Antidepressant Doubts, New Alzheimer's Study & Men Can Get Osteoporosis, Too

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7:00am Segment Info:
Many experts, including the Alzheimer’s association, consider Alzheimer’s and other dementias to be fatal brain disease.

Now a new study suggests that antibiotics are overused in people with end stage dementia, and contribute to the growing problem of superbugs. Nursing homes often harbor drug-resistant bacteria, and there are studies that show residents can spread dangerous infections when they are admitted to hospitals. The question is can we ethically hold this treatment from people with end stage dementia. It's a very difficult question.

What is the quality of life like for people with advanced dementia?

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There is no quality of life. They're usually nursing home patients because they can't be cared for at home. They don't recognize loved ones, they often stop speaking, are unable to walk or feed themselves and are incontinent. They're basically bed bound. Interestingly in this study not a single patient had directives on their living will related to antibiotic use. Some experts are recommending that patients and families should discuss these issues beforehand and put it in a living will.

In other news, we often think of osteoporosis as a woman's disease, but men can get it too.

And now there are new guidelines from the national osteoporosis foundation calling for bone density tests for all men 70 and older. It's an effort to better target who really needs treatment and who doesn't before the bones get too thin. The problem with osteoporosis is that you can't see it happening. Usually by the time you find out there's already major bone loss. Postmenopausal women are still at greatest risk of osteoporosis. But a quarter of hip fractures occur in men, and as men live longer, the number who break a hip is steadily rising.

How can you prevent osteoporosis?

Where you live meaning how much sun exposure you get and your family history. Your genetics play a role. Also diet and exercise are important. You need to make sure you're getting enough calcium. For adults over 50, 1,200 milligrams a day of calcium and 800 to 1,000 international units a day of vitamin d is what you should be getting. Exercise is important especially weight resistance training that helps build strong bones. Smoking and drinking thins bones.

8:00am Segment Info:
A new study from England is calling into question the effectiveness of antidepressants. Researchers from the university of hull in England studied 47 different clinical trials of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft and found there's little evidence that the drugs are more effective than taking a placebo or sugar pill, and the effectiveness of these medicines may have been exaggerated by drug companies.

What do the drug companies have to say about this report?

Drug manufacturers say the study fails to acknowledge the positive benefits of the medications and there is a lot of evidence that proves their effectiveness. The bottom line for patients on these medications is that they know if they're effective. For many people SSRI's have changed their lives.

In other news, you have an update on that recent beef recall. What's the latest?

According to state agriculture officials, nearly a quarter of New Jersey school districts may have received tainted beef from a California slaughterhouse through a federal school lunch assistance program. In total, new jersey schools received at least 168,000 pounds of coarse ground beef from the slaughterhouse, the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company at various times between February 2006 and February 2008. 141 schools have been notified and have set aside or disposed of any of the beef.

How do you know if your school was affected?

A list of the school districts and schools was posted at the department's web site, www.nj.gov/agriculture. But parents should not panic. Much of the meat had been cooked and frozen before reaching the schools and there haven't been any reported problems. In fact, we don't even know that the beef is tainted. The 143 million pounds of beef were recalled because of the mistreatment of animals not because there was any bacteria present.