Flu + Original Articles

An Extensive Guide to the Flu Vaccine: What You Need to Know

Each year hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized from flu-related complications. Why take that chance? Get immunized to protect yourself from this life-threatening illness. If you haven't received your flu vaccine, get to your doctor or pharmacist pronto. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend immunization for every person 6 months and older. Failure to do so may leave you sick with a fever causing weakness, dehydration, and/or an inability to work or attend school for a week or more.

How Effective Is the Flu Shot, Really?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that everyone six months and older get the flu shot annually. But does the vaccination truly prevent the virus? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that everyone six months and older get the flu (influenza) vaccination annually, especially those at risk from flu complications: older adults, pregnant women, caretakers of those at risk, and those with certain medical conditions.

8 Easy Tips for Organizing Your Medicine Cabinet

Follow this handy guide so you're fully prepared when minor injuries and illnesses strike. When you feel lousy, the last thing you want to do is make a trip to the drug store for over-the-counter relief. Besides, you probably have medication somewhere in your house. If only you remembered where you put it... When common ailments like the flu strike, having a well-organized medicine cabinet can relieve some of the stress of dealing with illnesses and injuries, says Jennifer Ford Berry, an expert organizer, speaker, and author of the Organize Now! series.

Is the Flu Different for Women and Men?

Due to evolutionary factors and hormones, one sex is more prone to a miserable bout of the flu. Because of chemical and anatomical differences, women and men experience various conditions differently. From migraines to depression to heart disease, gender plays a large role in how we undergo, and recover from, various ailments. According to some studies, influenza is no exception.

How to Recover From the Flu

If you're down for the count with influenza, here's how to get yourself up and going again. The worst of your flu symptoms are behind you and you look forward to getting back to your normal activities. However, you're still not feeling 100 percent. What should you do? The flu, or influenza, is a viral infection in your respiratory or digestive system.

Acute vs. Chronic Sinusitis: Understand Your Condition

For many, sinusitis means uncomfortable symptoms that may require the right treatment to overcome. If you've ever had a cold, you know the symptoms: Congestion, pressure, headache, mucus, and a clogged up feeling that leaves you miserable. For many people, those symptoms aren't limited to when they have a cold. Sinusitis affects almost 30 million Americans and some of them have it chronically.

7 Natural Remedies for the Flu

Did you know some of the best fixes for flu-related symptoms can be found right in your home? If you're down with the flu and want some relief, you might not need to go to the drug store to find it. Some of the best natural remedies for influenza are right in your own home. Influenza is a viral illness that doesn't respond to antibiotics. If you see your doctor very soon after you become ill, she might be able to give you an anti-viral medication to reduce the virus's impact and shorten the amount of time you're sick.

Is It a Cold or the Flu?

Your head aches, your eyes hurt, and you're sneezing, coughing, and experiencing chills. Is it a bad cold, or could this be the start of the flu? It's often hard to distinguish between a cold or flu virus, but there are some important clues that can help you tell the difference, says Antoinette M. Cheney, DO, of Lone Tree, CO, a spokesperson for the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and faculty member at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

How to Weather Winter Asthma

Address your worst asthma triggers and enjoy the best that winter has to offer. While some people experience the bulk of their asthma symptoms in the spring and summer, many experience serious discomfort during the winter months. There are several reasons why asthma can get worse in winter, explains Kevin McGrath, MD, Fellow and Spokesperson for the ACAAI.

It's Not Stomach Flu, It's Gastroenteritis

Treating a bug the right way depends on knowing what you have. Get the facts. Gastroenteritis—or the stomach flu—is not influenza. It does not affect the stomach, but rather the small intestine. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the intestinal lining caused by a virus, bacteria, or parasites. Gastroenteritis spreads via contact with someone who has the illness, but it can also be spread through contaminated food, water, or hard surfaces.
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