce more mutations to its offspring. Often times, those mutations provide survival benefit to their offspring (evolution).
Most approaches to treating cancer (even the purported approach of alternative therapies) involves killing cancer cells not combating the genetic defect or associated protein product produced. There currently is no way to fix genetic mutations.
Hereditary diseases such as Down's syndrome, cyctic fibrosis, etc., are caused by mutations to one or more genes. There are no cures to these diseases or any hereditary disease. There is NO current way to fix the genome. These diseases involve a mutated but mostly static genome (like a still target). In cancer, genetic instability and further mutations is common in advanced stages (like moving target).
There has been progress in combatting cancer at the genetic level by drugs which bind to the protein produced by the mutated gene. The protein is like an instruction. Binding to the protein is like preventing the (bad) instruction from getting delivered. Some of these targeted therapies currently on the market are Gleevec, Sprycel and, Tasigna for the protein product of the Abl-Bcr oncogene in most CML, some ALL and, GIST. So, some progress has been made but, it is a very slow progress.
Hopefully, this will give you some insight as to why cancer will NOT be cured by one drug. Each different cancer must be treated differently. It is quite a complex problem with thousands of people studying the many different aspects of cancer.
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What is the best way to avoid getting sick while traveling and eating, if you want to enjoy local food?… by Nick
Obviously, I could avoid eating street food but if I want to enjoy local food that isn't McDonalds I would like to. I once heard that eating yogurt while traveling can help with stomach maladies.
Best Answer:
Yes, it is true that eating yogurt for a week or two before travelling can help increase the levels of “good bacteria” in your stomach and help to prevent traveller's diarrhea. While it is not recommended, you can also take strong antibiotics prior to and during your trip to greatly decrease your chances. Any of the usuals (Cipro, Levaquin, Septra) would suffice. Just tell your doctor you accidentally ate a piece of raw meat and want an antibiotic. You should avoid taking antibiotics because it helps bacteria become resistant to it. Also, these infections (E. Coli, Hepatitis, etc.) are VERY serious and you should still try to avoid possibly contaminated food and water (BOTTLED ONLY).
P.S. – Take along the antidiarrheal medicine (Immodium or generic) anyway! There are many ways to get diarrhea besides an infection. This includes overeating, eating spicy foods, or eating foods you're not used to.
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How does the endocrine system work?… by
Unlike the organs of the nervous system, endocrine glands are not connected to each other. How then, does the endocrine system work?
Best Answer:
Endocrine system :
The endocrine system is a control system of ductless glands that secrete hormones that circulate within the body via the bloodstream to affect cells within specific organs. It is also instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, tissue function, and metabolism, as well as sending messages and acting on them. Typical endocrine glands are pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands, but not exocrine glands such as salivary glands, sweat glands and glands within the gastrointestinal tract.
The field of medicine that deals with disorders of endocrine glands is endocrinology, a branch of the wider field of internal medicine.
Contents :
1 Endocrine glands and the hormones secreted
1.1 In males only
1.2 In females only
2 Role in disease
3 See also
4 Links
Endocrine glands and the hormones secreted
Hypothalamus produces
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)
Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
Somatostatin (SS; also GHIH, growth hormone-inhibiting hormone)
Dopamine (DA)
Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)
Pineal body produces
Dimethyltryptamine
Melatonin(Primarily)
Pituitary gland (hypophysis) produces
Anterior pituitary lobe (adenohypophysis)
Growth hormone (GH)
Prolactin (PRL)
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, corticotropin)
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, thyrotropin)
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH, a gonadotropin)
Luteinizing hormone (LH, a gonadotropin)
Posterior pituitary lobe (neurohypophysis)
Oxytocin (ocytocin)
Arginine vasopressin (AVP; also ADH, antidiuretic hormone)
Lipotropin
Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH)
Thyroid produces
Triiodothyronine (T3), the potent form of thyroid hormone
Thyroxine (T4), a less active form of thyroid hormone (Primarily)
Calcitonin
Parathyroid produces
Parathyroid hormone (PTH)
Heart produces
Atrial-natriuretic peptide (ANP)
Stomach produces
Gastrin(Primarily)
Ghrelin
Neuropeptide Y (NPY)
Secretin
Somatostatin
Liver produces
Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) (primarily
Angiotensinogen
Thrombopoietin
Pancreas produces
Insulin (Primarily)
Glucagon (Also Primarily)
Somatostatin
Adrenal glands produce
Adrenal cortex
Glucocorticoids (chiefly cortisol)
Mineralocorticoids (chiefly aldosterone)
Androgens (including DHEA and testosterone)
Adrenal medulla
Adrenaline (epinephrine) (Primarily)
Noradrenaline (norepinephrine)
Testosterone
Kidney produces
Renin (Primarily)
Erythropoietin (EPO)
Calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D3)
Skin produces
Vitamin D3 (calciferol)
Adipose tissue
Leptin (Primarily)
Estrogens (mainly estrone)
In males only
Testes
Androgens (chiefly testosterone)
In females only
Ovarian follicle
Estrogens (mainly estradiol)
Corpus luteum
Progesterone
Estrogens (mainly estradiol)
Placenta (when pregnant)
Progesterone (Primarily)
Estrogens (mainly estriol) (Also Primarily)
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)
Human placental lactogen (HPL)
Testosterone
Role in disease :
Diseases of the endocrine system are common, such as diabetes mellitus and thyroid disease.
Endocrinopathies can occur with any of these. Hypofunction can occur as result of loss of reserve, hyposecretion, agenesis, atrophy, destruction, etc. Hyperfunction can occur as result of hypersecretion, loss of suppression, tumor, hyperplasia, etc.
Endocrinopathies are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary.
Primary is target organ dysfunction and is normally associated with increased or decreased secretory hormones. Secondary is a dysfunction that originates elsewhere like the pituitary gland and is normally associated with increased or decreased production of trophic factors. Tertiary is associated with dysfunction of the hypothalamus and its releasing hormones.
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