Anti-Smoking Ads
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| Updated: 11/08/2012 5:40 pm |
Published: 11/08/2012 5:16 pm |
The graphic nationwide media campaign to motivate smokers to quit appears to be working.
The CDC says the campaign, known as "Tips From Smokers," boosted awareness in 18 to 54 year olds and possibly changed some behaviors too.
The agency also saw a huge uptick in the percentage of American smokers who called their 1-800-QUIT-NOW information line.
And an even bigger rise in traffic to their smokefree.gov website.
The CDC is planning to launch a second campaign next year.
Super Sinusitis
Dr. Subinoy Das is working to develop a nasal swab test that would identify the type of sinus infection a patient has because it's information doctors really need.
In most cases, patients suffer from periodic sinus congestion and pain.
But when sinusitis is caused by a bacteria, the side effects can be devastating.
Traditional treatment has always been antibiotics.
Now doctors are being urged to cut down on antibiotic prescriptions.
That's because according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America about 90% of all sinus infections are viral which cannot be treated by antibiotics.
In fact, the medication actually rids the sinuses of healthy bacteria and strengthens the dangerous bacteria creating a super sinusitis bug that can't be treated by any medication.
By knowing whether the cause is viral or bacterial, Dr. Das says doctors will be able to prescribe the right medication, in serious cases, without creating a sinusitis resistance to antibiotics.
