The H1N1 Flu strain was first seen in Mexico in early 2009, and quickly gained momentum and reached pandemic proportions. While several deaths have been reported from the illness, causing panic, it is important to note that in most cases ‘Swine flu’ – as it is referred to colloquially – is likely no more dangerous than traditional seasonal influenza. In this video, WatchMojo.com speaks with physician Dr. Pierre-Paul Tellier to learn more about the groups most affected by the swine flu virus, as well as what steps to take to avoid becoming sick, and finally what to do if you start to show symptoms.
As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter it’s that much easier for Americans to feel down. While all of us have bad days, one in every 14 americans suffers from clinical depression.
Depression is a complex condition characterized by profound sadness, lethargy, feelings of worthlessness, and a loss of interest in social activities. These feelings can last for two weeks or go on for decades. The difference between the blues and clinical depression is one of length and severity of symptoms.
It’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression so that you can can help a friend or yourself. Here are some tips to battling the winter blues.
Does your food make you itch, swell or feel gassy? If so you may be suffering from a food allergy or it could be a food intolerance.
The difference is hard to tell, but important to know. A food allergy can be fatal whereas a food intolerance is just uncomfortable.
If something you eat seems to make you sick, here are a few ways to tell the difference between food allergy and food intolerance from MSN.Lifestyle
Food Allergy
What It Is: A food allergy happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks the proteins in a food, says Dr. Sicherer. When the body mistakes a food item, such as a peanut, as a foreign substance, it starts to produce antibodies to fight that substance. The next time the body encounters that food, the antibodies sense it and signal the immune system to react, causing hives, swollen tongues or lips, dizziness, fainting, and in severe cases, death. “The symptoms can happen quickly after eating the wrong food,” he adds. “Some people are very sensitive, and a trace small amount of the food can trigger a reaction.”
Common Allergens: For children, the three most common food allergens are milk, peanuts, and eggs. According to the study results, many people incorrectly think that kids with milk allergies can drink low-fat milk. The most common allergen in adults is shellfish.
Other misconceptions: Based on the study responses, about 40 percent of people think that allergies don’t go away as kids get older. About 55 percent of people think there’s a food allergy cure, and 30 percent believe there’s a daily medication available for people with food allergies. All are incorrect: Allergies can disappear with age. In fact, milk allergies are the most common allergy that kids outgrow, says Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics at Children’s Memorial Hospital Northwestern School of Medicine and lead author of the study. However, the only way to effectively deal with allergies while you have one is to avoid the offending food. To see if a food allergy has gone away, check with an allergist for testing.
Food Intolerance
What It Is: Unlike food allergies, food intolerance has nothing to do with your immune system. People who can’t tolerate foods lack some component in their digestive systems that’s needed to digest the food; for instance, lactose intolerance occurs in people who lack the digestive enzyme lactate. “Food intolerance is not life-threatening, but it creates discomfort,” says Dr. Sicherer. Symptoms tend to be related to digestion, including cramping, diarrhea, gas, and bloating. But some food additives can cause rashes or asthma attacks, which can be confused with allergy symptoms. Some people can tolerate small amounts of a food they’re intolerant to.
Common Food Intolerances: Celiac disease, a condition in which people can’t digest foods containing wheat gluten, is one of the more common forms of food intolerance, and “most of the world’s population actually has some degree of lactose intolerance,” says Dr. Sicherer. Food additives, such as dyes in food and sulfites in wine, often trigger an intolerance that’s confused with an allergy, says Dr. Gupta. (Given the dangerous nature of food allergies, it’s better to err on the side of caution in such cases.) If you’re not sure which food is triggering your digestive problems, eliminate all the suspects from your diet and add them back in gradually.
Other misconceptions: Some food intolerances can be treated. “You can take a pill that has lactate,” the missing enzyme in milk intolerance, says Dr. Gupta. Beano, sold to prevent beans and vegetables from causing flatulence, provides a missing enzyme needed to digest those foods.
Runny nose, kleenexes everywhere are you can’t stop sneezing? Sounds like a cold…or is it allergies?
You need to know what you have to be able to treat it accordingly. Though fall is usually when people start catching colds, it’s also the season for hay fever.
Here’s how to tell the difference from Best Health
If it’s a cold:
• Symptoms last three to 14 days.
• You may have body aches and a low fever.
• Nasal secretions may be yellow or green.
