Today In Alt Med

Hand Sanitizer Recalled In Canada For Bacteria

Image of recalled hand sanitizer courtesy of Health Canada

Late this afternoon news broke that Kleenex's Luxury Foam Hand Sanitizer was being recalled in Canada over fears that the toiletry could be contaminated with bacteria.

Fortunately, this recall only affects about 430 units and those were all "bulk" sizes intended for placement in large-size dispensers. The good news is that the problem was found by the company that makes the sanitizer--Kimberly-Clark--and neither Kimberly-Clark nor Health Canada has received any reports of this bacteria actually affecting anyone who may have used the product.

So just how does a germ wind up in a batch of hand sanitizer in the first place? Well, the germ at the center of this recall is Burkholderia cepacia and is a particularly stout little bugger. It is one of the germs that can live quite happily in antiseptic products like hand sanitizers and mouthwashes. In 1998 the bacterium prompted a recall of hospital-dispensed mouthwash; 4 years prior it was found in an over-the-counter nasal spray. And it's especially dangerous to people with cystic fibrosis.

As far as I can tell this product was sold only in Canada and that country's main health agency, Health Canada, is urging anyone who finds this product in their home or workplace to remove it from use immediately. Then call Kimberly-Clark, the agency advises.

Look! Designer Fruit Drink ARo Has Hit The Market!

 

 It's "new". It's "the first of its kind". It's . . . oh, who are you trying to kid here? The plain truth is that there's a new player in the always-crowded designer fruit juice market and its creators are hoping you'll take notice.

The juice is called ARo and while it's actually a blend of several berries and fruits, ARo's schtick is the chokeberry. The lowly chokeberry, as it turns out, is actually quite high in some antioxidants. That's especially true for the black variety, or Aronia melanocarpa. Now, I'm not aware of any good scientific studies on the ARo product itself but emerging research on the berries suggests that chokeberries are highly effective at reducing the human body's load of a kind of pollution scientists call free radicals.

As far as the nutrition of ARo goes . . . well, I can't find that info on ARo's website just now. What I can tell you is that a serving is 11.5 ounces. (I'm getting that from the company's press release, which is linked to in the first link in this article.)  That's nearly double the amount of fruit juice the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends for toddlers and about what it recommends for teenagers. (The AAP doesn't actually recommend fruit juice--its experts would rather kids eat whole fruits instead and get the fiber that fruits and berries provide.)

I can't find any information at all about what this latest entrant into the designer juice market will cost. But if you're familiar with it and would like to share you're thoughts, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of ARo's new chokeberry juice drink.

Banner Mountain Organic Sprouts Recalled For Salmonella

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Images of recalled Banner Mountain Sprouts labels generously provided by FDA.

Banner Mountain Sprouts has announced a recall of several varieties of its sprouts over fears that the foods could be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Banner Mountain's press release about the recall didn't give a lot of information but it does say that routine testing has turned up "evidence" of the pathogen. The company has not said which serotype of Salmonella was found or whose "routine" testing found it.

What we DO know, though, is that several varieties are affected. Those include:

• 4oz. zesty greens
• 5oz. sprout salad
• 4oz. clover
• 2lb. clover
• 4oz. alfalfa/broccoli
• 4oz. alfalfa sprouts
• 1lb. alfalfa sprouts
• 2lb. alfalfa sprouts

Banner Mountain says that these sprouts were sold only in California. The recalled sprouts are packaged in clear plastic clamshell containers and clear plastic zip-top bags. If you find these in your kitchen you're encouraged to simply throw them out as soon as possible.

There have been no actual cases of Salmonella poisoning blamed on these sprouts so far.

As of my visit to BannerMountainSprouts.com late this morning there still appeared to be no mention of the recall on the site. Banner Mountain Sprouts is located in Elk Grove, California. According to its website, the company grows "the only 100% organic full-line sprout produce in the western United States". The company also says that it has put 10 million containers of sprouts into the marketplace in the past 25 years.

Rockstar Warned For Herb-Spiked Coffee

The US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, gets a mite particular when it comes to companies hawking "functional foods" and this week it's coffee maker Rockstar, Inc. which finds itself in the agency's crosshairs. Just moments ago the agency released a copy of its May 23, 2012, warning letter to Rockstar and CEO Russell Weiner.

From the letter we learn that back in January the agency stopped by Rockstar's manufacturing plant in Livingston, Tennessee. During that inspection agents took samples of several of Rockstar's labels and found various labeling violations on them. Most of those alleged violations come down to one thing--Rockstar is promoting its coffee drinks as dietary supplements while also presenting them as food.

