SUCRALOSE - SWEET LIFE?

People with Diabetes can have sweets?

How to overcome craving?

What is the safest alternative to table sugar?

Well these are some interesting questions based on which countless amounts have been spent for research. The outcome – Many different types of alternatives were introduced. Some came with side effects and some came with a bitter after taste. As of now the most commonly used alternative is SUCRALOSE. Sucralose is 300 to 1000 times sweeter than our normal table sugar (sucrose). This sucralose was developed when scientists were actually trying to develop a sugar based insecticide. At that point the sweetness of sucralose was identified by chance. The scientist misheard the term “test” as “taste” and tasted it. He found the compound exceptionally sweet. Scientists Tate & Lyle patented it in 1976. Slowly the use of sucralose spread over countries and continents. Now sucralose is used in more than 80 countries all over the world. How our simple table sugar becomes sucralose? It goes through processing (Simple word to explain selective chlorination of sucrose, which substitutes three of the hydroxyl groups with chlorine. This chlorination is achieved by selective protection of the primary alcohol groups followed by acetylation and then deprotection of the primary alcohol groups.The partially acetylated sugar is then chlorinated with a chlorinating agent such as phosphorus oxychloride, followed by removal of the acetyl groups to give sucralose)

Sucralose safe?

Well.... anything in excess is definitely harmful. Even water in excess can kill you.

Sucralose is safe. Maximum dose is 9mg per Kg body weight per day.

Moral of the story –

You can have a sweet life with diabetes

But,

Measure before you eat!

Sweet life!

MAGGOTS BACK WITH A BANG!

Maggots! Maggots Maggots!!!  Ewww  ahhh ish.... 

But can you imagine that before advent of Life saving antibiotics these maggots had saved many lives and limbs!

Yes ! Exactly!

Maggots were used for treatment of sloughing wounds and deep seated infections.

Maggot therapy in olden days was a result of observation by army surgeons that the maggot infested wounds heal faster compared to non infested wounds.

William Baer was the first one to use Maggots in treatment of wounds and also showed that maggots can help the wound to heal faster.

This method became so popular that many hospitals developed their own insectaries to stock their own insect free maggots for treatment.

Many doctors were happy with this bio-debridement. 

The problems faced that time were Difficulty in getting insect free maggots, Cost & Difficulty in constructing a dressing to house these maggots around the wound.

Slowly maggots disappeared from the scene with advent of “Life- Saving Antibiotics”

Now Maggots are ready to make a comeback!

Why?

Because the Bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics. Even before the drug reaches the stage of mass production resistant strains emerge. It is not uncommon for any Doctor to see reports carry these Dangerous terms – MRSA, ESBL, MBL, MDR strains, Pan – Drug Resistant Strains.

Literally we are running out of antibiotics. The small single celled invisible creatures are winning!

Maggot therapy is essentially a controlled therapeutic maggot infestation on a live host). It is controlled by selecting a safe strain and made germ free by using disinfectants. These maggots are introduced in special dressings that prevent them from leaving the wound.

Maggots are applied to the wound at a dose of 5–10 larvae per square centimetre of wound surface area and are left within their dressing for 48–72 h. The basic action comprises of Debridement, Disinfection, Stimulation of healing and Biofilm inhibition and eradication.

Medicinal maggots are like microsurgeons and are precise in their debridement. It is no wonder that they have found their way into the hearts and wounds of so many.

Despite our low cultural esteem for maggots, more and more clinicians and patients are turning to medicinal maggots for assistance with their wound healing. For most, the drawbacks of maggot therapy pale in comparison to the remarkable efficacy in treating even the most recalcitrant wounds.

Modern dressing materials have simplified the maggot therapy procedure and minimized the risk of escape. The establishment of laboratories throughout the world, along with access to overnight courier service in many regions, has made medicinal maggots readily available to millions of people.