Opinion> Lenore Skenazy> And You Thought 2007 Was Scary

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And You Thought 2007 Was Scary …

Some people — optimistic, well-adjusted, curious — pause just about now to wonder what marvelous ideas and inventions we will see in the upcoming year.

And then there's everyone else.

"What's going to kill us now ?" we wonder. Here are some possibilities. Start worrying.

BIOFILMS: No, not the ones you were so happy to see in school because it meant an easy day in biology class. Biofilms are filmy little bubbles that can encase nasty bacteria and keep them safe from everything we throw at them: soap, antibiotics — even the human immune system. What's more, they also hide the bacteria from most traditional diagnostic tools, according to Philip Onigman at the biotech company AdvanDx.

"Biofilms have been around, but scientists are just beginning to notice them," he said, noting that the American Society of Microbiology is convening a new specialty conference on them. The films can coat anything from pipes to teeth to ventilator tubes, possibly explaining why last year's big health news — the antibiotic-resistant "superbug" — is so hard to kill: Biofilms are protecting them.

TOXIC SENIORS: Toxic to themselves, that is. This new term applies to oldsters taking so many meds prescribed by so many different doctors — as well as a slew of self-prescribed vitamins, over-the-counter drugs and home remedies — that their systems become a toxic stew. With any luck, Medication Therapy Management will help. That's a new process that helps pharmacists see the whole picture and sort it out. Have fun in the waiting line.

THE NEW DRUG PROBLEM: Not illegal drugs. Legal ones manufactured outside the United States. "In many of these countries, the understanding of how one needs to manage production or development of a drug is terribly immature," Chris Albani, a partner at the global consulting firm PRTM, said. Until those countries go through the "the pain of the many mistakes" that drove America to create the Food and Drug Administration, Mr.

Albani said, they may be filling our pill bottles with some scary stuff. Think dog food from China. Now, think heart medicine.

OVER-PERKINESS: Our country is crazed on caffeine. Two of the three people ahead of me at Starbucks the other day were ordering "quads" — drinks with four shots of espresso in them. This is not to mention the vodka, water and even oatmeal now available in caffeinated form, even as energy drinks keep upping the ante. Are our bodies ready for this much of a jolt? Tom Ackerman at the Caffeine Awareness Alliance says no, and he may have a (tipping) point: Think of our mounting sleep problems. Speaking of which …

SLEEP, MY CHILD: Last year, sleep suddenly became big news, thanks to reports highlighting the dangers of long-term, previously macho, short nights of sleep. This coming year, however, we'll hear more about the importance of sleep during pregnancy. "We know that, when you're pregnant, you'd notice if you weren't getting enough air or good food or water. Well, sleep is another basic physiological need," said Dr. Carol Ash, medical director of the Sleep for Life clinic in New Jersey. Growth hormone is secreted during sleep, and fetuses need to grow, so expect expecting moms to start worrying about shut-eye very soon.

BAD LAB NEWS: Finally, a shortage of lab technicians looms. These are the folks who run the tests that doctors use to make their diagnoses, and we may be 40,000 short, according to industry stats. "Without new laboratorians entering our field, the future is grim," Elissa Passiment, executive vice president of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, said. The industry is doing a big recruitment push, but it remains to be seen how long your petri dish will sit on the shelf.

With any luck, it will have been screened — and given a thumbs up — by this time next year. That way, you can sit back and start worrying about 2009.

Lenore Skenazy is a columnist at The New York Sun and Advertising Age. To find out more about Lenore Skenazy (lskenazy@yahoo.com) and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.