With all of the recent news about the possibility of a Swine Flu Pandemic, we thought that we would give you the basics about this strain of influenza.

First of all, what is it?
Well, basically it’s a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that is responsible for outbreaks of the flu virus in pigs. They become very sick, but it is not deadly. Most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months, as in the human flu season.

Can humans catch this form of influenza?
Not normally, but random human infections with swine flu have happened. They mostly happen in persons with direct exposure to pigs. There have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?
The symptoms are basically the same as the flu virus humans normally get – fever, tiredness, nausea, diarrhea, sore throat, lack of appetite and coughing.

How does swine flu spread?
Influenza viruses can be spread directly from pigs to people and vise versa. Human infections with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur where people are in close contact with infected pigs. For example livestock workers, farms, and fair workers. People to people transmission of swine flu can also happen. Just like with cold germs, coughing or sneezing from infected persons can spread the virus.

How is Swine Flu diagnosed?
Well, a respiratory specimen would need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of the illness .

What type of medicine is used to treat Swine Flu?
A variety of antiviral drugs are licensed for use in the US and at this time, the Center for Disease Control recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.

I remember the swine flu outbreak among soldiers in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976. The virus caused 1 death and all of the patients were healthy before the infection. The virus was transmitted to close contacts in a basic training environment, with limited transmission outside the basic training group. They say the virus circulated for about a month and then disappeared. The origin was never discovered.

I guess the practice is more well-known amongst health conscious people who prefer to use natural, homeopathic methods for treating in this case, sinus-related problems. The theory is that bathing the sinus cavities in a solution of warm salt water will help to reduce allergy and cold symptoms, along with other sinus problems.

You are supposed insert the spout of the pot into one nostril (while your head is tilted over a basin) and let the solution of non-iodized salt and water run up one nostril and out the other.

Neti pots have become so popular that you can find them just about anywhere – health food stores, drugstores, even Wal-Mart. There are kits such as the

Here’s a demo video:

There has been recent news reports of MRSA cases in some public schools here in south Florida, and in various cities across the country. As usual, the constant news coverage has made some parents very anxious, almost to the point of panic. Learning more about what MRSA is and how to handle it should be where parents and educators (and the media!) ought to focus their attention.

So what is MRSA and what do those letters stand for? MRSA = Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. A/K/A (also known as), Oxacillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (ORSA), a/k/a Community Acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) and Hospital Acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA).

What all those letters boil down to is a bacterial infection that is hard to treat, because it is resistant to anti-biotics. The infection is usually a result of poor sanitary conditions around those with weakened immune systems or open wounds. Most of us have heard of unfortunate stories about staph infections in hospitals, but when it happens in everyday situations, people tend to become alarmed.

The truth is that staph is a very common bacterium that is present on up to 30 percent of the population and is usually nothing to be concerned about. A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association printed October 17, 2007, estimated that in 2005, there were over 94,000 cases of MRSA in the US, with the majority of them being in the area of health-care (hospitals, etc).

What are the signs of a MRSA infection? They usually show up as a mild infection, maybe resembling boils or pimples, filled with pus. They can become more serious, leading to blood, lung, or urinary tract infections, which can become life-threatening.

If a skin infection is not responding to usual treatment, a doctor should be consulted to confirm exactly what type of infection it is and which antibiotic will cure the infection.

How do you catch MRSA? The easiest way to catch the infection is by skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. Poor hygiene can be major contributing factor.

How can you avoid catching MRSA? Practicing good hygiene should be a top priority, along with good old common sense. Here’s a few tips:

Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently (check out our Hand Washing page above the clock!)

Do not share toothbrushes (yuck!), razors, towels or anything else that may transmit bacteria.

Carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for times you cannot get to soap and water.

If you have any cuts or scrapes, keep them cleaned and bandaged until healed.

When at the gym, wipe surfaces of equipment before and after using. It is a good idea to place a towel between your skin and the surface of any shared equipment.

Immediately after engaging in contact sports or any activity where there has been close contact with others, wash/shower thoroughly.

Hibiclens Antiseptic Skin Cleanser, 8 oz. Bottle For use as a hand wash and superficial skin wound cleanser, bonds to skin and continues killing germs for up to six hours.

Ok, the kids are back in school. Give it a week or two and the viruses will return also. You know them all too well….ear infections, colds, sore throat, stomach virus, pink eye, the works! How can they protect themselves from these common afflictions? While it may be impossible to avoid all together, some plain old common sense can help immensely.

Washing hands with warm water and soap thoroughly is a big step in the right direction (remind them to sing their ABC’s or Happy Birthday while lathering – for proper timing).

