|
|
|
Is it a cold or the flu ?
by Anne-Phelan-Adams, MD
Half the people with respiratory complaints are safer if they do not see a doctor!
If the truth were known, there is nothing substantive a doctor can do for typical cold symptoms and even minor flu symptoms. Prescription medications for flu symptoms are often no more effective than over-the-counters (OTCs).
Last year’s cold and flu season could have been much worse. There could have been a true influenza epidemic such as the 1917 swine flu epidemic that struck down and killed millions of people worldwide. However, that did not happen. There could have been an avian flu (bird flu) epidemic if the virus had “jumped” species and become a truly human infection that spread just like influenza but with deadlier consequences. However, that did not happen either.
read in detail
|
|
|
|
Four Tips For Staying Healthy During the Cold Season
by Yael Halaas
Staying healthy when the weather gets cooler is paramount because we are all more susceptible to catching germs and viruses from others.
Stuffy nose, headache, post-nasal drip, sinus pains, watery eyes...what are you suffering from? As the weather grows colder, we are faced with these symptoms but how do we treat them? Since many of the same symptoms can be seen with allergies, colds, and the flu, they can confuse the diagnosis and lead to wrong medications.
Staying healthy when the weather gets cooler is paramount because we are all more susceptible to catching germs and viruses from others. Below are some key differences among allergies, colds, and the flu.
read in detail
|
|
|
|
Pandemic Flu: turning hype into common sense…
by Diana Curran, MD
If the next pandemic hits people as severely as the one in 1918, the US could expect about 90 million cases, about 2 million deaths, and nearly 10 million hospital visits.
Is Avian Influenza on the brink of becoming the next pandemic flu? Here is the hype. Avian Influenza is a new strain of influenza virus that is spreading around the world in wild birds. Infections in humans happen through close contact with infected birds, usually poultry. Infections include severe flu-like symptoms and about 60% of cases are fatal. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are both concerned that this new strain could be the next pandemic flu. If the virus mutates into a version that can be spread from person to person, then we are likely to experience a pandemic.
read in detail
|
|
|
|
The annual question… do I take the flu shot?
by Bruce Hirsch MD, FACP
The Flu Virus penetrates the cells that line the respiratory tract and multiply by the thousands. Cells are destroyed and the new viruses infect neighboring cells exploding like a nuclear reaction. The infection proceeds unchecked for over a week until the immune system responds.
The idea of getting the flu shot bothers you, and you don’t like needles? Think about it from the Flu Virus’ point of view. The Flu Virus hates the flu shot.
read in detail
|
|
|
|
Summer Colds
by Anne-Phelan-Adams, MD
No matter how big or small, deviated or straight it is,rhinovirus thinks your nose is just perfect
However much those of us who live in four season climates look forward to summer--the vacations at the beach, the long days and short nights, the freedom of lightweight clothes--we all know it’s not just one long happy picnic. Just like ants that march in to spoil it, so do bugs that bite and sting, poison ivy that itches, and sunburn that scorches. Along with an entree of insects come a serving of cuts and bruises, a side order of scratches, a pinch of puncture wounds and a take-out order of ticks. Follow that with a super-sized order of allergens and, suddenly, summer is no picnic. Thank goodness, we don’t have to deal with the common cold. After all, it’s hot outside; where could the cold come in from?
read in detail
|
|
|
|
West Nile Virus, Still a Threat
by Nancy F. Crum, MD, MPH, FACP
Though Rare in the U.S.
West Nile Poses Threat !!
*Barbara Miller was relaxed and enjoying the neighborhood social. A group from their cul-de-sac managed to get together during the summer season at least once per month.
read in detail
|
|
|
|
|
|
