Winter is coming... so are colds and the flu

Yup, if you live in the northern parts of the world, you know that winter is coming and it seems to be coming a lot faster in some parts than in others. But even if you live in warmer areas, colds and influenza can still strike, so you're not entirely out of the woods. Sorry!

Some people still believe that getting cold or wet can make you sick, it's not true. A cold virus or influenza virus is there whether you're cold or not. But, being cooped up on a crowded bus with the windows closed and not going outside very much, spending more time indoors with people around you - that does help spread viruses. So, that is why people seem to get sicker in the winter than in the summer.

Avoiding the colds and flu:

• Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.

There you go. That's the secret. When someone is sick and they pull open on the door handle, borrow your pen, use your keyboard, or press an elevator button and they you touch any of those - if you don't wash your hands, the next time you bring your hands to near your face,  you just might be transferring the virus to your own body. So - wash your hands!

Don't be fooled by people who don't look sick. You can be infected with the influenza virus and not look or feel it for up to 24 hours before  you realize you're sick. So, the coworker that looks fine today? He may be flat on his back with the flu tomorrow and neither of you know it yet.

• Get vaccinated

Yes, many people feel that vaccinations are a waste of time and are dangerous. Well, they're not a waste of time and what is dangerous is getting the flu and dying. While we know that high-risk groups like the elderly and those with chronic illnesses can be hit hardest with the flu and develop severe and fatal complications, these complications can strike anyone. Just ask 24-year-old Jen Ludwin, who came down with H1N1 last year. Here is her story: Faces of Sepsis - Jen Ludwin

Of course, not everyone can be vaccinated - there are reasons why someone may not be able to, such as allergies to the vaccine. They need to be extra careful with the handwashing and avoid areas where they may be exposed to people who are already ill.

While you can get over a cold, usually pretty easily - they can also be severe. Unfortunately, we're no closer to solving the common cold problem now than we were years ago. But we can help either prevent or decrease the severity of influenza. Think about it.

Fish Oil for Healther Gums

Gum disease isn't something many people think about. They think about their teeth and, for the most part, try to be sure they don't lose them, but not so much care is done for the gums. The thing is, without healthy gums, you can't have healthy teeth. So, what to do?

Besides the usual recommendations of brushing your teeth well and flossing regularly, there is now the recommendation that omega-3 fatty acids, or fish oil, may help your gums stay healthy.

A study published in November's issue of Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that people who participated in the study and who had higher levels of fish oil consumption were less likely to have gum disease than people who consumed little or no omega-3 fatty acids.

The study was not a long-term study, in fact it was only a snapshot of one day of consumption, but it does lead to some interesting questions about more benefits from fish oil than originally thought.

You can read more about the study in this article, Fish Oil Might Help Fight Gum Disease

Most popular blog page here - broken hips and elderly

When you write for a blog or maintain your own blog, you never know which posts will garner the most attention - good or bad. For this blog, the most popular, by far, is a post I put up on July 26, 2007 - that's over four years ago. It still gets several visits per week from new people who find it through Google or other search engines.

According to the blogger stats, Broken hips in the elderly can lead to death has been viewed 1,274 times. The next closest comes in at only 504 times, written earlier this year, Another Medication Recall - Is Anything Safe?

The visitors come from all over the world. So far this month, there have been:

• 2219 visitors from the United States
• 191 from the United Kingdom
• 147 from Canada
• 55 from Macedonia
• 54 from the Netherlands (I wonder if some of their searches were for "Marijke")
• 41 from Luxembourg
• 41 from Russia
• 38 from Australia
• 36 from Switzerland
• 36 from India

Sometimes I'm referred from individual blogs, but when I go back to see how I'm linked, I can't find it. Or, other times, I see that the blog or website has copied my information word for word. That is a big, BIG no-no. Whatever I write here is mine for you to read and that's it. No-one is allowed to just republish it on their site. Unfortunately, not everyone understands that yet.

I get a lot of emails too, but what I would like are COMMENTS. Yup, just a comment or two a day would make me feel like there's really someone out there. :-)

Ok, have a great day everyone! And if it's not a great day, I really hope things do get better for you.

A blood pressure reading with that shave sir?

It may sound odd, but a study published online in the Archives of Internal Medicine earlier today has found that if neighborhood barbers can take customer blood pressures, hypertension care is improved in African-American men.

African-American men are one of the groups that are at increased risk of developing hypertension. The problem is that hypertension, or increased blood pressure, is a silent disease until after it has already done damage to the body. The only way to detect hypertension is through blood pressure screening. However, to do that, the patients have to willingly go to a clinic or doctor's office to have their blood pressure checked.

In this particular study, which took place over 10 months, barbers offered to take their customers' blood pressure when they came in for a hair cut. The barbers also promoted physician-follow up and provided patient education material about hypertension and its long-term effects. Seventeen barber shops participated in the study and reached 1,300 men. All 17 shops offered the screenings and then were divided into the intervention and comparison groups.

Both groups of shops took initial blood pressure readings of the men. In the eight comparison shops, the men were then offered standard educational material about hypertension. In the nine intervention shops, after the initial blood pressure reading, the men were offered free checks with every hair cut. If the BP reading was high, the barber encouraged the patron to see a doctor and the man was given a free haircut if he returned with a doctor-signed referral card. If the man did not go to the doctor, the barber called the study's staff to arrange a visit and would then give the customer the information.

Results of the study showed marked improvements in blood pressure levels among the barbershop patron who went to the shops in the intervention program.

This isn't the first time that the neighborhood barber shop has been the center of medical and screening programs. According to a press release issued by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,

Since the 1980s, African-American-owned barbershops and hair salons have hosted screening programs for medical conditions that disproportionately affect African-Americans. Victor's study concludes that if hypertension intervention programs were put in place in the estimated 18,000 African-American barbershops in the U.S., it would result in the first year in about 800 fewer heart attacks, 550 fewer strokes and 900 fewer deaths.

Interesting and effective way to reach people, isn't it?