Antibiotics and the Meat We Eat

By DAVID A. KESSLER

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/opinion/antibiotics-and-the-meat-we-eat.html?_r=2&

Published: March 27, 2013 

SCIENTISTS at the Food and Drug Administration systematically monitor the meat and poultry sold in supermarkets around the country for the presence of disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. These food products are bellwethers that tell us how bad the crisis of antibiotic resistance is getting. And they’re telling us it’s getting worse.

But this is only part of the story. While the F.D.A. can see what kinds of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are coming out of livestock facilities, the agency doesn’t know enough about the antibiotics that are being fed to these animals. This is a major public health problem, because giving healthy livestock these drugs breeds superbugs that can infect people. We need to know more about the use of antibiotics in the production of our meat and poultry. The results could be a matter of life and death.

In 2011, drugmakers sold nearly 30 million pounds of antibiotics for livestock — the largest amount yet recorded and about 80 percent of all reported antibiotic sales that year. The rest was for human health care. We don’t know much more except that, rather than healing sick animals, these drugs are often fed to animals at low levels to make them grow faster and to suppress diseases that arise because they live in dangerously close quarters on top of one another’s waste.

It may sound counterintuitive, but feeding antibiotics to livestock at low levels may do the most harm. When he accepted the Nobel Prize in 1945 for his discovery of penicillin, Alexander Fleming warned that “there is the danger that the ignorant man may easily underdose himself and by exposing his microbes to nonlethal quantities of the drug make them resistant.” He probably could not have imagined that, one day, we would be doing this to billions of animals in factorylike facilities.

The F.D.A. started testing retail meat and poultry for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 1996, shortly before my term as commissioner ended. The agency’s most recent report on superbugs in our meat, released in February and covering retail purchases in 2011, was 82 pages long and broke down its results by four different kinds of meat and poultry products and dozens of species and strains of bacteria.

It was not until 2008, however, that Congress required companies to tell the F.D.A. the quantity of antibiotics they sold for use in agriculture. The agency’s latest report, on 2011 sales and also released in February, was just four pages long — including the cover and two pages of boilerplate. There was no information on how these drugs were administered or to which animals and why.

We have more than enough scientific evidence to justify curbing the rampant use of antibiotics for livestock, yet the food and drug industries are not only fighting proposed legislation to reduce these practices, they also oppose collecting the data. Unfortunately, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, as well as the F.D.A., is aiding and abetting them.

The Senate committee recently approved the Animal Drug User Fee Act, a bill that would authorize the F.D.A. to collect fees from veterinary-drug makers to finance the agency’s review of their products. Public health experts had urged the committee to require drug companies to provide more detailed antibiotic sales data to the agency. Yet the F.D.A. stood by silently as the committee declined to act, rejecting a modest proposal from Senators Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California, both Democrats, that required the agency to report data it already collects but does not disclose.

In the House, Representatives Henry A. Waxman of California and Louise M. Slaughter of New York, also Democrats, have introduced a more comprehensive measure. It would not only authorize the F.D.A. to collect more detailed data from drug companies, but would also require food producers to disclose how often they fed antibiotics to animals at low levels to make them grow faster and to offset poor conditions.

This information would be particularly valuable to the F.D.A., which asked drugmakers last April to voluntarily stop selling antibiotics for these purposes. The agency has said it would mandate such action if those practices persisted, but it has no data to determine whether the voluntary policy is working. The House bill would remedy this situation, though there are no Republican sponsors.

Combating resistance requires monitoring both the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our food, as well as the use of antibiotics on livestock. In human medicine, hospitals increasingly track resistance rates and antibiotic prescription rates to understand how the use of these drugs affects resistance. We need to cover both sides of this equation in agriculture, too.

I appreciate that not every lawmaker is as convinced as I am that feeding low-dose antibiotics to animals is a recipe for disaster. But most, if not all of them, recognize that we are facing an antibiotic resistance crisis, as evidenced by last year’s bipartisan passage of a measure aimed at fighting superbugs by stimulating the development of new antibiotics that treat serious infections. Why are lawmakers so reluctant to find out how 80 percent of our antibiotics are used?

