Bacterial Alerts

In a recent column I made an issue of all the tests that the "health professionals" want us to take and how expensive and threatening those tests might be.  I also opined about how tests seem to lead to further tests, which lead to positive results, which lead to full-blown diseases, which lead... Well, you know where this is going.

Last week I heard a news item about a clinic in Atlanta that was alerting some 486 people who had had colonoscopies that they might be at risk for HIV.

Yeow!  Talk about the proof is in the pudding (no pun intended, but that just came to me).

Of course I had to do some research on the news report when I got home, so I did the old Google search and, lo and behold, that warning was only one of many that have gone out over the past couple of years.  Atlantans weren't the only ones in jeopardy; there were alerts for several communities.

It seems that the equipment used for the rectal exams is not being cleaned properly.  That is not to say it isn't being cleaned at all, but plain soap and hot water is used prior to the sterilization process.  Turns out that antibacterial soap is prescribed to kill bacteria.  Well, who'd a thunk it?

You see, I was absolutely correct in refusing to get a colonoscopy.  It might have saved my life.

Since I'm on the nasty subject anyway, here's another alert I saw this week.  We have had a shortage of cucumbers lately, and when we finally did get some in the produce section they were from Greece.  I cannot recall ever seeing European produce in our stores, but there it was.

later that same day I got an email alert with an article about the high incidence of salmonella in 18 states.  The bacteria was traced to imported cucumbers from (wait for it) Mexico.  The article pointed out that the main difference between Mexican fields for vegetables and American fields for the same produce is the lack of porta-potties in the "South of the Border" fields.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to start checking those little stickers on all produce from now on.  If it says anything like "Crecido en Mèxico" it doesn't go in my cart.