Tag Archive for 'Prevention'

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New figures reveal swine flu is especially dangerous for children

Published on October 10, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

On October 9, health officials reported that 76  children have died from the swine flu. This includes 16 new reports in the past week. This presents an ever increasing amount of evidence suggesting that this new virus, the H1N1, is unusually dangerous for children.

According to the CDC and Prevention Data, the seasonal flu kills between 46 and 88 children each year. At a press conference held Friday, October 9, Dr. Anne Schuchat said that since swine flu cases are rising, more deaths are very likely. She warned that 37 states are currently reporting widespread swine flu cases, which is up from 27 a week ago. Just one week ago, there were reports that indicated these cases might be leveling off and maybe even decreasing in some places of the U.S. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a short-lived trend.

Schuchat, who heads the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, says that they are unfortunately seeing more illnesses, hospitalizations, and more deaths.

All this said, the CDC officials report that states have ordered 3.7 million doses of swine flu vaccine for a campaign that started this week. So far, demand is outweighing supply. People who want the vaccine can begin by contacting their state or local health department to find out where to get it.

Also, health officials say more data is coming in from different clinical trials of the new vaccine, and there have been no serious side effects reported so far.

Early information from one study reveal that both seasonal and swine flu vaccines are effective when given at the same time. However, the government does not suggest that people get the nasal spray versions of each vaccine at the same time.

An exact report of all swine flu deaths and hospitalizations is not available from the CDC at this time, but current reports indicate that the infection has caused over 600 deaths and around 9000 or more hospitalizations since it first appeared in April.

BCBSNC says stick it to the flu

Published on October 10, 2009 in BCBSNC and Health and Wellness. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

Want to knock out your chances of getting the flu? Well, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) wants you to stick it to the flu by getting your flu shot. It is presenting this message through its Stick it to the Flu Campaign which will run through March.

As part of the campaign, BCBSNC will cover the cost of the seasonal flu vaccine for customers with preventive health benefits. A co-payment, deductible or coinsurance may be charged to some customers, depending on their specific benefits. BCBSNC is also suggesting that customers get the separate H1N1so vaccine, and the out-of-pocket costs will be waived for eligible customers.

Dr. Don Bradley, senior vice president and chief medical officer for BCBSNC, says that the flu shot is the best way to keep from getting the seasonal flu and transferring it to others. He says “We are making it easy for our customers to get their seasonal and H1N1 flu shots by simply visiting their primary care doctor, worksite clinic or participating pharmacist in the BCBSNC network.”

As with insured customers, BCBSNC issues health plans for companies and organizations that are self-insured (The employer pays BCBSNC to administer the plan). Employees of such self-insured companies can check with their supervisors or HR Department to determine how the seasonal and H1N1 vaccine will be paid.

BCBSNC, using guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Prevention’s Advisory  Committee on Immunization Practices, has decided to cover the H1N1 vaccine. The Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has predicted extensive outbreaks this fall and winter.

When the H1N1 vaccine is available, BCBSNC customers have the option to go to their physician, in-network pharmacist or CVS Minute Clinic to get a H1N1 vaccine that will be covered. They advise customers to contact their provider to make sure that the vaccine is available.

It is strongly recommended that people get both vaccines to be completely protected against the seasonal and swine flu. These can be administered on the same day.  The 2009 H1N1 vaccine does not replace the seasonal flu vaccine. You must get each vaccine for the best protection.

The CDC says that those who are the first to get the H1N1 vaccine are pregnant women, people who live with or provide care for infants less than 6 months of age, heath care and emergency medical services workers, children and young adults ages 6 months to 24 years and adults ages 25 to 65 years with medical conditions that have put them at a higher risk for flu-related complications.

More than 100 million doses of the seasonal flu vaccine will be available this flu season, according to the CDC estimations. The U.S. government plans to have 6 to 7 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine in October and 250 million doses by the end of the year. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reports that between 1000 to 2000 people die of seasonal influenza and pneumonia in North Carolina each year. The CDC estimates that more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with the seasonal flu every year and that there are 36,000 deaths from it yearly.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is a leader in advanced health care products, services and information to more than 3.7 million customers, which includes 900,000 served on behalf of other Blue Plans. The company has served its customers for 76 years by offering health insurance at a reasonable and competitive price and has served the people of North Carolina through support of community organizations, programs and events that support good health. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. You can access BCBSNC online at www.bcbsnc.com.

