While driving home on Thanksgiving Eve, I noticed a line half-a-block long coming out of a state liquor store.

Folks were lined up, waiting to go in to purchase their “holiday spirits,” preparing to kick off the holiday season.

Of course, I went right into, “Glenn Ellis Thought Mode,” and started processing this annual ritual behavior.

It dawned on me that this would be a good topic to focus on for a health column.

I wondered how many of those people understood exactly how alcohol consumption affected their body and their health.

So, in the spirit of living the best life possible, I want to share some brief insight into what happens to some of the key organs of the body from alcohol consumption.

There are almost 78 organs in a human body that vary according to their sizes, functions or actions (a topic for another column, at another time)!

An organ is a collection of millions of cells, which group together to perform a single function in a human body.

Let’s begin with the organ most associated with drinking alcohol: the liver.

The liver is the second largest organ of the male or female human body. The liver receives blood full of digested food from the gut. It stores some foods and delivers the rest to the other cells through blood.

There probably isn’t a more vital — yet underappreciated — organ in the human body than the liver. While we may recognize, in the most general terms, the role that the liver plays, many of us don’t fully understand its many functions or vulnerabilities, particularly with regard to alcohol. And yet the alcohol-liver connection is critical, as more than 2 million Americans suffer from liver disease caused by alcohol.

By performing more than 500 different functions, the liver is essential to our health. Its primary role is to filter all the blood in our bodies by breaking down and eliminating toxins and storing excess blood sugar. It also produces enzymes that break down fats, manufactures proteins that regulate blood clotting and stores a number of essential vitamins and minerals. All told, the liver keeps us alive by enabling us to digest food, absorb nutrients, control infections and get rid of toxic substances in our bodies.

While liver problems can be inherited, or developed in response to certain viruses or chemicals, excessive alcohol use plays a major role. To the human body, alcohol is a toxin that is broken down by the liver as the body begins the process of getting rid of these foreign components. However, chronic heavy drinking causes the liver to become fatty. This condition makes the liver more vulnerable to dangerous inflammation, such as alcoholic hepatitis and its associated complications. With continued drinking, persistent inflammation causes fibrous tissue to increase in the liver, which prevents the necessary blood supply from reaching the liver cells. Without the oxygen and other nutrients supplied by this blood, the liver cells eventually die and are replaced with scar tissue, creating a condition known as cirrhosis. In mild cases, the liver can actually make repairs and continue to function. However, advanced cirrhosis causes continued deterioration and liver failure.

Alcoholic liver disease can also damage the brain. The liver breaks down alcohol — and the toxins it releases. During this process, alcohol’s byproducts damage liver cells. These damaged liver cells no longer function as well as they should and allow too much of these toxic substances, ammonia and manganese in particular, to travel to the brain. These substances proceed to damage brain cells.

The brain is the third largest and major organ of human body. The brain controls the actions of all the body parts. There are about 100 billion cells in the human brain, which make about 100 trillion nerve connections with nerve cells for messaging.

Alcohol can cause your neurotransmitters to relay information too slowly, so you feel extremely drowsy. Alcohol-related disruptions to the neurotransmitter balance also can trigger mood and behavioral changes, including depression, agitation, memory loss and even seizures.

Long-term, heavy drinking causes alterations in the neurons, such as reductions in the size of brain cells. As a result of these and other changes, brain mass shrinks and the brain’s inner cavity grows bigger. These changes may affect a wide range of abilities, such as motor coordination, temperature regulation, sleep, mood, and various cognitive functions, including learning and memory.

The heart is the fifth largest human body organ. The major function of the heart is to pump the blood to every part of the body to deliver the energy to every body cell.

Long-term heavy drinking weakens the heart muscle, causing a condition called alcoholic cardiomyopathy. A weakened heart droops and stretches and cannot contract effectively. As a result, it cannot pump enough blood to sufficiently nourish the organs. In some cases, this blood flow shortage causes severe damage to organs and tissues. Symptoms of cardiomyopathy include shortness of breath and other breathing difficulties, fatigue, swollen legs and feet, and irregular heartbeat. It can even lead to heart failure.

Both binge drinking and long-term drinking can affect how quickly a heart beats. The heart depends on an internal pacemaker system to keep it pumping consistently and at the right speed. Alcohol disturbs this pacemaker system and causes the heart to beat too rapidly, or irregularly. These heart rate abnormalities are called arrhythmias. Drinking to excess on a particular occasion, especially when you generally don’t drink, can trigger either of these irregularities. Over the long-term, chronic drinking changes the course of electrical impulses that drive the heart’s beating, which creates arrhythmia.

Both binge drinking and long-term heavy drinking can lead to strokes, even in people without coronary heart disease. Recent studies show that people who binge drink are about 56 percent more likely than people who never binge drink to suffer an ischemic stroke over 10 years. Binge drinkers also are about 39 percent more likely to suffer any type of stroke than people who never binge drink. In addition, alcohol exacerbates the problems that often lead to strokes, including hypertension, arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy.

Chronic alcohol use, as well as binge drinking, can cause high blood pressure, or hypertension. Your blood pressure is a measurement of the pressure your heart creates as it beats, and the pressure inside your veins and arteries. Heavy alcohol consumption triggers the release of certain stress hormones that in turn constrict blood vessels. This elevates blood pressure. In addition, alcohol may affect the function of the muscles within the blood vessels, causing them to constrict and elevate blood pressure.

The kidneys are the sixth largest organ in every human body. There are two kidneys in every human being, and the average weight of both the kidneys is about 290 grams. The major function of a kidney is to separate the waste material by filtering the blood. Both these kidneys filter our blood 50 times a day. If one kidney stops working the other will enlarge and do the work of two.

Drinking alcohol can hurt your kidneys in many ways and can increase the chance of needing dialysis. It may damage the kidney cells. It increases your chance of developing high blood pressure, a leading cause of kidney disease. Drinking alcohol can interfere with your medicines and make it harder to control your pressure.