If it’s allergies:
• Symptoms last several weeks or months—many allergy sufferers have low-grade nasal congestion year-round, which gets worse in the fall and spring.
• You won’t have a fever.
• Nasal secretions are clear.
(CNN) — Ask doctors if their male patients ignore big and obvious health symptoms, and they’ll respond with laughter — huge peals and guffaws.
Once they regain the ability to speak, these doctors will say things such as “I don’t even know where to start,” and “You don’t have enough room in your story for all the symptoms men blow off.”
Conventional wisdom, they say, is true. Women listen to their bodies and go to the doctor when something isn’t right. Men tend to seek medical attention when they’re at death’s door — or when their wives prod them into going.
“I think it’s a macho thing,” says Dr. Barron Lerner, professor of medicine and public health at Columbia University. “Or maybe it’s denial. Maybe they think if they deny a problem, it doesn’t exist.” Read more…
According to Elizabeth Cohen
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., May 5 /PRNewswire/ — While occupational risks are inherent in many jobs, workers who make a living toiling in the sun face an increased threat of skin cancer from repeated overexposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Now, new research finds that workers who need skin exams the most by nature of their occupation — such as construction, forestry, fishing and farming workers — are the least likely to get them.
In the study published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology entitled “Reported skin cancer screening of U.S. adult workers,” dermatologist Robert S. Kirsner, MD, PhD, FAAD, professor and vice chairman of the departments of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, and his colleagues used the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 2000 and 2005 to estimate the percentage of U.S. workers who had ever had a thorough skin examination in their lifetime or during an appointment with a primary health care provider in the past 12 months.
“Previous studies have shown that total-body screening examinations are not frequently performed during routine health examinations by primary care physicians, even among potentially high-risk populations,” said Dr. Kirsner. “As dermatologists, we know that the early detection of skin cancer by routine skin examinations is crucial in successfully treating this potentially life-threatening condition — particularly for workers routinely exposed to harmful ultraviolet light. This study shows that workers who need careful monitoring for skin cancer due to the nature of their jobs are less likely to receive skin exams than workers in low-risk occupations.”
Conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the NHIS is an annual, cross-sectional in-person household survey of U.S. workers. In 2000 and 2005, the Cancer Control Module was included as part of the NHIS and included questions on skin examinations that were administered to 19,702 and 18,422 employed participants, respectively. Questions included “Have you ever had all of your skin from head to toe checked for cancer either by a dermatologist or some other kind of doctor?” and “When did you have your most recent skin exam?”
Dr. Kirsner explained that data of all participants who reported a full-body skin examination were grouped into two categories — those who received a skin exam in the last 12 months and ever in their lifetime. Workers also were asked about their sun-protection behavior, if they reported going out in the sun for an hour or more, and, from their responses, were classified as “sun exposed” for the purposes of the study.
In addition, detailed employment information was coded by occupation and industry for all participants aged 18 years or older employed during the time of the survey. Occupations were grouped into four standard occupational categories — white-collar workers; service workers; farming, fishing, and forestry workers; and blue-collar workers. Workers were then subsequently grouped into eight industrial sector classifications — agriculture, forestry, and fishing; mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale and retail trade; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; services; and health care and social assistance.
“When we examined the data for the 38,124 total worker participants interviewed from the 2000 and 2005 Cancer Control Supplements, we found that the prevalence of both lifetime and 12-month skin examinations was low,” said Dr. Kirsner. “Only 15 percent of all U.S. workers reported ever receiving a skin examination during their lifetime, and only 8 percent of those who also had seen a health care provider in the past year reported that they had received a skin exam during that time.”
In addition, the data clearly showed that the rate of reporting skin cancer screening was lowest for high-risk occupations most likely to experience increased sun exposure. Specifically, in the 2000 and 2005 Cancer Control Modules, the prevalence of 12-month skin examinations among those who had seen a physician in the past year was lowest among farm workers (5.8 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively) and blue-collar workers (3.9 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively).
“When we analyzed the data by industry sectors, we concluded that agriculture, forestry, fishing, and construction workers reported the lowest rate of skin exams in 2000,” said Dr. Kirsner. “Although the number of agriculture, forestry and fishing workers reporting a skin exam increased from 2000 to 2005 — from 4.2 percent to 13.6 percent — the prevalence of skin exams among construction workers stayed essentially the same, from 5.2 percent to 5.6 percent.”