Ways to prevent H1N1

Published on September 24, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , .

With the constant fear of H1N1 symptoms, the following measures listed below
can be practiced by one and all.
Tamiflu does not kill but prevents H1N1 from further proliferation till the
virus limits itself in about 1-2 weeks (its natural cycle). H1N1, like other
Influenza A viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract and
proliferates (only) there. The only portals of entry are the nostrils and
mouth/ throat.I In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible
not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions.
Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection,
in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development
of secondary infections, some very simple steps – not fully highlighted in
most official communications – can be
practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part
of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust
salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal
cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms.  Simple gargling
prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same
effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one.  Don’t
underestimate this simple, inexpensive and
powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm
salt water.  Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good
Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day
and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is
very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla
and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets,
make sure that it also has Zinc/bioflavonoids to boost absorption.

6. Drink as many warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the
same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off
proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot
survive, proliferate or do any harm.

All these are simple ways to prevent, within means of most households, and
certainly much less painful than to wait in long queues outside public
hospitals.

Studies reveal that smoking bans have improved health

Published on September 23, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Bans on smoking in public places has not just cleared the air, it has led to major drops in heart attacks.

There were two teams of researchers who came to this conclusion after they looked at evidence from over a dozen areas in the U.S. Canada, and Europe that had begun smoking restrictions.

According to the researchers, the decline in heart attacks was almost right away, and they even increased the longer the bans were held in place. One study found that after smoking bans began, heart attack rates went down an average of 26 percent in a year. After 3 years, heart attack rates declined an average of 36 percent.

David Meyers, from the University of Kansas Medical Center and lead author of one of the studies, said that he is sure of the benefit from the bans and that “the effect of smoke on heart attacks is huge.” He made a conservative estimate that a public smoking ban for the whole U.S. might prevent around 156,400 heart attacks a year. He also said that he was embarrassed that America has not passed a national smoking ban even though Scotland, Ireland, Italy and France already have one in place. His study is in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

North Carolina, which is the nation’s biggest tobacco-producing state,  joined around 30 other states this year in prohibiting smoking in restaurants and bars. In January the N.C. law will take effect and it authorizes fines of up to $50 for anyone who smokes after being asked to stop. A $200 fine will be issued for managers of establishments who don’t enforce the new law after being warned twice.

Recently published in Circulation, the American Heart Associatio’s journal, is a study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. They looked at a lot of related data and came to similar conclusions as the study mentioned earlier.

Also, a new federal ban on flavored cigarettes took effect on September 22. This is one of the first signals that the FDA is practicing new authority to regulate tobacco. The ban is on manufacturing, importing, marketing and distribution of candy, fruit or clove-flavored cigarettes. Health authorities say that these types of cigarettes are more popular with young people. Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said that studies show that 17-year-old smokers are three times more likely to use flavored cigarettes than smokers who are older than 25.

The ban is expected to help stop more than 3,600 youth from smoking because FDA officials said that around 90 percent of adult smokers begin smoking as teenagers. A letter was sent to the industry last week that discusses the ban.

Protection from swine flu vaccine not likely to kick in until Thanksgiving

Published on September 1, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Unfortunately, according to health officials, it won’t be until around Thanksgiving when a substantial amount of Americans, who have received the swine flu vaccine, will be protected.

By mid-October, around 50 million doses of vaccine are predicted to be available. That will only begin the vaccination process for those who get their first doses right away. The whole process will take approximately five or more weeks.

Why is this? Well, health officials think that most people will need two shots, which will be spaced three weeks apart, and it will take a week or so after the second dose before the immunity will kick in. That makes five or six weeks for the whole course of action.

This said, massive amounts of Americans will not be completely immunized until Thanksgiving, claims the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

For the most part, the swine flu has ended up being not much more threatening than the seasonal flu. Government experts believe that it might soon develop into an additional variety of the flu, and even be added to the seasonal flu calendar – with vaccinations in the fall and suffered from in the winter.

Study finds that many baby boomers are binge drinkers

Published on August 22, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

It has been discovered that there is a notable percentage of people over the age of 50 who are binge drinkers. This concerns experts who are afraid that this could cause health problems for these boomers in the future if they keep drinking heavily. A new study performed by Duke University Medical Center researchers shows this to be true.