Drinking alcohol can cause the kidneys to increase urinary output. This can lead to dehydration. More than two drinks a day can cause a rise in blood pressure. The carbohydrate load from drinking can cause obesity. This could increase the risk of diabetes and diabetic kidney disease. Drinking can interfere with the blood chemistries and decrease the ability of the body to protect the kidneys.

Many people who drink are more likely to smoke than non-drinkers. Smoking also causes kidney disease.

This is the time of year where many people let it all hang out, and go for broke — drinking and partying like there’s no tomorrow. For others, it’s a time to begin to make pledges and resolutions, which often include stopping drinking alcohol.

My hope is that this information will help you to make an informed decision.  

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one. Take good care of yourself, and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Readers should always consult their healthcare providers to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation, or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist. He is the author of “Which Doctor?,” and is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, and is an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics. His second book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” is due out in December 2011.

For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.

That constant sneezing you thought was a winter cold might just be the beginning of your spring allergies instead.

The mild winter weather is also responsible for an increase in allergens. Trees usually start pollinating in early January, maybe even December, but now there are various grasses and flowers joining them.

Since everything’s warmed up and everything’s started pollinating, you’ve got the two (together).

Allergy sufferers who usually get along pretty well are reporting additional ear, nose and throat problems.

Many areas of the United States have had warmer-than-average winter weather, which is causing trees to start pollinating earlier in some places.

Ever get a sinus infection following a bad cold? It’s called sinusitis. After a cold, you are at greater risk of developing a sinus infection because a cold causes inflammation and swelling of the sinuses.

A stuffy nose may seem like a winter staple. Still, if you’ve been congested and experiencing other uncomfortable symptoms for weeks, you could have a sinus infection.

Sinuses (which are cavities behind the forehead, nasal bones, cheeks and eyes) do have a purpose. One is to help warm, filter and moisten the air that you breathe in.

But if the tiny holes that connect the sinuses to your nasal passages become plugged, they can’t drain properly. The accumulation of mucus results in a feeling of heaviness in your face as well as pain from increased pressure on your nerves.

Commonly, the symptoms of sinus infection are headache, facial tenderness, pressure or pain, and fever. However, as few as 25 percent of patients may have fever associated with acute sinus infection. Other common symptoms include:

1. Cloudy, discolored nasal drainage,
2. A feeling of nasal stuffiness,
3. Sore throat, and
4. Cough.

Some people notice an increased sensitivity or headache when they lean forward because of the additional pressure placed on the sinuses. Others may experience tooth or ear pain, fatigue, or bad breath. In noninfectious sinusitis, other associated allergy symptoms of itching eyes and sneezing may be common, but may include some of the symptoms listed above for infectious sinusitis. Nasal drainage is usually clear or whitish-colored in people with noninfectious sinusitis.

Roughly 20 percent of the antibiotic prescriptions written in the United States for adults each year are for sinus infections. That’s an impressive statistic, given that doctors and public health officials have long doubted that antibiotics can successfully treat the condition.

A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, appears to confirm those doubts: The antibiotic amoxicillin was no better than a “sugar pill” at improving the congestion, cough, runny nose, pain and other symptoms that accompany sinus infections (also known as acute sinusitis), researchers found.

Most sinus infections are caused by viruses, which don’t respond to antibiotics. But even bacterial sinus infections rarely require antibiotic treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In most cases, both types of infection go away on their own in less than 2 weeks.

Antibiotics would be more useful if doctors were able to distinguish between viral and bacterial sinusitis. But general practitioners have no tests at their disposal that reliably can tell the difference.

The main reason doctors continue to prescribe antibiotics is that patients have come to expect them to diagnose bacterial infections.

The overuse of antibiotics for sinusitis has important public health implications in light of the growing concerns about antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses. Widespread antibiotic use can lead the infectious organisms that cause disease to adapt a defense, making the drug less effective in the population overall.

Antibiotics may be more appropriate to give to certain patients, such as those with diabetes, serious heart or lung disease, who are less able to fight off infection.

It is common for upper respiratory infections (URIs) to occur in the winter, mostly because of the fact that people choose to stay indoors more and are thus interacting more closely with each other on a regular basis. Whenever this happens, viruses are transmitted more readily from person to person, which can increase the secretions from the upper airway. These secretions can then become secondarily infected with the normal bacteria that are constantly living in the nose and mouth, which can then become a bacterial sinus infection. Additionally, cold air can thin the mucosa of the upper airway and decrease the moisture level that normally protects the intranasal membranes.

Here are the 10 most common symptoms of sinus infection. Does any of these sound like the problems you are experiencing?

1. Pain and/or pressure in the area of your eyes or forehead. Or pain in the very top of your head — especially if the pain gets more intense when you bend over or move your head quickly.
2. Sinus drainage. This can be any color from clear to greenish-yellow or even bloody. And it may not drain out your nose. Often your sinuses will drain down the back of your throat-and you swallow it.
3. Nausea or upset stomach-often caused by swallowing the nasal drainage.
4. Fatigue. Even when you should feel rested. This is the sneakiest one of all. This is the one that creeps up on you slowly and unnoticed. If you are living with the symptoms on this list you are certainly not reaching your true potential at work, family life or even at rest.
5. Blocked nasal or sinus passages. Especially at night. Are you sleeping with your mouth open because you can’t breathe through your nose when you lie down?
6. Do you have a poor sense of smell or taste? If you are staying clogged up with mucous I bet you do.
7. Bad breath. Think about it this way-your senses of smell and taste are really messed up right now — and you can still smell and taste your bad breath. What does everybody else think about your breath right now?
8. Ear pain. It’s not uncommon for a bad sinus infection to spread to your inner ears.
9. Sore throat.
10. Chills, fever or general malaise. Are you feeling generally lousy?

The best way to fight these infections is by taking care of the things that doctors are always telling you to do:

• Wash your hands (the most important thing),
• Don’t touch your face with your hands,
• Eat a healthy and well balanced diet,
• Get plenty of rest, and
• Stay home when you’re sick so that you don’t pass on the virus to the next person.

