Is Swine Influenza A Health Threat?
H1N1, also known as the swine influenza, which reared its ugly head in Mexico last spring, has now reached almost every country in the world. Yet this isn’t the first time that influenza has made major headlines. In the last hundred years, there have been three times when a major strain has caused increased panic and the medical community to take some drastic measures for treating the flu.
The first epidemic that caused much panic and illness occurred in 1918. It was the Spanish flu; an influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. This outbreak lasted for only 2 years during World War 1 and yet caused an estimated 50 million deaths during that short period of time. This is a huge number, and was actually equivalent to about 3% of the world’s population at the time. To put this number in perspective, there were roughly 15 million deaths attributed to the First World War, which spanned four years.
The second outbreak was actually less serious in terms of spread and people affected, but the response to this swine influenza is what makes it stand out in our history. In 1976, individuals residing at Fort Dix came down with flu symptoms, and so much fear of a repeat of what had happened in 1918 prompted the US government to create a vaccine for the entire nation to ensure public health. Even though this swine flu never went beyond Fort Dix, the vaccine was recommended for everyone in the States. Unfortunately, many serious side effects and deaths resulted from the vaccine, causing more harm than the actual strain of influenza.
These two historical occurrences are often being referred to when discussing the most recent spread of swine influenza. In Mexico, April 2009, many people became ill or died from this flu, and while it seemed like this was a brand new outbreak, reports have since shown that many months before the H1N1 influenza activity was already being experienced by people, yet wasn’t revealed to the world until much later. Many topics of conversation around the world have to do with the swine flu and many people are becoming fearful and panicky. Many have reported that they fear that sickness and death could reach the levels seen in 1918. They are concerned about the government’s approved vaccine, hoping that what happened in 1976 won’t happen again.
Over the past one hundred years, many researchers have studied the history of influenza, and it has become obvious that the flu is not something to take lightly. As we can see from what happened in 1918, a flu pandemic is a very serious occurrence. Plus, the fact that a high number of people die from the flu each year, whether it becomes a pandemic or not, is of grave concern to us all. It is very important to do your own research, read H1N1 information and find ways to protect yourself and your family. Maintain a healthy lifestyle during this winter and be informed of the benefits of receiving a swine influenza vaccine.
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5 Things You Should Be Doing To Stay Healthy
Time slows down when you get sick. While you should go to your doctor and take his advice, there are things you can do on your own to speed the healing process.
These may seem obvious, but are easy to overlook when sick.
1. Sleep – We’ve all heard “get lots of rest” but why? When you sleep, your body is fully at rest and can regenerate and heal. While we are sleeping, our body sheads toxins through our breath and through our skin.
2. Postive Thinking – It has been scientifically proven through the placebo effect that people who think they are getting better, will. Negative thoughts cause stress, which is the biggest threat to the immune system. If you want to heal quickly, its important to keep a positive healthy mindset.
3. Nutrition – When your sick, its easy to turn to comfort foods, or just plan forget about eating. Its important to feul your body with essential nutrients and minerals it needs to heal. Try juices and soups – with lots of vegetables – this is easier on your stomach while giving your body the nutrition it needs to recover.
4. De-stress – This is easier said than done when sick. It can be hard to think passive and calm thoughts when your body is out of whack. Which is why it is good to meditate (try the silva method or the sedona method if your new to meditation) and actively calm your mind.
5. Hydration – Fevers and digestive problems can easily rob your body of water faster than you realize. Alot of the time, the symptoms you feel with illness are actually symptoms of dehydration. Make sure you are getting your daily amount of water and then some. Drink hot water with lemon to rehydrate and avoid caffiene.
The great thing about these is that you can do them all at home. Not only will these steps cure what ails you, when practiced regularily, will prevent sickness.
What Is The Most Effective 100% Natural Home Sinus Infection Treatment
Sinus infections have a inclination to make us depressed and customary cure for it is to use antibiotics in combination with decongestants. Nevertheless both of these treatments produce several dangerous side effects, decongestants trigger headaches and often antibiotic treatments may have an outcome of bacteria becoming immune to such medications. As an alternative, you can also make use of effective natural home methods of relief to eliminate sinusitis.
Natural relief methods like essential oils for instance are being employed from the dawn of mankind as cure for many diseases. For example Oregano oil is great for treating sinusitis, simply add it to your juice or water two to three times daily and you should feel first relief signs in no more then a day or two. In addition you could also make use of essential oil derived from eucalyptus and put it in your inhaler or humidifier, it has a nice aroma and it will additionally help you eliminate sinusitis a lot sooner. IF you are searching for natural home sinus infection remedy we suggest you click here to read review of Cure Your Asthma
Another excellent essential oil is peppermint, it’s beneficial for reduction of sinus obstruction which often leads to infection. Because it has a very strong smell, combine it with some olive oil and rub it in on your sinus area and around nose, it is going to release your nasal passage and make it possible for you to blow your nose clear of mucus, the major reason for infection.
Utilizing salt water for rinsing your sinuses every day is one more useful way for curing sinus infection, it might be a good idea to purchase a so called Neti pot, it’s purposely constructed for sinus rinsing and you can get a good deal on it on Amazon.com. The simplest method of rinsing your nose is to get user friendly ready mixed saline nasal packages and use it daily or to cure an infection.
Next is apple cider vinegar, another excellent sinus headache home remedy, simply take three to five tea spoons of natural apple cider vinegar per day and you ought to be able to put a stop to not just sinusitis but also flu and cold. Doing this is going to dilute your nasal discharge, thus allowing you to clear your nose better, in no more then one or two days you should feel relief and withdrawal of infection signs.
Using steam inhaler is additional remarkablesinus infection remedy, you can either buy one specifically suitable for this or simply make use of a tea pot or just about any poy or jar to radiate steam, it will open your nasal passages in less then 15 minutes. In addition you can add a few drops of Eucalyptus essential oil to enhance the effect. In my opinion this is the quickest way to take the edge off your sinus infection and one of the most effective ones.
Hot lemonade is one more very good sinus relief, simply use organic lemons add hot water and organic honey. It’s not only amazingly effective defense from both sinusitis, cold or flu but also it has a great taste, as well as being full of vitamin C lemon additionally prevents growth of viruses and bacteria.
Finally use one of these home remedies for sinusitis or or use them all together, it is definitely going to help you eliminate your sinus infection more quickly, cheaper and more naturally then using antibiotics or another possibly harmful treatments.