What is Swine Flu – H1N1 Virus?
What is Swine Flu – H1N1 Virus?
Swine flu, now called H1N1 influenza A, is a type of flu virus. It is a new strain of flu that has just recently been affecting people. It is not caught from pigs or by eating pork. It is a human influenza virus and is being spread by people. It is thought to be a combination of three different flu viruses – swine flu, bird flu and human flu. The new strain is extremely contagious and is quickly spreading across the globe.
H1N1 is different from other strains of influenza. This particular strain of influenza has not been previously exposed to humans before so there are no built up immunities to it. This is what makes it so serious. At the current time there is no preventative drug that you can take in order to avoid getting it. That is why people who are elderly, very young or those who have compromised immune systems must be extremely careful to avoid getting the flu.
Just how dangerous it will be remains to be seen. We are just beginning to see the start of the cases in the United States. It is thought to have originated in Mexico but has since spread globally. The worst cases of it seem to be in Mexico, likely because many people were unaware of the dangers of the flu and did not seek immediate medical treatment.
It was renamed H1N1 influenza A to avoid people making a connection to pigs. This is similar in some ways to the flu that hit the world decades ago. However it is proving to be more serious. The outbreak is becoming serious because nobody has any immunity to this particular strain of influenza. It is estimated that approximately 1 in …
4 Common Causes of High Blood Pressure
4 Common Causes of High Blood Pressure
The number one question on most people’s mind when they are diagnosed with a blood pressure problem is what caused it? Believe it or not, there are various causes of high blood pressure. The top 3 causes are:
1. Obesity. The more overweight a person is, the more chances they have of developing it. In fact, you have a 50 to 300% higher risk for hypertension than people who are at a normal body weight.
2. Stress. Stress is a major cause. When you are under stress for any reason your body can react by elevating your levels automatically.
3. Heredity. If you have family members who have this medical condition you will be more at risk for developing it at some point in your life too.
4. Inactivity. If you do not get much exercise you can increase your chances for higher than normal blood pressure. On the other hand, if you get active and stay active you can lower your blood pressure naturally.
Hypertension has been nick named the silent killer. That’s because you can have dangerously pressure and not even know it until a doctor discovers. Most people who have mild to moderate pressure readings can have it for years before they show any signs of it. Some of the signs of undiagnosed high BP are pains in the back of the neck and head. Also, some people may notice pains in the arms or upper back and shoulder blades. Frequent urination can also be another sign of high blood pressure. These are just a few symptoms, there are many more.
There are more common causes for hypertension such as using birth control pills, alcohol or drug abuse, and a diet that is too high in salt. You can help …
Ward Off the Flu – Follow This Advice
Ward Off the Flu – Follow This Advice
Every time you have to stay home from work or school due to the flu, you lose money and your grades suffer. Many Australians are following a few simple tips to avoid coming down with the flu and are avoiding all of those missed days with ease.
Get The Influenza Vaccine –
Every year, data culled by the World Health Organization is used to create a brand new flu vaccine that helps people avoid coming down with the top three strains of the flu. Flu vaccinations are quite easy to come by, and you should be able to receive one at your doctor’s office or at the local clinic. By receiving the vaccine soon after it is released – around October – you will be protected in plenty of time for flu season. Imagine not having to worry nearly as much about missing work, school or even a fun holiday; with the flu vaccine, you can truly eliminate much of that worry.
Avoid Crowded Places During Flu Season –
The flu is a communicable disease, which means that it is passed along from person to person. We all know that working in an office, for instance, usually means passing the same flu around to everyone; the same phenomenon occurs in schools. You can lessen the risk of getting sick with the flu by avoided crowded places this flu season. For instance, steer clear of shopping centres, races and events such as the Ekka to really reduce the likelihood of catching the flu. Even though this advice is sound for everyone, in particular it applies to those people that fall in to risk categories such the young, pregnant women and the elderly.
Live A Healthy Lifestyle –
Your immune system is strengthened though …
Hypertension – Medical Treatment
Hypertension – Medical Treatment
Possible Drug Combinations
The treatment is an initial immunotherapy with a drug in response is inadequate, as multiple combinations. Drug of first choice for drug therapy are ACE inhibitors, AT1 antagonists, beta blockers, diuretics and calcium antagonists. The choice depends on the age and comorbidities of the individual. ACE-inhibitors reduce the synthesis of pressor angiotensin II and thus the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Angiotensin-1 receptor antagonists share the same system at another point on; they prevent the effects of angiotensin II at the angiotensin-1 receptor (AT1 receptor).
They are sometimes better tolerated than ACE inhibitors. In the case of beta-blockers agents from the group of β-1 are selective agents used. The β 1-receptors are localized at the heart of their resistance is lowered over the decrease in cardiac output of the heart, blood pressure. Diuretics, preferred by the thiazide-type, create an on increasing fluid secretion in the kidney, a reduction in volume in the vascular system and subsequently decrease in blood pressure. Calcium antagonists reduce the nifedipine-type vascular tone in the arteries.