For those who are really trying to stay ahead of the curve, nasal irrigation with lukewarm saline (salt water, such as is used with a neti pot) can help to clean out the sinuses and improve flow of normal secretions.

Keep in mind, antibiotics only become an option when you’ve had other symptoms (such as a fever) or have had normal sinus infection symptoms for more than about 10 days, since most URIs are viral and improve spontaneously with time.

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one.

Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her health-care provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist. He is the author of “Which Doctor?” and is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, and is an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics.

His latest book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” was released in January. For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.

One of the biggest digestive problems that can quickly turn a great meal into a period of misery is gallbladder disease or “gallstones.”  

Some people consider the gallbladder an “unimportant” organ. In reality, it is an essential part of the digestive system. Why we have a gallbladder at all is something of a mystery. Many animals such as horses, pigeons and rats manage quite well without one.

Bile is stored in the gallbladder and is concentrated up to five times by the removal of water. This concentrated bile is essential for the complete digestion of fats. One big problem with gallbladder surgery is that the body has nowhere to store bile until it is needed. Therefore, it just drips continually. And when a large amount is needed to digest a meal with a lot of fat, there is not enough bile added to digest it properly.

The gallbladder is located near the liver. It stores bile, which aids in the digestion of fats. When a person eats, bile is released from the gallbladder to the intestine to aid in the breakdown of fats.

Gallstone disease is the most common disorder affecting the body’s biliary system, the network of organs and ducts that create, transport, store and release bile. Bile is a thick fluid, made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder, which acts in the small intestine to digest fat. Bile contains cholesterol, water, proteins, bilirubin (a breakdown product from blood cells), bile salts (the chemicals necessary to digest fat) and small amounts of copper or other materials. If the chemical balance of bile contains too much of any of these components, particularly of cholesterol, crystals form and can harden into stones.

Conditions that slow or obstruct the flow of bile from the gallbladder can result in gallbladder disease. These diseases can include inflammation, infection, stones, or obstruction of the gallbladder.

Gallstones form when liquid stored in the gallbladder hardens into pieces of stone-like material. Bile contains water, cholesterol, bilirubin and other substances. Ideally these minerals remain in liquid form until they are passed out of the body. However, excessive amounts of these minerals in bile can cause them to crystallize.

These small crystals that precipitate out of the saturated bile may begin to clump together. Any existing crystal makes it easier for other crystals to form. If they stay in the gallbladder too long, the crystals gradually grow larger until they become a gallstone so large that it cannot pass through the biliary ducts.

In terms of size, gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. A person can form one large stone in his or her gallbladder, or hundreds! About 10 percent of the population has gallstones, but the vast majority experiences no symptoms and need no treatment. However, in 1 percent to 2 percent of these people, gallstones can cause problems by lodging in bile ducts, stopping the flow of bile or digestive enzymes, and leading to severe abdominal pain, vomiting, inflammation and even life-threatening infection.

There are two types of gallstones: cholesterol and pigment stones. About 80 percent of all gallstones are cholesterol stones, yellow-green stones made up of hardened cholesterol. Cholesterol stones are associated with bile that contains an overabundance of cholesterol, or is “supersaturated” with cholesterol. The other 20 percent of gallstones are pigment stones, composed of bilirubin and other elements. Pigment stones are often seen in Asian cultures but rarely in U.S. patients. They are black or brown in color and why they occur is not fully understood. Black pigment stones tend to remain in the gallbladder, whereas brown pigment stones often lodge in bile ducts.

A gallstone attack has classic symptoms:

The most agonizing pain is experienced in the upper right part of the abdomen under the ribs. Usually it appears suddenly, sometimes an hour or two after eating a fatty meal. The pain may get worse quickly, and then last for several hours. Many times the pain may radiate to the back between the shoulder blades or under the right shoulder. Inhaling deeply, or moving, often makes the pain worse.

In the United States, about a million new cases are diagnosed each year, and some 800,000 operations are performed to treat gallstones, making gallstone disease the most common gastrointestinal disorder requiring hospitalization. The medical cost of gallstones in the United States is estimated to be about $5 billion yearly. The primary therapy for gallstones that are causing pain, inflammation, or infection is removal of the gallbladder.

Other symptoms include:

Nausea

Vomiting

Bloated sensation in the abdomen

Gassiness

Indigestion

The function of the gallbladder is to collect bile from the liver and contract periodically to force it into the intestine as needed. This means the gallbladder is constantly collecting the major ingredients for gallstones.

A number of factors put people at higher risk of gallstones:

Gender: The prevalence of gallstones is higher in women than in men. Women between the ages of 20 and 60 are three times more likely to develop gallstones than are men in the same age group. And by age 60, 20 percent of American women get gallstones.

Age: The incidence of gallstone disease increases with age.

Genetics: Family history and ethnicity are critical risk factors in development of gallstones, though no gene responsible for gallstone formation has yet been discovered. African Americans seem to have lower rates of gallstone disease than Native Americans, whites and Hispanics.

Obesity: Obesity is a significant risk factor, particularly for women. Obesity also slows down the emptying of the gallbladder.

Location of body fat: Belly fat, that spare tire around the middle, dramatically increases the chance of developing stones.

Diabetes: People with diabetes often have high levels of triglycerides in their blood, and these fatty acids tend to increase the risk of gallstones.

Even if you’re not “at risk” for gallstones, it would be wise to maintain a good body weight, by among other things, sticking to a diet that is low in fat and cholesterol, and high in fiber.

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one. Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Readers should always consult their healthcare providers to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist. He is the author of “Which Doctor?” a lecturing health columnist and radio commentator, and an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics.

His second book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” was released in January 2012. For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.

Almost everyone gets chickenpox by adulthood. In the United States, chickenpox affects about 4 million persons per year, mostly children. In temperate climates, most cases occur in the late winter and spring.