Eating properly, taking vitamin supplements and getting enough sleep (adjust bedtime hours) will also help to promote a strong immune system.

If for some reason illness strikes – stay home if there is a fever present (even low grade) to risk spreading the virus! If antibiotics are prescribed, stay home until 24 hours have passed after starting the medication.

Unfortunately, this is one of the most overlooked, but important points that many parents ignore when it comes to their children and themselves! They send their kids to school sick because they have to work and they report to work themselves when they are sick – making everyone else around them (or their kids) sick. Inconsiderate? Yes. My #1 Pet peeve? Yes! Yes! Yes! It should be a firing offense!

If you get sick, stay home and get well.

It’s cold and flu season – time to break out the hand sanitizer! Nothing beats a good hand washing for killing germs, but during this time of year you could spend half your day with your hands in the water! I always stock up on the little travel size hand sanitizers for Christmas stocking stuffers and then keep enough on hand to get through the winter germies. I just found a neat and very portable hand sanitizer - .

I use the hand sanitizing spray the handle of my grocery cart when I go food shopping. This time of year the container of sanitizing wipes supplied at our local grocery store is usually empty. It is a nice touch that many stores are starting to do, however they just don’t seem to keep them filled. I have found that my kids (teens) will grab something new like this and use it. I wouldn’t recommend a spray or gel for small kids, unless applied by an adult and supervised. There are so many germs in and around school at this time, my high school and college kids think the pens are very convenient, because they cannot always get to soap and water.

Keep in mind that hand sanitizers are used without water and that they are not cleaning agents, nor do they remove surface dirt. Washing with soap and water is the only way to remove visible soil.

Technorati Tags: cold and flu season, hand sanitizer, hand washing, killing germs, hand sanitizing spray

Well, I didn’t purchase them until this year basically because I was afraid of how it would taste. Effervescent tablets to be dissolved in water and drunk – eww – sorry, but I had tried enough of those of so-called immune boosting drinks that I had to gag down. A new flavor, Pink Grapefruit caught my eye, so since I have been doing a lot of traveling and with cold/flu season approaching, I decided to give it a shot. I have to say that it actually tastes great and I have no problem drinking it several times a day! My daughter came home from school this past week with a nasty cold (she didn’t take Airborne) and so far I’m good (keeping my fingers crossed)! So Airborne gets an A+ from me.

So what’s in it? Basically it is a combination of herbal extracts, vitamin c, amino acids, electrolytes and antioxidants. It comes in several different flavors, orange, lemon and pink grapefruit. For complete information and products available, check out their website at http://www.airbornehealth.com/ I can only speak from personal experience, so I cannot guarantee if it would work for you, as well as it has for me so far, but it is definitely worth a try. Germs are out there, especially at this time of year, in the malls and stores full of holiday shoppers, in our work environments with all of that yucky recycled air, in public transportation, and yes, schools.

Chicken pox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It starts
with moderate fever and then characteristic spots appearing in
two or three waves, mainly on the body and head rather than the
hands and becoming itchy raw pox (pocks), small open sores which
heal mostly without scarring.

Chicken pox has a two-week incubation period and is highly
contagious by air transmission two days before symptoms appear.
Therefore, chicken pox spreads quickly through schools and other
places of close contact. Once someone has been infected with the
disease, they usually develop protective immunity for life. It
is fairly rare to get the chicken pox multiple times, but it is
possible for people with irregular immune systems. As the
disease is more severe if contracted by an adult, parents have
been known to ensure their children become infected before
adulthood.

The disease can be fatal. Pregnant women and those with immune
system depression are more at risk. Death is usually from
varicella pneumonia. In the US, 55 percent of chicken pox
deaths were in the over-20 age group. Pregnant women not known
to be immune and who come into contact with chicken pox should
contact their doctor immediately, as the virus can cause
serious problems for the fetus.

A chicken pox vaccine has been available since 1995, and is now
required in some countries for children to be admitted into
elementary school. In addition, effective medications (e.g.,
aciclovir) are available to treat chicken pox in healthy and
immunocompromised persons. Calamine lotion is often used to
ease itching and paracetamol to reduce fever. Aspirin is not
recommended in children with chicken pox, as it can lead to
Reye’s syndrome.

Chicken pox is highly infectious infection that spreads from
person to person by direct contact or through the air from an
infected person’s coughing or sneezing. Touching the fluid from
a chicken pox blister can also spread the disease. A persons
with chicken pox is contagious 1-2 days before the rash appears
and until all blisters have formed scabs. This may take between
5-10 days. It takes from 10-21 days after contact with an
infected person for someone to develop chicken pox.

