Debate on coffee cups heats up

Q. I have been reading the debate about the safety of coffee-cup lids. One contributor called the controversy much ado about nothing.

I hate to bear the bad news, but it is true that you could get sick from the hands that touch your coffee lid. Chuck Gerba, Ph.D., aka “Dr. Germ,” is an environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona.

He swabbed coffee-cup lids and found a surprising number were contaminated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when you have a cold or flu, you can leave viruses on just about anything you touch.

Not to mention fecal matter: How often have you been in a restaurant bathroom and seen someone simply walk out without washing his hands?

These bacteria can make you sick.

You know where your hands have been, but not anyone else’s.

A. We had no idea people would get so excited about coffee-cup lids.

Thanks for alerting us to Dr. Gerba’s research on this topic. We are not surprised to learn lids that have been handled sometimes carry a lot of bacteria.

If the person taking the money is also grabbing the cups and applying the lids, there is potential for cross-contamination.

Q. How dangerous is Arthrotec? I have been taking it for more than five years, but I am getting leery. I read that it might lead to bleeding ulcers that can cause death. Is there anything else I can take for arthritis in my knees and hands?

A. Arthrotec combines a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called diclofenac with a medication to prevent ulcers called misoprostol.

Even with this protective medication, though, there is no guarantee that the NSAID will not lead to bleeding ulcers.

Other complications of such drugs include increases in blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Similar arthritis drugs that are prescribed or taken over the counter are no safer than Arthrotec and may be more likely to lead to ulceration.

One way to reduce this risk is to use a drug that is applied to the skin, such as Voltaren Gel.

We are sending you our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis so that you can learn more about such topical NSAIDs, other medications less likely to cause ulcers and nondrug approaches.

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.”

2011 King Features Syndicate Inc.