Flu Complications Should Be Taken Seriously

Worried about flu complications? Even for a healthy person, the flu can put you out of commission for days even weeks. And there is always the chance that the flu can cause more serious health problems or flu complications such as sinusitis, bronchitis, or even pneumonia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5 to 20 percent of the US population contracts the flu annually. More than 200,000 of those individuals are hospitalized for flu complications, and approximately 36,000 people die of flu-related problems. Influenza commonly shortened to "flu" is an extremely contagious viral disease that appears most frequently in winter and early spring. The flu comes on fast and strong, spreading through your upper respiratory tract and sometimes invading your lungs. With flu, you may have the following symptoms: high fever sometimes accompanied by hot flashes or night sweats (usually common in adults), headache, tiredness (can be extreme), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children that adults).The most common flu complications include viral or bacterial pneumonia,muscle inflammation (myotisis), and infections of the central nervous system or the sac around the heart (pericarditis). Other flu complications may include ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes. Those at highest risk for flu complications include adults over 50, children ages 6 months to 4 years, nursing home residents, adults and children with heart and lung disease, people with compromised immune system including people with HIV/AIDs, and pregnant women. However, pneumonia is a common and very serious flu complications. Whether viral or bacterial, pneumonia can make you quite ill and may require hospitalization. With pneumonia, you may have chills, night sweats, hot flashes, fever, chest pains, cough with green or bloody mucus, increased pulse, and bluish colored lips or nails because of lack of oxygen. Other pneumonia symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, and sharp pains in the chest when you take a deep breath. Sometimes in elderly adults, the only feeling of pneumonia is a pain in the abdomen. If there is a persistent cough or fever or if shortness of breath or chest pains occur especially if these follow another infection such as the flu you should contact your doctor. Tests, including a chest X-ray and sputum examination, can help the physician make the pneumonia diagnosis. While antibiotics can treat bacterial pneumonia, antibiotics cannot treat viral pneumonia.While many flu complications can be managed, some, depending on the condition of your immune system, cannot be prevented. If you do get the flu, call your physician within the first 48 hours of getting flu symptoms and ask about a flu antiviral drug. Antiviral drugs may help stop flu symptoms if taken early enough.

At-Home Flu Remedies That Really Work!

Need some home remedies for fast flu relief? Most of these home remedies have been used to cure flu symptoms for generations, and may help ease your symptoms as your body fights the flu virus. Keep in mind that if you have flu symptoms, it is also a good idea to call your doctor. If at-home flu remedies taken within 48 hours of the onset of flu symptoms, flu medications may be able to shorten the duration of flu symptoms. Not sure if you have flu symptoms? Widespread body aches and a fever over 102 degrees are good indicators.* Breathe Aromatic Steam: Fill the bathroom or kitchen sink with steaming water, and add two teaspoons chopped fresh ginger. Drape a towel over your head and lean over the steam to get maximum benefit. Or add one teaspoon of the over-the-counter ointment Vicks VapoRub to the steaming water, then breathe in the steam for several minutes until you get relief. Another flu remedy is to add a few drops of oil of eucalyptus or menthol to the water. Eucalyptus is known to open up bronchial tubes, ease congestion, and make breathing easier. * Take a Warm Shower: Getting in a warm shower with the bathroom door closed works as your own personal sauna. The steamy bathroom helps to open your airways and moisten and thin the mucus in your sinuses.* Increase Liquids: Stay well-hydrated by drinking at least 8 cups (64 ounces) of water each day. Water keeps your respiratory system hydrated, which helps to liquefy thick mucus that builds up with a respiratory infection. Some findings show that hot liquids may be superior to cold liquids in upper respiratory infections. Other liquids can be added, but don''t depend on coffee or alcoholic beverages as these liquids may cause dehydration and insomnia. * Use Moist Heat Compresses: If your head is throbbing and it is difficult to breathe through your nose, you may find relief by applying warm moist compresses to the cheeks and sinuses. If you use moist heat, make sure it is not too hot to avoid skin injury.* Nasal Saline Irrigation: A host of scientific studies support saline nasal irrigation as an effective flu remedy to thin mucus, decrease postnasal drip, and add moisture to dried mucous membranes. In addition, the saline nasal rinse helps to remove virus particles and bacteria from your nose. Here''s a popular recipe that you can try at home: 1. ) Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces of warm water. 2.) Use a bulb syringe to squirt water into the nose. 3.) Learning over the bathroom sink, hold one nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while squirting the salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain and gently blow your nose. 4.) Repeat 2-3 times and then treat the other nostril.* Saline (Salt Water) Nasal Sprays: Saline nasal sprays can be purchased over the counter at any drug or grocery store and are effective, safe and nonirritating, even for children. Spray the saline solution into one nostril and then gently blow the mucus and saline out of that nostril. Repeat the process in the opposite nostril until both are running clear.* Stay in Bed and Rest: Getting plenty of rest and healing sleep is important to boost immune function and give the body time to heal. It is during the deeper stages of sleep that you experience metabolic and tissue restoration.* Use Over-The-Counter Nasal Strips: If the flu has caused nasal swelling and congestion, making it difficult to fall asleep, try over-the-counter nasal strips to alleviate this problem. These strips of tape are placed over the bridge of the nose, then a plastic strip springs back, helping to gently open your nasal passages and reduce airflow resistance. Another method of opening the nasal passages is to use surgical tape, one-quarter inch wide. Gently apply one end of the tape to the tip of your nose, lift, and fasten the other end of the tape to the top of your nose.