Dr. Kirsner added that occupational groups at increased risk for exposure to UV light on the job were less likely to have ever received a skin examination in their lifetime than the average U.S. worker (15 percent). This included farm operators and managers (10 percent), farm workers and other agricultural workers (7 percent), forestry and fishing occupations (3 percent), construction and mining trades (8 percent), and construction laborers (8 percent).
“Socioeconomic factors also were significant predictors of having a skin exam in the past year,” said Dr. Kirsner. “Specifically, younger black or Hispanic women with no health insurance, who were service, farm or blue-collar workers, and who did not use sun protection were the least likely to report ever having been screened for skin cancer. All patients, especially those that have occupations where they are exposed to UV light, should request that their physician provide skin exams during their routine exams.”
“In addition, developing and implementing local community health fairs that include screening programs targeting high-risk workers who are reporting low skin examination rates could help reverse this alarming trend,” commented Dr. Kirsner. “One way to receive a free screening is through the Academy’s National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Screening Program, where dermatologists volunteer to provide free skin cancer screenings in their communities. The public can visit http://www.aad.org to find a free skin cancer screening in their area.”
For more information about skin cancer, please visit the SkinCancerNet section on http://www.skincarephysicians.com, a Web site developed by dermatologists that provides patients with up-to-date information on the treatment and management of disorders of the skin, hair and nails.
Jacksonville Beach, FL (PRWEB) February 13, 2008 — Valentine’s Day is this week. Love, romance and possibly a little more rambunctious activity should be in store for most couples. But, unfortunately, too often women as young as their early 30’s and men in their early 40’s are finding they rarely have the energy for spontaneous, joyful sex, says Dr. C.W. Randolph , author of the best selling books, From Hormone Hell to Hormone Well and From Belly Fat to Belly Flat.
” Even worse, they report little sexual desire and tell me they’d rather have an extra hour sleep.” says Randolph. If you can identify, you are not alone. According to the Masters and Johnson Institute, at least a third of American couples of all ages experience lack of sexual desire.
When we experience intimate, mutually caring sexual intimacy, we may experience a measurable change in neuron-chemicals and hormones that pour through the body and help promote health and healing.
“I think the world would be a better place if more people, who are blessed to be in relationships with someone they care about and trust, would have sex more often,” says Randolph. “This is not just my personal opinion. Scientific evidence is accumulating to support what many have suspected all along: good sex not only adds great enjoyment to our lives, but it also actually improves our health and may even contribute to our longevity.” In his book Sexual Healing, Dr. Paul Pearsall writes “When we experience intimate, mutually caring sexual intimacy, we may experience a measurable change in neuron-chemicals and hormones that pour through the body and help promote health and healing.”
“My guess is that you probably agree with the idea that “more sex is a good thing” but how to translate that idea into your everyday reality may seem daunting,” says Dr. Randolph, “In writing our latest book, From Belly Fat to Belly Flat, with my wife, Genie James, we had the opportunity to talk to many women and men about their sex drive, or lack of. One woman told us “It is just plain hard to feel sexy and ‘in the mood’ when you are bone tired and, when you look in the mirror, you think you look like a potato.”
People with low sex drives may be suffering from hypo-active sexual desire disorder, more commonly referred to in lay language as “low libido”. It is important for you to understand that if you are a woman over 30 or a man over 40 and you have a low libido, your problems with arousal and desire could stem from an underlying hormonal imbalance that occurs with age. The medical term for this specific type of hormone imbalance is estrogen dominance. The good news is that estrogen dominance can be treated safely and naturally.
For many women and men, bio-identical progesterone cream is a fundamental first step in treating low, or hypo-active, sexual desire and response. Women using it typically report enhanced sexual function including increased vaginal lubrication and improved clitoral response. Men report improved feelings of desire and “readiness.”
When writing, From Belly Fat to Belly Flat, Dr. Randolph and Ms. James were delighted at how quickly women and men on their 3-Step Belly Flat Program. who were starting to drop those extra pounds around their middle also reported a coincident surge of libido. “I feel better, I look better and I have energy left over at the end of the day so it is easier to get in the mood” and “I just feel sexier now that I can see my toes again” were typical of the many comments they heard, usually within the first few weeks.
With life expectancy extending well into the eighties, shouldn’t sexual desire and pleasure be just as potent and enjoyable for the young-at-heart as it is for the young-in-years? With a little hormone help, now it can be.