Although most people think that chickenpox is always a mild disease, deaths from chickenpox continue to occur in the United States. Although most people recover from chickenpox uneventfully, or with a few minor scars, a small percentage suffers more serious complications. Those at highest risk for complications are newborns, persons with weakened immune systems and adults. Although adults make up fewer than 5 percent of chickenpox cases in the United States, they account for half of the deaths from the disease.

The most common complications of chickenpox are skin infections and pneumonia. Other complications are encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and hepatitis. Chickenpox can also lead to severe problems in pregnant women, causing stillbirths, birth defects, or infection of the newborn during childbirth.

Chickenpox is typically a benign, self-limited disease, but serious complications can arise. About 14,000 people are hospitalized because of chicken pox, and approximately 100 people die of chickenpox every year.

Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a very contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Infected people spread it easily through the air when they sneeze or cough. The disease also spreads through contact with an infected person’s chickenpox blisters. Because chickenpox is very contagious, it is possible for people who have never had chickenpox, nor been vaccinated against it, to become infected just by being in a room with someone who has the disease. However, transient exposure is not likely to result in infection.

Early symptoms may include body aches, fever, fatigue and irritability. A rash then appears, and develops into as many as 250–500 itchy blisters over the entire body, that usually last for 5 to 7 days and heal with scabs. The rash may even spread into the mouth or other internal parts of the body. The illness is usually not severe, but the risk of hospitalization and death is increased among adolescents and adults. Symptoms appear between 10 and 21 days after exposure to the varicella-zoster virus. Persons who were vaccinated against chickenpox may sometimes develop chickenpox, but it is usually mild, with approximately 50 or fewer red bumps that rarely evolve to blisters.

Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a common illness that strikes about 1 million Americans each year, about half of whom are 60 years of age and older. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. When people are first infected with the varicella-zoster virus, usually as children, they get chickenpox. Years or decades later, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles. Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of shingles. Shingles is associated with normal aging and with anything that weakens the immune system such as certain medications, cancers, or infections; but it can also occur in healthy children and younger persons.

With shingles, a painful, blistering rash tends to occur on one side of the body, usually on the trunk or face. There may be pain, numbness or tingling of the area 2 to 4 days before the rash appears. Pain or numbness usually resolves within weeks, but it can sometimes persist for much longer. Damage can occur to the eyes or other organs if they are involved. One of the most serious long-term consequences of shingles is post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a condition where pain persists after the rash has resolved. PHN pain can be very difficult to treat, and it can diminish quality of life and functioning to a degree comparable to congestive heart failure, heart attack, Type II diabetes and major depression.

Chickenpox (varicella) rarely causes complications, but it is not always harmless. It can cause hospitalization and, in rare cases, death. Fortunately, since the introduction of the vaccine in 1995, hospitalizations have declined by nearly 90 percent, and there have been few fatal cases of chickenpox.

Adults have the greatest risk for dying from chickenpox, with infants having the next highest risk. Males (both boys and men) have a higher risk for a severe case of chickenpox than females. Children who catch chickenpox from family members are likely to have a more severe case than if they caught it outside the home. The older a child is, the higher the risk for a more severe case. But even in such circumstances, chickenpox is rarely serious in children. Other factors put individuals at specifically higher risk for complications of chickenpox. Shingles occurs in about 20 percent of people who have had chickenpox. The older you are, the higher the risk for complications from either chickenpox or shingles. Adults who smoke are at particularly higher risk for pneumonia from chickenpox.

In most cases, people can treat chicken pox at home, as it works its way through the body in about a week. According to the Mayo Clinic, the following physical signs indicate that you should go to the doctor:

• Fever lasting longer than four days or exceeding 102 degrees Fahrenheit
• Rash spreads to the eyeballs
• Rash appears infected
• Dizziness
• Tremors
• Stiff neck
• Increased vomiting or coughing

Although children make up a majority of chicken pox cases, they typically experience the fewest severe complications. However, kids need to be careful not to scratch the itchy blisters, because about one in 20 children will get an infected rash. The bacteria from fingernails can infect the open blisters and cause a secondary infection.

Chickenpox can be spread very easily to others. You may get chickenpox from touching the fluids from a chickenpox blister, or if someone with the disease coughs or sneezes near you. Even those with mild illness may be contagious.

A person with chickenpox becomes contagious 1 to 2 days before their blisters appear. They remain contagious until all the blisters have crusted over.

Once you have had chickenpox, the virus usually remains dormant or asleep in your body for your lifetime. About 1 in 10 adults will have shingles when the virus re-emerges during a period of stress.

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one. Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Readers should always consult their healthcare providers to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist. He is the author of “Which Doctor?” and is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, as well as an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics.

His second book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” was released in January, 2011. For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.

According to the Institute of Medicine, “in any given month, an estimated 48 percent of Americans take at least one prescription drug. Prescription drugs are crucial for preventing and treating diseases and improving the public’s health, but they can also have unintended harmful effects. Often, their benefits and risks cannot be fully identified until after a drug has been used by a large, diverse group of patients over time, mainly because clinical trials conducted before approval may be too small or too short to detect all possible risks.”

New drugs are an important part of modern medicine. However, recent controversies leading to the recall of certain prescription drugs have fueled concerns about the nation’s drug approval process. Unfortunately, even the most rigorously designed and controlled clinical study might not identify every possible side effect of a new drug before it is approved for use. More often than we would like, problems may not appear until after a medication is taken by thousands or even millions of patients.

The FDA’s responsibilities for protecting the health of Americans are far-reaching. The FDA protects our nation’s food supply through regulatory activities designed to cover 80 percent of the food consumed in this country. It also regulates all drugs, human vaccines and medical devices, and hence plays a critical role in ensuring the appropriate safety and effectiveness of rapidly emerging medical products. The FDA monitors more than $1 trillion worth of products, representing about 25 cents of every $1.00 spent annually by American consumers.