We cannot avoid tough questions because we’re afraid of the answers. Lawmakers must let the public know how the drugs they need to stay well are being used to produce cheaper meat.

David A. Kessler was commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration from 1990 to 1997. 

FDA to crack down on antibiotics in animals reared for meat

Regulators announce new guidelines for drug firms to phase out some antibiotics as a growth enhancer in livestock.The Food and Drug Administration is taking steps toward phasing out the use of some antibiotics in animals processed for meat in the US, citing a potential threat to public health.

Many cattle, hog and poultry producers give their animals antibiotics regularly to ensure that they are healthy and to make the animals grow faster. Now, the agency has announced that it will ask pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily stop labeling drugs important for treating human infection as acceptable for that growth promotion in animals.
If the companies sign on — and one major company has already said it will — using those antibiotics to promote growth in animals would be illegal. Prescriptions would be required to use the drugs for animal illnesses.
The FDA has been debating how to address the issue of antibiotics in meat for several years as consumers have become more aware of the issue and are clamoring for antibiotic-free meat. McDonald's, among other companies, has moved to limit the drugs in their meat, pushing many animal producers to go along.
The FDA move is designed to limit antibiotic-resistant diseases in humans. Repeated exposure to antibioticscan lead germs to become resistant to the drug so that it is no longer effective in treating a particular illness.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health problem. In September the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released sobering estimates that more than 23,000 people a year are dying from drug-resistant infections.
The biggest risk is from germs spread in hospitals, and it's not clear how much of the problem is related to the use of drugs in meat. Still, the FDA says this is one step toward decreasing resistance.
"We need to be selective about the drugs we use in animals and when we use them," said William Flynn of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. "Antimicrobial resistance may not be completely preventable, but we need to do what we can to slow it down."
The new guidance will give the companies three years to comply.
Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner of foods, said he believes asking industry to make the changes is the fastest way to help phase the drugs out. If the FDA made the process mandatory, he said, the agency would have had to move forward with a complex regulatory process that could take years.
"We have high confidence based on dialogue with industry that this initiative will succeed," Taylor said.
Drug company Zoetis, a leading manufacturer of animal antibiotics, has already said they will comply.
"This reflects our continued commitment to antibiotic stewardship and represents the many ways that Zoetis promotes the responsible use of antimicrobial drugs in animals," the company's statement said.
Animal agriculture groups will not have much of a choice in the matter if drug companies sign on and make the drugs' use illegal. But many antibiotics will still be available for those producers to use, just not those that the FDA has classified as most important for treating human infections. Some of the antibiotics that could not be used in animals are penicillins and tetracyclines, the FDA said.
Many animal groups signaled support for the FDA guidance after it was announced Wednesday, including the National Pork Producers Council. Still, Dr. Liz Wagstrom of the pork producers' group said the FDA action will mean "real change" in the way antibiotics are used on the farm, as some animals may not grow as quickly and producers may see more disease. She said she does not know how much it will cost the industry.
Some advocates pushing to rid the animal food supply of antibiotics said the FDA did not go far enough. Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York, a microbiologist, said the FDA should have made the action mandatory. The guidance "falls woefully short of what is needed to address a public health crisis," she said.
Others hailed the agency move as progress.
"We commend FDA for taking the first steps since 1977 to broadly reduce antibiotic overuse in livestock," said Laura Rogers of The Pew Charitable Trusts' human health and industrial farming campaign. "There is more work to do, but this is a promising start, especially after decades of inaction."

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/dec/11/fda-crackdown-antibiotics-animals-meat

Are you an oyster lover?

Here are some benefits of eating oysters:

1. Oysters contain more zinc than any other food. Zinc is necessary for proper growth and development, strengthens the immune system and promotes healing.
2. Oysters are heart healthy. They are high in omega – 3 fatty acids, potassium and magnesium which can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and lower blood pressure.
3. Oysters can help you lose weight! They are low in calories, low in fat and a good source of protein which makes you feel fuller after eating.
4. Oysters are a good source of other essential nutrients. These include vitamins A, E, and C, zinc, iron, calcium, selenium, and vitamin B12.
5. Oysters can help improve your energy. They are a good source of iron which helps the body transport oxygen to individual cells giving you more energy.
6. Oysters can help lower your cholesterol. A study done by the University of Washington found that eating oysters can help raise the HDLs (good cholesterol levels) and lower the LDL’s (bad cholesterol levels).

