Germs with your lemon wedge?

Q. One of my co-workers always asks for a slice of lemon in his water.

I shudder every time I see that piece of lemon floating in his glass, but I don’t have the nerve to tell him it’s probably loaded with germs.

Am I mistaken?

A. You are correct. Microbiologist Anne LaGrange Loving was served a Diet Coke with a slice of lemon she had not requested. She decided to check whether the lemon was likely to be contaminated.

She and her co-author surreptitiously swabbed 76 lemon slices served at 21 different restaurants, then cultured the results. Two-thirds of the lemon slices had bacteria on either the rind or the pulp (Journal of Environmental Health, December 2007).

Many of these germs have the potential to cause illness, although the study was not designed to discover if any patrons actually became sick.

You’re not the only one to wonder about this. Another reader wrote: “I wish you would address the way water is served in restaurants. It frequently comes with a lemon floating in the water. Tests on lemons from various restaurants found fecal bacteria. They should ask whether you want lemon or not.”

We agree with that recommendation.

Q. My doctor prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection. Since then, I have suffered from severe tendinitis. My shoulders and my Achilles tendon are extremely painful, and I can no longer run or play tennis. I can’t even pick up my little daughter.

The doctor has injected cortisone, but that only worked for a while.

Ibuprofen upsets my stomach.

I am desperate for relief.

Is there anything I can take to ease the pain?

A. The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about tendinitis and tendon rupture with antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin) and moxifloxacin (Avelox).

Injecting a corticosteroid (such as cortisone) may seem such as a solution for tendinitis, but a new study suggests that any relief is short-lived (Lancet online, Oct. 22, 2010).

Oral prednisone might actually increase your risk for tendon rupture.

Since you cannot tolerate NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen, we are sending you our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis. It contains a range of options from topical capsaicin and NSAIDs such as Voltaren Gel to anti-inflammatory herbs such as boswellia, bromelain, ginger or turmeric. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. AA-2, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Recipes & Remedies From The People’s Pharmacy.”

2010 King Features Syndicate Inc.