Take a stand for your future
Dear RDH:
I am embarrassed to say I finally sat down and read the whole January issue of RDH in March, but I did, and I wanted to praise you again for your thought-provoking and always enjoyable Editor’s Note!
It is very important to every RDH that ADHA does exist and I am ashamed and embarrassed for the hygienist who adamantly underlined that she was not an ADHA member in the magazine’s salary survey. It’s very unfortunate that more don’t have pride in their profession. They just choose to ride on the coattails of those willing to go out on a limb and make our profession as successful as it can be, despite living the same busy lives as those they just like to criticize!
I have learned that no matter what the occassion, you can’t make everyone, everywhere completely happy. There will always be those who would rather sit back and waste their energy criticizing those trying to do good for the majority! Everyone has made mistakes, and organizations will also make them. But at times, in acheiving what seems best for the majority, things may not always go the way we had hoped, sometimes we can be rubbed the wrong way on certain issues.
However, it takes the work and opinions of those involved to make the difference that’s recognized on a larger scale.
It’s time to put the many excuses for not being a member behind you! Take a stand for what you want the future of all hygienists to look like. The bigger the association the bigger the voice we will have. Be proud to be a member of the only association that represents you, the hygienist, in this country. Enough with the excuses and angry sentiments, let’s unite and make a difference on an even larger scale! Put your money where your mouth is!
Sandra Carlson, RDH
Bellingham, Washington
Xylitol and osteoporosis
Dear RDH:
I enjoy your magazine and read it before some other professional journals and sometimes instead of the others!
In the January 2007 issue was an article about xylitol which I found extremely interesting (“The Practical Use of Xylitol” by Connie Sidder, RDH). It was different from anything I had previously read. The article said: “Xylitol also aids in the absorption of calcium from the intestines. Consequently, it is being used to combat osteoporosis.”
After I had read all the footnotes for the article (most came from Xlear Inc., a company selling Xylitol) and any other research I could find, I wrote (by email) to the author. In my reading, I found that the only studies available on line were those that had been performed on rats, and indeed upon only small numbers of rats.
In Ms. Sidder’s reply she noted “I believe the osteoporosis studies still don’t have human application ...”
I believe your other readers should know that regular intake of xylitol (four to six grams per day) will certainly aid in the reduction of caries-producing bacterial colonies. It may well aid in reduced ear aches and sinus infections. However, they should not advise their patients that it will help with their bone density issues. More studies on larger numbers of rats, and then on humans first need to be completed with positive results.
Amy Brown, RDH, BS, EDH
Leawood, Kansas
null
