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Call (888) 98RELAX (987-3529) OR (248) 851-3700 and start the process of becoming pain free again wvvw.therapeuticmassage.biz FULL 60 MINUTE MASSAGE With this coupon Not valid with Gift Certificates l New Clients Only International Therapeutic Massage IN. 12 Mile Rd. - 29930W. 12 Mile Rd. • Farmington Hills Is Ulcerative Colitis affecting the quality of your life or the life of someone you care about? • An estimated half million Americans have Ulcerative Colitis • Ulcerative Colitis is a chronic disease of the Colon Our office is currently conducting a research study to evaluate an investigational medication for Ulcerative Colitis 0 TO QUALIFY YOU MUST BE: • • between 18 to 75 years of age diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis QUALIFYING PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING AT NO COSTS: Study Related klvdical Exams • Study Related Lab Tests • Study Medication or Placebo If you are interested in finding out snore about the study or are interested in seeing if you qualify fir the study, please call Beverly Stallings, RN at 248-344-2357 14,..tlEJA) C8 March 26 2009 & FITNESS wellness Fighting Viruses And Bacteria T he world around us is popu- lated by a multitude of living species, which greatly out- number humans. Viruses and bacteria, called "microorganisms" due to their very small size, account for a major part of these life forms. These creatures have been around well before our exis- tence; they likely will outlast us. Although most are harmless (many bacteria are Dr. Scott even beneficial), they Lewis are also capable of Columnist causing devastating infections. Infections are the third most common cause of death in our country, next to cardiovascular disease and cancer. By far, the most common infectious agents are bacteria and viruses. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria (they can be 1/25th the size); they cannot live on their own. Thus, they need a "host" to survive. Basically, the virus must incorporate its own genetic material into our cells, using our own machinery to reproduce. Even bacteria can serve as a host for viruses. The illnesses caused by viruses range from mild infections, such as the common cold, many sinus infec- tions, bronchitis and gastroenteritis (the stomach flu), to moderately severe infections like influenza, shin- gles and viral meningitis. AIDS is an example of a very lethal virus. Bacteria, on the other hand, sur- vive using their own cellular pro- cesses. They do depend on us, however, for vital nutrients, critical for their survival. Bacteria, unlike most viruses, are ubiquitous in our bodies. There are about 10 times more bac- terial cells inhabiting our bodies, than the total of our own cells! The huge majority of them (good bacteria) live in synchrony with us. They use us for nutrition; we use them to keep the "bad" bacteria in check. Common bacterial infections are strep throat, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and many skin infections. Many of the manifestations of these diseases are due to our body's response to the infection, not the infection itself. For example, a runny nose from a cold is caused by the mucus our respiratory tract produces in an attempt to fight off the infection. About 100 years ago, infections were the predominant killer of humans. More people died during World War I from the swine flu than in combat. In the mid 1900s, antibiotics ("antibac- terials") came to the forefront. Initially, they were sulfa-type antibiotics, with penicillin on the horizon. These antibiotics were lethal against many bacterial infections, thus dramatically saving many lives. In the 1960s, many experts felt that the war against bacteria was won. Unfortunately, bacteria became smarter than we; new strains (via mutations) came about that were resistant to the effects of the antibiot- ics. For example, the "staph" bacteria were uniformly sensitive to all forms of penicillin. Mutant strains then allowed this difficult organism to require non- penicillins for cure. One of these bac- teria is now known as "MRSA." This example should show us why we should only use antibiotics pru- dently, and not overzealously. The more antibiotics are used, the more likely a resistant bacterium (and more deadly one) will surface. Overuse of antibiotics in livestock is also a sig- nificant contributor this problem. Viruses are not responsive to typi- cal antibiotics (although some, such as influenza respond to "anti-virals"). Treating these infections with unjus- tifiable use of antibiotics will cause more problems for all of us in the future; the harmless bacteria exposed to them will mutate and then become potentially dangerous. Additionally, antibiotics can have significant side effects, such as skin rashes, diarrhea, as well as liver, kid- ney and blood cell abnormalities. Thus, when your doctor does not give you an antibiotic for a cold, it is beneficial to you and many other patients, thus avoiding the triggering of a "resistant" bacterial infection. Hopefully, we will be able to outsmart these dangerous organisms before they cause insurmountable illness. — Dr. Lewis is a primary care internal medicine physician at Premier Internists/ Millennium Medical Group PC in Southfield.