Other interesting tidbits about oysters:

1. Oysters taste better in cooler weather. Spawning, which occurs in the warmer months of May, June, July and August, affects the taste. They are not bad, just not as tasty as in the cooler months.
2. Oysters  are considered to be an aphrodisiac. American and Italian researchers found that they were rich in amino acids which trigger increased levels of sex hormones. Their high zinc content aids the production of testosterone.
3. Oysters can be safely eaten in non “R” months. The rule of thumb before refrigeration was not to eat oysters in months whose names have no “R”. This would be May through August when the hot weather would not allow for safe storage of the oysters. Thankfully, for all us oyster lovers, refrigeration makes it possible to eat them all year round!
4. Oysters are good for your garden. Oyster shells are high in calcium which helps balance your soil’s pH. Calcium also helps build strong cell walls which leads to healthier plants. BUT – don’t just throw your oyster shells in the garden though, they should be ground – or you could just purchase the ground oyster shell lime at the local garden center.
5. Oysters can contain harmful bacteria. Be sure of your source! Oysters are filter feeders meaning that they concentrate anything present in the surrounding water. In the gulf coast area, there would occasionally be warnings (after heavy rains causing the potential for water contamination), not to eat the bay seafood.
6. Shucking (opening) oysters is a competitive sport. Shucking oyster competitions are held worldwide. There is even a Guinness World Oyster Opening Championship in Galway, Ireland.
7. Eating oysters is environmentally friendly. They are on the Seafood Watch list as a “best choice”. This means that seafood in this category is abundant, well-managed and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways.
I knew I liked oysters – now I have other reasons besides just the taste!

How about you – are you an oyster lover?

Pineapple Smoothie for acne problems and constipation

Pineapple Smoothie
Mix the following in a blender.
1-2 cups of fresh pineapples
1/2 cups apple slices
1/4-cup fresh apple juice
1/2-cup almond milk (more or less as needed)
1 banana
1-tablespoon lecithin
2-tablespoons flax seeds
2 teaspoons bran (wheat, oat or rice)
You can add more lecithin if you like. Lecithin does not have a taste. This smoothie is jam packed with fiber.

http://beforeitsnews.com/health/2013/07/six-smoothie-recipes-for-constipation-and-acne-relief-2497306.html

Homemade Moisturizing Body Scrub

Homemade Moisturizing Body Scrub, that I am going to share with you today, is probably my absolute favorite! It leaves your skin feeling SOFT and SMOOTH like you’ve never experienced before! (At least like I had never experienced before! ) It is meant to be used in the shower, and you honestly don’t even need to use any moisturizer when you get out. You will absolutely be glowing!

To get started on making the body scrub, you will only need four simple ingredients. If you don’t have some of these ingredients on hand, a great place to purchase them from is Mountain Rose Herbs. I highly recommend their products, and I know that Stacy does too. (And yes, all of these ingredients are edible, although I don’t think I have ever actually eaten shea butter!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Shea Butter
• 3 TBSP Olive Oil
• 3 TBSP Coconut Oil (melted, but not hot)
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar

METHOD:

Begin by filling a 1/2 C measuring cup with shea butter, making sure to pack it down tightly. Transfer the shea butter to a small pan, and gently heat, using the double boiler method, until the butter is nice and soft. You don’t want to melt the butter, but just soften it to make it easier to work with.

Next, transfer the shea butter to a stand mixer, and beat on high speed until it has a whipped consistency and doesn’t feel grainy when rubbed between your fingers. This will take around 3-4 minutes. It should look like firm whipped cream when it is done. (If you think your tempted to eat it now, just wait till later!)

Combine the olive oil and melted coconut oil together in a small container with a spout. SLOWLY pour the oil into the bowl of shea butter, while beating on high speed. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides as you go.