For more information, go to www.hormonewell.com.
DOYLESTOWN, Penn., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ — With cold season underway, it’s just a matter of time before you get a runny nose, cough and sore throat. If you’re suffering from the common cold, a visit to you doctor for antibiotics won’t help.
“There are more than 200 cold viruses lurking at all times, but antibiotics won’t help fight them off once they enter your body since a cold is a virus,” says Suzy Cohen, R.Ph., author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Consultant Pharmacist for Cold-EEZE® natural cold remedy products.
According to the Food & Drug Administration, about half of the 100 million antibiotic prescriptions issued by U.S. physicians are unnecessary. “Antibiotics are only useful in treating bacterial infections, so viral infections, like the common cold, must make their way through the body before the person affected starts feeling better,” adds Cohen. This could take seven days or more unless you try a few tricks.
Cohen offers a few tips for treating your cold quickly and naturally:
— Use a humidifier: Dry air makes cold symptoms that much more
unbearable, but using a humidifier or vaporizer adds moisture to the
air and keeps your respiratory passages clear.
— Suck on a cough drop: A sore, dry and itchy throat typically
accompanies a cold. Cohen suggests trying new Organix(TM) Cough and
Sore Throat Drops, the first certified USDA Organic cough and sore
throat drops, which contain pectin and menthol to help suppress a
cough, soothe a sore throat and cool nasal passages.
— Get lots of sleep: Fighting a cold wreaks havoc on your body, making
you tired and run down. “Getting enough sleep at night will help give
your body the energy it needs to get the cold virus out of your
system,” Cohen says.
— Try zinc: Known for its cold-curbing abilities, get your daily dose of
zinc from a lozenge, such as Cold-EEZE Zinc Remedy Lozenges, a
pharmacist favorite. “You need zinc to boost immune function to help
you fight the cold virus,” notes Cohen. Cold-EEZE lozenges have been
proven to shorten the duration and severity of cold symptoms by 42
percent, or three to four days.
— Eat chicken soup: Eating chicken soup made with your favorite veggies
will guarantee a meal that’s packed with essential vitamins, minerals
and antioxidants to help your body fight off a cold.
— Stay hydrated: Increase fluid intake to as much as 8-12 glasses of
water per day, which will help keep the body hydrated and will flush
toxins.
— Practice healthy habits: Eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep and
exercise, all of which will help to maintain a strong immune system and
help keep illness at bay.
For more information on colds, boosting your immunity and to see if your city has made the weekly Cold-EEZE Cold-CAST, visit www.coldeeze.com
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Findings from one of the most extensive national surveys assessing awareness and attitudes toward asthma show a concerning difference between how well patients feel they have the disease under control and the impact asthma actually has on their daily life. The Asthma G.A.P. in America: General Awareness and Perceptions found that two-thirds of asthma patients surveyed report that they have their condition under control; however, over half report that they experience symptoms (such as shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and/or phlegm production) at least once a week. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) collaborated with AstraZeneca to serve as a presenting sponsor of the survey data. Detailed survey findings can be found at www.asthmagap.com.
“These survey findings illustrate the need for a better standard of control when it comes to managing asthma,” said Mike Tringale, Director of External Affairs, AAFA. “There is a large disconnect between what asthma patients are saying and how they are actually affected by their asthma every day, which calls for better education on how to properly control the disease.”
The routine management of asthma in those with the disease was also studied. Despite the fact that many asthma patients surveyed feel they have their asthma under control, they use rescue medication regularly. In fact, one in three report that in the past four weeks they had to use a rescue inhaler at least once a day.
“Using a rescue medication regularly is a sign that asthma is not properly controlled and you may be unnecessarily ailing from the disease. According to NAEPP (National Asthma Education and Prevention Program) respiratory guidelines, asthma patients should ideally use their rescue inhaler no more than twice a week,” said William E. Berger, MD, Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of California, Irvine. “Patients should talk to their doctor to evaluate their treatment regimen and find out if maintenance therapies are right for them.”
Asthma is one of the most serious chronic diseases in the United States. It is estimated that 20 million Americans have asthma, and despite the availability of treatments, it remains poorly controlled. The annual direct healthcare cost of asthma is approximately $10 billion; indirect costs (e.g., lost productivity) account for another $8 billion, for a total of $18 billion.
