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Great
At the hospital I volunteer at there's there are people with MRSA and ESBL in some of the wards, those guys are usually isolated to prevent to spread of the disease and what medical school did you go to doctor?
Posted: 08 August, 2010 - 03:51pm
by: The N man
Great
thanks for the great piece of message you share with us.God bless you
Posted: 25 October, 2009 - 08:15am
by: evans
Thanks doc
Thank you very much for the letters they are really helping me a lot. i just applied at a university for a medicine, at first i wasnt sure that i wanted to do medicine but with your letters, they just boosted me to go for it. thanks a lot, god bless you.
Posted: 07 October, 2009 - 04:24am
by: Zenande
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"The War Between the Scientists and the SUPER-BACTERIA..."
Welcome back again!
A new marketing fad has emerged in the hospital where I am practicing. Neatly framed advertisements in the room where we change for surgery, and even on the inside of the toilet doors.This one advert goes something like this:
10 billion galaxies in our universe.
Even more bacteria on the earth."
It is an advertisement of an antibiotic marketed by a certain company, and let me assure you that it's the understatement of the year!
The number of bacteria living in a single human being is estimated to be 1 000 000 000 000 000 that is 10 to the power 14, or one-thousand-trillion!!!
But I am a bit worried about the wrong message this advert may bring across. You see, they are saying that there are SO MANY bacteria, and that you need their antibiotic drug to fight these bacteria.
A baby in the mother's womb (a fetus) is sterile, so no bacteria is found in or around the fetus. Shortly after birth the baby's body is invaded by millions of bacteria, and they reproduce at a huge rate.
Antibodies in the baby's bloodstream, originating from the mother's immune system, protect the baby. The baby's immune system will start taking over the necessary defensive functions over the next couple of months.
The point I want to make is this...
Most bacteria are either quite innocent (in specific areas of the body) or to your advantage - serving quite useful functions like assisting with the digestive process and protecting you from being invaded by disease producing organisms.
In other words most bacteria living on your skin, mucous membranes and gut are your friends!
Do not go into medicine thinking that all bacteria are bad or that they are our enemies. Only a relatively small number of bacterial species are disease forming.
A healthy human body (maintaining a healthy diet and enough exercise), given a bit of time, will be able to ward off most attacks by disease forming microorganisms without the help of antibiotics.
Please do not misunderstand me. Antibiotics and antiseptic preparations have their place, and save many lives yearly, but the overuse of these agents are causing major problems.
One problem is the emergence of super-bacteria.
These stubborn organisms are able to survive most or ALL known antibiotics. They kill high numbers of patients in hospitals, for example, in intensive care units, especially medically compromised patients like diabetics!
Remember:
- Most bacteria in the human body serve a useful purpose.
- The overuse of antibiotics and household antiseptics are producing super-resistant bacteria.
- Do not over-prescribe antibiotics. A healthy body's immune system can protect and defend successfully against the majority of microbial attacks.
- Do not overuse household antiseptics. There is no good reason to add any antiseptic agent to soap for day-to-day household use.
Until the next letter, I wish you all the best my friend,
Dr Anton
President of The Apprentice Corporation
This Letter from the Doc was submitted on 17 July, 2007 at 12:47pm
Comments on this Letter from the Doc...
Great
At the hospital I volunteer at there's there are people with MRSA and ESBL in some of the wards, those guys are usually isolated to prevent to spread of the disease and what medical school did you go to doctor?
Posted on: 08 August, 2010 at 03:51pm
By: The N man
Great
thanks for the great piece of message you share with us.God bless you
Posted on: 25 October, 2009 at 08:15am
By: evans
Thanks doc
Thank you very much for the letters they are really helping me a lot. i just applied at a university for a medicine, at first i wasnt sure that i wanted to do medicine but with your letters, they just boosted me to go for it. thanks a lot, god bless you.
Posted on: 07 October, 2009 at 04:24am
By: Zenande
Appreciation
I really appreciate your effort i hope that God will continue to broaden your knowledge.