These drug groups are considered with regard to mortality reduction as therapeutically regards the impact on the total number of organ complications (stroke, heart attack, heart failure), but there is a heterogeneous study situation. Means the second choice are alpha blockers, potassium, α2-agonists and NO donors.
Refractory Hypertension
Refractory hypertension is defined as hypertension, consists of three or more despite treatment with high-pressure medications, including at least one diuretic, is not in the target area. Approximately 20-30% of hypertensive therapy resistance is particularly in advanced age or obesity. Often, the resistance to therapy, a secondary high-pressure form is based. The most common cause is a hyperaldosteronism, other causes include obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, chronic renal disease, renal artery stenosis or pheochromocytoma. All patients …
How Can High Blood Pressure Be Treated?
How Can High Blood Pressure Be Treated?
Hypertension is a word that is used to describe a medical condition of high blood pressure, which is a measurement of the force of blood against the walls of your arteries when blood is pumped throughout the body. The readings are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). This reading is given in two numbers – for example, 120 over 75 (120/75 mmHg). The first number is your systolic pressure and it can be dangerous if this number is above 140. The second number is the diastolic pressure, which is considered high if it is over 90.
You can have hypertension if the diastolic pressure is between 120 and 139 and the systolic pressure is between 80 and 89. The likelihood of hypertension increases if you have a history of heart or kidney problems. In such cases, your blood pressure needs to be maintained even lower than people who do not have these conditions. The risk of high blood pressure increases if you are obese, or you have diabetes or you are a smoker. Recent research shows that being an African American also increases your risk of developing hypertension. A proper cause is not identified in most of the cases and this is known as essential hypertension.
This condition can be caused by other medical conditions or by intake of certain medications and this is known as secondary hypertension. This type of hypertension could be because of alcohol use, atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease, cocaine use, and diabetes. Some medications that cause secondary hypertension are corticosteroids, birth control pills, appetite suppressants, and migraine medications. Some of the common symptoms of this condition are confusion, fatigue, nosebleed, ear noise, vision changes in and ear buzzing. If you are suffering from severe headache or any other symptoms …
The Things That You Need To Consider Before Hiring a Consultant Pharmacist
When considering hiring a consultant pharmacist, it is essential to consider several factors. These factors include cost-effectiveness, auditing, and formulary management. These factors should be considered when evaluating whether a consultant pharmacist is necessary for your long-term care facility. These factors will also influence the fee you will pay.
Cost-effectiveness
A pharmacy consultant’s role is increasingly common, but the question is whether it is cost-effective for your pharmacy. A pharmacist may need assistance with business solutions, quality assurance, compliance, licensing, and strategies in some situations. Many pharmacists are not experts in these areas, and hiring a consultant may be the best option.
Pharmacy benefit consulting is an emerging role in managed care. In recent years, the role of this professional has expanded to meet the needs of employers. It now includes reviewing and analyzing medication expenditures and the design of overall health plans. Its role is increasingly important in the healthcare industry as the effects of managed care continue to spread throughout the health system. For example, one study found that clients who are not in managed care plans experienced higher increases in their annual drug costs.
Auditing
Many of the benefits of hiring a Consultant Pharmacist Mason OH include improving your pharmacy’s operations. This type of pharmacist can provide advice on various business issues, from developing growth strategies to preparing for an external audit. In addition to these, pharmacists can also advise clients on mergers and acquisitions and the launch of new locations.
Audits typically rely on a review of databases and can help determine if your organization is overpaying or underpaying for pharmaceutical services. The consultant will also recommend corrective measures, including alterations to your PBM agreement or benefit plan. During the audit, they will document errors and overpayments, identify trends, and suggest changes to your processes to …
Influenza Pandemics
Influenza Pandemics
Past pandemics of influenza resulted from cross-infection of humans by the avian flu virus. In 1918, the most devastating pandemic, the infection resulted from a mutation in the virus; whereas, the other two smaller
pandemics occurred from a reassortment of the virus antigen. It is believed that pandemics occur decades after a shift in the antigen. This shifting was noticed in the 1970s, so there is concern that a pandemic is pending.
The most well-known and well-documented pandemic of influenza occurred in 1918, at the end of World War I. This pandemic, named The Spanish Flu, was responsible for up to 50 million deaths worldwide, most from influenzal pneumonia. Having lost many lives in the war, the flu further decimated the world’s population. Because of the impact on the population as well as the economy, this pandemic is still under review to understand what happened and how to prevent a similar pandemic.
Influenza was less understood in the early 20th century than it is now. Diagnosis was delayed and therefore, treatment was suboptimal to contain the disease. Once it was recognized and affected people were quarantined,the virus had already spread. The rapid rate of spread of this disease across the globe shows the high degree of virulence of this virus. This spread occurred despite the lack of mobility that exists today, which is a major concern for modern scientists.