Under current FDA regulations a supplement is not considered a supplement if it's used as a meal or presented as a "conventional" food. The FDA finds that Rockstar's coffees, which come in 8, 16 and 24 ounce cans, are being peddled in just such a fashion. The agency cites Rockstar's use of verbiage like "refreshing beverage" and "coffee" as language that takes the drink from under the supplement umbrella and places it firmly in food territory.

The agency also has a problem with Rockstar's use of Ginkgo in its drinks. Ginkgo biloba may be a popular herbal remedy but it's not, says the FDA, an approved food additive. And that means that the FDA officially sees it as "unsafe" in food.

As is usually the case, Rockstar, Inc was given 15 working days to correct the alleged violations and respond to the FDA's letter. As of my visit to what I believe is Rockstar's official website, rockstar69.com, I found Ginkgo still listed as an ingredient on the site's Products page. Its Facebook and Twitter pages, which have both been updated today, also seem to be ignoring the release of the warning letter. 

Leasa Issues 2nd Recall In 6 Months

Image of recalled Leasa sprouts provided by FDA.

Back in January Leasa Industries recalled nearly 350 cases of its alfalfa sprouts after Salmonella was found during routine sampling. This week the company has issued its second recall in 6 months for that very same thing.

In a press release issued late last week Leasa said that this time the recall involves 433 cases of its LEASA Living Alfalfa Sprouts. The contamination, which the company admits was found, was again discovered during routine sampling. What they didn't say was how many samples were found to contain the germ or which serotype of Salmonella it was.

If you think you might have these in your kitchen you should look for a 6 oz. clear plastic container like the one in the image the FDA provided. Then you'll need to look on the sides of that container for a use-by date code of 7/2/12 and a UPC of 75465-55912. If yours matches those, you have recalled sprouts.

And if you do have these on hand you're advised to simply throw them out. Unfortunately, Leasa's press release did not supply a list of stores to which you can return them for a refund but it did give a telephone number you can use to speak directly with a Leasa representative. That number is 800-362-7669 and is staffed weekdays from 9 to 5 ET.

China Botanic Boasts Increased Sales

China Botanic Pharmaceutical reports healthy growth in a market that is crowded and shows no sign of becoming less crowded in the foreseeable future. In a press release issued this morning the company reported second quarter fiscal sales of $24 million and a gross profit of $12.6 million. Those numbers represent growths of 22% and 13.4%, respectively. That's good news for investors, who saw 2011 earnings fall in the wake of increased production costs.

Three products in particular seem to be driving China Botanic's sales right now--its Siberian Ginseng Series products, its Compound Honeysuckle Granules and its new Ginseng and Venison Extract product. The company says that it expects to continue to see growth throughout the remainder of this year. Last year the company put its total revenue at $72.7 million.

China Botanic is a China-based supplement manufacturer that specializes in traditional Chinese remedies for depression, melancholy and similar mood disorders. Its 3 manufacturing plants produce over 200 remedies in all. Here in the US it's traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CBP".

As far as I can tell China Botanic is not currently marketing any of its products here in the US.

Oza Compound Warned For Claims

Oza Compound Products and its owner, Mark Smith, have been warned by the US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for a long list of violations the agency says it found during recent inspections of the business and its website. Yesterday a copy of the official FDA warning letter to Oza Compound Products was made public.

From the letter we learn that the FDA spent 2 days inspecting Oza's manufacturing plant in Fort Wayne back in January. At the close of that inspection owner Mark Smith was given a list of things that the agency said needed to be addressed. (Agents also took samples of Oza's products and later found problems with those, too.)

A lot of the alleged violations appear to come down to sloppy record keeping. Oza is accused, for example, of not keeping good records on its raw materials or any testing it does for the purity of its finished products. It also did not keep records to document how often it cleans and sanitizes its equipment. From the FDA's letter we learn that Oza apparently tried to address some of those concerns but the FDA ultimately found the company's efforts--in its word--"inadequate".

The company was also warned for numerous therapeutic claims it made on its website, ozacompoundproducts.com. Some of those claims, like "Cold and Flu Eliminator", were made by the company itself but many were in the form of "testimonials". In one testimonial a customer claimed that the product had helped her succeed in bringing 3 pregnancies to term after a series of miscarriages. In another a customer claimed that Oza Compound cured him of mono. Still another claims that Oza helped her family fight whooping cough.

