HY 09/07: To Your Health | Lehigh Valley Hospital

To Your Health

Teens Take Risk With Moonflower Seeds

Last fall, several Lehigh Valley teenagers became sick after eating seeds from the highly toxic moonflower plant (also known as jimson weed). “Teens are learning on the Internet that eating the seeds causes hallucinations,” says Tim Munsch, director of the Lehigh Valley Drug and Alcohol Intake Unit. “What they don’t realize is it can cause organ failure, coma and even death.” The local teens recovered after hospital care. Munsch hopes their experience is raising awareness in others about the seeds’ dangers.

Antibiotics May Trigger Intestinal Disease

You have a sinus infection and your doctor prescribes an antibiotic—but did you know this could lead to a serious intestinal infection? The infection, more common in older adults (though it can occur in children), is caused by a bacterium called Clostridium difficile, or C. diff. It can result from antibiotic use at home or in the hospital. “Antibiotics can harm the ‘good’ bacteria in the intestines, allowing C. diff to multiply and release harmful toxins,” says infectious disease specialist Luther Rhodes, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. If you develop diarrhea during or after using antibiotics, he says, call your doctor.

The Facts on Metamucil

Metamucil’s latest ads invite you to use the laxative regularly to add fiber to your diet, “beautify your inside” and (by implication) help you lose weight. A healthy idea? Hardly, says family medicine physician Linda Loffredo, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “Metamucil should only be used to relieve constipation or help restore regularity,” she says. “It’s an insoluble fiber that draws water into the bowels, forming the bulk necessary to be easily passed.”

You don’t need Metamucil to get the fiber you need in your diet, Loffredo says—fruits, vegetables and whole grains will do the trick. And for weight loss, “there is no substitute for regular exercise and a healthy diet.” So don’t rely on laxatives as a diet shortcut, no matter what the ads say. “Although Metamucil is generally safe, overuse of stimulant-type laxatives can damage your colon and cause it to stop functioning properly,” Loffredo says.