Asthma needs to be managed with controller medications — not just treated with a rescue medication when it gets out of control. A controller, or maintenance, medicine helps control inflammation and prevents the airways from reacting to asthma triggers so a person can breathe easier. Controller/maintenance medicines work best if taken every day, as prescribed by a physician. Maintenance therapies, which include newer combination asthma treatments such as SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Inhalation Aerosol, not only help control asthma symptoms, but also help to improve lung function. SYMBICORT delivers improved lung function within 15 minutes of the first dose and at subsequent doses, offering asthma patients the opportunity to experience control of their asthma symptoms. Administered twice daily, SYMBICORT is a combination of budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), and formoterol, a rapid and long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) for patients 12 years of age and older. SYMBICORT does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden asthma attacks.
Asthma G.A.P. in America Key Survey Findings
The Asthma G.A.P. in America is one of the first asthma surveys to comprehensively study adults 18 years of age and older across states, gender and ethnicities to determine what gaps exist between awareness and perceptions regarding asthma. Survey findings show that asthma patients around the country have similar experiences with asthma, highlighting the fact that a better standard of control is needed on a national level, not just one area of the country.
Control
Although asthma patients recognize the options available to control the disease, they are not adapting their behavior appropriately to manage their asthma. Results from the survey revealed:
— Most asthma patients (59%) try to avoid taking medications whenever
possible, indicating that they are not properly controlling the disease
— One in three (33%) asthma patients use a rescue inhaler at least daily,
and 73% have used a rescue inhaler at least once in the last month
— Seven in 10 of all asthma patients surveyed (71%) would explore new
medications with their doctor if they heard about them
— More than half of asthma patients say asthma limits their usual
activities or enjoyment of everyday life to varying degrees
Control in Sub-Populations
The sub-groups surveyed included the Hispanic and African-American populations, as well as women. In addition, data was cut on a regional level. Among these groups, a higher percentage of women were diagnosed with asthma than men. In addition, the percentage of people who experienced asthma symptoms versus those who are diagnosed is startling.
— Among Hispanics, while only 8% of those surveyed report being diagnosed
with asthma, 58% report that they have experienced asthma symptoms. A
similar gap exists among African Americans; 13% report having been
diagnosed with asthma, while 58% report experiencing symptoms
— A majority of the female asthma patients (71%) would like to be able to
better control their asthma
— When asked about asthma control, only 26% of the female asthma patients
believed their asthma had been completely controlled in the past four
weeks
Survey Design/Methodology
Ipsos conducted the telephone survey on behalf of AstraZeneca and AAFA between January 22, 2007, and March 4, 2007, among 4,042 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older. This included a nationally representative probability sample of 2,029 Americans with or without asthma (849 men and 1180 women), and additional people were added to provide total samples of 510 African-Americans, 500 Hispanics and 616 asthma patients.
All survey data were weighted to reflect the demographic profile of Americans 18 years of age and older nationwide, in specific ethnic groups and/or of adult asthma patients, based on statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Results based on the sample of adults nationwide have a margin of error of +/-2.2 percentage points, with a 95% confidence level. The margin of error for the various sub-sample results is higher and varies.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
SYMBICORT (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Inhalation Aerosol is a controller medicine for the long-term maintenance of asthma for people 12 years and older whose doctor has decided are not well controlled on another asthma-controller medicine or need two asthma-controller medicines.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT SYMBICORT
SYMBICORT won’t replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms. Do not take more than twice a day. While taking SYMBICORT, never use any other medicine containing a long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA).
SYMBICORT contains formoterol, a LABA. Medicines containing LABAs may increase the chance of asthma-related death. So, SYMBICORT should be used only if your healthcare provider decides another asthma-controller medicine alone does not control your asthma or you need two controller medicines.
If you are taking SYMBICORT, see your healthcare provider if your asthma does not improve or gets worse.
Some people may experience increased blood pressure, heart rate or changes in heart rhythm. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure.
If you are switching to SYMBICORT from an oral corticosteroid, follow your doctor’s instructions to avoid health risks when you stop using oral corticosteroids.
Avoid exposure to infections such as chicken pox or measles. Tell your healthcare provider immediately if you are exposed.
In clinical studies, common side effects included nose and throat irritation, headache, upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, sinusitis and stomach discomfort.
For full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide, please visit www.mysymbicort.com.
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