Although we do have some protective measures with vaccines and antivirals, if the virus has mutated sufficiently to be resistant to both vaccine and treatment, a pandemic would be hard to control. The increase in mobility in the air, on ground and via sea will make it virtually impossible to control the spread of the virus once it takes hold.
The Flu – How Health Practitioners Arm Themselves Against It
The Flu – How Health Practitioners Arm Themselves Against It
What approach do many health practitioners use to arm themselves against the flu and other ‘bugs’ that go around?
In summary, the strategy many use is to support their immune systems carefully during ‘flu seasons.’ Here’s how they do it:
As these seasons also correlate with times when their sun exposure is reduced, they often supplement with vitamin D3. Then, to make certain they both absorb the D3 and convert it to its active form so their bodies can use it, they make sure they have enough saturated fat (yes, saturated fat! It’s not the demon it’s been made out to be – in fact it plays a vital role in the body’s nutritional state and functioning. Good sources are coconut oil, cream and butter.
Then, at the advent of flu season, many start taking a combination of the roots of the herbs Echinacea Purpurea and Echinacea Augustifolia. These add immune strength and support internal cleansing. For many, these two strategies alone are sufficient.
However, health practitioners encounter stresses and can get run down, too. Then if feeling like they’re starting to come down with something, many add the herb Andrographus and the herb St. John’s Wort.
These strategies are non-prescription with no side effects, and available over-the-counter or online.
The only caution is about using St. John’s Wort over a length of time if you are also taking SSRI’s – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These are used to raise serotonin levels, and since St. John’s Wort also raises serotonin levels, these levels may become too high. In certain susceptible individuals (those being treated for bipolar disorder), serotonin levels that are too high can trigger a manic state. But for short term usage such as is described above, there is …
Simple Tip to Prevent Catching Colds – No More Influenza Infection
Simple Tip to Prevent Catching Colds – No More Influenza Infection
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Influenza is a common problem nowadays. Although it may not be fatal disease, it is very contagious and can affect millions of people all over the world. In this article, I will give a simple tip to prevent catching colds. Say no to influenza infection with this commonsense habit.
Millions of people around the planet have heard the alarming scale of different flu outbreaks over the recent years. From SARS to avian influenza, the strains of influenza virus are getting stronger, causing infections at rapid speed. For the information of the public, more than 500,000 people in the whole planet will die because of these more immune strains of influenza. And this is very scary. So, how can we protect ourselves?
Do not allow yourself to catch flu because of your negligence and lack of knowledge. The key to protect yourself from catching common colds are quite common sense. Boost your immune system with the proper vitamin antioxidant boosters and do not expose yourself to risks that will most likely make you infected with the virus.
One of the simplest approaches to avoiding colds is to wash your wands frequently. This is very commonsense but I cannot stress it enough. According to the journal Applied Environmental Microbiology, you can kill about 99.7 percent of the viruses when you wash your hands thoroughly. Before you touch your nose, face, or mouth, make it a habit to wash your hands with warm water and any ordinary soap. This should require consistent effort and this needs to be formed into a habit.
There are other ways to prevent you from catching common colds and flu. But frequently washing your hands is a great start.
Using Anti Flu Medications
Using Anti Flu Medications
Flu is a widespread ailment experienced by grown-ups and kids all over the world. The first symptom of the flu is a bad throat. A sore throat can even indicate the beginnings of bird flu or the common flu. A more severe symptom is elevated fever. Flu fevers are usually over 36 degrees C but worse instances may go above a 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Other indicators are lesser signs of hunger, chest difficulty, and muscular pains.
Historical Treatments Against the Flu
The 1918 Spanish Influenza was really a manifestation of the flu. about 20 million worldwide died from unattended cases of the flu. Because the victims were unable to fix the flu, they suffered from pneumonia. The ready medication tablets in this era were Rimantdine and Amantadine. These drugs had their limitations. Though they could prevent the virus from infecting the cells, they could only protect the body from Type A influenza viruses. The drugs cannot stop the type B influenza viruses.
Latest Medicines
Tamiflu and Relenza can protect the body against type A and Type influenza viruses. Both medicines are neuraminidase inhibitors, inhibiting the virus from completely infecting the body. Tamiflu is made of Oseltmaivir while Relenza has Zanamivir.
Tamiflu is known as the most advisable flu treatment. It is sold in tablet shape, made in a measurement of 75 mg. Flu ridden children must take the suspension form of Tamiflu. The suspension form is administered based on the kid’s weight. For example, a child less than thirty three pounds will take 30 mg of Tamiflu. The downside of Tamiflu is its high cost.
An inhaler is required to take Relenza. Relenza and Tamiflu are both approved by the FDA. Unfortunately, people with asthma or any breathing problem are in danger when taking Relenza. They …