For approximately every 5,000 to 10,000 compounds that enter preclinical testing, only one is actually approved for marketing. According to the FDA’s own data, only 8 percent of all drugs progressing to human trials after demonstration of safety in animal studies will gain approval. Only about 15 percent of trials for new drugs and treatments are funded by the government. The private pharmaceutical industry funds 85 percent.

The FDA approved 69 drugs in 2007, a 26 percent drop from 93 approvals in 2006. The approval rate of new drugs dropped below 60 percent in 2007, down from 76 percent the year before. This is the lowest approval rate since 1994.

Under fire on several fronts recently, the beleaguered FDA is facing particular scrutiny regarding the safety of drugs it approves for human use. Recent high-profile drug safety failures such as Trasylol, Pergolide, Zelnorm, Ketek and Avandia add to a litany of dangerous drugs, many still prominent in the public’s memory, including Vioxx, FenPhen, Propulsid, Rezulin, Seldane and Accutane.

About half of clinical-trial drug failures are due to undetected toxicities (poisoning), and about half of the small percentage of approved drugs will later be taken off the market or receive black-box warnings for the same reason.

In spite of all this effort, even marketed drugs do not work for most patients. More than 90 percent of these drugs only work in a minority of patients, and rates of effectiveness are as low as 25 percent for cancer treatments and 30 percent for Alzheimer’s disease products. Something is clearly amiss with preclinical drug testing when only 4 in 100 drugs entering clinical trials are truly safe and effective, and that effectiveness means that only a minority of patients will benefit.

It is generally agreed that tens of thousands of people die every year from adverse effects of the medicines they are taking. It is estimated that 7,000 people die yearly from medication errors (as defined in this testimony) alone. One U.S. study showed that 10 percent of drugs approved between 1975 and 1999 had serious safety warnings added after approval, and 3 percent were withdrawn from the market.

New knowledge comes from diversity. The more diversity you have, the more likely you are to find scientific discoveries. A study published online in the journal Medicine suggested the legacy of Tuskegee partly explained a deep distrust of doctors. Among medical patients surveyed in Maryland, the study found 58 percent of Blacks believed doctors prescribe medicine to experiment on people without consent, compared with 25 percent of whites. And 25 percent of the Blacks — but only 15 percent of whites — thought their doctor would ask them to take part in a study that would hurt them.

The FDA focuses its inspections on domestic companies, with about 1,200 inspections conducted annually in the United States. Meanwhile, only about 300 foreign facilities are inspected each year. The latter number amounts to only about 10 percent of the firms shipping prescription drugs or their ingredients into the U.S.

The FDA says itself that it is understaffed and underfunded and needs more regulation authority to deal with the growing international outsourcing for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals.

A scathing report for the Institute of Medicine in September 2006 states, “The public would benefit from more information about how drugs are studied before FDA approval, how drugs’ risks and benefits are assessed, and what FDA review entails. Patients also need timely information about emerging safety concerns or about a drug’s effectiveness in order to make better decisions in collaboration with their health care providers. FDA does not have an adequate mechanism for seeking and receiving specific scientific and patient/consumer advice on communication matters.”

The FDA must no longer be comfortable with a failed drug-testing process that puts the public health at risk. What’s needed is a major overhaul of America’s drug approval process, including research ethics. We need to devise a new means of either funding all studies being relied upon in approving medications, or guaranteeing independent oversight of the study process.

Here are a few questions to ask if you are considering being in a clinical trial for a new drug or medical device:

What is a clinical trial, and why is it important to me? Who is sponsoring this trial?

How will my health and safety be protected? Will this benefit me directly? Where can I get more information?

Remember, I’m not a doctor just sound like one. Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible.

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist. He is the author of “Which Doctor?” and is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, and is an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics. His second book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” was released in January 2012. For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.

Is your job putting you under excessive levels of stress?

Jobs and careers are an important part of our lives. Along with providing a source of income, they help us fulfill our personal aims, build social networks, and serve our professions or communities. They are also a major source of emotional stress.

Job stress also frequently causes burnout, a condition marked by emotional exhaustion and negative or cynical attitudes toward others and yourself.

Stress isn’t just a state of mind — it can affect your entire body. Seventy-five to 90 percent of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental and emotional responses.

Stress can trigger the body’s response to perceived threat or danger, the Fight-or-Flight response. During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenalin and cortisol are released, speeding the heart rate, slowing digestion, shunting blood flow to major muscle groups, and changing various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength. Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, it’s now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or during a stressful day at work. When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response, but in our times of chronic stress, this often doesn’t happen enough, causing damage to the body.

Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress — a negative stress reaction. Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases.

To understand what stress does to us, imagine you lived tens of thousands of years ago, at a time when humans were threatened by hungry animals such as saber-toothed tigers and wolves. Our caveman ancestors had to be able to react instantly, either by fighting the beasts or running away.

So humans evolved the ability to respond to a stressful situation instantly, by preparing the body for “fight or flight.” Under sudden stress, you will get a burst of exceptional strength and endurance, as your body pumps out stress hormones:

• Your heart speeds up

• Blood flow to your brain and muscles increases up to 400 percent

• Your digestion stops (so it doesn’t use up energy that’s needed elsewhere)

• Your muscle tension increases

• You breathe faster, to bring more oxygen to your muscles

Sometimes we can still benefit from this “fight or flight” response — like the case of a mother whose child was pinned under a concrete slab during a tornado. Under stress, she found the strength to lift the huge slab with her bare hands, even though it later took three men to move it.

But much of the time in modern life, the “fight or flight” response won’t help. Yet those stress hormones still flood your system, preparing you for physical action. And if you are under stress frequently, it can harm your physical health.

Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal glands and involved in the following functions and more:

• Proper glucose metabolism

• Regulation of blood pressure

• Insulin release for blood sugar maintenance

• Immune function

• Inflammatory response

Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects:

• A quick burst of energy for survival reasons

• Heightened memory functions

• A burst of increased immunity

• Lower sensitivity to pain

• Helps maintain homeostasis in the body

While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s relaxation response to be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that functioning often doesn’t have a chance to return to normal, producing chronic stress.