The FDA, of course, says that such claims go way beyond the kinds of claims a dietary supplement is allowed to make. It also points out that Oza Compound has never been proven safe or effective for any of those ailments.

Oza, for its part, apparently offered up the following solution--it would "black out" the testimonials on its labels with a black marker. The FDA, naturally, responded that this particular fix was "inadequate". The agency's letter also reminded Oza that there were still troublesome testimonials on its website.

The warning letter to Oza Compound Products is one of the longest I've seen go to a supplement maker in a long time and the FDA stresses that it's not intended to be a complete list of all potential violations the company is committing. Oza and Mark Smith were given 15 working days to respond.

As of my visit to Oza's website this morning I found the site completely down. 

Diamond Pet Food Now Linked to 22 Salmonella Cases

Last week the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, issued a brief update on the Salmonella outbreak that's been traced back to bacterial contamination in Diamond Pet Foods products. As of that update 20 Americans and 2 Canadians had been diagnosed with the Salmonella Infantis strain.

via lisabarger.typepad.com

Have you been following the Diamond Pet Food recall and recent Salmonella outbreak? If so, there's a new CDC update you'll want to know about.

The agency now says that the number of human Salmonella Infantis cases blamed on contaminated pet food now stands at 22, with a few more cases possible.

Our coverage of the CDC's statement to the media can be found at our sister-site, Today In Pet Safety.

8 Glasses Of Water A Day Debunked. Again.

I truly don't know how many articles I've written over the years, trying to help debunk the you-need-8-glasses-of-water-a-day myth and all the other myths that go along with it. You've heard them:

• Most of us exist in a chronic state of mild dehydration.
• Drinking a lot of water helps you lose weight.
• Tea/coffee/juices are dehydrating.

Maybe--just maybe--we can begin to put these to bed, once and for all. This month's issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health carries a scathing editorial that not only debunks the 8-glasses-a-day myth; it goes on to call out, by name, the various proponents of the myth that have popped up through the decades.

It makes for interesting reading and I won't try to rehash it all here but the editorial, which was written by Dr. Spero Tsindos, does make a few of the same points that I've tried to make over the years.

One point that Dr. Tsindos makes that I think is particularly interesting is that if you're drinking large amounts of water at any one time you're not actually re-hydrating yourself at all. Even if we are, as so many of my "natural" peers claim, walking around mildly dehydrated all a large volume of water is going to do is dilute your urine. Your body, Dr. Tsindos explains, is only capable of processing a certain amount of water at one time. Drink a whole lot and you end of losing it in your urine before your body even gets a chance to use it.

Will this new look at water finally put this myth on the road to retirement? I don't know but you can read Dr. Tsindos' editorial in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health here.

MSG Linked to Metabolic Syndrome

New research from Thailand suggests that the use of monosodium glutamate, or MSG, may be strongly linked to something doctors call metabolic syndrome.

The study, which was published at the website for the journal, Nutrition & Metabolism, looked at data gathered from 349 Thai families. What researchers did was to go into 6 different villages and interview people about their health. To participate in the study the families had to meet criteria that included preparing at least 2 meals a day at home, have adults 35 to 55 years of age and use MSG regularly.

MSG is a flavor enhancer that has kind of fallen out of favor here in the US but is still widely used to enhance the flavor of everything from meat to sauces to vegetables. It's an important enhancer to "umami" foods like those popular in Asian cuisine. But it's a bit controversial and back in the 1960s the phrase "Chinese restaurant syndrome" was coined to describe the fatigue, flushing and other symptoms some people experience after eating foods made with it.

Whether "Chinese restaurant syndrome" is real or not is still debated but some studies have suggested that the "spice" might not be quite as healthy as its proponents claim. So what these researchers wanted to see was whether or not people who use a lot of it have higher rates of metabolic syndrome.

And that's just what they concluded. By giving each family a supply of MSG to use as they wished the researchers were able to get a peek into what they felt was a typical level of MSG usage by these families. What they ultimately found was that the families who had adults with metabolic syndrome tended to be the same families who used more MSG in their cooking. And it seemed to these researchers that the more MSG a person consumed, the worse his metabolic syndrome symptoms were.

So what exactly is metabolic syndrome? Well, the good news is that it's not a disease. But it is a group of medical conditions that doctors believe increase your risk for heart disease and other problems. Different medical experts have different definitions for metabolic syndrome but the most common are a big belly, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes and high cholesterol. About a quarter of all American adults could probably be classified as having metabolic syndrome.