Description
What does the body of evidence say on the topic of healthcare-acquired infections? Plus: CBD is put on trial to see how well it does against the symptoms of advanced cancer, and the world’s elites reveal their most damning secret: they don’t think COVID is just a bad cold.
Block 1:
(2:02) Nosocomial infections: what they are, difference from iatrogenic infections, what the US did to reduce them, types of infections
Block 2:
(9:51) Nosocomial infections: hand hygiene, disposable equipment, single-patient rooms, bed cleaning, ventilation, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (MRSA, VRE), decolonization protocols, C. difficile, #DeathToAllSinks, UV light, copper
Block 3:
(32:13) Clinical trial of cannabidiol against placebo for the symptoms of advanced cancer [We briefly mention the Hawthorne effect. It turns out to be a phrase we probably shouldn’t use. See here.]
Block 4:
(42:13) Davos’ COVID measures
* Jingle by Joseph Hackl
* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl
* Assistant researcher: Nicholas Koziris
To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
To make a one-time donation to our show, you can now use PayPal! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE
Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!
References:
1) Chris’ proof that you can, in fact, live a perfectly normal life after donating a kidney: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa0804883
2) Nosocomial infections are particularly prevalent in ICUs: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/184963
3) Medicare no longer pays for hospital-acquired infections: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/184963
4) Hospital-wide hand hygiene programs do work to reduce hospital infections: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(00)02814-2/fulltext
5) Washing hands properly for 30 seconds is necessary to kill bacteria like VRE: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/abs/recovery-of-vancomycinresistant-enterococci-on-fingertips-and-environmental-surfaces/FBFBC3EABFA22A7A28420AFB2CCACC51
6) The REACH study found that hospitals implementing a new cleaning bundle reduced VRE but not C. difficile infections: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(18)30714-X/fulltext
7) MRSA decolonization with chlorhexidine baths does reduce infections in the ICU: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1207290 & https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30850112/
8) Basic infection control measures do work for C. difficile as well, even if regular alcohol disinfectants do not: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/central/doi/10.1002/central/CN-01604607/full
9) Ultraviolet light can also be used as an adjunctive disinfection agent: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5935446/
10) UV-C light can also be caused to clean the air as a COVID mitigation strategy: https://ghdcenter.hms.harvard.edu/keeping-public-spaces-safe
11) Sinks as a source of outbreaks: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34438134/
12) Scott Gavura’s Science-Based Medicine article: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/cbd-oil-fails-to-improve-symptom-control-in-advanced-cancer/
13) The clinical trial on CBD for advanced cancer symptoms: https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.22.01632
14) World Economic Forum’s Guidance on Health Measures: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/AM23_Health_and_Safety_Measures.pdf
15) “Billionaires at Davos Don’t Think COVID Is a Cold:” https://slate.com/technology/2023/01/davos-covid-precaution-uv-lights-air-filters.html
16) “The Last Holdouts:” https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/26/us/covid-masks-risk.html
17) What Bonnie Henry said about masking: https://twitter.com/frozen/status/1614053203800383489
18) G
Jonathan and Chris speak to Dr. Matthew Cameron, a local anesthesiologist who does a lot more than local anesthesias! They discuss the ins and outs of putting people to sleep; how safe epidurals really are; and whether or not you need to worry about waking up paralyzed in the middle of an...
Published 05/21/24
What does the body of evidence say on lupus, the autoimmune disease that famously imitates so many other illnesses? Plus: a new study shows that Tylenol in pregnancy is not associated with neurodevelopmental problems, and Chris revisits the topic of red meat following a listener’s question.
A...
Published 05/07/24