One side effect of increased cortisol in the body can be weight gain, especially in the abdominal area, which can bring more negative health consequences than fat stored in other areas of the body.

Excess cortisol can be stimulated by physical stress such as over-exercising, lack of sleep, dieting, and poor nutrition; mental stress such as a high stress work environment; and emotional stress such as a death of a family member or even just too many demands on your time.

What relieves stress is not the same for everyone. Making certain lifestyle changes is the best start.

• Start with eating a well-balanced, healthy diet as well as getting enough sleep and exercise,

• Also, limit caffeine and alcohol intake and don’t use nicotine, cocaine, or other street drugs.

• Finding healthy, fun ways to cope with stress helps most people. You can learn and practice ways to help you relax. Find out about yoga, tai chi, or meditation.

• Take breaks from work. Make sure to balance fun activities with your job and family duties. Schedule some leisure time every day.

• Spend time with people you enjoy, including your family.

• Try learning to make things with your hands, playing an instrument, or listening to music.

• Often just talking to a friend or loved one is all that you need to feel better. Most areas also have support groups and hotlines that can help.

Stress is a natural part of life but its effects don’t have to be a natural part of your health.

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one. Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist, and is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, and is an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health issues related to Ethics and Equity.

His second book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” was released in January 2012. For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.

Today, the number of American adults who should seek medical advice in order to reduce their high blood cholesterol levels has reached over 100 million. One medication that has limited side effects, and is known to lower cholesterol levels and fight heart disease while Americans are continually getting larger, is statins.

Statins are one of the most widely prescribed drugs and among the most touted with good reason. They can dramatically lower so-called “bad” LDL cholesterol. Studies make clear that they save lives when used by people who already have heart disease.

Problems occur when there is an imbalance of cholesterol in your body. A waxy, fat-resembling substance, cholesterol naturally manifests itself in cell walls and membranes everywhere in your body. One very important use of cholesterol is to produce many hormones that your body uses daily to live a normal life.

If you aren’t able to cut down your bad cholesterol levels using natural remedies, your doctor may decide you need medical assistance in controlling your cholesterol. It is important that you continue with healthy lifestyle treatments also. Although there are numerous types of medications to assist in lowering your cholesterol levels, we will be focusing on statins.

What is debated is how much the drugs help people who do not yet have cardiovascular disease, but whose chances are higher because of other factors such as smoking or high blood pressure — or diabetes. In fact, long-term diabetes is so heart-risky that the American Diabetes Association urges fairly aggressive statin use by many diabetics.

Diabetes and statins have a complex relationship and are the focus of intense patient and healthcare debate. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statins are also used in diabetes care due to the knowledge that people with diabetes face a greater likelihood of heart attack and stroke.

For everyone else, the general rule is statins help people who have at least a 10 percent chance of a heart attack in the next 10 years, something a doctor can calculate.

All drugs have side effects that are important to consider while deciding whether they are a good bet for an individual. Statins have long been known to cause muscle pain that on rare occasions becomes a serious breakdown of muscle that can lead to kidney failure, and even death.

But whether statins can make blood sugar rise to a point that causes someone to become diabetic has been confusing.

What are statins and how do they work? Statins repress the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. This enzyme controls the rate that cholesterol produces itself in the body. Statins can lower cholesterol from 20 percent to 60 percent. They slow the production while they increase the liver’s ability to withdraw LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins). Statins lower the LDL levels better than any other type of drug.

While decreasing triglycerides and total cholesterol, statins can also create a moderate increase of High Density Lipoproteins (HDL). Within 4 to 6 weeks of starting the medications positive results are normally seen. Lowering heart attack risks, strokes and other high cholesterol level related coronary diseases are what statins have been demonstrated to do.

Taking statins is not a good idea if: you are pregnant or breastfeeding; if you have liver problems; you have experienced renal failure; you regularly drink three or more alcoholic drinks a day; or if you have allergies to the ingredients in statins or to statins themselves. As always, make sure to contact your local physician before using cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be associated with an increased risk of diabetes in middle-aged and older women, a new study suggests. The relationship between statins and diabetes is not inseparable, but becomes beneficial when your cholesterol levels tend to rise as a consequence of the diabetes itself. When you are suffering from diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, you also run a potential risk of suffering from cardiac problems. Statins help in lowering the cholesterol levels, and that brings up the relationship between statins and diabetes.

Nevertheless, it is not essential that every individual diagnosed for type 2 diabetes is put on statins. The gender of the individual and the age will be among the major considerations of your physician in determining the benefits of statins for you. Statins by themselves do not represent a cure for diabetes and conversely can be the trigger for diabetes in individuals who are otherwise healthy.

While statins may be beneficial in controlling cholesterol levels, they are not free from side effects. Depending on various metabolic facts, these side effects can vary from one individual to the other. Some of the more common side effects from the relationship between statins and diabetes are:

• Problems with the liver function
• Headaches
• Constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and other stomach problems
• Skin rashes
• Muscle-related problems

Most individuals are placed on statins because of high levels of cholesterol. Though reduction of cholesterol is important, heart disease is complex, and as discussed previously, other factors such as inflammation may play a role. Thirty-five percent of individuals who develop heart attacks do not have high blood cholesterol levels, yet most of them have atherosclerosis. This means that high levels of cholesterol are not always necessary for atherosclerotic plaques to form.

While statins do help in keeping cholesterol levels in diabetic patients under check, they can also act as a trigger for the onset of diabetes in some instances where statins are administered as part of cholesterol control for an otherwise healthy individual. Unfortunately, this is among the several instances where the cure itself becomes worse than the disease itself.

There is no known cure as yet for diabetes. World over, people affected by diabetes are able to carry on normal life and even enjoy most part of it more through a disciplined life style than medication itself. Including high fiber food in your diet (oat meal, oat bran, kidney beans, barley, and fiber rich vegetables) fish, walnuts, almonds and similar nuts is helpful in keeping your cholesterol under check. Avoiding bakery products, most dairy products and meat (all of them are rich in saturated fat and thus aid cholesterol build-up) inhibit cholesterol build-up.