Three Steps To Fight The Seasonal Flu

Flu is a serious contagious disease. Each year in the US, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and are 20,000 of those hospitalized are children younger than 5 years old while 36,000 people die from flu. Take action to protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges you to take the following steps to protect yourself and others from the flu:Step 1: Take Time To Get A Flu Vaccine: * A yearly flu vaccine should be the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. * While there are many different flu viruses, the flu vaccine protects against the 3 main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season.* The vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these 3 viruses or it can make your illness milder if you get a different flu virus.* Getting a vaccine is very important for people at high risk for serious flu complications, including young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart or lung disease, and people 65 and older prone to constipation problems and other ailments.* People who live with or care for those at high risk should also get a flu vaccine to protect their high-risk contact.Step 2: Take Everyday Preventive Actions: * Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.* Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.* Try to avoid close contact with sick people.* If you get the flu, you must stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.* Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth for germs spread this way.Step 3: Take Flu Antiviral Drugs If Your Physician Recommends Them: * If you do get the flu, antiviral drugs are an important ed treatment option. However, bear in mind that they are not a substitute for vaccination.* Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body.* Antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. This could be especially important for people at high risk.* For flu treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick.* Flu-like symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and muscle aches.

For Better Sleep, Choose Cold And Flu Drugs Wisely

A hacking cough, a throbbing head, a sore throat, and a nose so stuffed it feels as if you will never breathe free and clear again. You have got a cold or maybe even the flu and all you want to do is crawl in bed and sleep. Until you get there. That is when you realize your symptoms are turning any chance for a solid night''s rest into the impossible dream. But how and why does this happen? In addition to the pure and discomfort of the symptoms themselves, the increased mucus production, along with overall congestion, forces you to breathe through your mouth instead of your nose. When you lie down, congestion can seem worse. Mouth breathing also irritates airways, causing you to cough more often, which in turn can also disrupt sleep. Plus when you are sick your body releases certain cytokines (immune factors) into the bloodstream, some of which are mediators of sleep. The end result, is you toss and turn all night and even if you do fall asleep, you wake up feeling drained and tired, with cold and flu symptoms seemingly worse. Although many turn to cold medicines at night, they may not always help you sleep better. In fact, depending on what you choose, it might actually make things temporarily worse. Among the ingredients are most likely to keep you up at night: pseudoephedrine, a decongestant commonly found in cold pills and some cough medicines. This can make some people jittery and nervous and actually keep them from falling asleep or staying asleep. Another common ingredient, diphenhydramine, found in Benadryl and many other all-purpose cold and allergy medications, plus your anti aging skin care cream, can have a paradoxical effect - making some sleepy, others not. Fortunately, there are other things you can try. To unclog that stuffy nose before bedtime, experts and doctors recommends a saline nasal spray, which is purified salt water. This will have no negative impact on your ability to sleep, and it can help flush out and irrigate your nose and make breathing somewhat easier and that means you will sleep better. Sleep experts also recommends localized nasal sprays, along with external nasal strips designed to keep breathing passages open from the outside. So if you put one of these strips on the bridge of your nose before bedtime you may find you get a better night''s rest, not only because you are less stuffy and more comfortable, but also because you will be breathing better so your sleep will be more restful.

