Also, older adults are often affected by many health conditions that can increase the risk of falls. Most people can reduce their risk of falls with a combination of exercise, balance-improvement techniques and simple measures to reduce fall hazards at home. Now Tougher Than the Drugs Used to Kill Them Antibiotics, the miracle drugs of the last half-century, are losing the battle against some infections they once easily defeated, according to the September issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics have helped accelerate the creation of tougher bacteria that no longer respond to many medications. When you take an antibiotic, it either overpowers and kills the bacteria causing your infection, or it prevents the bacteria from multiplying so your body s immune system can destroy them.
Problems arise when some bacteria survive treatment.
As these bacteria reproduce, they change their cellular makeup to protect themselves against future attack. The next time you use the same antibiotic, it may not be effective. Researchers are working on new antibiotics that attack bacteria in different ways and interfere with their ability to reproduce. But creating a new antibiotic takes time and money. The next new antibiotic isn t expected to be approved until around the year 2000.