Once all of the oil is incorporated into the shea butter, continue mixing on high speed for 1-2 minutes until it is nice and fluffy and looks like a soft, delicious whipped cream. If desired, you could also add some essential oils now. I usually don’t, because I like the smell of just the coconut oil and brown sugar, but you could experiment with adding some if you would like.

At this point, you really could just stop, and use this as an after-shower moisturizer. I have done this before, but my favorite way to use this is as an in-shower moisturizing body scrub. It is just so nice, and makes your skin feel AMAZING! (Have I already said that? Please excuse me if I’m repeating myself!)

To turn this into a body scrub, you just need to add something that will exfoliate. This step is very flexible, and there are many things that could be added here. My favorite thing to use is brown sugar. It gives it a wonderful smell, and it does a great job at exfoliating. Some other things that you could consider using instead of sugar would be salt, coffee grounds, ground up oats, etc. Anything that will provide you with a gentle scrub can be used in place of the sugar. You could even do a combination of exfoliators if you would like.

So add the brown sugar (or whatever you decide to use) to your whipped butter and gently mix it in. (If you use brown sugar, make sure that there are no clumps of sugar before you add it to your bowl. It will be a lot easier to mix in this way, and you will not end up with any big sugar clumps in your exfoliator.)

That is all there is to it! And although, you could eat this, I think it would serve it’s purpose better on your skin! To use, simply rub the body scrub all over yourself while you’re in the shower, rinse off, and dry. You don’t need to use a lot – a little bit will go a long way. When you get out of the shower, your skin will feel like silk, and you will be glowing!

This recipe makes around two cups of moisturizing body scrub. I like to store mine in glass ball jars. For a simple gift idea, fill up a 1 cup ball jar with your homemade body scrub, sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top (just for fun!), seal it with a lid, and decorate the jar with a cute ribbon and/or a homemade gift tag. Everyone loves receiving handmade gifts! I made some recently as a special treat for my friend who just had a baby, and she loved it! But make sure to save some for yourself, so you can have beautiful, glowing, soft, smooth, radiant skin too! Enjoy!

http://adelightfulhome.com/homemade-moisturizing-body-scrub/

The Olive Oil Hair Treatment

The Olive Oil Hair Treatment

Photo Credit

Olive oil isn’t just for cooking — it’s great for your hair, too! Olive oil has been proven to give hair a healthy sheen, help to repair split ends, and reduce frizz.
To give your hair a conditioning treatment, massage about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into your hair and scalp. The amount you’ll use should vary depending on the length and thickness of your hair. And remember to massage it in well – the massaging feels really nice on your scalp, but is also important to the treatment, as massage stimulates helps promote a healthy scalp.
Next, take a warm, damp towel and wrap it around your head and treated hair (“turban” it). Leave it on for about 30-45 minutes. This allows the olive oil to work into your hair to have the full effect.

Finally, rinse out the olive oil with shampoo. This might take a few shampoo-ings (when I tried it, it took 2 rounds.) Give your hair further rest by allowing it to air dry, if you have the time. Then say hello to your luscious locks!

http://www.collegefashion.net/beauty-and-hair/dorm-room-spa-3-easy-diy-beauty-recipes-to-try/

10 Bad Habits That Can Harm Your Teeth

10 Bad Habits That Can Harm Your Teeth

Common Dental Health Troublemakers

Do you crunch on ice or clench your jaw? Stop — you could be damaging your teeth. In fact, you should nix all 10 of these dental health no-nos.

By Krisha McCoy, MS

Medically reviewed by Niya Jones MD, MPH

Are you wrecking your teeth without even knowing it? If you suck your thumb or suck on lemons, you’re doing your pearly whites wrong. And did you know that biting your nails is not only bad for your fingers, it can actually hurt your teeth, too?

While some of these dental health“don’ts” can do immediate damage to your teeth (by cracking or breaking them), the effects of others may add up over time, harming your dental health in the long run. So put all 10 of these bad habits to rest — for your teeth’s sake.