The chicken pox blisters start as a small red papule which
develops an irregular outline in the shape of a rose petal. A
thin-walled, clear vesicle (dew drop) develops on top of the
area of redness. This “dew drop on a rose petal” lesion is very
characteristic for chicken pox. After about 8-12 hours the fluid
in the vesicle gets cloudy and the vesicle breaks leaving a
crust. The fluid is highly contagious, but once the lesion
crusts over, it is not considered contagious. The crust usually
falls off after 7 days sometimes leaving a craterlike scar.

Although one lesion goes through this complete cycle in about 7
days, another hallmark of chicken pox is the fact that new
lesions crop up every day for several days. Therefore, it may
take about a week until new lesions stop appearing and existing
lesions crust over.

Second infections with chicken pox occur in immunocompetent
individuals, but are uncommon and rarely severe.

Vaccination Japan was among the first countries to routinely
vaccinate for chicken pox. Routine vaccination against
varicella zoster virus is also performed in the United States,
and the incidence of chicken pox has been dramatically reduced
from 4 million cases per year in the pre-vaccine era to
approximately 400,000 cases per year as of 2005.

The vaccine is exceedingly safe: approximately 5% of children
who receive the vaccine develop a fever or rash, but there have
been no deaths, as of May 2006, attributable to the vaccine
despite more than 40 million doses being administered.

41 of the 50 US states require immunization for children
attending government- run schools. The vaccination is not
routine in the United Kingdom. Debate continues in the UK on
the time when it will be desirable to adopt routine chicken pox
vaccination, and in the US opinions that it should be dropped,
individually, or along with all immunizations, are also voiced.

The CDC and corresponding national organisations are carefully
observing the failure rate which may be high compared with
other modern vaccines – large outbreaks of chicken pox having
occurred at schools which required their children to be
vaccinated.

Catching wild chicken pox as a child has been thought to
commonly result in lifelong immunity. Parents have deliberately
ensured this in the past with pox parties and similarly for some
other diseases such as rubella.

Historically, exposure of adults to contagious children has
boosted their immunity, reducing the risk of shingles.

Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no
changes are made, and the entire resource box is included.

About The Author: This article is Copyright © 2006, Heather
Colman. Find more chicken pox resources at:
http://www.chicken-pox-journal.info

When it comes to washing your hands, do you wash them often enough and long enough, to rid them of germs and bacteria? Although we won’t admit it, many of us adults (and our children) do not.

Every time you use the bathroom, blow your nose, cough into your hands, pet an animal, change a diaper, handling the garbage, or work in the yard, you are coming in contact with germs that could spread viruses like the common cold or flu, or worse. That is just in and around your own home! I n public places, like your workplace, your child’s school, daycare, malls, public restrooms, supermarket carts, gyms, libraries, arcades, you get the idea…germs abound!

So what is the correct way to wash your hands? Warm water and liquid or bar soap (the soap does not have to be antibacterial), lather and scrub front, back, between fingers and under nails for a full 15 seconds, rinse well and dry with a clean cloth, or disposable towel (turn off faucet with towel). An alcohol based hand sanitizer will do, when soap and water is not available. A great trick to help kids judge how long they should wash is to have them sing or hum a tune like the ABCs or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” while scrubbing.

If you think about it, hand washing is really the first line of defense against the spread of germs and viruses. So take the time to wash well and maybe avoid a trip to the doctor’s office!

It seems that almost everyone we meet suffers from an allergy of some kind or knows of someone who does perhaps it is because of the amount of chemicals we use in this modern era perhaps it is that modern conveniences such as air conditioning or fans can more efficiently distribute the harmful allergens throughout our society.

It is possible for almost anything to cause an allergic reaction but there are some allergies that are more common than others. These are explained in more detail below.

1. Asthma

Asthma is a serious respiratory disease. This allergic inflammation of the lungs is characterized by wheezing, coughing and tightness around the chest, making it difficult to breathe. It can be brought about through environmental allergens, dust mites, pollen, animal dander, smoke and other pollutants.

2. Allergic Rhinitis (hay fever)

Like asthma, allergic rhinitis or hay fever is caused by airborne allergens such as dust or pollen. It is characterized by watery, itchy eyes and a runny nose. It also causes bouts of sneezing and coughing. This is caused by the person breathing in floating pollen which then sticks to the mucous membranes of the throat and nose. They can also land on the sensitive covering of the eyes.

3. Perennial Rhinitis (dust mite allergy)

Perennial rhinitis is a condition which affects the sufferer all of the time. It is usually caused by the microscopic droppings of the house dust mite which is breathed in, affecting the air spaces in the nose, thus producing excess mucous. It can also be caused by animal fur.