In the survey, twenty-two percent of men and 9 percent of women from age 50 to 64 reported drinking 5 or more drinks at one time during the past month. The survey will be published in an online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The study revealed 19 percent of men and 13 percent of women in the same age group drank heavily or had two or more drinks a day. Researchers found that in the 65 -and- older age group, 14 percent of men and 3 percent of women were binge drinking. The research, called “National Survey on Drug Use and Health”, is one of the largest significant surveys using people older than 50.

Dr. Dan Blazer, the study’s lead author and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke Medical Center, says that drinking is more prone to make health problems worse for older people because their body’s natural immunities are already weakened. He said that things such as their driving, anxiety or blood pressure medication could all be adversely affected. Additional health problems could arise and cause them to be at an increased risk.

Unfortunately Blazer claimed that this trend is not only likely to continue but to even get worse, because younger people use and abuse alcohol even more than the age groups that were studied. The current findings reveal that drinking doesn’t slow down or stop when people get older. He said, “people need to know that sitting down and drinking five cocktails or seven or eight beers is not without consequence.” He believes this troubling trend has not been recognized much because doctors are not asking enough specific questions.

This study did not go into the causes for this drinking trend.

Weightlifting may benefit breast cancer patients

Published on August 22, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

In the past, doctors would often warn those who had survived breast cancer that lifting anything heavy, let alone weightlifting, could cause painful arm swelling. Now, startling new research proves that weight training could even prevent this problem from happening.

Kathryn Schmitz, an exercise scientist from the University of Pennsylvania, led this new study. The results are in the August 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

This is great news for the more than 2.4 million Americans who are survivors of breast cancer, because the study could make a huge difference in their quality of life.

Lymph-edema can occur in women who have had radiation treatment in the armpit or have had their lymph nodes removed to check for cancer. It is a buildup of fluids causing painful and unattractive swelling of the arms or hands.

Up until now, weight lifting was thought to be detrimental to them. Lifting weights has many benefits such as a boost in mood, muscle mass, bone strength and helping with weight control.

Schmitz performed a small study a couple of years ago and found that weight training did not make lymph-edema worse. Her latest study is the first one that is big and extended enough to indicate that this is definitely true. It even demonstrates that weightlifting can actually help sufferers of lymph-edema.

The study consisted of 141 breast cancer survivors who had suffered from lymph-edema. Half of the participants were told no to exercise at all. The other half took 90-minute weightlifting classes two times a week for 13 weeks at gyms in their communities. A custom-fitted compression garment was worn on their affected arm. They slowly worked towards more challenging weights and repetitions. Then for the next 39 weeks, they did the exercises on their own.

After a year, there were less weightlifters who had lymph-edema flare-ups – a 14 percent versus 29 percent. Only 77 visits to doctors or physical therapists, concerning lymph-edema flare-ups, were made by the group of weightlifters against 195 visits for the group that didn’t lift weights.

This said, Kathryn Schmitz warns breast cancer patients to not rush into a weight training program, suggesting patients start slowly and progress gingerly.  She recommends getting a certified fitness expert to teach how to do the exercises correctly. She also stresses the importance of wearing a well-fitted compression garment during workouts.

Artificial sweeteners may raise the risk for weight gain

Published on August 19, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

A new study has discovered that people who drink diet sodas and consume other products that contain artificial sweeteners may not lose weight but actually gain instead.

A study from Purdue University that was released August 9 in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience reported that rats who were on diets that contained the artificial sweetener saccharin surprisingly gained more weight that rats that were given food containing real sugar. This disturbing news has cast a dark cloud on the benefits of low-calorie sweeteners.

Dr. Marie Savard, ABC News’ medical contributor, said that she thinks there is a component in diet foods that seems to change metabolic limit and brain chemistry. Although Savard admits that more research is needed to discover additional information concerning these findings, this recent study gives a glimpse into the notion that a person’s metabolism can be changed by these sweeteners. She also said that there was another study performed recently on more than 18,000 people which found that healthy adults who drank one diet drink per day might increase their chance for gaining weight.

The Purdue study found that the rats with diets containing artificial sweeteners seemed to have a physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, causing them to overeat.

Savard explains that “the taste buds taste sweet, but there’s no calorie load that comes with it. There’s a mismatch here. It seems it changes your brain chemistry in some way. Anything you put in your mouth, your body has a strong reaction to it. It’s much more than counting calories. It seems normally with sweet foods that we rev up our metabolism.”

According to a consumer survey from the Calorie Control Council, diet drinks are the second most popular low-calorie, sugar-free product in the U.S., so this may come as a big shock to the 59 percent of Americans who drink them.