Control is the best measure to keep diabetes under check, and when you believe in yourself you can always put those helpful measures into practice and manage your diabetes.

If you have high cholesterol — meaning your total cholesterol level is 240 milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL, or higher, or your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) level is 130 mg/dL or higher — your doctor may recommend you begin to take a statin. But the numbers alone won’t tell you or your doctor the whole story.

If the only risk factor you have is high cholesterol, you may not need medication because your risk of heart attack and stroke could otherwise be low. High cholesterol is only one of a number of risk factors for heart attack and stroke.

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one. Take good care of yourself, and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist. He is also the author of “Which Doctor? and is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, as well as an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics. His second book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” was released in January, 2013. For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.

For many, navigating through the healthcare system can often be a confusing and daunting task.

Health writer and lecturer Glenn Ellis has penned “Information is the Best Medicine – A Guide to Navigating Your Healthcare” to empower people to make informed decisions about their healthcare.

Consumers are constantly bombarded by television commercials marketing prescription medicines and websites touting health information.

“There’s a maze of stuff that is out there. This book is just a very basic guide to being able to navigate this stormy sea of healthcare that we are facing right now,” said Ellis, who is the president of Strategies for Well-Being, LLC., a health education and consulting company.

“I just want to make sure that people have the kind of information that they need so that they can make good decisions.”

In “Information is the Best Medicine,” Ellis simplifies chronic conditions and healthcare issues in a way that the average person can understand.

The self-published book covers a variety of areas including chronic diseases, mental illness, the impact of junk food on one’s health, complementary medicine, healthcare reform, insurance and clinical trials.

“This is really a bridge builder. On one side of the bridge is patients, lay people and consumers, on the other side of the bridge is appropriate and proper healthcare,” Ellis says of the book.

“On a lot of levels, I saw both a need and a timing for a book like this.”

Ellis kicks off his national book tour with a free lecture presentation titled “The History of African American Health in Philadelphia 1793–Present” on February 19 at 3 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 107, 12th and Arch Streets.

Ellis’ lecture addresses the yellow fever epidemic that occurred in Philadelphia during the 1790s, the history of Black doctors in the city and the current dismal state of health amidst the African-American community.

“I just want to do this presentation so that they can really know how critical it is that we are as engaged in taking care of ourselves as possible and taking responsibility for our healthcare,” says Ellis.

“Most of what happens — particularly with African Americans — is that our lifestyles, our diets and our behaviors are based on us thinking that’s the extent of our options — that we don’t have other options,” says Ellis.

“I just want to make sure that I provide information in way that people can say ‘I understand my options.’”

A book signing will follow the presentation.

To RSVP for the upcoming event e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (215) 843-2027.

The crisis is clear. Chronic diseases are crushing healthcare.

As people live longer, chronic diseases have skyrocketed, accounting for nearly 75 percent of the nation’s annual $2 trillion health expenditures, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Seven out of 10 deaths among Americans each year are from chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer and stroke account for more than 50 percent of all deaths each year.

Our healthcare system is good at treating short-term problems, such as broken bones and infections. Medical advances are helping people live much longer than in the past. But obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. The population is aging. We need to do a much better job managing chronic diseases.

Chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and Alzheimer’s disease take a heavy toll on health. Chronic conditions also cost vast amounts of money. The current trends are going in the wrong direction:

1. Obesity increases the risk of developing conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. The rate of obesity in adults has doubled in the last 20 years. It has almost tripled in kids ages 2–11.
2. Without big changes soon, 1 in 3 babies born today will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
3. Average healthcare costs for someone who has one or more chronic conditions is 5 times greater than for someone without any chronic conditions.
4. Chronic diseases account for $3 of every $4 spent on healthcare.

Over 162 million cases of seven common chronic diseases — cancers, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, mental disorders, and pulmonary conditions — were reported in the United States in recent reports. These conditions shorten lives, reduce quality of life and create considerable burden for caregivers.

The global economic impact of the five leading chronic diseases — cancer, diabetes, mental illness, heart disease, and respiratory disease — could reach $47 trillion over the next 20 years, according to a study by the World Economic Forum (WEF) released in the summer of 2011.

Chronic disease is estimated to account for 35 million deaths worldwide. Cardiovascular disease and cancer comprise a major proportion of chronic diseases in both developed and developing countries. Other than cardiovascular disease and cancer, obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, end-stage renal disease, osteoarthritis and non-alcoholic hepatitis are also becoming significant public health problems.

The prevalence and incidence of these diseases may rapidly increase in the near future in the United States because the prevalence of obesity has increased. At the same time, the population is gradually aging, and age-related degenerative diseases/conditions claim enormous health and economic tolls. Age-related cataract is the leading cause of blindness, accounting for about 42 percent of all blindness. Approximately one in five people over age 65 live with age-related macular degeneration, and adults with advanced macular degeneration have a markedly reduced quality of life and need for assistance with activities of daily living. The incidence of dementia also increases with age. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for more than half of dementia cases.

Chronic illnesses impact every aspect of the lives of people who suffer with them. They have three major tasks. They have to deal with the medical management of their disease — whether it’s taking pills, or doing exercise, or diet, or whatever. They have to deal with the fact that the things they want to do and need to do in life may also change. That can go all the way from no longer being able to work to no longer being able to do a loved hobby, or having to change things in a major way. And they have to cope with the emotional impact, whether this is fear or anxiety or depression.

Adopting a pessimistic attitude, some people believe that there is nothing that can be done, anyway. In reality, the major causes of chronic diseases are known, and if these risk factors were eliminated, at least 80 percent of all heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes would be prevented; over 40 percent of cancer would be prevented.