4. Eczema and Dermatitis

With skin allergies such as eczema and dermatitis, the skin becomes red and itchy and can sometimes become weepy . Any part of the body can be affected. The cause of this type of allergy varies from dust to pollen to chemicals. It can also be triggered by heat, cold, humidity and bright sunlight.

5. Urticaria and Hives

Urticaria presents itself as raised lumps or as white patches with reddened skin surrounding them. They are extremely itchy and can come and go from all areas of the body. In most cases, urticaria will subside after a few hours but it can last for several days, causing extreme distress to the sufferer. This type of allergy is typically from a chemical substance such as cleaning products, hair dyes, and other chemical matter.

6. Food Allergies

A large number of people are allergic to certain foods, bringing on bouts of stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, wheezing, stuffy nose, and a rash. The foods responsible are mainly berries, shellfish, eggs, nuts, milk, corn, beans or wheat. For people who suffer food allergies, it is necessary to avoid not only these specific foods, but any other product made with these ingredients.

7. Poison or Venom Allergies (such as wasp or bee stings)

The allergic reaction to venom of insects usually presents itself in the form of hives or urticaria, tightness in the throat and chest, and itchy eyes. The person who suffers this type of allergy experiences more pain from a sting than someone without an allergy. Other creatures that can cause an allergy include ants, mosquitoes, jellyfish and scorpions.

8. Allergies to Drugs or Medications

Penicillin and Aspirin are the most common drugs to which some people have an allergic reaction and this generally causes a rash or hives.

In most cases, an allergic reaction is uncomfortable and can indeed be quite stressful. It is usually not fatal and will generally respond favourably to a treatment of antihistamines, corticosteroids or inhalants.

However, in some cases, the reaction is so severe, it can lead to a potentially life-threatening condition called anaphylactic shock. This is a condition in which a person is exposed to something to which he is extremely hypersensitive. This results in a release of histamine into the body tissues, sending the individual into anaphylactic shock.

Its onset is immediate and the symptoms include severe difficulty in breathing, swelling, a drop in blood pressure, and heart failure. The result will be fatal if the person is not treated urgently by the injection of adrenaline.

If the person has severe reactions, it is essential that they wear a medic alert bracelet so that those treating him are aware of the situation and can respond accordingly.

Most allergies can be controlled by avoiding the allergen if known. However, in some cases, it is unknown and this can be difficult. This can be overcome by always carrying antihistamines with you in case you have an allergic reaction to something.

If you manage your allergies sensibly, your discomfort should be minimized and you should be able to live a full and active lifestyle.

With today s new building procedures, our homes are more dangerous than ever before!

Scientific evidence now shows that the air inside our homes is 2-5 times more polluted than the air outside. And because we spend about 90 percent of our time inside, indoor air quality has become one of the top environmental health threats in the country.

With today s new construction practices, buildings are no longer made to breathe. Pollutants trapped inside our home can cause chronic symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, skin rashes and itchy eyes. Some pollutants may have more serious effects, including asthma and cancer.

I remember back in the 70 s (when I was just a kid), in an effort to save money on energy, the public utility district was upgrading everyone s home, at their own expense.

My parents took the PUD up on this offer as well. A contractor came to our home and installed double-pane windows, more insulation (throughout our entire home), insulated all the electrical outlets, and basically did everything possible to turn our home into an air tight cocoon.

While this seemed like a good idea at the time, buildings are now made so air tight that the pollutants produced in the building accumulate and have no way to escape.

Here it is years later, and a major health concern has evolved.

Black mold!

Mold has now become a nationwide epidemic. It s now responsible for destroying the lives of thousands of unsuspecting victims. And until we find out how to control this menace, the situation is only going to get worse.

If you want to find out how to wipe out the black mold threat in your home, be sure to sign up for this upcoming no-charge, consumer awareness teleseminar.

It s called

“The Unadulterated Truth About Black Mold: What You Don t Know Is Destroying Your Home And Your Health”

Here are just 4 of the strategies that will be revealed on the call…

1. The 5 tell-tale danger signs of black mold… any one of these puts you, your family, and your home at risk

2. How to find out if black mold is the cause of your health problems — without a visit to the doctor’s office

3. The 3-step method to locating mold… that anyone can do, without spending a fortune to hire a professional

4. Why you NEVER want to tell your insurance agent about a water damage or mold problem in your home… until you take this step first

You can get all the details and register for this no-charge consumer awareness service at

http://www.getmoldsolutions.com/black_mold_teleconference.html