Thumbs Down on Thumb Sucking

Children who still suck their fingers or thumbs after their permanent teeth start coming in — usually around the age of 5 or 6 — could be causing permanent changes that affect tooth and jaw structure. Specifically, thumb sucking can cause a misalignment of the teeth, explains Richard Price, DMD, a retired dentist from the Boston area who is a consumer advisor and spokesperson for the American Dental Association. This misalignment can lead to a number of issues, including difficulty chewing and breathing problems — so help wean your child off his thumb.

Lay Off the Lemons

People who suck lemons may be putting their dental health in jeopardy. Why? Lemons are very acidic, says Elisa Mello, DDS, a cosmetic dentist at NYC Smile Design in New York City. "The acidity corrodes the enamel [of the teeth]." Repeated exposure to acidic substances can cause tooth enamel to erode, creating a rough texture on the surface of your teeth, adds Dr. Price.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/dental-health-pictures/bad-habits-that-can-harm-your-teeth.aspx#/slide-3

Don't Brush Too Hard

Brushing your teeth regularly is part of good oral hygiene, but if you brush too vigorously, you can cause more harm than good. Brushing your teeth too hard can wear down enamel, irritate your gums, make your teeth sensitive to cold, and even cause cavities. To avoid these problems, Price recommends using a soft bristled toothbrush. "Just look for the letters ADA [American Dental Association] on the box, which means the bristles are firm enough to remove plaque, but soft enough not to cause damage," he advises.

Refrain From Jaw Clenching and Tooth Grinding

For some people, stress can trigger frequent clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth. "There is a severe amount of pressure on your teeth when you do that, and you can get microfractures or actual fractures in your teeth," warns Dr. Mello. Microfractures are weakened areas in your teeth that puts them at risk for further damage. Jaw clenching or tooth grinding can also damage dental work.

Do You Crunch on Ice? Cool It

Ice cubes may seem harmless, but Price has these words of advice: "Beware of the killer cube." The cold temperature and the hardness of ice cubes can cause seriousdamage to your teeth. "Our teeth are designed to crush through things, not against something," says Mello. Even though crunching ice with your teeth may be easy, keep in mind, says Price, that "your blender needs special blades to crush ice."

Your Teeth Are Not a Tool

Many people use their teeth to break off a tag on clothing, rip open a package of potato chips, or even unscrew bottle tops. But according to Price, teeth are meant to help us do three things: Chew food, speak properly, and look better when we smile. "Teeth are not pliers, teeth are not hooks," he says. Using your teeth as a tool is a threat to dental health and can damage dental work or cause your teeth to crack.

Don't Park Your Pencil Between Your Teeth

Some people have a habit of holding objects — such as pens, pencils, or eyeglasses — between their teeth when concentrating on a difficult task. But they might not realize how much pressure they’re placing on their teeth as they bite down on a non-food object, says Mello. Biting on a pen or a similar object can cause your teeth to shift or even crack. "[It can also] break existing dental work that you have in your mouth," warns Mello.

Boycott Nail Biting

Biting your nails doesn't just harm the appearance of your hands — it can also damage your teeth and become an oral hygiene issue. "People who bite their nails usually do it chronically," notes Mello. Regularly biting your nails can cause your teeth to move out of place. In addition, nail biting could potentially cause teeth to break or tooth enamel to splinter.

Say No to Soda

Always have a soda on hand? Carbonated drinks can be bad for your teeth, because they tend to be very acidic. "Even if it's diet, the acidity of [soda] is just corroding your enamel," Mello says. The effects of soda on teeth are even worse if you slowly sip it over a long period of time. "People don't realize they are bathing their teeth in acid for an hour," she adds. The acidity in soda can lead to dental health problems such as decay around your gum line and loss of enamel.

How Do Carbonated Bevarages Effect Teeth? Dr. Erik Svans explains that the main problem with any type of soda — regular or diet — is the acidity, rather than the sugar.

Use Toothpicks Carefully

When used properly, toothpicks can help keep the areas between your teeth clean. "If you do it carefully, [using toothpicks] is helpful," says Mello. "If you don't, you are going to hurt your gum tissue." So be careful not to get too aggressive with that toothpick in your quest for oral hygiene. According to Mello, nothing you do to your teeth or gums should ever hurt — if it does, it may be damaging your teeth.