There are two different types of disease that people can suffer from: acute and chronic. Acute diseases come on fast, with mild to severe symptoms that last a certain amount of time. In some cases they can be life threatening. Chronic diseases, on the other hand, take place over time. They too can be either mild or severe, but it takes a lot longer for them to develop and it takes longer for them to disappear. The symptoms also have a tendency to come and go repeatedly.

When it comes to avoiding chronic diseases, there are several preventive measures that can be taken:

• Do not smoke. According to the American Heart Association, approximately 26.2 million men and 20.9 million women smoke in the United States. Smoking increases your risk of heart disease, emphysema and lung cancer. To prevent the onset of these diseases, do not smoke or quit if you currently do.
• Get some exercise. Exercise brings with it a number of benefits: it helps reduce weight, improves mobility, elevates mood, strengthens bones and helps improve circulation. All of these factors will help reduce the chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise on five or more days a week.
• Reduce your alcohol intake. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can cause a number of health problems. A chronic condition that can occur is cirrhosis of the liver. This is a chronic condition where scar tissue replaces healthy tissue causing the liver to not function optimally. To prevent this disease, keep your alcohol intake moderate.
• Cut out unhealthy foods. What you eat plays a big role in developing chronic diseases. Foods that are processed, have large amounts of refined sugar or are high in saturated fats should be avoided. They can cause obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
• Eat plenty of fiber. Fiber is a non-digestible substance that gets passed through the digestive system. Eating fiber helps relieve constipation and it reduces your chances for colon cancer, diverticulitis, diabetes and kidney stones. The Institute of Medicine recommends eating 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories you eat. Some examples of fiber-rich foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and oat bran.

On our current path, the United States will experience a dramatic increase in chronic disease in the next 20 years. But there is an alternative path. By making reasonable improvements in preventing and managing chronic disease, we can avoid a projected 40.2 million cases of chronic conditions in 2023.

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one. Take good care of yourself, and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist. He is the author of “Which Doctor?” and is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, and is an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics. His second book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” was released in January, 2012. For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.

By now, we’ve all gotten used to fluorine and chlorine in your drinking water. No big deal for many of us.

But how do you feel about antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones in your drinking water? Associated Press conducted a five-month inquiry detected pharmaceuticals in drinking water supplies of 24 of 28 major U.S. metropolitan areas. It found that a vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.

While most of the 25 cities investigated had between 1 and 15 detected pharmaceutical drugs in their tap water, Philadelphia water had 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems! 63 pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city’s watersheds.

The concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is raises worries among many scientists of the long-term consequences to human health. Drinking water treatment plants are not designed to remove these pharmaceutical residues.

Guess what else? This is also the water used to make sodas and other beverages at local bottling plants. So every time you pick up a can of soda and drink it, not only are you getting the dangerous chemicals intentionally added to those sodas — like aspartame and phosphoric acid — you’re also getting trace amounts of medication chemicals.

So why, and how, is this happening?

Drugs and their derivatives get into the drinking water supply because when people on medication go to the toilet they excrete whatever the body does not absorb and any metabolized byproducts. Water companies treat the waste before discharging it into rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and then treat it again before it enters the drinking water system. However, the various treatments don’t remove all traces of drugs. And as we all know, everyone uses the toilet- including the people who take many different types of prescribed medications. And as you also know, what goes in, must come out. People think that if they take a medication, their body absorbs it and it disappears, but of course that’s not the case. Estimates are that only about 20 percent of a prescribed medication is actually absorbed by the body. The rest is eliminated.

Perhaps it’s because Americans have been taking drugs — and flushing them unmetabolized or unused — in growing amounts. Over the past five years, the number of U.S. prescriptions rose 12 percent to a record 3.7 billion; while nonprescription drug purchases held steady around 3.3 billion.

Many drugs, including widely used cholesterol fighters, tranquilizers and anti-epileptic medications, resist modern drinking water and wastewater treatment processes. Plus, the there are no sewage treatment systems specifically engineered to remove pharmaceuticals.

Our bodies may shrug off a relatively big one-time dose, yet suffer from a smaller amount delivered continuously over a half century, perhaps subtly stirring up allergies or nerve damage. Pregnant women, the elderly and the very ill might be more sensitive.

Theirs is some evidence that shows that adding chlorine, a common process in conventional drinking water treatment plants, makes some pharmaceuticals more toxic.

Human waste isn’t the only source of contamination. Cattle, for example, are given ear implants that provide a slow release of an anabolic steroid used by some bodybuilders, which causes cattle to bulk up. But not all the steroid circulating in a cow is metabolized. A German study showed 10 percent of the steroid passed right through the animals.

Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don’t necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry’s main trade group. The same goes for the makers of most home filtration systems.

Bottled water is not the total answer. Nearly 40 percent of bottled water is simply repackaged tap water. What’s more, there’s no government agency testing bottled water contamination from known hazards such as bacteria, synthetic contaminants, or heavy metals. While the Associated Press did not test bottled water, earlier testers have found dangerous substances such as arsenic and bromate, both known carcinogens.

No scientist can say for certain whether long-term exposure to micro doses of multiple pharmaceuticals is safe because such an experiment has never before been conducted on any population.

If trace amounts of multiple pharmaceuticals are now in the tap water supplies, it also means that any use of tap water involves the further spread of those pharmaceutical chemicals. Watering your lawn, for example, means spraying small amounts of pharmaceuticals on your lawn.

The solution? My personal opinion … you’ll need to avoid drinking tap water, period. Or, at the very least, filter it really well. Distillation is very energy intensive (which makes it bad for global warming), but it does get the water very, very clean. Other consumer-level water filters may remove some amount of pharmaceuticals, but I don’t have all the facts on that yet, so I’m not going to make any recommendations until I learn more. Stay tuned.

Remember, I’m not a doctor just sound like one. Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice.

Glenn Ellis is a health advocacy communications specialist. He is the author of “Which Doctor?” and is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, and is an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics. His second book, “Information is the Best Medicine,” was released in January 2012. For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com.