Boils and Troubles

We got a call today from a family member who'd been hospitalized and asked if we could do a story on their condition. As always we research the illness by finding the most recent studies and in the "blogosphere" there's a blog for everything. Unfortunately there isn't much science or medicine behind the suggestions or treatments. What we did like is the personal "points of views" addressing their own issues.

"Boils are often caused by poor hygiene or diseases and conditions that cause a weakened immune system or a low resistance to infection. A boil can also be a complication of folliculitis. Symptoms of a boil include swelling or a reddened lump that develops in the skin. The swelling eventually emerges to the skin's surface and comes to a head of pus. In some cases a boil can lead to potentially serious complications, such as septicemia." - Wrong Diagnosis (Boils)

The problem is that people are nasty and need to be better at taking care of themselves. Really that's the problem? Suppose you're not physically able to take care of yourself. Suppose you have a health issue that makes it either painful or impossible for you to take care of yourself. Or suppose you're old or just dependent upon someone else for your personal care for some reason.

"Hospitalizations of the elderly for bloodstream infections rose sharply in the early to mid-1990s - Elderly people are at particular risk of developing septicemia (bloodstream infection) and dying from it. Unfortunately, during the 1990s, there was a substantial, unexplained increase in the rate of elderly men and women in this country who were hospitalized for septicemia, according to William B. Baine, M.D., of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Baine and his colleagues William Yu, M.A., and James P. Summe, M.S., used Medicare claims data for hospital discharges from 1991 through 1998 to study nearly 76,000 hospitalizations for septicemia or bacteremia in patients aged 65 or older." - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Health Care for the Elderly)

When the problem happens in an institution other than a nursing facility, say maybe like a hospital is the problem that a hospital is nasty? This major problem in 2005 is still with us some five (5) years later especially in this age of budgetary restraints. While the bodies haven't been counted in our region (we'll start counting next week). The trend has been spotted in other cash strapped areas (California).

"The number of Americans treated in hospitals for septicemia—potentially deadly bacterial infection of the blood stream also known as blood poisoning—increased from 666,000 cases in 1993 to over 1 million cases in 2003, according to the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality." - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ News and Numbers)

We understand the "blame the victim" mentality that exist in science research. We don't support it but we do understand it. For example when skin diseases were starting to be discovered in greater and more deadly numbers among young athletes know for their skills as well as their strict hygienic requirements. The matter had to be addressed and the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) who issued this statement in the Journal of Athletic Training:

"National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Skin Diseases - The nature of athletics exposes the skin of its participants to a wide variety of stresses. Trauma, environmental factors, and infectious agents act together to continually attack the integrity of the skin. Combined with the close quarters shared by athletes and generally poor hygiene practices, it is not difficult to see why skin infections cause considerable disruption to individual and team activities." - Journal of Athletic Training (July/August 2010)

The problem is that athletes don't clean themselves well enough according to the National Athletic Trainers' Association. Ignoring the facts that the athletics use what's available to them. Fortunately CBS News and no other news outlet was fooled. They all saw the report differently than the NATA.

"Don't Let Germy Gyms Get You Sick - Gyms Are Crawling With Germs, Experts Say, but There Are Things You Can Do to Keep Them From Making You Ill - A recent paper on skin diseases published by the National Athletic Trainers' Association says it's imperative that you wipe down those machines and mats if you want to guard against infection. The report covers everything from the towels to use and when to shower." CBS News (August 2010)

Some people even suggest that its another reason to avoid going to the gym altogether. Which is something we can agree with because it means not working out or paying for the privilege of paying for it. We think of our gym membership as preventative health care. Now as we consider looking for ways to cut our personal budget we'll consider eliminating our membership - all in the interest of saying money, you understand? We're doing it to fiscally responsible.

"Folliculitis is often caused by an infection that occurs after shaving, waxing, tweezing and other types of hair removal methods. Folliculitis can also be caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which may be growing in hot tubs that are not properly maintained. Making a diagnosis of folliculitis begins with taking a thorough medical history, including symptoms, and completing a physical examination. Folliculitis can generally be diagnosed based on symptoms, history of hair removal or hot tub use, and a physical exam." - Wrong Diagnosis (Introduction)

So you can wash those hands and feet as much as you'd like and as often as you'd like the facts are the facts. Soap isn't as good as anti-bacterials and communal towels (paper or cloth) are better than electric hand-dryers. You know the kind found only in institutions those kind of electric hand dryers.

We speculate that the problem is one that many men here suffer from. We have favorite clothing that we should have long discarded. The clothes while comfortable have become breeding grounds for bacteria and germs. We need to discard items long before they become "comfortable" our athletic clothing, socks and shoes, especially shower slides or sandle thongs. Again its just speculation based on the causes CBS and others have other suggestions that might work as well.