Posted on: 24 August, 2009 at 06:28am
By: Elmuzay
wow
Be blessed Dr. Thanks for your unconditional education we receive. Please continue to teach us.
Obella DAVID
Posted on: 27 July, 2009 at 04:15am
By: obellinho
what are we suppose to do?
this infos is awesome..as you said that there are some good bacteria..so what we must do to protect against these bad bacteria without destroying those good bacteria?
Posted on: 02 June, 2009 at 08:33am
By: tash
WEAK LAWS
You have brought up avery important topic,but i think laws governing the sell of drugs,esp antibiotics, should be strengthened especially in developing countries to prevent their miss use.programs aimed at creating health a wareness should also be emphasised.
Posted on: 24 May, 2009 at 10:54am
By: Tendo
Cure?
Some of these bacteria are almost impossible to fight with antibiotics - and close to a death sentence!
Posted on: 21 May, 2009 at 12:12pm
By: Dr Anton
??
Does that mean there is no cure for these bacteria?
Posted on: 21 May, 2009 at 06:17am
By: Rach
Major in
Hi Ethan
To enter a US Med School one needs to complete an accredited 4 year premed degree - as you correctly point out one can malor in a wide variety of subjects - apologies if I may have given room for misunderstanding...
Posted on: 20 December, 2008 at 08:44am
By: Dr Anton
For U.S Medical Schools
Well I just wanted to clear something up: First off, you do not need to major in premed to go into medicine. I am not sure why Dr. Anton keeps saying this (no offence). I am majoring in psychology with a focus on neuroscience and one of my friends got into medical school after getting a degree in math. It is simply the amount of science courses you take. Most U.S medical schools require 1 year of inorganic chem, 1 year of organic chem, 1 year of general physics, and 1 year of biology (all with labs of course). Some schools require calculus. If you have those classes under your belt, it does not matter what major you want to pursue. Some medical schools even want their students to pursue other interests in undergrad rather than just premed.
Posted on: 15 December, 2008 at 11:41pm
By: Ethan
hey
wow thanks for everything you know i'm preparing for a medical test to enter medical school and your letters are helping me very very much thanks million times and hope to hear from you soon and get more advices from a grat doctor like you
Posted on: 12 December, 2008 at 07:01am
By: Mr.Shant
Hi Emmalicous
As far as I know you have to pursue a dedicated pre-med course, and I am unsure if your nursing studies would count for any credits towards your premed studies. Why don't you throw these questions to the panel at www.valuemd.com they will be able to give you more specific answers as well as recommending a premed/medical school. You have to gather a lot of knowledge to become a doctor, but you definitely don't need to know everything about everything!
Posted on: 11 October, 2008 at 11:29am
By: Dr Anton
hi!
Dr.Anton,
I am a student nurse and am qualified with a diploma in higher education in general nursing in March 2009. I am extremely interested in furthering my training and heading into medicine. Would my qualification as a nurse contribute towards entry requirements b a medical course? Is there any medical colleges you would recommend??do you really have to know everything about everything to become a doctor?:)
Posted on: 11 October, 2008 at 06:26am
By: emmalicous!
best wishes
i wish u sll the best doc in your carrer and continue sening us these educative letters
Posted on: 14 August, 2008 at 06:04am
By: sne
Super Bacteria
This letter was very informative and confirmed my belief that over use of antibiotics over time can be dangerous to the human host. Basically, we are taught/conditioned to killing the organisms that help rather enabling the bad strain to win thus making us inexcusably sick all the time.
Posted on: 28 July, 2008 at 10:30am
By: Angel
Wowww
Thanks Doc.
Posted on: 09 July, 2008 at 09:52am
By: Hc
Hi
Really enjoyed this one. Thanks Dr Anton.
Posted on: 05 July, 2008 at 04:26pm
By: Ricky
coolll!
wow thanks for the letters they help me and my family
Posted on: 18 June, 2008 at 04:24pm
By: mrs.canales