Since there are lots of foods that now have artificial sweeteners in them, the results of this latest study may extend beyond just diet drinks. Savard warns that “we need to rethink what this artificial stuff does to us.”

This year, 3 flu shots are recommended

Published on August 7, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

This fall flu season is going to be quite different than previous ones in the past, so get ready to possibly feel the sting 3 times. The majority of people should get one shot for the usual seasonal flu and two more to help protect against the swine flu.

If you are lucky enough to find it – experts are saying that you should get your first shot this month.

There are five vaccine manufacturers which supply the U.S. and they are finishing their seasonal flu vaccine earlier than normal. Health officials are expecting around half of the more than 120 million doses of seasonal vaccine to be ready by the end of August. The rest should be out by the end of September. There are some manufacturers claiming that distributors are rapidly buying supplies.

These five companies are the same ones that are making the new swine flu vaccine. One of them makes a nasal spray version. They should begin dropping off the first batches in September, although most of it won’t be expected until the end of October or November, according to health officials.

Scientists think the swine flu vaccine will be the most successful against the swine flu if it is given in two doses, about three weeks apart. Testing is still being done to determine this.

Although it is too late to do it this year, combining the swine flu and seasonal flu into one shot is possible. Last winter decisions were made concerning what flu strains to use in this year’s seasonal vaccine ,and production was too advanced when the swine flu hit to change the formula. This is the reason that multiple shots will be needed.

Unfortunately supplies will be limited, so the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created two different lists for the first to get the seasonal flu shot and the first to get the swine flu shot. Elderly people, health care workers and pregnant women are the first on the regular flu vaccine list. For the swine flu vaccine, the first in line will be health care workers and pregnant people. Older people are not on the first on this list, because they seem to have some immunity to the swine flu. Because of this discrepancy, some confusion is expected.

Scientists are just now starting to test the safety and effectiveness of the new swine flu vaccine. This is expected to take several months. The government is planning on the vaccines to be given with three shots, over three separate visits. If the seasonal and swine flu vaccines were given at the same time, it would be too difficult to determine which vaccine was to blame, if people developed health problems after receiving their shot.

The recommended three shots is a concern to the government because the public has not been very diligent about getting just one flu shot. Last year, just one in three U.S. adults got their flu shots according to CDC data.

The autumn vaccine campaign against seasonal flu is usually starts in late September or October with a news conference, but this year it has been set for September 10. Some health officials are saying that the push for seasonal vaccinations will begin even sooner. Carol Schriber, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, says that “as soon as it becomes available, we’ll be encouraging people to get it.”

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Volunteers of all ages will be used to test swine flu shots

Published on August 5, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Many volunteers will be rolling up their sleeves soon to get the swine flu shot so it can be tested to see if it will really protect against this new virus before it comes back strong this fall. The government health researchers and vaccine makers are looking for volunteers from every age to participate so they can prepare for the fall, which is expected to bring a new surge of cases. It is important to test all ages, because this new flu seems to prey on school-age children, teenagers and young adults. The regular flu is more dangerous for those over 65 and under 2.

On July 22, the National Institutes of Health contacted medical centers in the U.S. to start a series of studies. The first shots will be for healthy adults. If there are no instantaneous health concerns, like allergic reactions, testing will begin on children as young as 6 months. One of the chosen places for the research is Duke University Medical Center in Durham.

The government will be using the tests and vaccine manufacturer’s research to help it decide if the swine flu vaccine should be given to millions of Americans beginning in mid-October. Hopefully there will be enough produced by then. That is still not certain because the vaccine is getting harder to manufacture.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says he’s afraid that it is going to be extremely close. Dr. Karen Kotloff of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, is helping to pilot the NIH study. She said “we are racing to provide them as much information as we possibly can.”

The fall will probably be a very perplexing time as doctors try to give the vaccine for the winter flu and inform patients to be patient and wait and see if they can return for their swine flu shots.

The new swine flu strain comes form the H1N1 influenza viruses, but because it is a distinct H1N1 strain, scientists fear that it might be more difficult for the vaccine to provide the right protection.

The plan for the test is for all the volunteers to get 2 swine flu shots, which will be given 21 days apart. In early September, blood tests will hopefully reveal how much immune protection the first dose provided and if a low-dose shot worked or a higher dose is needed. Then another month will be needed to retrieve information on the second shot.