Treat Swine Flu – how to treat swine flu and health tips

BBC News

Swine flu has spread across the world since emerging in Mexico and is now officially the first flu pandemic for 40 years. Experts fear millions of people will be infected.

What is swine flu and what are the symptoms?

SWINE FLU SYMPTOMS Typical symptoms: sudden fever (38C or above) and sudden cough 1. Other symptoms include: Tiredness and chills 2. Headache, sore throat, runny nose and sneezing 3. Stomach upset, loss of appetite, diarrhoea 4. Aching muscles, limb or joint pain Source: NHS

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1.

H1N1 is the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis.

But this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.

Although the strain may have originated in pigs, it is now a wholly human disease.

It can be spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing.

Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu.

A fever – which is a temperature of 38ºC (100.4ºF) – is the key symptom, combined with other complaints which may include a cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and aching limbs. Some people with the virus have also reported nausea and diarrhoea.

As with normal flu, the severity of symptoms will depend on treatment and the individual. Many people have only suffered mildly and have begun to recover within a week.

People are most infectious soon after they develop symptoms, but they cease to be a risk once those symptoms have disappeared. The incubation period may be as little as two days.

Apparently healthy people are dying from the virus. Does that means it is getting worse?

Experts say this does not change anything, and that if anything it is surprising that it has taken this long in the UK for someone without underlying health problems to die.Read more..

High blood pressure increases heart attack and stroke risk
BBC News

High blood pressure is picked up less often in people who smoke, despite them being at higher risk of heart disease, research suggests.

A study of more than 20,000 men and women in England found smokers were less likely to be aware that they had high blood pressure than non-smokers.

The University College London team said spotting the condition was particularly important in those who smoke.

Being diagnosed can also prompt people to quit, heart experts said.

Smoking and high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, are both key causes of early death, the researchers wrote in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

National guidelines advocate that doctors encourage those with high blood pressure to stop smoking and that greater effort should be made to look for signs of the condition in those who smoke. The study, which took data from the Health Survey for England in 2003 and 2006, found improvements over time in the proportion of people who knew they had high blood pressure. Read more…

Opinion by KEITH-THOMAS AYOOB
Abc News

A study just published in the respected journal Pediatrics suggested that when babies gain a lot of weight in their first six months, they would be obese at 3 years old.

While excess weight can be a problem in some babies, perdiatric nutritionists say parents should not put these infants on diets.

(Keith Brofsky/UpperCut Images/Getty Images)

For so long, the main nutrition concern regarding infants has been that they obtain enough nutrients and calories to support good growth and development. Well, America got the memo, at least about the calories.

Now there’s an epidemic of obesity, and it seems to appear earlier and earlier in life. This study found that 7.5 percent of 3-year-olds were obese. That’s about one in 13 toddlers, and that’s 50 percent more than the one in 20 you’d otherwise expect. Of course, there really shouldn’t be any obese 3-year-olds.

The cause: Nature? Nurture? Not enough recess?

OK, disregard the recess comment. Actually, this study didn’t look at reasons for the obesity, only that it happened.

The researchers do pose some possible explanations, however, and I can concur, based on 25 years of clinical practice with parents and children:Read more…

The virus was first recorded in Mexico
BBC News

H1N1 swine flu has killed more than 700 people around the world since the outbreak began four months ago, says the World Health Organization (WHO).

This represents a jump of at least two-thirds from the last official death toll figure of 429, published by the WHO on July 6.

Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, has warned that swine flu will become the biggest flu pandemic ever seen.

However, most cases continue to produce only mild symptoms.

The overwhelming majority of patients usually recover, even without medical treatment, within a week of falling ill.

The WHO has said the pandemic is developing at such a high speed that it is now pointless to try to document every case.

In past pandemics, flu viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks.

But officials have stressed that there is an ongoing need for all countries to monitor unusual events, such as clusters of severe or fatal cases, or unusual clinical patterns, closely. Read more…

What is Colitis?

Colitis is the term for inflammation of the colon or large bowel or intestine. The beginning of the colon is called the cecum. It begins in the lower right portion of the abdomen where the last part of the small intestine (ileum) empties into the large intestine.

In colitis the colon is usually quite red and swollen appearing when seen by colonoscopy (scope exam of the colon).

Chronic colitis is one of several types of inflammatory bowel disorders or IBD for short and should not be confused with IBS the term for irritable bowel syndrome.

Biopsy of colon tissue in irritable bowel syndrome are normal and do not show signs of inflammation therefore it is not considered an inflammatory bowel disorder.

Colitis Symptoms Signs:-

The three most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis are the appearance of diarrhea, the evidence of blood when a bowel motion occurs and a degree of pain in the abdominal area.

Abdominal pain, Diarrhea that contains either blood or pus,Painful, urgent bowel movements,Fever,Fatigue and muscle weakness, Weight loss, Joint pain, skin problems, and eye problems, Conventional Medical Treatment.

Colitis Treatment, Herbal Remedies,Home Remedies,Natural Remedies:-

Flaxseed oil (as directed on label)-protects the lining of the colon.

Garlic (as directed on label)-has a healing effect on the colon.

Multimineral complex with calcium, chromium, magnesium, and zinc (as directed on label)-minerals are not easily absorbed in colitis victims; calcium is needed for the prevention of cancer, which can occur as a result of constant irritation.

Vitamin C with bioflavonoids -boosts immune function and heals mucous membranes; use in buffered form.

Colitis Prevention, Pain Relief, Risk Factors,Causes:-

Strict hygiene and sanitation measures while handling, cooking and eating food can go a long way in preventing colitis associated with infective germs. Incorporating healthy lifestyle and diet changes in your daily routine helps to make your body as disease-free as possible by strengthening your immunity to keep at bay not only colitis but also other diseases. Moderate exercise combined with a healthy diet consisting of whole grains, lentils, fruits, vegetables and water in plenty, and animal-origin foods in as restricted amounts as possible.