Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, May 18, 2011, Page 16, Image 16

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May 18. 2011
Take Action Get Tested
& n
Multnomah County Health Department's j
HIV Community Test Site offers |
confidential HIV testing |
with or without your name |
at these locations: I
Downtown Community Test Site
j
Call 503.988.3775 for an appt.
Mon |Thurs | Fri |
426 SW Stark St., 6th Floor, |
Portland, 97204 |
‘igree with this coupon”
Public Health
Northeast Health Center
ju s tw a ik in j
i
Tuesdays j 5:30 - 7:15 pm
5329 NE MLK Jr. Blvd, 2nd Floor, |
Portland, 97211 |
HfJllh Department
A bed bug is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution National
Museum o f Natural History in Washington, D.C.. Canadian
scientists detected drug-resistant staph bacteria in bedbugs from
three hospital patients from a downtrodden Vancouver, B.C.,
neighborhood. (AP Photo)
Se habla español: other interpretation by appointment.
Bedbugs with
'Superbug' Germ Found
Combination
alarms health
officials
Dr. Billy R. Flowers (above center) and his skilled s ta ff are ready to help those in need.
THE
SPINA COLUMN
TM
An ongoing senes of questions and answers about Americas natural healing profession
Part 18. Chiropractic And Prevention:
Life doesn t have to be a series o f emergencies anymore
: It seems that I am always not work properly either. People ter. And you’d be amazed at the
sick. I do what my doctor who have regular C hiropractic energy you have with preventive
says but if anything my colds and
checkups report that they get fewer Chiropractic checkups. If y o u ’d
flu attacks are getting worse. What colds and influenza. They keep the like to trade in your colds for a
do you think?
stress off their nervous systems. bounce in your step, call us for
: Constant colds and influ­ Keeping irritation off the nervous an appointm ent today. It could
enza indicate that the immune system also helps you avoid morn­ be the healthiest call you have
system (and the body in general)
ing backache and head-aches and ever made. Isn’t time you stepped
is highly stressed. Did you know allows you to cope with stress bet- up to C hiropractic?
that recently leading scientists
have discovered that the entire
immune system is an out-growth
2124N.E.HancockStreet,Portland Oregon97212
of the nervous system? If you
nervous system is stressed and
P h o n e: ( 5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 * 5 5 0 4
irritated, the immune system can-
Q
\
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
(AP) - Hate insects? Afraid of
germs? Researchers are reporting
an alarming combination: bedbugs
carrying a staph "superbug." Cana­
dian scientists detected drug-resis­
tant staph bacteria in bedbugs from
three hospital patients from a down­
trodden Vancouver, B. C., neigh­
borhood.
Bedbugs have not been known to
spread disease, and there's no clear
evidence that the five bedbugs found
on the patients or their belongings
had spread the MRSA germ they
were carrying or a second less dan­
gerous drug-resistant bacteria.
However, bedbugs can cause
itching that can lead to excessive
scratching. That can cause breaks
in the skin that make people more
susceptible to these germs, noted
Dr. Marc Romney, one of the study's
authors.
The study is small and very pre­
liminary. "But it's an intriguing find­
ing" that needs to be further re­
searched, said Romney, medical
microbiologist at St. Paul’s Hospital
in Vancouver.
The hospital is the closest one to
the poor Downtown Eastside neigh­
borhood near the city's waterfront.
Romney said he and his colleagues
did the research after seeing a simul­
taneous boom in bedbugs and
MRSA cases from the neighbor­
hood.
Five bedbugs were crushed and
analyzed. MRS A, or methicillin-re­
sistant Staphylococcus aureus, was
found on three bugs. MRSA is re­
sistant to several types of common
antibiotics and can become deadly
if it gets through the skin and into
the bloodstream.
Two bugs had VRE, or vancomy­
cin-resistant Enterococcus faecium,
a less dangerous form of antibiotic-
resistant bacteria.
Both germs are often seen in
hospitals, and experts have been far
more worried about nurses and other
health care workers spreading the
bacteria than insects.
It's not clear if the bacteria origi­
nated with the bedbugs or if the
bugs picked it up from already in­
fected people, Romney added.
Herbs for a Healthy Heart
People often think food without discover the variety of flavors of­
the flavor of salt is bland. However, fered through spice!
by replacing herbs and spices for
Experts at Providence Health
salt in your cooking, you may be encourage you to talk to your
able to significantly reduce your health care provider about the
sodium intake and lower blood pres­ benefits o f reduced sodium intake
sure.
and how much salt should be in­
When cooking, use three parts cluded in your daily diet for good
fresh herb to one part dried herb and heart health.