A new Internet-based network called PulseNet has been established to identify and stop outbreaks of food poisoning in the United States. The system, announced by Vice President Al Gore in May, allows public health scientists around the country to compare the DNA from bacteria involved in outbreaks of food-borne illnesses.1
PulseNet, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, allows four public health laboratories in the U.S. to rapidly work with the CDC, the Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration should an outbreak occur.
Donna Shalala, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, theorize that PulseNet could help researchers trace strains of certain bacteria, such as E. coli, up to five times faster than now possible. A 1993 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 killed four children and caused illness in more than 700 people in the United States.
"Foods reaching American tables today are produced, processed and distributed very differently from even a decade ago," Donna Shalala pointed out. "Food from a single source may be rapidly distributed to communities across the nation, making it more difficult to detect a disease outbreak caused by a contaminated food product. PulseNet combines the latest in microbiology and computer technology to quickly detect whether illness occurring in many different locations during the same time frame are linked to a common food source."
Reference
1. Net to help track food poisoning. Reuters, May 26, 1998.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