Flu Treatment: Which Is Effective For Flu Symptoms?

The flu treatment you should take depends on your symptoms. For example, if you have nasal or sinus congestion, then a decongestant can be helpful. Oral decongestants come in many forms - pills, tablets, capsules, or syrups. Decongestants are used to open the mucous membranes in the nose and help them to drain. However, decongestants should not be used for more than a few days because, if they are used too long and then stopped, they can cause rebound symptoms. If you have a runny nose, postnasal drip, or itchy, watery eyes then an antihistamine may be helpful for your flu symptoms. Antihistamines block the effect of "histamine," and help relieve such annoying symptoms as sneezing, itching, congestion, and nasal discharge. Over-the-counter antihistamines often make people drowsy, whereas decongestants can make people hyper or keep them awake. Antihistamines can make mucus thick, which can be a problem if you have lung disease such as COPD or asthma. Bear in mind that both decongestants and antihistamines can interact with other drugs you may be taking for conditions such as heart disease, and they may worsen some conditions. Talk to your physician about which flu treatment might be best gift ideas for you.

Flu Shots During Pregnancy Protects Infants'' Risk By 63 Percent

Pregnant women who get flu shots protect their infants up to age 6 months, a clinical trial shows. The study is the first definitive proof that flu vaccines benefit both mother and newborn baby. The study with website design Lexington shows that a newborn''s risk of infection can be greatly reduced by vaccinating pregnant women. It is actually a two-for-one benefit. Infants under 6 months have the highest rates of hospitalization from influenza among children in the US. Therefore, US guidelines advise pregnant women to get flu shots, but only 12 percent to 13 percent do. Obstetricians have been slow to pass the recommendation on to women, even though most agree that getting the flu during pregnancy is dangerous. The study enrolled 340 mothers who had not received a flu shot for at least 3 years. The study showed that vaccinating pregnant women: * Cut infants'' risk of getting lab-confirmed flu by at least 63 percent.* Cut both infants and mothers'' risk of respiratory disease with fever by one-third.* Prevented respiratory disease with fever in 14 infants and 7 mothers for every 100 women vaccinated.* Prevented one case of lab-confirmed flu for every 16 women vaccinated.A number of factors affected the study, including a shortage of flu tests. But analysis of these factors suggested that, if anything, they led to an underestimation of the true advantage of flu shots for pregnant women. Babies under age 6 months cannot get a flu shot. And since it takes two shots for full protection, there is a gap during which a child might be vulnerable to the flu. However , pregnant women should be encouraged to be vaccinated for the flu to protect their infants and themselves.

Killing Flu Bugs Around The Home And Office

Even if it may be an unlikely mode of transmission, it is still conceivable that you could pick up the flu bug from a surface. So if you would like, you can disinfect some of the areas in your home and office that are most likely to harbor flu germs. While flu germs can theoretically be spread by sheets or towels, it is unlikely: Influenza can only live a few minutes on soft surfaces. Still, it is best to not share hand towels or anything else with someone who has the flu. Influenza germs tend to last longest on hard surfaces, so you could focus on: Doorknobs, Hand rails, Desks, Tables, Faucets, Computer keyboards and mouse, Remote controls, Video game controllers, Elevator buttons and Toys.What type of cleaner should you use? Really, any disinfectant will do the job. One common recommendation is a one-half cup of bleach mixed with a gallon of hot water. Of course, if you have kids, all the precautions in the world may not be enough. Children are flu factories and with little kids, it is almost impossible to stop them from sharing viruses with one another and bringing them home. Even though day care centers may wash the toys and surfaces with bleach, it is very hard to keep up. What can a parent do? Aside from making sure your children get the flu vaccine, not a whole lot. Even hearty adults who have not been sick in decades are generally laid low once they have children. If you want to, you can spray your telephones with disinfectant and scrub your keyboards with bleached-soaked cotton swabs every day of flu season. It is best to use the best disinfectant product, so better check it online and its SEO campaign. But do not get so focused on disinfecting surfaces that you neglect the 3 most important things you can do to keep flu bugs out of your life.* Regularly wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based sensitizers.* Cover your mouth when you cough, preferably with something other than your hand.* Get the flu vaccine every year. Everything else is option, flu experts say.

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