Drug-resistant staph infections (including MRSA) are declining in hospitals, but MRSA and other infectious agents are still out there. The trick is to keep them from spreading to others and to protect yourself from people and objects that might carry infection.
A staph infection can show up as an abscess, boil or furuncle (a boil that involves a hair follicle and nearby skin). It may be red, swollen and painful.
If the infection moves into the bloodstream, doctors at Duke Medicine say it can cause low blood pressure, chills or fever.
Basic hygiene is still the most important part of protection.
* Wash hands frequently. Do it before eating, before and after using the bathroom, after contact with animals, after social outings and shopping, and when returning home from work.
* Because excessive antibiotic use can give an advantage to drug-resistant bacteria, take antibiotics only when necessary. When prescribed, take the correct and whole dose and finish the entire prescription.
* Don’t share personal items, such as towels, clothing, combs or razors.
* Cover any wound with a dry, sterile bandage.
* Avoid contact with other people’s bandages or wounds.
* If you have a sore or break in the skin, wash and dry clothes, towels and bed linens on the high-heat settings.
Protect yourself from drug-resistant infections
Potassium for lower blood pressure
Increasing potassium intake could reduce the number of people diagnosed with high blood pressure by more than 10 percent, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.
Researchers found that where high levels of potassium-heavy fruits and vegetables are consumed, high blood pressure affects only 1 percent of the population. At the same time, these people reduced their incidence of heart disease and stroke.
In societies where people eat large quantities of processed foods and fewer fruits and vegetables, hypertension affects 33 percent of the population.
Good sources of potassium include bananas, apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, peas, beans and potatoes.
An older worker with extensive private-sector experience
Senior citizens are the fastest growing segment of the labor force, now numbering at 6.2 million. About 25 percent of them aged 65 to74 are working or seeking work.
Americans are living longer, and many don’t want to outlive their savings. Most seek work out of necessity. The value of their investments may have decreased dramatically. In some cases, talented and experienced people are almost broke, though they ran entire companies or departments for many years.
This creates an opportunity for small businesses. They could not afford to hire an experienced younger person for what a senior is willing to work for. Some seniors gladly accept lower-level or part-time work.
Employers may wonder if the experienced hire will be a good fit with a younger staff or in a high-energy job. Short-term freelance work could help them make that decision. Many larger companies are hiring back experienced workers as contract consultants.
As an employee, seniors don’t have to be covered by health insurance. They are on Medicare.
Experts writing in Smart Money say some seniors wouldn’t be as proficient on the Internet as their younger counterparts, but many are. If they have been out of work for a few months, they’ve had plenty of time to search the Web and update their skills. The same experts say seniors have more stability and better people skills.
But call it what you will, age discrimination is a problem for older people who are looking for a job. It’s unfortunate. For many companies, a senior’s background of knowledge and experience could be a real plus in the office, the sales department or product development.
How to perform well under pressure
How do actors, athletes, speakers and everyday workers perform well when it really counts? New York Times columnist Paul Sullivan has a new book that tells the hows and whys.
In Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don’t, he identifies people across a range of professions and determines what qualities keep their performance consistent in every kind of situation. They are:
* Focus
* Discipline
* Adaptability
* Involvement in the task
* Fear and desire.
The author says he has battled “the choke” for many years in order to find the answers to why he, and many others, choke when called upon to perform.
Sullivan gives examples of people in sports, such as Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods, and in business, the military, and on stage. He examines what they had to overcome. The culprits included such unexpected problems as:
* An inability to accept responsibility for what was happening
*A tendency to overthink and be overconfident.
In analyzing what makes a person do well, the author emphasizes, “It’s not luck!” Rather, it’s the ability to do what you normally do and do it when it really counts, whether it’s in business or your personal life.
Clutch is concise, well-written and thoroughly entertaining. Critics have been appreciative. Geoff Colvin, author of Talent Is Overrated, says “Chokers everywhere, that means almost all of us in some part of our lives, owe him thanks.”
Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don’t by Paul Sullivan, Portfolio, 246 pages in hardcover.
Teen driving contract saves lives
Fatal car crashes involving teen drivers fell by about a third over five years ending in 2008, according to a new federal report. The report partly credits the drop to tougher state limits on younger drivers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who made the study, say Wyoming had the highest death rate with about 60 traffic fatalities involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers per 100,000 people at that age. New York and New Jersey had the lowest rate at about 10 per 100,000.
New York prohibits teen driving until age 18. New Jersey essentially bans kids from driving until they are 17.
Wyoming allows younger teens to drive until 11 p.m., while other states have a 9 p.m. deadline.
The number of teen deaths has been decreasing since 1996. CDC officials credit part of the decline to safer cars, airbags and highway improvements.
The most recent step forward in preventing teen fatalities is the parent-teen driving agreement. It helps new drivers and their families agree on such matters as the hours the teen will be allowed to drive, whether or not passengers will be allowed in the car, and promises to obey traffic laws.
Safe driving requires much more than what state laws call for, and signing an agreement before teens start driving is helpful in establishing expectations. The American Automobile Association provides a good example of a contract at www.aaaexchange.com/assets/files/2007214956500.parent_teencontract.pdf. Copy and paste the address into your browser.